Dec '25 • Class Recaps
Handler's Choice 12/19
Our list from today is below. There are two overarching themes... confidence, and engagement with the handler. When you can get skills at home, but not out and about; its typically because the dog can't disengage from the environment and engage with the handler. One of the first games I play for this is I choose You; which we've done before. (ill paste video links below for a reminder) we can also use environmental rewards and a lot of premack. Of course; we also want to pay attention to our dogs, and any time they choose to engage, smile at them. Reward them. If you dont have food - praise, petting, play, toys... acknowledge them somehow! The skill itself is rarely the problem!
Sit
Ah, sit. One of the foundational obedience behaviors. Go slow, and help your dog. Lure their nose straight up. When they look up, the butt tends to tuck under. If your sit is pretty solid, start refining it. Can your dog sit on the left, in front, on the right? When you ask for a sit, does your dog sit immediately or do they move to a preferred location? Can they sit on different surfaces?
Formal Heel
I treat heel differently than loose leash walking (llw) - however, they share a similar foundation. While many people know the lure the heel foward, a step that often gets missed is teaching the dog the actual position. They get used to following the lure, but when the lure fades, or theres a distraction; heel disappears! I use some fancy footwork to teach the steps. Start by facing your dog, step back with your left foot, then lure your dog past your left leg; remember to go at the dogs pace. Imagine their nose is metal and your hand is a magnet - if you go too fast, it will detach! Keep them with you - lure back until their hips are past your leg, then lure a J-hook towards you. As the dog's nose reaches your leg, step forward with your left leg so your feet are aligned again.) reward straight down your pant seam, then pivot in front and do it again!
J-Hook (The Heel Dance)
Blind Spot Circle
Im not going to rewrite the article - here's the link! 🙂
And some videos:
Paws up -> Tuck Sit
There are two basic sits - a tuck sit and a rock back sit. The later is the one most people learn to teach. It's fine, for the most part - however, if you want to refine it, or if you are planning to compete, we prefer the tuck sit. The tuck sit requires the dog to keep their front feet still and bring their back end foward into the sit. It can take a bit to master, especially if theyve already learned a rock back sit (where they shift their weight back, and let their front end move to the back). Teaching a tuck sit also works the ab muscles, and can help dogs that have a very large pressure bubble, and rock back into a sit 20' away from the handler!! You need to build a LOT of value in paws up; so start there. Once your paws up is solid... ask for the sit. Instead of luring straight up, you may need to lure slightly foward. You need them to shift their weight to their front end, so their back end is free to move.
If you have any questions - just hollar!
~B
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Handler's Choice 12/19
