How to Teach a Dog Two on Two off

How to Teach a Dog Two on Two off

• Step 1:
  Start with laying a 12" wide board on the ground and lure your dog into 2o2o position. At least one rear foot must be on the board. Click and treat and praise lavishly for this position. You want it to be the very best place the dog can be. The instant the rear foot moves off the board, stand up and stop all rewards and praise. This will take some time for the dog to get it so be patient and do lots of short, fun sessions.
• Step 2:
  Start changing your own position when your dog understands that one rear foot must be on the board. With his foot on the board, keep treating him but move your body back or stand up while dropping treats at his feet. The minute his rear feet leave the board, turn your body away and stop all positive reinforcement. If he has the concept, you should start seeing him reach back with one foot feeling for the board so the rewards will resume. Immediately start rewarding him again when at least one rear foot makes contact with the board.
• Step 3:
  Raise your criteria once you see that your dog is aware that at least one rear foot should be on the board for him to get rewards. Head to the training board and have your clicker and treats ready. By now your dog should be assuming the two on two off position, although he may only be using one rear foot on the board. Position him by hand and only start clicking and treating for both rear feet on the board.
• Step 4:
  Expect your dog to hold the position until you give him a release word like OK or BREAK. At first, just expect him to hold position for a couple of seconds and gradually increase the time up to about 30 seconds. As he gets more reliable, start changing your own position while expecting him to hold his.
• Step 5:
  Use a contact trainer, A-frame at the lowest position or your board elevated by resting it on something stable so it's at an angle. A contact trainer is a slanted board to train your dog to assume the 2o2o position without having a full piece of equipment in your back yard. An A frame is an obstacle, usually between 5-7 feet high consisting of a ramp up and a ramp down. The dog has to run up and over the A frame and touch the contact zones at the bottoms. The reason dogs are not encouraged to leap wildly off the obstacles is for their safety and for handler contol.
• Step 6:
  Continue your two on two off training sessions. By now your dog will be assuming the correct contact position and you can start expecting him to assume it no matter which direction you approach the contact from. Start adding speed by running with your dog to the contact. Hopefully you are in agility training classes and at this point your dog can begin to work on full height obstacles like the teeter, the dog walk and the A frame.
• Step 7:
  Make sure your dog understands he has to wait for you to give him the OK to break contact and move forward. Sometimes when you add speed they forget this! Whenever your dog starts messing up, go back to the previous training step to reinforce the behavior.