Touchdowns, Illegal Moves, & Plays that Save the Day

Training a dog is more similar to sports than you might realize, especially when it comes to training a service dog. There are complex plays, defensive tactics to keep the team safe, teammates with a unified goal, coaches and referees, fumbles, illegal moves, and the playing field where it all happens.

As a teacher, it’s not enough for me to explain dog training concepts as they are. I must be able to find a common thread my client understands, then be capable and creative enough to draw analogies between what I’m teaching and what they already know to accomplish the goal. In this case, to score the touchdown of the lifetime in the form of successfully training a service dog for themselves.

Fair warning, though – American football is not my first sports language. Equestrian sports and baseball are my primary languages (and dog training of course). Nevertheless, here is my best effort at drawing lines between American football and dog training concepts to help anyone out there who gets football more than what’s happening at the end of the leash.

Dog Training and Football – Disclaimer

This won’t be a perfect fit to football games, and not every aspect of a football game can find a home in the dog training conversation. Additionally, the tactics and exercises I teach my clients may not perfectly align with the style of teaching you’re doing, unless you are or plan to be a client of mine. This is for people who need a way to explain dog training to the football enthusiasts in their life, or who are starting out themselves and find the changing rules of dog training confusing but completely get the complexity of a football game. Maybe you will see more from the game than I have, or maybe this is just right. Comparing dog training to football is certainly a new one for me, but let’s go!

SAFETY:

Do not tackle your dog or anyone else’s
If you need a helmet and pads, your training is too rough
No throwing of the dog to score points

What Do Dog Training & Football Have in Common?

More than you’d think…

Complex plays
Defensive and offensive tactics
Coaches, Referees, Something to Protect, and Teammates
Ways to score points
Fumbles along the way
Touchdowns

two footballs

A running clock, and times when the clock stops
The game – though with dog training, the game is your entire life with your dog, not simply an afternoon
Rules and Illegal Moves
Black & white concepts, as well as concepts that change based on the variables
False starts

It goes on. A key point to keep in mind is while the terms for football are set in stone for understanding the game of football, how those terms translate to dog training are more fluid. The dog’s owner is sometimes the coach, the referee, or the quarterback, for instance, depending on the scenario I’m explaining.

The Game is Your Life

Everything you do with your dog is training. They are always in the game, constantly learning, making plays, fumbles, and scoring points, even when you think the clock has stopped.

Audible

When the QB changes the original plan right before the throw, based on details they see in the defensive line

You’re about to call your dog to you, but you see a clue that tells you they’re anticipating being called to the recall position. You call an “audible” by asking for a Sit or Down from where they are instead. It works better than calling them anyway, because by asking for something they aren’t expecting and being willing to deviate from your original plan, you teach them to actively listen & wait for cues rather than blindly assume what they think you want.

Draw Play

When the QB drops back, pulls the ball down, and hands it off to the running back

When encountering dogs or people who invade your service dog/SDiT team’s space,
- Slightly off from this football play, you’re walking your dog, you drop back by slowing your strides to allow your teammate to surge forward and outward to block your team while you continue forward.
When encountering dogs or people who invade your dog or SD/SDiT’s space & you’re able to be the defensive blocker,
- You’re walking your dog, you drop back, hand the leash to your teammate or friend who keeps walking, while you block their safe passage from the dog or person

End Around

Rush play for wide receiver; they sweep from an outside position to take pitch or hand off (not a perfect fit for dog training, but here what your teammate takes on is the threat to your team’s ability to operate, preventing a fall or flare, etc. In this sketch, “threats” are represented by a dinosaur icon.

When out in public with your friend or spouse, and your normal formation of walking is: TEAMMATE – DOG – YOU for your working dog to be on your left,
- They drop back, swing behind, and surge out ahead to block oncoming dogs or kids
- This is important to keep service dogs and disabled handlers safe from interference while out in the world

stick figures map out a blocking defense to protect a service dog team from an oncoming threat illustrated by a red dinosaur

Extra Point

After a touchdown, place kick that looks like a field goal but at a shorter distance

Your dog did an exercise or command rep just barely, very shakily, or with added help from you. The Extra Point here is you asking your dog to do it again but with the challenge level lowered to ensure success and ending on a strong, positive note. This might be lowering the distraction level, moving closer to them, moving them further away from a distraction, or leaving out a tough component of the exercise.

dog learning to balance on tree stumps

False Start

A type of penalty when an offensive player moves before the snap of the ball

Offensive player = the dog
Snap of the ball = your cue for your dog to do something
Your dog moves before they’ve been given a cue/basic anticipation of thinking you’re asking for you one thing without actively listening or watching for a cue
- Respond with a correction + consequence, or a simple reset of the exercise/command depending on the stage of learning
The more you alert your dog to their mistake of making a false start by using a consequence or resetting the exercise (again, depends on learning stage), the fewer false starts your dog will have

Field Goal

Basic scoring play of kicking the ball through the uprights

A training aspect with clear, defined repetitions where it is very black & white for you, and the dog, on what’s wrong or right. Most commands follow this format, as do some tasks.
- There is an ideal Sit, Down, Stand, Focus, Leave It, Place, and Come, for example, and clear indications when these are done incorrectly (missed the goal posts). These are used multiple times a day.

3 variations on how a dog might do Sit

“On His Toes” & “Too Much Space”

Staying close to an opposing player for effective blocking vs being too far away

In football, too much space = yards away. With dogs, too much space might be inches or feet.
Examples of being “On his toes”
- Leash Manners – If your dog is looking the opposite direction of you, your leash needs to be shorter for a more effective consequence when you move in the opposite direction to encourage them to maintain attention on you and not get distracted.
- Blocking Out of Control Dogs from Your Team – if the dog comes up fast, which is most of the time, blocking will have to be in close quarters with quick footwork to maintain the block (no tackling, but it is okay to kick out).

“Holding” Penalty

A penalty for grabbing another player’s jersey or body part

Try to avoid grabbing your dog’s scruff, or their entire body to manipulate them into a certain position
There will be times when this is necessary in an emergency, or where light support is needed to help guide your dog or offer confidence support like with agility obstacles
The ideal training outcome for people living in pain is being able to ask your dog to do just about anything for you from a leash or collar cue, voice signal (command), or hand/leg gesture. The more you rely on bodily forcing your dog for all things, you will cause yourself flares and exhaustion, and your dog will never learn what you need them to learn and be capable of doing.
Penalty here = you getting a flare up from bodily moving your dog into position
Teammates: the more flares your partner gets, because you’ve taught the dog they don’t have to move their feet since you’ll move their paws for them, the less your partner will be able to do in life outside of dog training

The Game

Playing time for a football game, has set beginning and end to each one

Your training sessions
Training sessions with a professional trainer
Public access outings to work on training and/or run errands
Daily Life
When you don’t think learning is happening, it is
The game never really ends with dog training

Kickoff

Happens at the start of every game, and 2^nd half start

Putting the leash and training collar on for every training session
Putting leash and/or training collar on for coming out of their crate
Putting the leash, training collar, and ecollar on for outside free time, potty breaks, and public access
For Fetch = it might be the dog practicing polite behavior by not being pushy, and by waiting for the throw or learning throwing the toy can’t happen until they sit.
Commands = such as Eat, Go, Release/Break (cue for be a dog), Play; they have to wait for the cue to know that event/exercise has started

Play Action

A disguised play to throw off the defense

Defense here = your dog
Disguised play = something you do to break your dog out of anticipation
- Picking up the leash or a favorite toy – dog thinks walk or playtime – but really, you’re putting it away casually
- Rustling or shaking a treat container – dog thinks they’re getting treats – but really, you’re testing their impulse control resolve to stay where you asked them to be
- False words to test active listening; saying “Repeat” instead of “Release” or “All right” instead of “Release” because it’s a word you accidentally say a lot and your dog has learned what usually follows “all right” is being released from a cue or allowed to play

Fumble

You space out or drop the leash (or something similar) and your dog takes advantage of your misstep to leave the session, grab something they shouldn’t have, break a cue, etc.
I say the wrong word or phrase something in a way that leads you to misunderstanding. Your feelings may get hurt or you might do an exercise or command a way I didn’t intend.

Touchdown

Crossing goal line with ball in hands

Where Field Goals are more similar to commands, where it’s simple and clear, Touchdowns more closely represent big picture goals or complex exercises/tasks where a lot of steps and variables had to be accomplished in order for it to be possible
- Being able to stay in a down for 2 hours in public, without any resets or corrections needed
- Being able to help with a complex task like doing laundry
- The final end result you have been training towards; well-trained pet, service dog who is task-trained and public access ready
- You will keep having successes/touchdowns long after formal training ends; 1^st successful plane ride, 1^st successful week of being at work with you, 1^st emergency situation handled, etc.

Referee & Coach

Essential personnel in any football game for monitoring the game and helping players play the best game possible

If you’re training with a teammate, you should take turns being the referee. Here, the referee is watching how you handle the leash, give cues, what mistakes the dog is making, or what they’re doing well with. They give you an extra set of eyes with an outside view to see what’s working or what needs fixing. This helps you stay accountable, and keeps both of you on the same page with training.
If you’re training solo, the referee is you, in the moment. This takes more skill to be able to see in the heat of the moment what’s going well or not, but the more you do it the better you’ll get. You sort of develop 2 versions of yourself, 1 present, 1 after-thought saying “whoops I did that wrong, let me go again.”
- Later, you become the coach watching a replay of any recorded training sessions or replaying them in your mind and taking notes on what to drill on or adjust next time.
If you’re working with a professional trainer, they often act as referee and coach.

“Time”/”Time Out”

Giving yourself or your dog a mental pause to gather your thoughts, shake off the stress, think through the steps, before jumping in and trying again.
You might stay where you are, go outside/inside, walk around the yard, etc
Sometimes I’ll ask you to crate your dog for a bit while you take a break from them, or to take them to a play area to blow off some energy and reset both of you.

Illegal Moves

Moves in the official rules of football that are already determined to be illegal and result in penalties

With dog training, the type of penalty shifts. Sometimes it’s a flare caused, other times it’s a big picture issue of an out of control dog. Below is my recommended list of illegal moves, each being moves that as a dog trainer, I teach clients to always correct it and so the same with my own dogs. The type and level of correction may change per item.
- Anticipation in the dog (leaning forward in a down, lifting a paw in sit with head forward, breaking a cue early)
- Being out of bounds for Heel position, Mobility Aid Position, the Come position, Place position
- Lazy sits
- Moving during transitions (you put them in a Sit in one spot and suddenly after a few reps you realize they’re in a completely different spot)
- Crossing your path
- Dropping behind you to walk between your legs or clip your heels (illegal unless asked for and/or trained)
- Switching sides of you (unless trained/asked to)
- Anticipating a treat by mouthing on your hand, or licking/nibbling your hand
- Not stopping when you stop
- Break or ignore commands (unless it’s intelligent disobedience)
- Zoned into a distraction & zoned out of you
- Stealing food/items
- Sniffing shelves, *once dog has learned Leave It for use in stores
- Jumping on people (unless trained as an alert)
- Paw striking people (unless trained as an alert)
- Begging for food
- Counter-surfing
- Pulling on the leash (unless trained and clipped to harness and/or learning to pull/guide)
- Running between you and another person who was within 6ft of you
- Running between you and a doorway/furniture when you were 3ft away from it
- Running between your legs
- Jumping onto the bed or couch (unless trained and invited each time)

Basically, anything that violates your house rules and personal rules for how you’d like the dog to interact with you, as well as what you’ve determined to be your ideal for various commands and exercises.

For Additional Coaching…

If you’re seeing dog training in a new way, I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. If you’re in need of help communicating with a dog training teammate, or need a full-time coach to help keep your team on track, book a starter session here.

*If I’ve horribly butchered the sport of football, and you’d like to point out my errors without being a jerk about it, send me an email or leave a comment! Rude comments or messages will be deleted.