
Play+ Information Station | the Next Now Cycle of Play+
Now is the Proposition
The Cue-Trigger process creates the rhythm of engagement in Play+, allowing the handler and dog to seamlessly transition through stages of action, reflection, and release. Here’s the detailed breakdown:

1. Cue
What It Is:
A signal or directive that frames what will happen next. It’s not an instruction for immediate action but an informational signpost that sets up the dog’s expectation.
Purpose:
- Establishes intent and primes the dog for engagement.
- Opens a channel for affordance awareness: What’s possible here?
How It Works:
- The Cue might be a gesture, a verbal signal, or a positioning move by the handler.
- Example: Raising a disc or stepping into position signals to the dog that an opportunity is coming.
2. Aporia
What It Is:
- A moment of uncertainty or ambiguity, deliberately placed to create slack focus and encourage the dog to reflect or orient itself.
- This pause shifts focus from the Cue (what’s possible) to the Trigger (what’s happening now).
Purpose:
- Encourages the dog to read the handler and the environment for emerging opportunities.
- Builds anticipation and tension, setting up optimal alignment for the next action.
How It Works:
- The handler pauses or introduces a subtle delay, allowing the dog to recalibrate its focus.
- Example: The handler holds position briefly after signaling a vault setup, letting the dog adjust its movement and prepare for the launch.
3. Trigger
What It Is:
- The release mechanism that transitions the team from preparation to action.
- The Trigger is the moment where readiness meets execution.
Purpose:
- Converts potential into kinetic energy, enabling the dog to act confidently and cleanly.
How It Works:
- The handler presents an affordance or executes a movement that activates the dog’s response.
- Example: The handler leans forward to present their back for a vault or releases a disc into the air.
Summary
The Cue–Trigger process integrates deliberate signaling, thoughtful pauses, and precise execution to sustain engagement, foster fluid transitions, and enhance cooperative play. This rhythm creates a dynamic loop of intention, anticipation, and action, allowing handlers and dogs to interact harmoniously and effectively.
Now vs. Next
This is “Now,” the propositional stage of play where intentions are clearly laid out and then executed. While many believe this is the most critical aspect of dog training, it’s actually the easiest part to manage.
The truly engaging and challenging part is Next, where emergent interactions occur. This is the complex domain, requiring the handler and dog to dynamically adapt to opportunities as they arise, creating fluid and meaningful play interactions in real time.
Next is Emergent Interaction

1. Achieve
- What It Is:
- Completing an action successfully, setting the foundation for the next cycle.
- Key Actions:
- Inceptive Marking reinforces the accomplishment.
- Builds momentum for continued engagement or resolution.
2. Prepare
- What It Is:
- Aligning mentally and physically for the next interaction.
- Key Actions:
- Adjusting position, focus, and readiness.
- Manage equipement
- Ensuring the dog and handler are attuned to one another.
3. Read-Release
- What It Is:
- Reading the environment and team situation – directionality, position, speed, orientation, and intent.
- Key Actions:
- Expanding awareness to identify emerging affordances.
- Recognition of situation & environmental relationship between dog and handler.
4. Opportunity
- What It Is:
- Recognizing and acting upon an affordance that aligns with team intent.
- Key Actions:
- Dog releases to Opportunity
- Handler and dog engage dynamically to explore possibilities.
- Connecting intent with emergent play opportunities.
5. Connection
- What It Is:
- Synchronizing actions and intentions between handler and dog and coupling with an Opportunity.
- Key Actions:
- Refining mutual responsiveness.
- Enriched Marking reinforces coupling moments.
6. Continue or Resolve
- What It Is:
- The choice to loop back into Achieve for continued play or resolve into a static Position.
- Key Actions:
- Continue: Re-enter the cycle with a new consequent opportunity.
- Resolve: Leverage connection & team movement to establish a stationary or endpoint behavior.
7. Position and Expectant Marker
- What It Is:
- The final stabilization point of the cycle, marked by readiness for the next opportunity.
- Key Actions:
- Expectant Marker primes the team for subsequent engagement.
- Working to Position affords, engagement, control, and alignment.
By cycling through Next, handlers and dogs engage in a dynamic, adaptive process that fosters cooperative exploration. This process ensures that play is fluid, meaningful, and deeply rewarding for both participants, highlighting the creative and interactive aspects of training.

What Happens Without the Next Cycle
Without the Next Cycle, training and play lose the dynamic, adaptive rhythm that fosters deep engagement and cooperative exploration. Here’s what occurs in its absence:
1. Reduced Engagement
- What It Means:
- The interaction becomes static and predictable, as the handler and dog focus solely on pre-defined actions.
- Impact:
- The dog may lose interest, reducing its responsiveness and enthusiasm for play.
2. Limited Exploration
- What It Means:
- Opportunities for emergent, creative interactions are missed.
- Impact:
- The dog’s problem-solving abilities and adaptability are underutilized, leading to a mechanical rather than dynamic interaction.
3. Fragmented Flow
- What It Means:
- Without the continuous loop of Achieve, Prepare, Read-Release, Opportunity, and Connection, play lacks fluidity.
- Impact:
- Transitions between actions become abrupt or disjointed, disrupting the rhythm of engagement.
4. Reduced Handler-Dog Connection
- What It Means:
- The absence of synchronized, emergent interaction limits opportunities to deepen the bond through shared discovery.
- Impact:
- Interactions feel more task-oriented and less cooperative.
5. Missed Opportunities for Growth
- What It Means:
- The dog’s ability to read, respond to, and act on new affordances is not developed.
- Impact:
- Skills become rigid and context-specific rather than dynamic and transferable.
Without the Next Cycle, the richness of play is diminished. Interactions become formulaic, creativity is stifled, and the potential for deep, meaningful connection is lost. Training loses its adaptive edge, turning into a mechanical process rather than a cooperative, exploratory partnership between handler and dog.
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