The Three-Action Introduction – Part One

The three-action introduction lays the foundation for your dog's future training with the Tri-Tronics collar. The three-action introduction teaches the dog that it can turn off mildly unpleasant electrical stimulation by performing three already familiar commands. The commands represent three distinctly different actions: come to the handler, go away from the handler, and become stationary.

The dog's understanding of this concept is the foundation for all future collar training, because most commands you will reinforce with the collar are an extension of one of these actions. The three-action introduction also teaches the dog in a controlled setting that it can prevent electrical stimulation through its own prompt compliance. A dog with this understanding maintains a positive attitude about training.

The dog is ready to start the three-action introduction as soon as it is responsive to the commands "Here" and "Sit." The dog should also know a command that means "get in your dog crate." (We will use "Kennel" for this command.) The dog does not need to be reliable off leash on these or any other commands. In fact, the ideal time to begin the three-action introduction is before the dog is reliable off leash.

Teach the dog to bend; or change direction, by pressing the low button and using a command, which tells the dog to turn. Release the button the moment the dog changes direction and starts toward you.

When you begin the three-action introduction, follow the steps described here. You should spend about a week on each of the three actions. Each week's work should include at least five sessions in at least five different locations before you begin work on the next action. After the first week, most sessions should include a few repetitions of the preceding lessons to keep the dog in balance.

Spend the first week working on the action of coming toward you. This week includes bending the dog toward you and the "Here" and "Heel" commands. Spend the second week working on the action of going away from you. This includes "Kennel," casting the dog into a crate and the "Place" command. Spend the third week on the action of becoming stationary, which includes "Sit," the "Sit Whistle" and steadying. If you are training your dog as a hunting retriever, this is also the time to start teaching it to sit to flush.

When you start the three-action introduction, also begin working on the trained retrieve program (Chapter 17). That way, your dog will have the skills it needs before you start to steady it and to teach it to sit to flush at the end of the third week.

The three-week time frame is an estimate, of course. Your dog's own learning speed and the amount of time you can devote to training may dictate lengthening the schedule.

Make sure your dog really understands the three-action introduction even if it takes longer than three weeks.

While you are training the three-action introduction, use the Tri-Tronics collar to reinforce only the commands that you have already covered in that program. If you need to reinforce other commands during this stage of training, use methods other than the Tri-Tronics collar.

Week One-The First Action (Moving Toward the Handler) - TRAINING THE DOG TO BEND WITH THE COLLAR

Go for a walk with the dog in a large field, away from traffic. Let the dog move off freely on its own. After a little while, and when the dog is about thirty feet away, change your direction. Say nothing to the dog. Watch to see if the dog changes direction to follow you. If it doesn't, press the low button and give whatever command you will use to indicate to the dog that it is to turn. (If your dog does not know a separate command for this action, use your command "Here.") Release the button the moment the dog changes direction and starts toward you.

Let the dog overtake you as you continue to walk along in the new direction. Do not stop walking or give the dog any verbal encouragement as it runs past you. Praising the dog will attract it to you and you want it to continue running past you across the field.

Follow the dog for a short distance. Following the dog's direction keeps it freed-up and prevents it from just sticking to your side.

Change your direction when you see that the dog has become distracted and has begun to investigate something other than bird scent. After you change direction, watch to see if the dog will adjust to your direction without use of stimulation. Any time the dog does not bend on its own, press the low button as you give it the command to turn. Keep walking and release the button as soon as the dog turns toward you. After a while you will see the dog begin to pay attention to your location as the two of you walk through the field. Now the dog will begin to hunt with you instead of running independently.

	quot:Here": means come all the way to you and don't run past you. So stand still as you call your dog. Release the button the moment the dog heads toward you.

TRAINING THE DOG TO COME WITH THE COLLAR
Start this exercise in an enclosed training yard, not in the field. With the dog off leash, let it wander about in the yard. When the dog is headed away from you, press the low button and command " Here!" Remain stationary and release the button the moment the dog starts toward you. The first few times you do this, bend over and praise the dog to entice it to come all the way to you.

Watch the dog. If it should veer off or fail to come all the way, or if it should immediately wander off again after coming to you, press the button and repeat the command, "Here!" Release the button the moment the dog heads toward you.

With the dog off leash, start walking and give the command ":Heel.": Picture yourself at the center of a four-foot circle. Any time the dog leaves the four-foot circle, apply low-level stimulation and repeat ":Heel.":

Be sure to remain stationary until the dog has come to you. Your stationary position cues the dog that it is required to come all the way to you, which differs from the bending action where you kept moving. The dog should understand that when you stand still, "Here" means come all the way to you and don't run past you. This understanding will take it much easier to train the dog later to deliver to hand.

Remember, during this stage of the dog's training, you should be pressing the low button with each "Here!" command. The dog is learning how to turn off stimulation by taking action in response to the command and repetition is required for the dog to learn this concept.

Now call the dog to you with "Here!" several times in quick succession. Doing these repetitions close together will cause the dog to want to stay right with you, and there is no better time to train a dog to heel than when it already wants to be close to you.

TRAINING "HEEL" WITH THE COLLAR
With the dog off leash, start walking. Give the dog one command to heel, without using stimulation. As you walk, visualize a circle around you, four feet in diameter. Any time the dog leaves this circle after you've given it the "Heel" command press the low button as you say "Heel!" Turn 180 degrees away from the dog and continue walking.

	You can make a rattle stick from a two-foot long piece of bamboo. Wrap six inches of one end with strong tape so that the handle won't split. Then split the remaining length of the stick at least six ways.

Turning away from the dog puts distance between the two of you, magnifying the dog's error. This procedure makes it easier for the dog to identify where it must be in order to turn off the stimulation. Initially, all your walking should be in a straight line except for the turns that you make when correcting the dog.

If the dog moves out of the heel position, hold the button down until it re-enters the four-foot circle. However, if it has moved farther than ten feet away, use the command "Here!" and release the button the moment the dog starts to come. During the first few sessions, do not correct the dog if it sometimes gets on the wrong side of you. In these early sessions, you are just teaching the dog that beside you is the place to be.

After several sessions, you can begin to refine the dog's understanding of the "heel position." Now, if the dog tries to heel on the wrong side, make that side less pleasant. The dog will choose to move to the other side if you shake a rattle stick on the wrong side whenever it tries to go there. However, to avoid confusing the dog, do not use the rattle stick before the dog has had at least three sessions on "Heel." You can make a rattle stick from a two-foot long piece of bamboo. Wrap six inches of one end with strong tape so that actually speed up as you press both buttons. When the dog bursts forward, release the buttons and give it exciting praise to animate it. Once the dog will speed up to match your change of pace as you use the Tri-Tronics collar, it has learned to turn off stimulation through action.

When your dog knows how to turn off stimulation in response to both the ":Here": and ":Heel": commands, you should add a challenge by increasing the level of distraction.

INCREASING DISTRACTIONS
When your dog knows how to turn off stimulation in response to both the "Here" and "Heel" commands, you should add a challenge by increasing the level of distraction. As the distraction level rises, you may have to increase the stimulation level, using the medium or high buttons. In some cases, you may need to use the next higher intensity plug. After several lessons with challenging distractions, the dog should be complying quickly with your command. Now you can begin the transition to the avoidance response.

THE AVOIDANCE RESPONSE
As your dog becomes quicker at responding, the period of stimulation will become very brief. When the dog has reached this stage, continue using very brief periods of stimulation with each "Here" or "Heel" command for a few sessions. Then begin phasing out the use of stimulation each time you give these commands. Now that the dog is consistently speeding up and is receiving only very brief periods of stimulation, you can stop using the collar with the first command. You want the dog to realize that by responding quickly, it can avoid stimulation. It will perceive that by making a quick, correct response, it can avoid discomfort every time.

From now on, when giving either the "Here" or the "Heel" command, use stimulation only when you must repeat the command because the dog is slow to obey, the dog doesn't come straight to you, or it runs past you. In other words, first give the command without stimulation, and if the dog ignores you, press the low button as you repeat the command. If you must repeat the command again, press the medium button. If you are still being ignored, press both buttons as you repeat the command again, and hold them down until the dog complies.

	Teach the dog to respond to the ":Come-In Whistle": by following the whistle with a ":Here! ": command.

Normally, you will only need to use the high buttons if the distraction is very exciting or the intensity plug in the Tri-Tronics Collars'>Tri-Tronics collar is too low. If you find that you are using the medium or high buttons most of the time, put the next higher intensity plug in the collar.

Be sure to give the dog plenty of praise when it responds correctly to your command. Soon you will rarely need to use your collar to reinforce "Here” or "Heel."

TEACHING THE DOG TO RESPOND TO THE "COME-IN WHISTLE"
Once the dog knows how to avoid stimulation by obeying the "Here" command, it's easy to teach it the “Come-In Whistle." Just give the three-whistle trill followed by "Here" a few times. Now use your "Come-In Whistle" alone, and if the dog doesn't come, immediately follow with the verbal "Here!" command.

When it's taught in that sequence, the dog chains the whistle with the verbal "Here!" and it will soon try to avoid the stimulation by coming quickly when it hears the whistle. Now you can begin using the "Come-In Whistle" alone, and only reinforce it with stimulation if the dog fails to come quickly when it hears the whistle. Be sure to reward the dog with frequent fun dog training bumpers when it comes in quickly.