Step 2 – Assistant with a Ball

Follow the same steps as before but this time with an Assistant.

The crucial aspects of this scenario:

• When the dog is in the Stand-By position next to the Handler, the Handler marks and either releases the dog to play or OUTs the dog. The dog needs to continue paying attention to the Handler.
• When the dog is waiting for a bite, the Assistant is the one that gives the command to bite before presenting the ball. This way the dog pays attention to the Assistant’s face and not the ball.
• This is still the learning phase. Please do not be rough with your dog when he is not OUTING quickly. We are still at the Negative Reinforcement level. As little as possible and as much as necessary. Faster OUTS will require many sessions.

We should expect that OUTING while the dog is countering is going to be difficult in the beginning – 08:25 sec. If the dog does not counter -remind your Assistant to pull the dog to the end of the leash (the one that is behind the dog). This will remind him what needs to be done