20/08/2025
This is the "flamingo alert" that might be used here and there in my sport detection classes. I need this handler to keep both hands on the long line and not use the "alert" word. That can quickly become a marker, which is a contract between the handler and the dog. If there is a false alert and the handler calls "alert" without reinforcement, the contract is breached. Is it the end of the world if it happens a couple of times? No. But make it a frequent issue, and there will be problems.
Many trainers and handlers do not realize this. That one leg up can become a marker, too. Dogs are very good at reading not just the environment, but everything we do that can predict an outcome. A constant.
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