square sit starting off

[MrsBoats]

Hi All....

It's been a long while since I've posted in here with a training question and I suppose that's a very good thing ;)

Sam is doing well with his attention heeling and I have minor question. When I have Sam set up for a heel exercise, he always cocks his butt out to the left. I have seen some people tell their dogs "straight" or some other command which seems to correct this. How do I go about teaching that....do I physically move his butt over? Or should I take a step forward and have him move "closer" which he does do and that seems to bring his butt in. But is that a legal move?? Any recommendations??

Oh yeah....I do have another question about recalls. My trainer can't really come up with an answer for this either. Sometimes Sam cannot get motivated to even trot towards me. The first time we'll do the recall he'll move along but any other times after that he just plods along like he's got all day to get to me. The finish is at normal speed. This happens especially in class. I've tried to cheer him on from the other side....yelling, "Come on Sam, Come on!" The trainer has had me tell him to stay and run full hilt to the other side of the ring and call him immediately once I get there. Nothing...plod, plod, plod. I do the same thing and run backwards facing him and nothing again. Most everyone in the class including the instructor is like "huh? What's that all about?" At home he will run towards me. I practice recalls in the hallway....it's like a shute and he has only one place to go. The only thing I can think of is at class....the recall is one of the last things we do and Sam might just be tired from being there training for an hour where we train for about 20 mins at home. What is up with my punky boy?? Once again, any suggestions to light a firecracker under him??

Thanks again!!

[rspates]

MrsBoats-I'm glad that this came up! I was just about to post a similiar question. Last night at class I got blasted by the trainer b/c Elsa was sitting with her butt off to the side when we would stop in the heel....she kept telling me to just "shove" her butt over but I have to admit I am a little hesitant to do this. I too tried to take a step forward to reposition her. I hope that someone can post with some better tips/tricks to get them to sit straight.

Rachel

[Judi W]

OK, I'll jump in a bit.

A fast sit will be a straight sit. It is only when you dwaddle around that the dog has the opportunity to change directions. If the dog is moving rapidly forward their front and rear will be aligned. So, in general, I recommend that you really go to town on getting fast sits. If you are in place and the dog has shifted, I generally take one/half step forward and reinforce "sit straight". Even a one/half step forward can be with a fast sit, it is snappy and quick. Play those games often. I call them races to see if the dog can sit as quickly as I can stop. They think it's a neat game.

Orville has mastered teaching the dog to back up into straightening the sit and to be honest, that is not my best teaching skill, so perhaps he will jump in here and offer his technique for that.

As far as the slow recalls go, that is likely because of the short distance that a ring involves but that doesn't excuse the dog. If a dog is blowing off all your nice motivation, well then perhaps it is time for some compulsion. Ask you instructor.

Make sure you walk away with a bounce in your step and a look of anticipation on your face. Break out that smile AFTER you give your command. If he still blows you off by foot dragging, if it were me, I'd march back and correct that dog all the way across the ring. But- I don't know Sam, so ask you instructor.

Remember the idea - "we can do this the easy way or the hard way - up to you dog!!"

[Rottlva]

My boy is a plodder on recalls too!!! I've tried what your trainer suggested... running quickly away. My trainer usually holds Max and get's him all psyched up.... (this is practice of course!) I stand a fair distance away ( 20 or so feet) and prepare myself for the ever joyous....."Max...come!!!" I say it happy with meaning....Then my trainer lets go.... usually she's hyped him up so much he gallops right to me.

I also have a butt cocker.... What Judi said concerning fast sits really is true. I have always finished the starting front and going right around the back.... but when I changed from front to left and skipped some of those extra movements that helps too.

We've just started working on a straight command. I've been physically moving Max... and rewarding him for straight sits... But we have a long way to go. unfortunately sometimes that fumbling leaves him discouraged and when we start up our heel he starts to lag.... So Keep it as upbeat as possible.

[Carol Burke]

When heeling, before you actually stop move your lead into your right hand and get ready to guide your dog into a straight sit with your left hand. This has to be done before he actually gets his butt down so you must be quick, then praise for the nice straight sit.. I also have a plodder on recalls and I hope somebody comes up with a solution. My guy does not take well to corrections and gets bored very easily. What seems to hold some promise is using a treat that he really loves and not doing more then one recall at a time.

[Judi W]

Well, if you've been teaching our recalls from a very short distance, the dog knows darn good and well he doesn't have to hurry to get you.

A trick I learned from a German judge at a seminar for teaching puppies and I use is - have someone restrain the dog and handler runs away. (puppies should not be asked to stay in order to be recalled) Dog is released when the command word is issued. Distance - not 10 or 20 or 25 feet - 150 to 200 feet. Why should they run when they can practically reach out and touch you?????? I also do sprints whenever possible again for decent distances. About the only time a short distance is used is in the ring where you have no choice. When teaching, dragging the dog in to you will slow it down also. If you are going to use a line use a good meaningful pop correction and not a drag.

How to speed up a dog that has a slow foundation? Darned if I can give you a set of rules for that. You'll need to experiment, but I'd stay away from the short ones if at all possible. Get some really good bait or a really treasured toy. Forget about that sit in front for a while - the parts are taught seperately. The recall has 3 parts. The moving part. The front. and the Finish. I do not want my dogs to finish except in the ring. They know how to finish and that is practiced on lead from come fores. If you make the finish part of the recall the dog is going to sit crooked so it will be ready to finish or worse yet, do an automatic finish. A fast recall with a fast sit will have a straight sit. I had a student with a Pyr who was a real plodder about just about everything. It was their 3rd Pyr and they all plodded. I FINALLY convinced her to get some liver brownies and that dog suddenly not only trotted, but sometimes even galloped. Hunt for something. If the dog needs a correction, return to the dog, give it a "you pay attention to me" correction and leave again.

Voice - pay attention to your voice. A high pitched voice stimulates movement. A slow lower pitched voice slows movement.

Face - once that dogs rises to his feet - plaster a big smile on your face.

Well, start rummaging through your refrigerator and find something worth hurrying about. Something the dog is going to worry about getting away.

[Judi W]

Fast sits during heel position. I prefer you bait moving it quickly over the dogs head as you come to a halt. Fast steps quick bait movement - you can even practice it around the house. Moving your hand to guide the rear is a time honored position and does work, but using the bait will give you a faster sit with less wrestling.

[rspates]

Thanks Judi and Carol for the tips. Elsa is a little pokey sitting down & it makes sense that this is why she isn't sitting straight. We will start working on getting quick sits.

That tip about someone holding the puppy while teaching the recall is great. That's how we taught Elsa....one of us would hold her and the other would go off. We also use better treat for that (cheese cubes :D ). She doens't waste any time when called!

Thanks again!

Rachel