Question

"My dog breaks his startline stay in competitions. What can I do?"

Answer

Hi there! While leading out in a competition setting can feel a bit different for both you and your dog than leading out in training, there are some things you can consider when you practice to make things easier! Here are a few tips you can get started with:

• When you practice a startline stay, always reward your dog in your chosen stay position. The dog should get his reward for holding his position, not for getting out of the position, so don't reward after releasing him.
• There is one thing that you are able to do in both training and competition: praise your dog. Tell your dog that he is a good boy when he is staying in training. You can also praise him when you lead out in competitions.
• You should have a distinct verbal release cue; your dog should only start moving from the stay after he has heard the release word. If you say something else, move your hand or walk away, the dog shouldn’t break his stay. He only has one cue for release.
• Make sure that your dog understands his criteria. You want him to stay no matter what happens around him. Gradually add distractions to your training. If your dog knows how to stay still at home without distraction, you can start adding some distractions at home first: Jump in the air, touch the ground, wave your hands, throw a toy... Can you come up with a distraction at home that your dog finds hard to resist?
• When you are practicing startlines in training, try to act weird; lead out walking in a stiff manner, act nervous, glance at your dog over your shoulder… This is what people look like in competitions when they get nervous :)
• Practice leading out to different handling positions, for a Forced Front Cross or a Reverse Wrap for example, without actually releasing your dog. Teach your dog that it is only your verbal release cue he should be listening to, as opposed to your motion, position, hands etc.
• Make sure that your dog is in a comfortable position when you leave him in a stay. Don't let him get slightly out of his position; if you want him to sit, reward him for sitting nicely. If you want him to lie down, don’t reward a crouching position etc.
• When you are completely sure that your dog knows what you expect of him on the startline, you should remember to be consistent. Don't let your dog get away with breaking a stay, not even in competitions. If he breaks the stay, take him back to the same place he left from and try leading out again if this is allowed in the venue you're competing in. If your competition venue doesn’t allow training, you can organise a mock trial with your friends to practice under a similar setting.