Working Multiple Dogs | The Working Dog and the Distraction Dog
We have the Working Dog, the dog holding the duration behavior and a Distraction Dog(s) that is doing stuff.
Distraction Dog
The Distraction Dog, the dog not working on the Spot behavior at present, will be “worked” by the handler. Consider this work to be ‘shining the Distraction Dog on’ giving them lip service or limited attention during our interaction. Essentially we’re going to allow ourselves to be sloppy and inattentive here with the Distraction Dog in order to focus on the task at hand, which is adding value to the Spot for the Working Dog.
Working Dog
The Working Dog is the dog that is performing the Spot Behavior. All efforts should be made to keep the Working Dog in position. We should expect our dog to fail in new environments and situations and be proactive in helping them succeed. Which means increasing the rate of reinforcement to a level that is guaranteed to keep the Working Dog in position. It also means that we’ll need to release early and often.
Remember that we are not working duration unless the Working Dog is Released. ReleaseRelease has many meanings in disc. Throws and throw variations can be referred to as releases. Sometimes you talk about the dog releasing something, the toy, or the environment, as in to stop... More defines Duration