Field Guide · Glossary
Pattern games
Methods and protocolsLeslie McDevitt's short, repeating games with a fixed and predictable structure, such as counting to three and delivering food on three.
How it works
The predictability is the active ingredient. A dog who knows exactly what is coming next has something certain to hold onto in an environment that is otherwise unpredictable, and the structure gives them a job with a guaranteed outcome. Because the pattern is simple and heavily rehearsed, it tends to keep working in places where more demanding cues stop. They are portable, need no equipment, and can be started before anything difficult appears rather than in response to it.
What it looks like
In a parking lot, a handler counts one, two, three and hands over a treat on three, over and over. A dog who arrived scanning and tense is, after two minutes, watching the handler's hand and waiting for the count.
Commonly confused with
- Find it
- Find it puts a dog's nose to the ground for a scatter of food and is a single action. A pattern game is a repeating structure the dog participates in, and the predictability rather than the sniffing is what does the work.
Related terms
In the reading list