# Changing the Indication?



## Sandra King (Mar 29, 2011)

We've had an awesome, very productive training day today. Boy, you should have seen her search. 

However, our indication is the jump. Yeah, I know, I didn't know it any better, however she was so powerful that she completely knocked me over. She came flying back and literally flying/jumping into me that I was completely knocked off my feet. And those who've seen me personally know that I am not like a skinny stick. I'm a big woman and it's hard to get me knocked of my feet. 

So I was thinking to possibly change the indication. Thing is, is it really a good idea or should I just work it out so she doesn't come into me as strong as she did today. She's so darn focused, fast and powerful that it's a possible injury waiting to happen. If she knocks me over in heavy underbrush or woods and I hit a rock or a tree... I should have never even started using that indication to begin with. :-k


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Sometimes it can confuse the dog to change it up. When she gets on a long search and is tired that intensity will probably drop a little........I would think toning it down or getting her to target a lower hit on your body might help and be better than changing it outright.

All I have ever heard about changing an indication is that when a dog is stressed, it tends to revert to its foundation training so you could be causing some problems there.


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## Pete Stevens (Dec 16, 2010)

I'm going to agree with Nancy. Dogs have a tendency to revert to how they were trained when under stress. I have changed a detection dogs indication from a sit and look at the handler to a focus/stare. I had a pretty good reason to change it though. The dog would back up so far from the source of odor so she could see the handler and get her reward that it was hard to figure out where the odor was coming from. It took a few months but we did it. However, when she gets excited for her reward she will often sit. Its not a big deal because she holds her nose on source for a pretty long time. 

You could just go back a couple of levels in training and rebuild that indication so you develope more control over it.


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