George Bailey
09-24-2009, 03:34 AM
Most exercises in obedience end with the finish, where the dog moves from front position to heel position, with the exception of AKC's moving stand utility exercise, where the dog goes directly to heel position (without the front).
From the AKC rule booK (Novice, Section 10, Recall).
"On the judge's order, the handler will give a command or signal to finish. The dog must go smartly to heel position and sit. The manner in which the dog finishes will be optional, provided it is prompt and that the dog sits straight at heel."
There is only one finish in Novice and increasingly more in Open and Utility.
Teaching a dog to find and be comfortable in heel position is a very good discipline and one that we can tweak for the working career of an obedience dog. It requires many repetitions so it's best approached in a positive manner, with the least amount of physical manipulation or correction as possible. With an advanced dog, I ask them to show me and challenge them to get it right.
It is important to understand exactly where heel position is.
From the AKC Rule book, Regulations for Performance and Judging, Section 18. Heel Position:
"The heel position as defined in these regulations applies whether the dog is sitting, standing, lying down or moving at heel. The dog should be at the handler's left side straight in line with the direction the handler is facing. The area from the dog's head to shoulder is to be in line with the handler's left hip. The dog should be close to, but not crowding, its handler so that the handler has freedom of motion at all times."
Here are some tips to help you help your dog find heel position.
Dogs are not born knowing how to find heel position, we must teach them. They may get there one of two ways, going to the right of you and circling behind, or to your left. I prefer to teach both finishes so that I may choose one or the other depending on the circumstances.
For beginner dogs, you can use a chute for error free finishes. I generally use two broad jump boards out of which I make an "L", but I have also used two phone books for Cavalier KC Spaniels, two jumps, and a front and finish chute made out of pvc pipe (looks like a swastika and lays flat on the ground, is custom cut to fit each dog, with just enough room for them to sit comfortably). Here is a rough diagram of an L chute, the left hand side is not solid because I don't know how to make a solid vertical line:
Dog
__________________
l Handler
l
l
l
l
l
Dog and handler are facing each other to start and the goal is to get the dog lined up on the handler's left side, facing in the same direction, so you only leave as much space as your dog requires.
For the left finish, the dog will step over the board and turn toward you to its right, making a "U'. It must go far enough back to be able to turn and come up straight. Many dogs like to do what's called a 'flip finish' and jump into it, very flashy but often difficult to achieve accuracy with. The most common problems with the left finish include the dog not getting its butt lined up, and in the case of a dog who jumps, bashing the handler or landing wrong. With SATS, we can use an extension target to the right hip.
For the right finish, the dog will step over the board and go to your right side and circle behind you, coming up into heel position. The most common problem with this finish being the dog gets distracted while it is behind you and loses attention.
With SATS, I teach the finish with verbal instruction and the two finger target, in increasing cycles, in other words, dog targets two steps in the proper direction, with its nose stuck on my fingers, then three, then four, etc. I turn with the dog rather than standing still, particularly on the right finish. I also sometimes use food or a toy to keep up speed, but not initially as I want the dog to be aware of what it's doing instead of following a physical motivator. I don't push for a sit until the dog has turning in either direction down pat, and will randomly throw a cookie or toy. On the left finish, I might throw a physical motivator straight behind me, and on the right finish, straight ahead, back over the front of the L chute, aborting the sit in both instances. Sit can be stifling, is final, and if they are not traveling in the proper direction, they may sit incorrectly, so I don't fold in the sit until the dog learns to line up.
I tried to draw a diagram of a front and finish chute but failed, it looks like two rectangles on opposite sides, connected in the middle a four way joint, l joints used on the outside corners. We have the dog sit and cut pvc pipe measured to fit each individual. Some people simply make one rectangle and place it in heel or front position. I used these a lot with the Pems, they had to work hard to get their rears in place.
Although I do many repetitions, I try to limit them to three to five in a row, and then repeat in another part of my training session. I want heads up attention and teach the dogs to move into a finish head up and on my target. It's best to either use a mirror, a glass walled building, or a training buddy to insure you are both lined up straight. The two finger target is easily faded into a fluid signal. Signals must be one fluid motion of the arm and/or hand, without moving the rest of your body. Verbal commands can be whatever you want, but must be brief. I use 'get back' for the left finish and 'go around' for the right. Beginner dogs need both signal and verbal instruction and when they are competent, you can fade one or the other. To keep it fun, or for freestyle, but not to be used in the obedience ring, you can do the finish with the dog going through your legs, have them back into it, or throw in a spin once in a while.
George Bailey
From the AKC rule booK (Novice, Section 10, Recall).
"On the judge's order, the handler will give a command or signal to finish. The dog must go smartly to heel position and sit. The manner in which the dog finishes will be optional, provided it is prompt and that the dog sits straight at heel."
There is only one finish in Novice and increasingly more in Open and Utility.
Teaching a dog to find and be comfortable in heel position is a very good discipline and one that we can tweak for the working career of an obedience dog. It requires many repetitions so it's best approached in a positive manner, with the least amount of physical manipulation or correction as possible. With an advanced dog, I ask them to show me and challenge them to get it right.
It is important to understand exactly where heel position is.
From the AKC Rule book, Regulations for Performance and Judging, Section 18. Heel Position:
"The heel position as defined in these regulations applies whether the dog is sitting, standing, lying down or moving at heel. The dog should be at the handler's left side straight in line with the direction the handler is facing. The area from the dog's head to shoulder is to be in line with the handler's left hip. The dog should be close to, but not crowding, its handler so that the handler has freedom of motion at all times."
Here are some tips to help you help your dog find heel position.
Dogs are not born knowing how to find heel position, we must teach them. They may get there one of two ways, going to the right of you and circling behind, or to your left. I prefer to teach both finishes so that I may choose one or the other depending on the circumstances.
For beginner dogs, you can use a chute for error free finishes. I generally use two broad jump boards out of which I make an "L", but I have also used two phone books for Cavalier KC Spaniels, two jumps, and a front and finish chute made out of pvc pipe (looks like a swastika and lays flat on the ground, is custom cut to fit each dog, with just enough room for them to sit comfortably). Here is a rough diagram of an L chute, the left hand side is not solid because I don't know how to make a solid vertical line:
Dog
__________________
l Handler
l
l
l
l
l
Dog and handler are facing each other to start and the goal is to get the dog lined up on the handler's left side, facing in the same direction, so you only leave as much space as your dog requires.
For the left finish, the dog will step over the board and turn toward you to its right, making a "U'. It must go far enough back to be able to turn and come up straight. Many dogs like to do what's called a 'flip finish' and jump into it, very flashy but often difficult to achieve accuracy with. The most common problems with the left finish include the dog not getting its butt lined up, and in the case of a dog who jumps, bashing the handler or landing wrong. With SATS, we can use an extension target to the right hip.
For the right finish, the dog will step over the board and go to your right side and circle behind you, coming up into heel position. The most common problem with this finish being the dog gets distracted while it is behind you and loses attention.
With SATS, I teach the finish with verbal instruction and the two finger target, in increasing cycles, in other words, dog targets two steps in the proper direction, with its nose stuck on my fingers, then three, then four, etc. I turn with the dog rather than standing still, particularly on the right finish. I also sometimes use food or a toy to keep up speed, but not initially as I want the dog to be aware of what it's doing instead of following a physical motivator. I don't push for a sit until the dog has turning in either direction down pat, and will randomly throw a cookie or toy. On the left finish, I might throw a physical motivator straight behind me, and on the right finish, straight ahead, back over the front of the L chute, aborting the sit in both instances. Sit can be stifling, is final, and if they are not traveling in the proper direction, they may sit incorrectly, so I don't fold in the sit until the dog learns to line up.
I tried to draw a diagram of a front and finish chute but failed, it looks like two rectangles on opposite sides, connected in the middle a four way joint, l joints used on the outside corners. We have the dog sit and cut pvc pipe measured to fit each individual. Some people simply make one rectangle and place it in heel or front position. I used these a lot with the Pems, they had to work hard to get their rears in place.
Although I do many repetitions, I try to limit them to three to five in a row, and then repeat in another part of my training session. I want heads up attention and teach the dogs to move into a finish head up and on my target. It's best to either use a mirror, a glass walled building, or a training buddy to insure you are both lined up straight. The two finger target is easily faded into a fluid signal. Signals must be one fluid motion of the arm and/or hand, without moving the rest of your body. Verbal commands can be whatever you want, but must be brief. I use 'get back' for the left finish and 'go around' for the right. Beginner dogs need both signal and verbal instruction and when they are competent, you can fade one or the other. To keep it fun, or for freestyle, but not to be used in the obedience ring, you can do the finish with the dog going through your legs, have them back into it, or throw in a spin once in a while.
George Bailey