
Ron Watson | Thru N Flip
A Through that Resolves into a Flip Behind the Handler

a hybrid maneuver, the Thru N Flip move is a Through that resolves into a Flip behind the handler. this creates a flip that moves and flows and is a great supplement to any flipping foundation
Keys to the Trick:
- Clear Trigger
- Prey Driven Cuing
- Replacing the Target
- Marking and Communication
- Placing the Bite
- ShapingShaping is a learning technique where successive approximation and a Positive Marker are used to teach behaviors and communicate concepts. Successive approximation essentially means continually closer to the target behavior. So Shaping is... the Flip
Start with a Clear Trigger
get started clean with a clear Trigger. The handler’s legs opening should be the Trigger for this skill. give your verbal cue, pause a moment then open your legs and deliver the prey driven cue…
That is pretty much it. When training you want your dog to take the verbal cue “Through” and then figure out what part the the body to go through. If you pause a moment, the dog learns to look for that ThroughA Through is a set up move where the dog runs between the handler’s legs. The dog can move from front to back or side to side and can even weave. A Through... opening. This can become a powerful tool that throttles and governs the dog’s movement and creates functional and fluid Team MovementTeam Movement is how dog and handler move, as a team, out there on the field. It is a judging category in some organizations and certainly is a focus of many judges, players,....
Trigger Prey Drive With Your Cue
good cookies want to get away and great cookies just might get away and they would have if I didn’t hustle. this fear of missing out on a cookie that might get away is real. it raises the stakes creates a legit challenge.
Prey driven cuing is important with this move. The disc and hand should move sharply but smoothly in somewhat predictable fashion on the physical Through, pulling the disc away and drawing the straight line past the handler for the through.
When you can’t reach back anymore with the luring hand, let it get out of the way and replace it with the presentation of the Bite Cue.
Transfer Prey Drive from Disc to Disc
smooth over the fast target exchange and bleed the two movements together. place the Bite from the match to the desired disc placement with the same prey driven movement.
I find that the best cue for this is swooping my arm down low past my hip, real close (I actually brush/hit my legs with the disc on Through cues, FYI). This swooping motion puts the disc right in front of the dog’s face on the through. This is a HUGE motivator and CLEAR bug-eyed target.
Eventually that left hand (for clockwise version) runs out of movement. When that happens I try to make it disappear by kind of dying in my hand and falling away to be replaced with this SUPER EXCITING flashing target that is the Cued BiteThe Cued Bite, or bite for short, is a key skill and training tool. The criteria for the cued Bite is the removal of the toy from the handler's possession..
Marking and Communication
thoughtful marking makes this as much a shaping exercise as a DiscDog session. how and where you mark impacts learning and the speed of development of the skill. getting Flips to happen quickly is important.
When building up to this trick, per the video above, be sure to mark the Through or even particular aspects of the Through behavior and deliver your Bite as a cookie. Delivering that Bite as a cookie is a powerful motivator. It is multidimensional in it’s application too. It affects so much. Offer that Bite as a CookieA Cookie is traditionally thought of as a food treat given as positive reinforcement. In that definition, a cookie is a discrete piece of food reinforcement. In many dog training discussions, the idea... and offer it sharply, and most all dogs are in it to win it.
Sharp Trigger with Horizontal Bite
present the Bite sharply, as a cookie, with the clear horizontal rim as the Trigger. pop that thing out there and dare the dog to get it. early on feel free to take it away. awesome prey driven cookies might get away.
Offer the physical Trigger for the Bite clearly and sharply. Boom! Pop that thing out there. Leave it there for a second and then if it’s not seized make it go away and repeat. Presenting it after the positive marker for a bonafide behavior and believing it is a cookie yourself should make most dogs jump at the opportunity. And opportunities go away if they’re not seized.
Shaping the Flip via Commitment & Ass Swing™
getting the Flip happens after the dog is completely committed to pounding that Bite on the finish of the Through. this clear goal and action sequence serves as a framework for reinforcing the Flip.
Start presenting the target right behind the kneepit of the leg that the Through is hugging. Starting the Bite cue here and pulling it away from the dog slightly interrupts the normal Through exit route and captures the dog’s attention. This will establish “Through>>BITE!!!”
Once you’ve got “Through>>BITE!!!” established, pull the disc out and away from the knee-pit, staying back as best you can, and the dog will start to stretch to get that Bite. That stretch creates an Ass Swing™ type leap where the dog starts to get creative with movement and really commits to the leaping Bite.
Once that commitment to swing the rear end for the Bite is installed, simply change the placement of the bite drop horizontal and low to vertical slightly behind and above the knee-pit.
Good Luck!