When we talk about running contact online courses, Katarina Podlipnik Capuder, the founder of FUNtastic Dog training, is one of those who are recommended the most. So, we wanted to pick her brain about RC. And then we talked for a long while. One thing was totally clear: she absolutely loves RC training!

“Honestly, I am a bit addicted to RC - I just love seeing a dog in full speed running the DW and finishing it with a perfect hit!

Reasons for choosing the target method

Katarina uses the target method for RC training and here she explains why: “I like target training a lot, because it gives the dog a clear idea of where to hit. Besides that, I can also adjust this “hitting area” really easily if needed. For example, I will sometimes make the target bigger or lift it higher on the plank if I want to help the dog get rid of one stride and/or help him to “open up” his strides and running more, which is important for more sensitive/less motivated dogs, for dogs that like to “overthink”, or for dogs that have just gotten used to doing too many strides on the DW and need our help to break this pattern.”

“On the other hand, I might sometimes use a smaller target when starting to train sharp turns, to help bring the dog's focus to the end of the plank. Of course you do all those changes together in correct combination with other important factors (like the height of the DW and the approach/exit to and from the DW), but still, the size of the”hitting area” (in our case size of the target) can play quite an important role in successful RC training and being able to change the size of the hitting area is a big advantage which target training makes possible”

“Besides all that, target training also allows you to do so many foundations away from the actual DW (or plank). This lowers the number of tries needed later on the plank/DW and your dog and his joints will be very grateful for that. Target training also allows you to train almost anywhere and set great foundations without even requiring access to a DW in those first stages.”

However, Katarina wants to remind us all that with any kind of target training, you need to safely attach the target to any surface either with double sided duck tape (artificial grass) or plastic pegs (normal grass): “At any point, the target shouldn't be moving under the dog's feet, since that is dangerous, and besides, it doesn’t promote the nicest hits, as the dog has to think more about how to hit to not slip, instead of how to hit with confidence.”

What should the target be like - size and material

You can get targets in many sizes, but what is the right one for your dog? “In general, I suggest the size of the target should be big enough that it allows every individual dog to hit it nicely with both hind feet while running with his natural hind feet separation. Too small a target can sometimes cause problems with the dog getting into the front feet pattern, overthinking, taking too many strides on the DW or on the down plank, overreaching and so on.”

“As already mentioned, the size of the target might vary in my training (based on the dog and the training I am trying to achieve), but normally I would suggest to start with a 50cm target (+- 5cm, depending on the size of the dog).”

There are many different materials to choose from, but what is the best one? “Honestly, I am a big fan of those “cheap” anti slip and water resistant materials (“gripper rolls”), that people normally use to “grip” different items to different surfaces. Normally I glue a few layers of it together (with glue spray) and love to use them in my training, because they offer great grip, they are easy to secure (on the floor and on the plank), and you can easily cut them into any size you want.”

Why does RC fall apart?

Katarina explains that RC can fall apart for multiple reasons. “It depends on every individual dog and how he has been trained through the stages, but RC most likely fall apart from lack of understanding, lack of generalization, striding issues, because of hurrying on and if the circumstances have changed too rapidly.”

“Sometimes a dog might have a good basic understanding, but he can’t generalize the behaviour when there’s more speed involved, when rewarding changes, when there are no clear obstacles ahead, when we add more motion from the handler. Many times RC training can also fall apart if the training has not been designed optimally for that individual dog - taking into consideration the dog's individual character, his size, how he learns, his natural stride, what is his preferred reward and how sensitive or crazy he is. Especially in later stages, training with a crazy, powerful dog who has a tendency to “fly” and not think much, needs completely different training than a less motivated/more sensitive dog, who needs help with lengthening his stride and running more.”

“So overall there are many reasons why RC training can fall apart, but there is one thing that they all have in common: it is not the dog's fault. Dogs do their best in the given circumstances and if things do not go as planned, do not get into conflict with your dog. Instead, stop the session, go for a walk and after that, analyse the session, to see why things are not going according to the plan.”

Katarina explains that with RC it is really important to see the “whole picture” to understand what is happening: “it is not just about hitting the target (or contact, if working with non target method), it is also about seeing HOW the dog hits the target, how optimal his striding is, is he showing signs of overreaching or getting into a hitting pattern that is not optimal for him. Many things need to be taken into consideration, to make RC training as easy, understandable and enjoyable for the dog as possible.”

When is the right time to up the RC game?

Katarina mentioned rushing as one of the reasons why RC can fall apart. So what is not rushing? When is the right time to add challenge? “Short answer: when you see that the dog understands what to do, he is having fun and a high success rate. But besides this “universal” answer, keep in mind that RC training is not “black and white” and like we already know, it needs to be adapted to every individual dog.”

“So the decision on when to upgrade training should merely depend on the dog that we have in front of us. Especially, I suggest you don't hurry too much with more sensitive dogs, or with the dogs who do not do well with making mistakes, because sometimes taking things slower to boost confidence and understanding, and to build muscle memory for jackpot hits, is much more important than rushing with any challenge. And in the long term, taking things slower at the beginning, will result in setting great foundations and progress after that will be much faster than it would otherwise be.”

Training turns from the start

Katarina includes turns in training from the beginning: “Training turns generalizes behaviour very well and helps dogs understand the concept of RC even better. Another reason why I train turns from the start is that I don't want to rush into plank or DW training - I prefer to take time doing foundations with the target on the floor, and turns are super for proofing and generalising target hits.”

“Another reason for training turns right from the beginning is that usually we get the best hits (with both hind feet covering the target nicely), when the dog is running in a bit of a “banana line” through the target (both approach and exit on a bit of an angle). And building muscle memory for jackpot hits from the beginning is also a really important part of my RC training.”

“Last but not least, we already talked about training needing to be adapted to every individual dog. And focusing ONLY on straight exits after DW when training with fast, powerful and crazy dogs is not something that I would advise to do, when starting to train RC with them. This is because those are the dogs that do not need to be additionally encouraged to fly and run like crazy - with those dogs, we need to first work on thinking and teach them that they cannot solve everything with power. They need to learn to think things through, aslo while running fast, and to be in control of their speed. So especially with the dogs that show tendency to just run like crazy and fly over the DW, I would include more turns in training from the beginning. On the other hand, I might do much less training of turns at first, when working with less motivated dogs - I would first want to “open” that dog more, encourage running and present turns gradually, to not lose the motivation and running.”

Reasons for training with lowered dogwalk

Some RC trainers go straight from target training to full DW, and others prefer to train first with a lowered DW. Katarina belongs to the latter group. Why is that? “Firstly, because I think going from lowered/flat plank to full height DW is too much of a sudden change to be clear for all dogs. Secondly, I see no reason for training full height from the beginning, since proofing the behaviour, and transferring muscle memory from target on the floor to the DW, can equally or even more successfully, first happen on a lower DW height. Not to mention that it is safer to first train on a lower DW with inexperienced dogs. In case they lose their balance, it is a big difference if they fall off a 70cm DW or full height.”

“However, the fact that I use a lower DW in my RC training, doesn’t mean that all the dogs I train run the full DW at a lower height - it again depends on the dog. Especially with crazy/powerful/fast dogs I use a lower DW only to get used to the obstacle and to proof the understanding of hitting the target, when being sent from different parts of the middle plank, so from different distances. With these dogs, I will proceed to a normal height DW sooner and they don't get to run through a full DW at a lower height, because that will most likely just promote flying over the target area. And that is not what we want to encourage with these dogs.”

“On the other hand, training the full DW at a lower height can help a lot with the dogs that are less motivated as well as with dogs that need to be encouraged to run and/or lengthen their stride, because lower height promotes just that. Especially in later stages when working on optimal striding, a low DW can be a very important part of how to optimally design training. So, again, be sure to observe what is happening, and design training for your individual dog.”

How fast can you train good running contacts?

Many handlers think about the time they should reserve for getting RC ready(ish) for competitions. So we asked Katarina what the minimum amount of training time is with which you can get trustworthy RC with basic turns if you really know what you are doing and the dog is motivated in training?

“I’ve had cases in my online classes, where a beginner dog mastered all exits a few weeks before class finished - so coming from “zero to hero” in about 3 months. But this was the combination of an extra talented handler and an extra talented dog. Normally it takes a bit longer and there is nothing wrong with that - great things take time!”

According to Katarina, there are many factors that affect the length of the project: “It depends on how experienced the handler is, how well he can see the hits and how well he can mark them during training. The better you can mark the hits, the easier it is for the dog to understand what is being asked of him. A lot depends on the dog as well - on his character, motivation, generalization skills, “will to please” and also on how good a connection you have with the dog and how much you have trained so far; for example, how familiar the dog is with shaping and problem solving, how well you have taught the dog to accept different rewards, is the dog’s toy and food drive in balance, etc. If those things are on a good level, it’s easier to train RC as well.”

At the same time Katarina reminds us that we should not think too much about how much time training takes: “Instead of focusing on how fast you can train good RC, focus on how much fun you and your dog are having while training RC. Excelling at RC training doesn’t mean that you will finish with RC training faster than all your friends. Excelling at RC training means that you and your dog are both enjoying the process, you are adapting the training to the individual needs of your dog to keep him successful, and you give your dog the time he needs to understand.

Dos

• Adapt training to the individual needs of your dog (see Katarina’s tips above)

• Concentrate on setting great foundations

• Remember generalizing and proofing the behavior properly during every step

• Whatever method you choose, make sure training is clear to the dog

• For achieving FUNtastic RC, having FUN is the key word!

• Make sure the target is always safely attached to the surface or DW and that all other equipment is also safe for the dog

Don’ts

• Don’t rush training

• Don’t get frustrated if things don’t go as planned

• Don't blame the dog

• Don’t compare your dog’s RC journey to anyone else's - comparing steals the joy

Other articles about running contacts

The secret of fluent running contacts: An interview with Anne Lenz

Interview with Silvia Trkman - RC teaching with or without target?