Proofing Utility GO OUTS

Utility GO OUTS are one of the most challenging advanced obedience exercises. The center stantion is often different and the dog needs to understand that the GO OUT involves going straight to the center of the ring with different presentations of what is the center.

The steps I use are:

• Introduce the dog to the new stantion: the picture often looks different to them
• Highly reward at the touch to the stantion. Make this another trick which is fun and highly rewarding. I usually feed several times and highly reward for the touch to the stantion even when it is not a different type. This helps to build speed and drive.
  
• After the dog knows this new stantion I move progressively further and further back.
  
• The directed jumping is taught separately with the dog sitting at the center stantion and then giving the signal for the directed jumping. This step takes some time for the dog to learn to jump in the direction the handler points to. We have practiced this with the dog right behind and lined up with the jump and slowly moving both the dog and myself to the center position.
  
• Once they know the directed jumping, I try the GO OUT and ask for a sit just before getting to the center stantion. Usually the dog will turn toward me and then sit. I have never had to teach the turn sit on the GO OUT.
  
• I always ask the dog to first go and BOP or touch the stantion once or twice before asking for the SIT before the jump.
  
• I never ask for the SIT on the GO OUT more than twice since my dogs have often anticipated the sit on the GO OUT especially when showing. 
  
• I always finish with a GO BOB. Never reward the dog for not bopping or touching the stantion since this is the critical CRITERIA for this performance for me. If I do, again the behavior of the GO OUT can deteriorate and the dog starts to anticipate the sit and sit earlier and earlier.. A very hard problem to fix when it might only happen in the ring as was the problem with my first dog..... OTCH Kaffee. 
  

Growing our GO OUT Proofing in a HIGH DISTRACTION Park

We train Go Outs at home for the distance and correct handler form for jumping. Also at our training field in Cottonwood for the same. But this lovely park has many distractions as you will see with many children riding bikes, stopping to watch and talk with us, many people walking dogs, occasionally a loose dog, and today my training partner was working her dog in front of the Go Out ring on DB work.