Adding New Dogs

We need to add some new dogs to the mix. Either bring in another one or two of your own dogs, or bring a friend’s dog or two into the session.

Adding new dogs doesn’t change much, it just makes things a little more exciting. New dogs are a distraction, and they’re a distraction that every handler will run into at some point and time.

Adding Another Dog from Our Pack

If you’re adding another dog from your pack, just work in the same fashion as weeks 1 and 2. Set the Spot or Pedestal and add value. Release one dog at a time to serve as the distraction dog and pay the ‘Working Dogs’ for doing their job.

Adding a Dog From Another Pack

Adding a dog from another pack is going to be a bit more challenging in terms of distraction level.

Get all the dogs in the working area and then set the position of the ‘working dogs’ and go to work on the spot or pedestal. The other handler can work their dog on lead as the distraction dog and free you up to work with your dogs on their spot or pedestal.

Bring the other dog in as your dogs are already stationed, you may need to give your dogs cookies as the new dog comes into the room in order to keep them occupied and on task at the time the distraction appears.

Taking it Further

You can add more dogs to the mix as distractions and also let one or more dogs off leash to increase the distraction level.

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