Play+ Information Station | Primal Games Explained

Primal Games in the Play+ framework are dynamic, intentional play sessions designed to embody and refine critical Skills within a low-stakes, engaging environment. These Games prioritize high-quality handling and cooperation, creating opportunities for handlers and dogs to practice, learn, and grow together. Primal Games provide a structured yet playful approach to mastering foundational elements of teamwork and skill-building.


Core Philosophy

  1. Embodiment of Skills:
    • Primal Games transform abstract Skills into embodied practices.
    • By situating Actions within meaningful contexts, these Games make Skills tangible and actionable for both handler and dog.
  2. Low-Stakes, High-Quality:
    • The Games provide a forgiving environment where mistakes are opportunities for learning.
    • They demand precision and intentionality from handlers while maintaining a playful atmosphere for the dog.
  3. Dynamic Cooperative Play:
    • Primal Games leverage Initiative Transfers, Enriched Marking, and intentional pacing to create fluid interactions.
    • Handlers guide the dog through opportunities that align with both skill-building and intrinsic motivation.

Practical Examples of Primal Games

  1. “Where is the Trigger?”:
    • Focus: Teaching awareness and patience by separating cues from triggers.
    • Applications:
      • Developing the dog’s ability to wait and anticipate during a vault or bitework session.
      • Training spatial and situational awareness by emphasizing the handler’s role as a trigger.
  2. “This, Wait…Next!”:
    • Focus: Using structured sequences to teach transitions and patience.
    • Applications:
      • Practicing timing and awareness during pedestal work or directional targeting and movement.
      • Experiencing and shaping the rhythm of Now-Next transitions.
      • Intercepting the dog mid-chain and fostering the acceptance of handler interventions during sequences.
  3. “Where is the Handler?”:
    • Focus: Building attention for access.
    • Applications:
      • Teaching the dog to consistently look for and reference the handler as the key Affordance.
      • Reinforcing spatial awareness and engagement in dynamic settings.
      • Learning to throw a party properly and engage in an attuned fashion and to respond in tune with the dog’s Subjective Tone.
      • Shaping Engagement.
  4. “This, That, the Other”:
    • Focus: Sequencing and handling with functional Now-Next transitions.
    • Applications:
      • Practicing complex sequences with smooth transitions between actions.
      • Reinforcing handler-dog synchronization during multi-step tasks.
      • Experience, embodying, and learning to handle and be handled in a low stakes, elegantly precise environment.
      • Getting reps on a Skill without pattern training while presenting a dynamic compare and contrast situation that can’t be faked.
  5. “Which Way?”:
    • Focus: Enhancing directional cues and movement precision.
    • Applications:
      • Strengthening handler-dog alignment during heelwork, any team movement, flatwork or agility training.
      • Introducing novelty and decision-making challenges to both dog and handler.
      • Presents a rigid framework for coupled decision making embodying purposeful handling in tight quarters and under strict constraints.
  6. “Why is the Handler?”:
    • Focus: Highlighting the handler as the primary Affordance for transport and identification of opportunities.
    • Applications:
      • Encouraging the dog to pause and identify the affordance and wait for the handler’s cues before acting.
      • Developing purposeful engagement and intentional actions.
  7. “Give and Take”:
    • Focus: Encouraging Initiative Transfers through object exchanges.
    • Applications:
      • Building fluency in drop, give, and fetch interactions.
      • Refining the dog’s response to physical and verbal cues.
  8. “Jam Sessions”:
    • Focus: Fostering creativity and improvisation.
    • Applications:
      • Combining multiple Skills like toss-and-catch drills or vault sequences.
      • Encouraging cooperative play through freeform activities.
      • Inserting the principles and embodied experiences from the Primal Games into emergent activity.

Game Focus and Purpose Listing

Game NamePrimary FocusKey Skills Developed
Where is the Trigger?Awareness, patienceTiming, anticipation, spatial awareness
This, Wait…Next!Sequencing, transitionsRhythm, Now-Next flow, attention management
Where is the Handler?Attention for accessSpatial awareness, engagement
This, That, the OtherSequencing, handlingFunctional Now-Next transitions
Which Way?Directional precision, agilityHandler-dog alignment, decision-making
Why is the Handler?Handler as Key AffordancePurposeful engagement, intentional actions
Give and TakeInitiative Transfers, object handlingDrop, give, fetch, verbal and physical cue fluency
Jam SessionsCreativity, improvisationMulti-skill integration, freeform cooperation
Patience GamesSustained focus and readinessEngagement, attentional endurance
Pedestal PlayPositioning, awarenessBalance, pose control, reward placement

Integrating Primal Games

Each game incorporates two stages to enhance both physical and mental components of play:

  • Stage 1: Physical Challenge – Can you do it? Focuses on acquisition and core competence by testing the dog’s ability to perform the basic physical elements of the game.
  • Stage 2: Mental Skills Challenge – You can’t do it! Adds constraints and exploration, pushing the dog to think critically and adapt within the game framework.

This dual-stage process dovetails with Flow Theory by ensuring a balanced challenge-skill dynamic that keeps the dog in an optimal engagement zone.


Conclusion

Primal Games embody the essence of Play+ by transforming abstract Concepts into lived Experiences. Through cooperative, low-stakes activities, handlers and dogs can refine their Skills, deepen their connection, and enjoy the process of learning together. By tailoring these Games to the needs and abilities of the Team, handlers can create a joyful and effective Training environment that fosters Growth and Mastery.

Related Articles

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *