Patron’s Only: Sit Pretty in a Back Stall

So you’ve got the Sit Pretty behavior and you’re looking to do it on your back. Odds are you’re having some trouble with cookie delivery and generalizing the position. You may feel the need to enlist the assistance of a helper. But then you’ve still got to generalize that helper out of the situation. Any way you look at it, it’s going to be a long hard slog.

Enter the Pedestal…

Here is what we came up with for getting a Sit Pretty on your back. It’s super fast, super simple, and super effective. Check out the video below where Apryl & Marty McFly demonstrate the method and get some info on how it works and what’s going on. You need either a tall pedestalSpot is a “go to a place”, or “go to a mat” behavior. This means that the dog seeks out and performs a duration behavior on a spot of the handler’s choosing. A... More or a short chair. TakeA Take is a cued Bite that replicates the placement and timing of a throw. Usually used with overs, vaults, and flips, the Take is a powerful teaching tool for creating habitual leaping... More your pick…

Apryl is working a couple of skills here, there is the sit pretty and also “Switch” where Marty looks to each side of Apryl’s head on cue. This has been a tough skill to generalize as cookie delivery while in the StallA Stall has the dog leaping up and chilling out on the handler’s back. Stalls are great for showmanship and for presenting a dog to the crowd. They create a dramatic or emotive... More makes it tough to hold onto the Stall for duration. Apryl decided to work both skills to contrast the Pretty position with the standing or stretching position on her back, making the “Off” cue, the cessation of duration, a bit more useful than simply getting out of the Pretty position.

Make the Pretty behavior hot on the Pedestal. For this to work, you need to be at a level where the dog can do the skill without a lure or on verbal alone.

Ask the dog up onto the pedestal and take a seat. You might want to set up a camera or work in a mirror or use a reflection on a window so you can see what’s going on. GiveThe Give is a retrieve to the hand. A cued Give is a foundational skill that is not super useful in the actual performance of disc dog freestyle, and has huge applications for... More your Pretty cue and wait for the dog to hit the position. A moment after the dog hits position, give your “Off” cue (OK or Free, or whatever you use to stop doing a duration behavior) or your positive marker. Do this right after the dog gets into position, as a longer Pretty position isn’t nearly as important as the dog getting finished with the duration behavior. This is key, as the skill isn’t super easy, and once the dog has the idea that finishing the behavior is what pays it will be much easier to get more duration. Pay the dog to his or her mouth, or put your cookie on the pedestal. Rinse & repeat.

You might want to ask the dog off the pedestal between reps, or you might not. It’s up to you. That’s pretty much it. The keys here are having the behavior solid without the need for a lure and getting the “Off” or marking the behavior. You don’t want more duration, all you need is the idea that finishing is what pays.

Good luck. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below.

Happy Jamming!