Leaving Dog In A Stay

[4 Paws]

This may sound a silly question but naturally when you leave a dog in a stay in obedience you obviously step off on your right leg but what about if you're doing something like agility and you leave your dog and you're on the dogs left(opp to obedience)which leg should you leave on?

[Luke W]

Leg furthest from the dog.

[Erny]

When a dog is trained and proofed in stay work, it eventually shouldn't matter which leg you lead off with IMO. But in earlier days of training, when you want to set the dog up to succeed more easily, it should be the outside leg you lead off with. It is the furthest from the dog's face and therefore helps to reduce the dog's impulse to follow with you.

Edited April 27, 2010 by Erny

[4 Paws]

thanks for the replies.I thought it would be but was very hard not stepping off on the right leg,it felt quite awkward

[The Spotted Devil]

This may sound a silly question but naturally when you leave a dog in a stay in obedience you obviously step off on your right leg but what about if you're doing something like agility and you leave your dog and you're on the dogs left(opp to obedience)which leg should you leave on?

I always heel Zig on my left into the agility ring, tell him to wait, step off on my right and if I am going to start with him running on my right I step in front of him (facing not with back to him to avoid 'blind cross') and then move into position. Clear as mud, eh?

[kelpiekaye]

Ive always trained my dogs that a stay is just that and theyre not to move until I return. Im not good at stepping off with the right foot. In agility I use wait and I expect the the dog to wait until I give them the next instruction.I dont even think about which leg Im stepping off, dont have time. I use wait a lot when my dog is working on farm. I expect her to stop what shes doing until next command. Im usually on a bike so no feet to worry about.

[Agility Dogs]

I'm with KelpieKaye. My dogs are expected to stay regardless of what I do, which foot I step off on or whether I fall down in a fit of laughter, whatever.

If I'm starting with my dog though and expecting him/her to come with me then I release them with voice, but not on movement. If I am sending them then I'll step off with the foot closest to the dog and direct them with arm and leg down the line of obstacles I want them to run.

[bedazzledx2]

Its different when you are doing signals in Utility Obedience trials. You are not allowed to speak so your signals become very important. I like to be consistant and always step off with my right foot for any type of stay. In the distance control part of signals you signal your dog to stand, the judge tells you to leave and you can use a hand signal but its great to have a consistant legal foot signal to go along with it. It becomes habit and I couldn't imagine leaving on my moving (heeling) foot.

Ive always trained my dogs that a stay is just that and theyre not to move until I return. Im not good at stepping off with the right foot. In agility I use wait and I expect the the dog to wait until I give them the next instruction.I dont even think about which leg Im stepping off, dont have time. I use wait a lot when my dog is working on farm. I expect her to stop what shes doing until next command. Im usually on a bike so no feet to worry about.

[Erny]

It becomes habit and I couldn't imagine leaving on my moving (heeling) foot.

..... for a while, I was in such a habit of leading off with my right leg (back way when we handlers were in 'training' and 'drilled' this way) that I found it had become habit to even do so when I was at road crossings (without a dog).

Edited April 28, 2010 by Erny

[bedazzledx2]

LOL Its when you tell your car to stay you know you've got issues!!!!! ;) :rofl:

It becomes habit and I couldn't imagine leaving on my moving (heeling) foot.

;) ..... for a while, I was in such a habit of leading off with my right leg (back way when we handlers were in 'training' and 'drilled' this way) that I found it had become habit to even do so when I was at road crossings (without a dog).

[Erny]

LOL Its when you tell your car to stay you know you've got issues!!!!! ;) :rofl:

Nah .... it's when you alight from your car and tell it "Free!!!" ......................... and it obeys!! THEN you've got issues. ;)