RRCOW’s* Bridge and Target Training Seminar
by
Jeffrey Kaplan**
Photos by Gabriele DiFranco 

On a warm November Sunday, some forty Ridgeback owners, most with their Ridgebacks in tow, including one "honorary Ridgeback" (in real life, a beagle puppy named Marvin who enjoyed the company of big dogs), met in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, to attend John Fairweather’s Bridge and Target Training (BT) Seminar. The theory of Bridge and Target Training was developed through the training of marine mammals, and its promise as a training system is that it avoids negative reinforcements or punishments thought to be necessary in traditional dog training. An internet search of sites dedicated to the method turns up an almost missionary zeal, complete with remarkable—almost miraculous—success stories involving a wide variety of species. 

John Fairweather—a Ridgeback owner himself and RRCOW member—had been through standard, lure, and clicker training before settling on Bridge and Target Training as his preferred approach. While BT did appear to be a promising concept, the many questions from the audience suggested that Mr. Fairweather would have to overcome some degree of skepticism. Any subscriber to a Ridgeback Internet discussion list, or any reader of the annual misadventures of Ridgebacks and their loving but often exasperated owners in the annual Mi Vida Loca: Life with Ridgebacks, could be excused for thinking that an approach that promised such sudden and profound results with our rather high spirited and, remarkably strong breed (both physically strong and often strong in their convictions that they are doing the right thing at the right time, or what my mother once called ‘willful’ with less than enthusiastic approval) might be viewed with some skepticism. 

The discussion of the technique, and of training in general, continued throughout the morning. It was remarkable to see so many Ridgebacks in so confined a space for so long who behaved as well as they did. Until such key items of interest as "food" or "treats" were mentioned, most simply stayed on the floor in various degrees of relaxation—ranging from the alert yet obedient to the utterly comatose. Given the heat in the room and what must have been for the dogs the strange feeling of being talked about, but not talked to, the gathering on this level alone would have been a success. 

But after a thorough discussion of training philosophy, Mr. Fairweather began to set out the unique aspects of Bridge and Target Training. To simplify the approach perhaps too much, the bridge spans the gap between the current behavior and the target behavior. The Intermediate Bridge is a ‘keep going’ signal indicating that he or she is on the right path, headed toward a successful task. This vocal encouragement takes the form of praise, or, better, the mantra-like repetition of the letter ‘x’ in a monosyllabic stream that indicates to the animal that it is going to get a desired reward such as a treat when the task is complete. Food, while not needed in the Bridge and Target Training approach, may be given when the desired behavior is performed. But the arrival at the target is first communicated to the animal with a loud terminal ‘X’. The installation of the very positive meaning of this "X" to the animal is the first and most important step in Bridge & Target training. The animal learns to associate this sound with very positive things so that the "X" becomes a reward in itself. 

The ‘Target’ aspect of the training is simple enough when demonstrated. John Fairweather defines it simply as any point or place you want your dog to touch. The Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals explain it in more detail: 

To summarize, the introduction of a fully formed target concept 1) transmits the specific requirements for success to the animal, eliminating trial and error,

2) focuses the individual's attention to the place where the trainer will deliver the next information, in a mode that prepares him or her for learning (versus eating),

3) expands the flexibility of what we can discuss with the trainee because we can extend targeting to body parts that are not directly related to eating (so neither attention nor activities are limited to eating related activities). Moreover, animals quickly learn their way around this system so we can show them the desired end point. Then they will work with us to get there, sometimes improving the methods and results. [from http://www.psyeta.org/hia/vol8/cover.html] 

Having completed the theoretical part of the training, it was time for some ‘hands on’ work with the ever patient Ridgebacks. First though, there was a delicious chile lunch and, to my delight, a variety of chocolate brownies and cakes. This being our first year in Wisconsin, we were rather concerned that cheese would constitute major ingredients in both the chile AND the chocolate. We were more than pleasantly surprised, though not for the last time that day. Then followed a raffle in which, as per our karmic fate, we won nothing, but so kind are the people here that we were soon given the only prize that we had really hoped for—a raised feeding station which, after some initial ‘experimental behavior’ on the part of KO, our biggest dog who thought that since little Koira could not eat at his speed, it would perhaps be not such a bad idea to help him with his dinner, things are settling in and it is working quite well. 

With the afternoon session, there was hands on work with the dogs, and the Bridge and Target Training Seminar was put to the test. The dogs did very well—even our little Ridgeback wannabe Marvin—for the most part warmed to the method. One immediate success story was Emma, Sarah Biskup’s puppy, whose sit and sit stay were remarkable achievements. Other dogs were taught some tricks, others found success with agility tricks or obedience behaviors. 

During the morning session, a number of questions were asked regarding real problem behaviors. The Bridge and Target Training Seminar was obviously too short to address these seriously, but the bridging part of the behavior did eventually come to the rescue in our family. Our 3 year old, KO—I would wager the most food driven animal in the Midwest—had taken to barking aggressively at feeding time, just as his bowl was being filled. By utilizing Bridge and Target Training methods, our house is certainly a quieter place to be, making it well worth the modest registration fee and very pleasant drive from Oshkosh to Cedarburg. 

RRCOW will next be sponsoring a TTouch Workshop facilitated by Claudeen McAuliffe, in Madison on February 9^th. TTouch is described as: 

TTouch™ is proving increasingly valuable as a tool in the resolution of behavioral issues in companion animals, including aggression, separation anxiety, fears and phobias, relief of stress, and improved performance in obedience, agility and other dog sports. 

The approach sounds interesting and potentially valuable (and of course, our little Koira does seem to have some issues among those listed above). We are much looking forward to meeting the Ridgeback community of Wisconsin again in Madison!  

*Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Wisconsin

**With thanks to Sue Kaehler for much appreciated help in editing this article.

   To see larger versions of the pictures, just click on the image.