Modoc and I have been practicing her sit/down/stay with food and toys, inside and in the backyard. She is not as eager to work with food outside, but we will keep working on it! Also, she is not 100% on the fold down with just a verbal, so I'm still giving her a hand signal for now.
P.S. After watching it back, I realize now the angle isn't ideal, I will make sure to get a better angle next time!
I feel like I'm starting a trend with my marker/cue words. 😁
For the purpose of Rally, you don't actually need anything on a verbal cue alone.
But if you wanted it for your down, I would recommend practicing loops of fold-stand-fold-stand-fold-stand, and you can
1) Just say your cue if she's offering the fold
or
2) (Easier version for human and dog) Say your verbal and then do your hand signal
In version 2, you eventually give the dog time to beat you to the punch - doing the behavior before you give your signal.
Either way, the "loop" style training will build the cue recognition faster than mixing it in with other things. Of course, we want to work on mixing with other things eventually! But if you want to build cue response, I recommend practicing it in isolation at first.
For this whole class, I may say stuff that you already know. But I'll just say it anyway!
Positions and stay-walk-around look good!
If you want, show me video of food play outside?