About Turns

[Staranais]

That's a bit sad???? I think that they are both LAT and both finishes so why are some banned?????

Never though about which one is correct, just which one that works for us

I don't know why, Rommimum, but the NZ obedience rules are very different to the Australian ones. I like your obedience system better than ours, I think, yours makes it easier for any breed to compete and get a title.

I agree it's a pity! A well executed flip finish is cool to see. You guys are lucky having the option.

[shoemonster]

I do the flip for left about turns with my latest bitch. I still use the "around the back" on my older dog though.

I find the later method can occasionally confuse the dog during a normal left turn (dog anticipates a left about turn). Its not a good look tripping over your dog in a trial lol.

Ive found Ed doing that, and then he ends up doing a 270 degree turn around my body for a simple left turn not a great look

[Tassie]

I do the flip for left about turns with my latest bitch. I still use the "around the back" on my older dog though.

I find the later method can occasionally confuse the dog during a normal left turn (dog anticipates a left about turn). Its not a good look tripping over your dog in a trial lol.

Ive found Ed doing that, and then he ends up doing a 270 degree turn around my body for a simple left turn not a great look

My first trialling dog used to do that occasionally in UD signal heeling - it used to make me laugh, because he did it so smartly and neatly that I would wonder if the judge believed what he was seeing.

[Tay.]

I can't do the u-turn cos Jess bumps into my knee!

Happens in figure eight too, but we are working on it!

[ness]

Just got to teach her to use her backend DogsSportObsessed. Sounds like she is trying to dictate your line with the figure 8's too .

[helen]

I prefer the u turn style about turn as well. But I do like the dogs to know both.

Not so much with Piper or Jazz but 1 of my first BCs used to drift out of position so it was good having him know both - if he was rushing which he tended to do in slow pace then the go behind the back worked better. .......

My thoughts exactly.

Flip finish, I have only done the behind version, indicated with my right hand.

As only Bella could do I remember at a trial she was in indicating to return from recall and she just out of the blue decided that a flip finish was required that day - funny thing is I had never taught it to her, only ever tried it a couple of times and didn;t like it

[Casster17]

Personally I prefer the around the back LAT and finishes. Much easier with an excitabe dog then the u turns for a LAT.

I will teach either based on my clients needs though.

[Seita]

I have been using U turn LAT for a long time and can remember many years ago up in north QLD where EVERYONE did around the back style turns and I got pinged by a local judge for doing the U turns. I can tell you now that I have NEVER been under that judge since!!!

I always used to do around the back finishes but started doing flip finishes with my current girl because she likes doing them. I have taught her around the back finishes too and tend to mix it up a bit as her flip finishes can sometimes end up a little wonky so the round the back style usually ends up neater. Although at a recent trial I did all round the back finishes and for each and everyone she sat about 15cm from my leg instead of right beside it. Don't know where she got that idea from!!!

[speedy2]

I was wondering what everyone's preference is for about turns. I've always done the u-turn type. The pivot one with the dog going behind you looks pretty flash. Is one better for trials?

Hi Tiggy

The pivot left turn works wonderfully well if your dog is either in the correct heeling position or a little forward of that. and looks fantastic.

If your dog is a lagger, then all you are doing is making the dog a metre further back - now he has to get into position, and then go around you, whereas if you do the U-turn you catch him up.

They are both legal and neither should be penalised.

However, if you look at it closely, the dog is not doing a left about turn in the pivot. You are - and the dog is doing a right-about turn around you.

Speedy2

[dogdude]

I think either turn will catch out a lagging dog, but in a u turn the dog has to use its back end in sinc with your turn, and so is more like a dance and so looks smoother and flowing.

The "round the back" method can look a bit messy sometimes, and often shows up a dog with less than great focus and drive, scrambling back to heel.

In the "u turn" method, the dog needs to use its back end, or its not completing a turn,....otherwise you are the only one turning.

[~*Shell*~]

Zero goes round the back but at the same time I'm teaching him the other way as well because i want him to know how to do both. He has two different commands for them so knows which one i want him to do. He's not very maneuverable so he goes round the back in a left about turn but if we're just doing training exercises, i'll use the command "back" and he knows to follow my left leg. I didn't like his left turns (they looked sloppy) so i decided to work on them and so now he is able to do the other way (with a lot of back end awareness work) too, though it's still not as good as i would like it to be!