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Cold Trials for Refining Skills
Our dogs are very observant and easily come to understand the various ‘tip-offs’ that let them know it’s training time. ⏰ These tip-offs may include the presence of food, you wearing a treat pouch, a specific training location, and/or the time of day. When I say cold trial, I’m referring to when we give a dog a single opportunity to respond to a cue, asking for this behavior in what looks like a novel or real-life scenario rather than when we’re in the midst of an obvious training session.
After we’ve introduced a new skill and the dog has an understanding of what the cue means and is able to perform the behavior correctly in a training context, we may think our work is done even though there may be a bit of a ‘warm-up period’ at the beginning of the session before the behavior meets our expectations on the very first cue. There’s nothing wrong with having a warm-up period, per se, but if the dog can’t respond precisely to the first cue we give for a behavior during a training session, we probably can’t expect the behavior to be reliable in a real-life context. This is where cold trials come into play.
Let’s take LEAVE IT as an example. We begin by steadily going through the training steps until the dog is able to reliably resist food dropped on the floor, in various locations, during training sessions. Now we need to move on to cold trials in order to build a truly functional skill. We begin by stealthily pocketing a treat (or stashing one in a convenient-to-reach location) when the dog is not looking and when no formal training is taking place. Then, at a time that’s a surprise to the dog, we ‘accidentally’ drop a food temptation or nudge it off the counter while saying LEAVE IT once. (We’ll increase the chances of early success by purposely dropping the temptation when she’s a few feet away, rather than right next to us.) If she responds correctly, she is praised lavishly and rewarded. If she’s unable to respond correctly to ONE cue, we calmly block access to the temptation (perhaps marking that moment with a neutral “Oops”), pick it up, then try again later. There are no repeat reps in a cold trial, so take a break and try again at a later time. With practice, she’ll learn to respond accurately to this important cue the very first time.
What are some ways you help your dog succeed in a “closer to real-life” training set up?
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2 Replies
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This is a great post! I love the steps you listed when talking about cold trials of Leave It. I know it’s especially important with Leave It, Come and Stays. I’ve heard real life stories (from trainers) about emergency situations arising where using Come got their dog out of a life-threatening situation…I’m sure using cold trials BEFORE that situation is probably the key to success.
I did want to say how right you are about dogs sensing “training mode”. I like telling clients to hide a stash of treats in a ziploc container somewhere around the house (usually a fireplace mantle or bookshelf) or yard, when they get to this point of proofing behaviors. That way, you take that behavior clip as a random act to praise, not “in the classroom”.
I also like to start using Leave It on coffee tables, to combat a dog’s thoughts about counter surfing. In such a case, stashing “sealed” treats in a nearby plant pot or using the nearby furniture to plan ahead may help.
Practicing Come on walks or hikes on a long-line can help. Using a favorite toy from a carried-on back pack as a reward could be useful. Stashing treats isn’t always useful in this context. Maybe not impossible, but who wants to tempt the wildlife?
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Such great ideas, @bernerlabreclectus ! I especially love the idea of stashing treats out of the dog’s reach all around the house so they can be pulled magically and out of thin air during a surprise training moment. Such an important way to help clients wean themselves of telltale treats on their bodies.
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