FOOTWORK AND DEPORTMENT AND TURNS

Transcription

1 FOOTWORK AND DEPORTMENT AND TURNS

2 The handler s footwork and deportment are crucial and can well make the difference between winning first place and oblivion as an also ran. Before you continue with more advanced Heelwork training, you must ensure that your own personal standards of heelwork and deportment are faultless. Are you walking at a speed to get your dog s attention without over exciting? Is your stride pattern correct to show the dog to his best advantage, or do you need to shorten or lengthen it? Are you consistent during every turn? Are you foot perfect so that you turn using the same steps each time? Do you halt in the same way every time? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you should not progress to advanced heelwork training of your dog before perfecting your own work. The use of a video camera, with instant playback facilities, can be of enormous help at this stage of training. However, it is of value when conducting self-analysis. Your own personal footwork during the heelwork section is critical in training and show day performance. Both handler and dogs have varied physical abilities, and so I find it almost impossible to lay down hard and fast rules for when and how to place each foot during every turn and manoeuvre. However, each move must be thought through and perfected in the first instance without a dog present. Then, once the dog and handler are working happily as one, they must be honed and practised until both team members are foot perfect each time they enter the show ring. The golden rules are: Look in the direction you intend to turn. Lead into any turn with the left foot.

3 Right turn When you dog is producing attentive work (and not before), you can add a right turn to the repertoire. Give the command Close, preceded by the dog s name, and pointing the way with the left foot. Use a lead to gently guide the dog close to your left leg into and during the turn. When leaving the turn, again give the Close command. With the lead, guide and keep the dog close, ensuring he does not drift away from your left leg. In the early stages of training, after a few paces of heelwork beyond the turn, break off training and be overindulgent in rewarding the dog. No further turns or manoeuvres should be added until this right turn is perfected. A word of caution: try not to give too many commands verbally you will not be able to give more than one verbal command per exercise in the ring. Left turn In my opinion, more marks are lost performing this turn in the ring than in any of the other manoeuvres. A different and careful approach needs to be taken to explain the requirement to the dog. Leave the dog attentively in the sit. Go an arm s length away, turn left and then take half a pace backwards. Pause, then call the dog (with the command Back ), almost simultaneously step forward, guiding the dog into close, attentive heelwork. Repeat this phase of training until your dog accepts joining you and curving into your left leg. Now execute this turn during heelwork. Use the command Back and point the direction with your left foot. Use the lead and the calf of your left leg to gently turn the dog.

4 About turn (right) This is the most difficult turn to execute well. It is here that time invested in learning and disciplining yourself to perform tight, consistent, controlled footwork will begin to pay dividends, so that you can now concentrate on helping and not confusing your dog. This would just not be possible if you had not accomplished and practised this manoeuvre before attempting to teach the dog. Use the close command preceded by the dog s name. Again, point the way into the turn with your left foot. As with the right turn, guide the dog around the turn with even finger pressure on the lead, ensuring the dog is as close as possible to the left leg. Give a command going into the turn, and repeat the command coming out of the turn. You must be able to maintain your consistent pace through the turn while staying out of the way of the dog. Teach this exercise by luring the dog around the turn with a treat. Treat when he reaches heel position, if he has executed the turn quickly and accurately. Make a game of it. A very fast turn earns the dog a bite of cheese or liver. A good turn earns the dog a bite of kibble. A slow turn earns nothing. You might say, "too slow, too bad." I do not believe that corrections or pulling the dog around the turn are effective in speeding up about turns. Keep training positive and make it fun for your dog. Footwork for the about turn Step 1. Place your left foot in a "T" with your right foot. Step 2. Pivot with your right foot. Step 3. Small dogs. Bring your left foot around and step out in the new direction. Your step must be shorter for a small, or a slower moving, dog. Step 3. Large dogs. Bring your left foot around and step out in the new direction. Use a larger step for a large dog, or one that moves very quickly around the turn.

5 Above are foot work patterns that I use for turning right and left. Remember start with the right turn and perfect this before moving to the left turn. Points to remember, aim to keep your knees together this aims for a much accurate turn and prevents the left leg swinging out into the dog and pushing them of the leg position. Aim to try and perform the shape of a T or t, helps keep the turn tidy and fluid once you have perfected the art without your dog. Always try to start you turns using the left foot as the pivot foot in the right-hand turn and the right foot as the pivot in the left-hand turn. Again, there is nothing set in stone for performing turns and how or which foot we start with first, it is mainly down to the individual s balance and co-ordination.

6 TEACHING A DOG HEELWORK FOUNDATIONS

7 Teaching a Dog to Heel Here is a list of Heelwork skills you need to master, without these skills you are not going to get into a competition ring and do your team justice 1 Luring into close, progressing to dog finding leg 2 Static stands at heel 3 Static sits at heel 4 Follow 5 Hand touch static, under distraction and for a length of time. 6 Hand touch out wide constant hand touch, with turns and changes of pace (see below) 7 Sideways steps out wide 8 Sideways steps on leg 9 From sit at heel into stand at heel 10 Sit at heel, into stand at heel and creeping forward

8 o Heel The ideal image

9 Teaching a Dog to Heel - How to Teach Attention "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." Unknown Attention Teaching your dog to be attentive is the number one most important skill in training a dog. Without your dog s attention, you will have difficulty in every other aspect of your dog training program. All bad dog behaviour is rooted in where your dog s attention is focused. All problem-solving dog training techniques require your dog s utmost attention. Having strong attention from your dog will make for easy dog training. Of all the dog training tips or dog training secrets that can be offered, this is the positive dog training solution. ATTENTION Use food to train your dog. I find that small pieces of soft treats work best, or you could mix small pieces of hot dog, cheese, or anything your dog likes to eat. Please train before you feed your dog his meal. You will have better success. Also, if you free-feed (leave food out all day) your dog may not have any desire to participate in these exercises. You should present 1-3 meals to your dog a day and if your dog doesn't finish the meal after 20 minutes, take the food away until the next meal. If they have a good training session, feed immediately afterward so the dog connects the training session with the feeding. Practice 5-15 minutes at least once per day. Secondary Reinforcer The first step is to train a positive marker. Many things can be used as a marker. I use the word "Good" as my marker, but you can use a clicker, whistle, or any distinct noise. Even touch can be used as a marker. I like to use words because you can never lose your marker. Say "Good," wait about a half second, then present your treat. Repeat several times. This half second delay should be increased to several seconds once your dog starts to focus on the task at hand. During this delay, watch your dog's reaction to see if you can see him swallow and lick his mouth because his mouth is filling up with saliva. (This is Pavlov's Law)

10 Your Dog s Name Is the Attention Command Call the dog s name using a consistent tone of voice. When the dog makes eye contact with you, praise enthusiastically with "good dog" and give him a treat. Walk away, and then repeat again. If the dog ignores you, get up close and let him smell the treat, then proceed with calling his name and giving praise when he makes eye contact. When the dog has mastered this exercise, advance to the next level. Call the dog s name while holding a treat. When he makes eye contact, praise him verbally, and gradually and slowly lower the treat toward you dog. Your goal is to increase the amount of time your dog maintains focus. Stop, give him the treat, praise verbally, and pet him. Intense focus is the main goal with this exercise. It is this intense focus that will allow your dog to ignore any distractions and him. The key to this kind of training is consistent praise for any positive response shown by the dog, whether it is in the form of a treat, verbally (good dog) or physically (petting the dog). It will take puppies a few weeks to respond reliably to these commands. Their attention span is short, so your training sessions should be short (start with 5 minutes) to keep their interest and receptiveness. For older dogs, minutes is usually adequate for training sessions. Always end your training sessions on a positive note and with the puppy or dog completing the command correctly. Ending a session on a bad note may continue into the next training session. If you are having a day where things are not going as well as you'd like, choose a command that is easy and that you know the dog will do correctly. Praise the dog, release him and let him go play. Remember, you are encouraging playful learning, not demanding obedience. Conduct your training sessions at home first and gradually introduce distractions and strange surroundings.

11 Teaching a Dog to Heel - How to Teach Targeting Targeting is one of the most important exercises to teach when you are first starting out with a dog training program. This exercise teaches your dog how to move toward a target and touch it. The target can be a target stick, or it can be your hands. Targets can also be other objects as well. In agility, we also use a target container. I like containers that have a lid on them, like Tupperware or an ice cream container lid. This work well in that all your food treats are stored at the destination instead of on you. Post-it notes can also make great movable targets as well. The target stick can be a very helpful tool in that it allows you an extended reach, this can be helpful if we are teaching exercises in agility, like the weave poles, dog walk, A-frame, or even jumps. It can also be useful for people who have limited mobility or people who are confined to a wheel chair. Using Your Hands as A Target Hold some treats in your hand and present your hand toward your dog, when your dog moves toward and touches your hand; mark the moment with your "good" then give then the treat. Repeat until your dog moves quickly toward your hand. Next hold the treats in your hand, present them to your dog and as your dog moves toward your hand step backward a few steps and encourage your dog to follow and touch your hand. When your dog touches your hand; mark that moment with your "good" and give the treat. As your dog begins to run to your hands while you are stepping backwards add more and more steps backward. A good goal would be to be able to take steps backwards for each treat marker.

12 Target Stick The target stick is also called a wand. There are many types of target sticks from fixed length wands, retractable wands or combination wand and clicker. You can also make a target stick with a small wooden dowel or even a nice straight stick. How to Get Started with The Target Stick You can get your dog started by rubbing some food at the end of the stick and presenting the stick near your dogs' nose. When your dog moves toward the stick, touches the stick by sniffing or licks the stick; Mark that moment with your "good" and give a treat. Repeat this exercise several times until your dog easily moves toward and touches the end of the stick. Next move the stick to different positions, like to the right of the dog, to the left of the dog, above the dog s head and below the dog s head. After your dog, has touched the stick anywhere you move it, then step away from your dog and present the stick so your dog needs to walk to the stick. Of course, mark each of those moments when your dog touches the stick with a "good" or click then give a treat. Repeat this exercise until your dog follows the stick where ever you present it. Now you can have fun with this exercise. See if you can get your dog to stand on their rear legs or bow toward the ground or crawl under an object. If your dog refuses, reward small step toward each goal. Gradually getting closer to your end goal. As with any practice sessions, keep them short and fun. Remember most dogs have a short attention span. So, practice a few minutes several times a day. Watch for signs that your dog is getting the idea of the exercise. As your dog get it, raise the criteria for each skill. In other words, instead of walking two steps to touch the stick, make it three, four or more. Remember keep the exercises easy, with a slight challenge toward progress. Once your dog follows the target freely you can use this to assist in your heeling exercises or the come exercise. You can use this to introduce agility obstacles or prompt the dog to get inside the car. I am sure you can think of many other ways to use this valuable toll.

13 Dog Training - The Heel Position When your dog is in the heeling position it means he/she is virtually pinned to your left leg (not leaning on it though) and must stay there until released by you. Heeling is a difficult skill for your dog to master, it must be taught slowly and built piece by piece. I find that short, sharp and intense training sessions work best with my dogs. This is because learning to heel requires heaps of concentration from your dog and lots of repetition - don't expect too much too soon. Start out simple, set your dog up to succeed and don't move too quickly. Ok let s have a go at building a good solid and reliable heel. You can go through these steps off lead (if possible) or on lead. The lead is there for security only, it is not used to drag your dog around or hold him in position. The idea is to condition your dog to want to be by your side rather than to force him to be there. This is the method I use to teach my dogs to heel - as with building any obedience command, start in an environment that is familiar to your dog and free from distractions. 1. Stand with your dog closely next to your left leg, both of you facing the same way. 2. Have one of your dog s favourite treats in your left hand, hold it up near your waist, not directly in front of your dog s nose. Now say "Fido" (your dog's name) to get his attention and to gain eye contact. Immediately take two steps forward then stop. If your dog moves with you and is still in the heel position enthusiastically praise him and give a treat. 3. As soon as your dog swallows his reward from step 2 repeat the heeling process again, then do it again. Say "Fido", take two steps forward offering encouragement to your dog ("come on" or "that's a good boy"), stop, praise and treat. Only ever give the reward when your dog is still in the heel position. 4. At this point your dog will be very interested and attentive. It's important to note that you are using the treat to reward his behaviour rather than to lure or bribe him. 5. If at any time your dog lags or forges ahead of you hold off with your praise and reward. Simply say "aah-aah" and start again.

14 6. Continue to practice your heel training and when 2 steps forward become easy for your dog, increase to 4 steps, then 6 steps and so on... Keep up your encouragement, praise and tasty rewards. 7. When your dog is reliably heeling for 10 or more steps it's time to attach a verbal cue to the behaviour. The process is the same as you have been practicing except now you say, "Fido Heel", then step forward. Over time and plenty of repetition this builds up the association in your dog's mind between the verbal "heel" cue or command and the act of heeling. Now you have got the very basic heel going well and on cue, it's time to build upon it and add some more variables. Introduce the following elements one at a time and make it as easy as possible for your dog to succeed. Mix it up - continue with your enthusiasm, encouragement, praise and treats. Walk slowly, speed up, stop, speed up etc... Take your training session to a new location. Add some left and right turns and then some obstacles. Practice your heeling around other people and animals. Increase the duration of the heel. Roll a ball in front of you - what does your dog do? That's the heel training process I follow and have experienced good results with. Always remember to keep your training sessions fun and don't expect too much from your young puppies, it will take some time. The dogs basic position is the most crucial component of Competition Heel work, how the dog will be able to perform turns and halts is directly linked to exactly where he is in relation to the handler. If the dog habitually lags (too far back), crabs (too far forward and angled into the handler), weaves or works wide or too far in front, it is a bit of a waste of time trying to get good sits or turns. The position of the dog is of course influenced by the handler s body posture and as the handler reacts to the dog and the dog to the handler, you often get vicious circle type of positional faults where the dog keeps back because is swivelling into it from the waist; because the dog keeps back, the handler swivels even more, so the dog keeps even more and so on.

15 Teaching a Dog to Heel - The Plumb Line Firstly, I should say that teaching a dog to heel is a different skill than training a dog to walk on a loose lead. Training a dog to heel relies on getting and holding the attention of your dog. The heel can be called upon for short periods (like when other dogs or children are around) but is not suitable for your long daily walks. Fig. 1. The Plumb Line This in effect relates to the position the handler requires the dog to maintain in relationship with the handlers left leg. Imagine dropping a plumb line down from the handler s hip and it falls down by the trouser seam and finishing on the floor halfway along the handles foot (instep). The dog is then expected to keep its shoulders level with the handler s leg in order that the plumb line runs through the centre of the dog s shoulder.

16 Fig. 2. With the handler stood in this position, with left foot slightly raised off the floor, I would expect the dog to adopt a stand position in readiness to follow the handler forward in heel work. Key to Fig. 2 Indicates that the dog is working in front of the leg, this may also create crabbing as well as wrapping around the front of the handler s leg. Indicates the ideal heel work position Indicates that the dog is behind the handler s forward movement and therefore beginning to lag.

17 Encouraging heelwork position - With the dog sitting squarely at the side of your left leg, carefully widen the gap between your legs by approximately two feet. - Place the lead and your treats in your right hand. - Bring the right hand closely across the front of your body with the treat and hold the right hand and treat above the dog s nose just around your hip height or just below. (Be extremely careful not to draw the dog out of the square position as you do so). - Then gently place the left hand on the dogs left hand shoulder (the one furthest away from your leg). - As you press gently on the dog s shoulder to feel the dog s body contact with your leg, gently and without moving your left foot, sway your left leg slowly and slightly towards the right leg in like a cradle rocking motion, as you do so praise the dog and apply your heelwork command, Close, that s a nice Close. - Perform 3-4 repetitions and then break off for a huge party game of play. - When the dog is back in an arouse state of mind, repeat 3-4 more times and then finish on an exuberantly high note.

18 Teaching a Dog to Heel Moving off and halts Often neglected in footwork s the beginning and the end of heelwork. Your start should be smooth and gliding. Avoid tipping your body forward. This is a problem in fast pace especially at the start of it. Practice taking your first steps setting off with your left leg, as this is closest to the dog and is the first signal to the dog that you are about to go somewhere. You want the dog to be paying attention to you and enthusiastically waiting for you to start moving. This is where personally, I have my dog in position and do the Ready, Steady, Go, at the same time, I am leaning forward on my tip toes, repeating the wind up command to the point where I lose my balance and excitedly state the word GO at which point I will fall forward onto my right foot and either reward and praise the dog for moving with me or actually throw the toys forwards. A lot of the reward method depends on what arouses and switches on your dog. Only you will know that. Once the dog has done this exercise for about 4-5 repetitions in a couple of training sessions and enjoyed the party games after doing so. Then this is the time I will start asking for the stand in heel work position, the purpose of this is that the Dog is then ready to move off quicker with you. Again, positive and high value rewards and treats at this stage. From then onwards I would put in the heelwork command and move forward 2-3 small strides, breaking off and praising deeply for the behaviour. However, in all honesty, Rally starts are not the same as Obedience starts, albeit, that when you have been working certain stations for example static stations you will need a heel work start to proceed to the next station with. One important thing to remember is that once you have moved off you need to consider the speed of pace you move at so that you match your pace to that of you dog, otherwise, you could result in your dog lagging, or moving too far in front of you which will result in valuable points being lost.

19 Stopping should be equally smooth. Bring one foot up to the other, normally handlers like to stop on their left foot, and bring the right foot up to it. But you might like to see which is best for you and your dog on this. Once you have perfected the smooth gliding halt, it probably won t matter which foot you stop on. Stamping of the feet is quite common at the halt, this will lose you points as well as worry the dog. bring your feet together quietly. Another fault is stepping sideways into the halt, often to hide a crooked or wide halt (whether performed consciously or unconsciously). Keep your body posture upright and look where you are going.

20 Teaching a Dog to Heel - The Heel work sit If you have taught your heel work command correctly (heel work position) you should not have to worry about sits in heelwork, except for making sure that you the handler can ensure their accuracy. In you teaching your dog the close command, we now have a dog that we have taught, whatever the left leg does they should follow; if the left leg turns he should go neatly with it and if they leg stops then he must sit squarely by its side. We have as a separate exercise, taught him that sit means just sit. If given the sit command in heelwork, then that is what he should do, i.e. sit immediately. If your timing is not impeccable, or the dog steps onto an uneven piece of ground and his body wavers slightly, this could mean a crooked sit. But, by giving him his Close keyword as you come to a halt, the dog should learn to tuck themselves neatly in by your side4 in the correct heel position. Of course, your hands will be there for guidance. Remember: Keep your body upright and to bring your feet together smoothly to give the dog the best chance of understanding what you want. Trouble shooting If the dog develops faults along the way, look to your basic training of the Close command. Probably you have become a little less, thorough than you should be in your warm up training routines and need to do more regular ground work. It does not hurt, in fact, it has very positive results if you refrain from putting the heelwork together every session. Faults may include sits that are slow, crooked, wrapped, wide, hesitant, backward, forward or even missing altogether go back to the basic routines and only then progress slowly eliminating aids one at a time, keeping up the momentum in training, before putting things together ready for the ring. Remember your masterpiece can be rev9ieled in the ring you do not have to keep having sneak previews to see if you ve got it right.

21 Teaching a Dog to Heel - The Stand from the Side Position Stand from Heel Position With your dog sitting at your left side, command your dog to "Stand". Step with your left leg and place finger under his belly to hold left leg. Stand beside the dog, then leave your dog. Hold position for 30 seconds to one minute... Stand From the heel position, with about 18" of lead from the right hand, turn to the left broadside to your dog. With your right hand, gently reach under your dog's belly and help your dog to the standing position. When your dog stands say "Good" and with your right hand gently pet your dog s underside. Slowly return to the original heel position. If your dog starts to sit or move with your right-hand reach under your dog's belly and "No, stand" and help them into the stand position. And command your dog to "Stand". After your dog begins to relax with this command, you are ready to move to the next step in exercise: The trainer should stand next to the dog and keep the leash short while holding it in the right hand. As you make the command, lead off with your left foot and place the left hand with top finger touching the dog belly close to the hind leg. The dog will stop when his hind leg touches your finger. Praise the dog. Hold this position for thirty seconds. An alternate way to teach the stand is from movement. In other words, you are heeling with your dog, the lead is in the right hand. Slow down and say "Stand" as you turn to the left and reach under your dog belly in front of their right rear leg to prevent them from walking. When your dog stops, walking say "Good" and gently pet your dog s shoulder. Slowly return to the heel position, always watching for any movement on your dog's part to sit or move. Of course, you should swiftly reach under your dog's belly and help them into the stand position. Heel/Stand The goal of this exercise is to have your dog stop any movement and remain in a standing position, motionless, until released. This exercise begins as you are heeling with your dog, the lead is in the right hand. Slow down, place your right hand in front of your dog's face

22 without touching them, palm facing your dog, and say "Stand" as you turn to the left and reach under your dog's belly in front of their right rear leg to prevent them from walking. When your dog stops, walking say "Good" and gently pet your dog s tummy. Slowly return to the heel position, always watching for any movement on your dog's part to sit or move. Of course, you should swiftly reach under your dog's belly and help them into the stand position. When working with the stand behaviour be careful not to correct with the lead or too harshly, your dog may react by sitting or moving. If your dog's legs move, react quickly, simultaneously, saying "No, stand" and place the offending foot back into place. Make sure that when you place your hand under the dog s tummy that you do so with the palm facing up, that way you do not catch the dog with any rings or other jewellery.

23 Teaching a Dog to Heel - How to Teach the Finish Exercise Continental Finish (left) In this exercise, the dog moves from a Sit position in front of you, to a Sit in the heel position on your left side. Have a toy or a food treat in your left hand and hold it in front of your dog s nose. Give the Heel command and extend your arm out and back to your left hip, luring the dog with the object in your hand. He should sit automatically when he is in the Heel position. If he doesn t, slowly raise your left hand up above your hip, wait for the dog to respond. If they are looking up paying you attention they should automatically opt to sit, if not wait for a short period and then tell give the verbal command Sit to finish the exercise. Method One: - Have the dog in a present position. - Hold a piece of food above dog s nose, command Close (or Heel etc.) and take a big step back with your left leg, encouraging the dog with the treat to move backwards. - Guide the dog round and behind you towards the back of your left leg, bring the left leg back in time with the dog. - As the dog comes forward with the leg, raise the hand up towards and possibly slightly higher than the hip, so that the dog goes into the sit automatically without a verbal command. - Praise and reward. Method Two: - Dog in the present position - Command Stay and take one step to the right. - Command Close and take one or two steps forward, taking the dog with you as you move. - Gradually reduce the size of your right and forward steps until the dog can do the manoeuvre without help. English finish (right) The right-handed finish is often favoured by handlers of large breeds. It does not require such a tight turn and the dog can whip around with ease and speed if sufficiently motivated.

24 Method One: - Hold a piece of food in each hand with the dog in the present position. - Command Close and lead the dog with the right-hand half way, pick up with the left hand behind your back and lure around to your left-hand side from behind your back. - As the dog comes alongside the left leg raise the left hand towards your hip or slightly higher and as the dog sits un aided, praise and give the rewards. Method Two: - Dog in the present position. - Take a step to the left, command Close and take a step forward, encouraging the dog to follow your movements. - Gradually reduce the size of your left and forward steps until the dog can complete the whole exercise from the present position. 32 Marriots Gate, Lutton, Lincolnshire PE12 9HN Telephone training@norfolkk9.co.uk