Teaching the Schutzhund Send-Out

south central schutzhund training

Teaching the Schutzhund Send-Out (Voraus)

Concept: the dog must leave the handler on command and continue running till told to down.

Trial Execution:
On the judge’s signal, the handler with his free heeling dog proceeds 10-15 steps straight ahead in the direction he has been instructed to go.

While still in motion, the handler raises his hand and gives the dog the verbal command to go out (“voraus”). The dog must go out at a fast pace in the indicated direction. At the judge’s signal or when the dog has reached ~75 ft distance, he is given the verbal command to down (“platz”). The dog must lie down immediately upon command and stay in that position.

On the judge’s signal, the handler goes to the dog and assumes a heeling position, waits 3 seconds and then sits his dog. Exercise finished.

Commands the dog should be able to execute before being taught the voraus:
reliable sit on command
reliable off leash heeling
reliable down (“platz”) on command (from a distance)
reliable come (“hier”)

Drives necessary for a training a reliable voraus:
pack (biddable for training)
prey/retrieve

There are several different methods for teaching the Schutzhund voraus.

Motivational methods incorporate a “retrieve” activity, using a favored prey item such as a toy, ball, etc. Some involve hanging the item from a pole, others placing the item in a dish, or on the ground.

Teaching Steps (Motivational Learning):
• Place the dog in a stay such that he can see a favored item being placed at a target: a pole, dish, rag…something visible.
• Choose a distance from the target so that the item is still visible;
• Command the dog to retrieve the item from a target; praise/reward each successful retrieve.
• Increase the distance the dog must run to retrieve the item such that the item is not always clearly visible to the dog at the start of the command.
• When the dog is consistently returning the item from a target some 100+ ft away, decrease the run out distance again and place the item at the target WITHOUT the dog watching.
• Command the dog to retrieve the item from the target, and continue to increase the distance for the run out.
• When the dog consistently runs out to the target without going into a search mode, it is time to incorporate the “down” command into the exercise. (It is assumed the dog has a reliable down on command before this is attempted.)

• Place the dog in a stay at about a distance of 50 ft from the target, and in such a position that the dog can see the handler walk toward the target.
• The handler, with his back to the dog, does NOT leave an item at the target, but places the item in a pocket (hidden) and returns to the dog.
• Command the dog to go out (“voraus”). When the dog is about ¾ distance to the target, give the command to down.
• If the dog follows the command immediately, praise from afar, walk toward the dog to close the distance, release the dog from the down command while throwing the favored item over his head, behind him, for fetch/play.
• If the dog does not follow the command to down, but runs to the target instead, do not correct or scold; wait till the dog has verified there is no favored item at the target and give the down command again.
• When the dog successfully follows the command, praise from afar, walk toward the dog to close the distance, release the dog from the down command while throwing the favored item over his head, behind him, for fetch/play.

Learning concept: the dog will learn -
Though he may not see his favored item from a distance, if he runs to a target, it will be there
if he is given the down command before he reaches his target, his favored item will NOT be a the target, but will be coming from the handler instead.
When the dog downs, he will turn to face the handler in anticipation; this is expected and not a fault in the Schutzhund send out exercise.

Training Issues:
A. Search behavior
Placing an item on the ground such that the dog cannot see it will generally create a searching problem, especially in the beginning of the lessons when the dog has not yet learned to trust the handlers command to run out to an item he cannot see.

One method to prevent a search mode at farther run out distances is to elevate the favored item to become more visible as the dog gets closer to the target.

Placing the item on an upside down dish will make it more visible from a distance.
Using a colored rag as a target is helpful for the handler to identify the item location but not much help for the dog, who does not have the color discrimination of humans.

Hanging the item from a pole (on a string with a clip) makes the item more visible and will allow the dog to “run through” the target and not slow down in order to grab the toy.
Proof the exercise by putting two targets on the field and from a short distance send the dog to either one. Do not attempt to wean the dog off a toy reward. To keep it fast and correct, there MUST be some motivation for the dog.

B. Target fixation
The dog eventually will learn to run to a target, but there will not be a target visible at trial time. On a strange field, many dogs will slow down and go into a search mode if it quickly becomes apparent there is no familiar target (pole, dish bowl, etc) before them.

There is another way to teach the send-out, one which does not incorporate an artificial target: The Boundary Method
To prevent “target fixation” simply to teach the dog his reward (favored item) is at a “boundary”. Rather than placing the item in the field or at/on a specific artificial target, place it at the furthest point out, ie, at the boundary of the training area. That boundary can be a fence, tree line, bushes, building, bleachers, etc)

Concept:
Over time when the handler gives the command, the dog knows to run out to the furthest point indicated. . .because that is where the reward is! The handler just has to teach the exercise using many different boundary points: fences, bushes, buildings, etc., so the dog can generalize to just about anything that could be considered a “boundary”.
There will always be a boundary as a target at a trial, the one at the end of the field, or some physical structure somewhere. That is where the handler puts the favored item and that is where the dog is trained to go.

Teaching the send out (“voraus”) using the Boundary Method:

• As with the artificial target method, start the exercise close to the "boundary" where, as the dog watches, the handler places the reward item within sight.
• Let the dog see the item for many sessions before increasing the distance to where the item is not immediately visible. The handler must also learn to be spot-on in giving the direction to the dog, so there is trust built that the item will always be in line where the handler points.
• Be strategic in the ball placement: find spots where the ball cannot be seen from so many feet away, but CAN be seen as the dog gets closer to it. Do not deliberately hide the ball.
• The dog will learn that when he runs in the direction indicated by the handler, he runs to the first boundary intersecting that line and his favored item will be there at the fence line, or bush, or grandstand, etc.
• Once the dog has a reliable long distance send-out to the far border (without the dog seeing the item being put out) , then do NOT put the item at the boundary.
• Send the dog, give the down command (which will likely be ignored) and LET the dog run to the boundary if he wants to.
• Once he verifies his favored item is not there and gets frustrated after searching a moment, command him to down again, by this time having walked closer to the dog.
• When the dog finally complies and does down, throw the ball to him…behind him, over his head.

Learning concept: the dog will learn -
After a while, the dog learns a discrimination that if there is no down ("platz") command, the ball will be at the end at the border; but if he is given the command, he might as well comply because there is no ball at the boundary – it is going to come from the handler.
Using a boundary method to teach the voraus, the occurrence that the dog will go into a search mode before reaching a target is lessened: since the dog has been taught his favored item is at a border somewhere along a straight line, he will run to that border to retrieve it. By that time he is far away enough away that the handler would give the down command. Searching behavior comes near the end of a run; the down command will come before that in a trial.

There is work/time necessary get a dog to the point where the light bulb goes on, so the handler must be patient.

Last Modified January 11, 2006

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