Tag: rally

Heeling Tips & Tricks #22

heeling # 22
RIGHT ABOUT PIVOT
Intro, Handling and Teaching

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HANDLER CUES: RIGHT ABOUT PIVOT FOOT WORK
The Right About Pivot is a foundation skill for your about turn in heeling. In additions, it can be used for your turns for the Scent Articles, Gloves, as well as many turns in Rally.

When doing a Right About Pivot:

  • Stand with your feet together.
  • Shift your weight to your right leg.
  • Look down past your right foot and back onto the line of travel you will be turning on.
  • Step 1, move your left foot to make the “T” step by placing the ball of your left foot against the toe of your right foot.
  • Step 2, place the heel of your right foot against the heel of your left foot and point your right foot in the direction you will be going or sending the dog.
  • Step 3, bring your left foot up to your right foot.

Teaching the Right About Pivot

  • Review the weight shift from the Right Pivot section before continuing to train the Right About Pivot.
  • Hold your leash the same as in the right pivot so you can rein your leash as you shift your weight and start your turn.
  • With your dog on your left side, start to rein forward on your leash as shift your weight to your RIGHT leg.
  • Bring your LEFT foot to a T in front of your right foot.
  • Turn your right foot so that the heel of the right foot is touching the heel of the left foot.
  • Turn your left foot so that it is even with your right foot.
  • Praise and release your dog up to a treat or toy BEFORE the sit or completion of the pivot.
  • Only add a sit to the pivot once the desire is built and your dog understands how to move on your weight shift and turn while keeping his head up and focused on you.  This can take many training sessions.
  • Use a high value toy or pocket to place under your left arm.  Drop it on the first step or as your dog starts movement for a number of repetitions. Once your dog will keep his head up on the first step, start to drop the toy on the second step and so on. Do randomly reward each step during practices to maintain the heads up behavior.
  • Keep training sessions short.  Use HIGH VALUE rewards and use games with any effort your dog offer to build desire.

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😉🐶🐶🐶 *****Next video – 23 – Heeling Progression – Wean Off Treat and Hand in “heel” Position

Visit https://debbyquigley.com/classes/  for Free classes on foundational skills. 

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Gurrrrr. Summer is here.

sun
Don’t know about y’all during the summer months but it gets really HOT here in the south.

During this time of year, I need to plan my dog’s training sessions and conditioning so that we can get the most “bang for our bucks” yet not over heat our dogs.

I know you ask yourself “what is there to do to keep my dogs busy and keep them in shape during the long, hot, dry weather”?  YES, you want to have something up your sleeve to keep your four-legged friends busy, in condition, and out of trouble.

The first thing on my list to do during the hot summer months is to review foundations with my dogs. These are skills that are needed for the venue in which we are getting ready to or are currently showing.

For instance, if I am showing in agility, we will review our contact behavior on a board or the stairs. We can work on start-line stays or simple jump drill skills with one to three jumps.

If we are showing in obedience or rally, we will review pivots which are the foundation of all heeling turns. We can do “Get It” Games to improve any going out and coming back skills such as a dumbbell retrieve or the turn for go-outs.

We can review all the foundation skills that I have used to train my dog. Take a few minutes and remember where your dog’s training started. Write a list of all the foundation skills you used with your dog. If you are having issues when showing, NOW is a great time to brush up on those important skills.

I love to teach my dogs Tricks in the summertime!  Why?  Because Tricks are a great way to exercise my dog’s body and mind.

Tricks such as spin or twirl can help with my dog’s flexibility.  Sitting up and begging can improve my dog’s core strength.

Walking backwards can improve rear end awareness. Picking up toys or dog bowls will improve my retrieves. Whatever you decide to teach your dog will benefit you in some way. Get out your bag of ideas and tricks and train away. Besides, tricks are a super way to impress visitors, kids, any anyone who will watch. Furthermore, they are fun and your dog will enjoy them.
Another area I look at is ways to Exercise my dogs. Keeping fit during the off months is very important and will help prevent injuries in the future. Also, exercises improve balance, endurance, and body awareness. Get pods or foam pads for your dog to stand on for balance. A dog treadmill is great for staying cool while working on endurance and conditioning.

Ladder work teaches your dog how to use his feet. If so inclined, you can work on your balance too.

Let your dog have time off to just be a dog. This is important for your dog’s mental health as well as his physical health. Just like humans, it is good to take a vacation from training and work. Hahahaha. Just take time to let your “hair or ears” down. Activities such as swimming, hiking, going to the beach or just plain “ole” lying around with your feet up in the air make great breaks from training. Find activities that both you and your dog will enjoy and just “DO IT”!

Any of the above suggestions can be built upon and ideas added. Look on the Internet, or buy a book for more ideas. There are LOADS of ways to keep you dog busy and in condition through-out the HOT summer months!

Visit https://debbyquigley.com/classes/  for Free classes on foundational skills. 

Please leave comments or email me with future article ideas at Ask DebbyQ. 

Visit my Youtube LIKE & Subscribe, and watch training videos at https://www.youtube.com/@DebbyQuigley

Why Teach Tricks?

trickTrick training does provide many benefits – to you and your dog:

  1. In the process of learning new tricks you establish a way to learn to communicate with your dog.
  2. Trick training helps to build confident dogs and teaches your dog to experiment and offer behavior  – which is important.
  3. Tricks are a great way for your dog to stay flexible and warm-up before showing.
  4. Trick training is a wonderful way to energize, build attention and focus on your dog.
  5. Tricks can be used to replace bad behavior. For example, if your dog is barking at the door, you could ask your dog to do the trick “get on your bed” to redirect his behavior.

Trick training is important and useful for many reasons.  Always keep in mind that every skill or exercise you teach to your dog is nothing more than a trick.

Teaching your dog to remain next to your side, heeling.  Learn to bring something to you, retrieves.  Getting on and remaining in position, a stay or 2o2o behavior for contacts.  Offering behaviors becomes drive, attention and focus.

So go out and have fun and train a trick TODAY!

Visit https://debbyquigley.com/classes/  for Free classes on foundational skills. 

Please leave comments or email me with future article ideas at Ask DebbyQ. 

Visit my Youtube LIKE & Subscribe, and watch training videos at https://www.youtube.com/@DebbyQuigley

Is there a difference between a skill and an exercise?

You bet there is!

What is the difference between a skill and an exercise????

An “exercise” is something I am required to do in the ring. It is a sequence of skills.  The Drop on Recall, Heeling, courses in Rally or Agility etc.   All of these are exercises.  They are the “Things” we are required to do at shows.

Skills, on the other hand, are individual tricks that we teach our dog.  As your dog learns more tricks, you can start combining tricks that will be combined together to complete an exercise at a show.

Think of all “exercises” as nothing more than a bunch of tricks chained together! 

So…. Tricks include things like going around me for the short finish, jumping to my either my right or left hand for the beginning of the long and short finish, successful completion of weave poles or contacts, etc.

When training, teach the skills first and separately.  Break down any exercise you might need for a show and teach all the skills in that exercise separately. Once your dog is proficient with all the skills, start to mix and match what you may need for a ring performance but also mix and match the skills just to be random and test your dog’s knowledge and understanding of all the skills.

My point is for you to start thinking out of the “exercise box”.   Don’t just train exercises.   Start training skills/tricks.   Proof and perfect each trick/skill to meet your criteria (which you should set high).   Mix and match tricks/skills, to test your dogs knowledge and have fun!!!

Please leave comments or email me with future article ideas at Ask DebbyQ. 

Visit my Youtube and watch training videos at https://www.youtube.com/@DebbyQuigley