Back End Awareness

[luvsablue]

Hi everyone,

I remember seeing a video clip on teaching back end awareness.

The dog was standing front paws on a phone book and was learning

to walk around with its back legs

while keeping the front legs on the book.

Does anyone know of this, or anything similar?

It was clicker I think, but doesn't have to be.

It's just that I can't remember the sequence used to get this behaviour happening.

From

luvsablue

[Staranais]

We do this for hind end awareness. It's my girl's favourite trick, not sure why, her eyes light up when I get out the phone book. Was really easy to teach but did take a little time.

First taught her to put both front paws on the book on cue, can't remember how we did that, lured her on or just captured it I guess. Then I asked her to target my hand in front of her nose & moved that to induce her to take a step with her back feet, when she stepped with her back foot I clicked that movement to capture it. Then asked her to do more & more steps before each click. Then I faded my hand target until she was stepping by herself on verbal cue.

I then put names on the positions so she can flick from "heel" to "front" to "off side" all while keeping paws on the book. Not sure why she loves this trick so much, but it's one of her faves. Helped her understand heel position I think.

[Henrietta]

My girl loves this game too. I remember it took forever to get that first step (once comfortably on the box), but once she figured it was what I wanted, there was no looking back. We used targeting too, but gee I was clumsy with it. Hence why it probably took so long.

If there is a box in the yard, it is the first thing she runs to given the chance, hehe.

[sas]

Hi everyone,

I remember seeing a video clip on teaching back end awareness.

The dog was standing front paws on a phone book and was learning

to walk around with its back legs

while keeping the front legs on the book.

Does anyone know of this, or anything similar?

It was clicker I think, but doesn't have to be.

It's just that I can't remember the sequence used to get this behaviour happening.

From

luvsablue

This is an instruction video I used:

http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup#p/u/41/xsvNvK8T1z8

[Tiggy]

I love this clip. Winnie is so cute .

[corvus]

Isn't that funny? Erik loves this trick as well. He learnt it absurdly quickly for some reason (because he's Erik?) and then I didn't know what to do next! So I just kinda kept practising it for a while until I had something to do with it and then I discovered I should have moved him off the box long ago, because he found it hard to transition to just doing it on the flat. He does some pretty cute pivots while heeling, now. I think it's clever, but this is me who still thinks reliable recalls and dogs that love training are something to cheer about.

[Agility Dogs]

Yep, this is a really good one. The next step is to put obstacles around the pivot box/phone book and ask them to walk around it.

My boy loves it, my girl not so much, but she is better than he is.

Just make sure you are getting them to walk both ways in equal amounts. I always find it funny that they can learn to do it one way, but the other way is a totally different exercise.

[Henrietta]

Even though my girl is quite good at it both ways, she is slightly more awkward when going to the left. I always put it down to her right being her stronger side, like us being left/right handed BUT I have no idea if this is true or not.

[Agility Dogs]

Even though my girl is quite good at it both ways, she is slightly more awkward when going to the left. I always put it down to her right being her stronger side, like us being left/right handed BUT I have no idea if this is true or not.

Yep, they definitely have a dominant side.

[Prydenjoy]

I taught Mango this yesterday as an attempt to get her to stand square in front of me for dog shows. She always swings her bum toward my left heel (I taught her the flip finish in just 2 clicks!) so I thought if I could get her to pivot I could get her to correct herself. Within a few minutes she was pivoting beautifully to stand sqaure in front of me

[huski]

This is one of Daisys favourite tricks too! She loves it when I ask her to stand on a box or bucket or any object really and pivot around it. We also have nice left and LATs now which is why I trained it initially. In the future it will be one of the first exercises I train puppies.

[luvsablue]

Thanks everyone that is a great help.

I wanted this for a friend who has an ultra enthusiastic heeling working gsd.

She's been losing marks (and once was failed) for too much contact and bumping

mainly on the left turns.

This should help her I think, because mainly the dog is forging with her rear end

not parallel to the handler and angled across the handler's left side.

I think it is called crabbing.

Anyway the dog is high drive, keen and enjoying herself, which was a real achievement

in itself, because when my friend first got her as an older dog she was the opposite.

Nervous unwilling and sulky, and petrified of judges and stewards.

Thanks again,

luvsablue

[luvsablue]

He does some pretty cute pivots while heeling, now. I think it's clever, but this is me who still thinks reliable recalls and dogs that love training are something to cheer about.

corvus you sound a lot like me.

I get a real kick out of my happy dog and her good, noooo beautiful work, and feel very proud of her.

(But I also get a kick out of her wicked antics when she decides to do the wrong thing, she looks so

full of fun and defiant)

Is this called partnership? or idiocy?

She really knows how to make me look an idiot, but also how to make me laugh.

luvsablue

[corvus]

Psst, luvsablue, no one who's laughing at themselves looking like an idiot ever really looks like an idiot.

I'm with you. I love seeing happy dogs performing beautifully, but I always end up laughing in spite of myself when I get a dose of Spitzy independence. It's always when you least expect it. Erik has this way of looking at me when I'm telling him off for getting into something that just cracks me up every time. Completely unworried by me grumping and telling him he's wicked. He just looks like he wouldn't know how to look submissive.

I call it partnership when you can laugh when things don't go exactly as planned.

[bedazzledx2]

Yep...Brookie is left pawed. To find out watch which way they retrieve a dumbbell or go out to the box.

Even though my girl is quite good at it both ways, she is slightly more awkward when going to the left. I always put it down to her right being her stronger side, like us being left/right handed BUT I have no idea if this is true or not.

Yep, they definitely have a dominant side.

[luvsablue]

Yep...Brookie is left pawed. To find out watch which way they retrieve a dumbbell or go out to the box.

Beckie always picked up the dumbbell and turned clockwise, is this right pawed?

luvsablue

[Staranais]

Sort of on topic, but sort of not - I've recently taught my girl to stand her back feet on a phone book on cue. This was, for some reason, hugely hard for her to understand. Front feet, no problem. All four feet, no problem. But back feet ONLY was apparently impossible to understand - we'd do a session every few months, for the last 9 months or so, and she'd look thoroughly bewildered every time.

She finally got it yesterday, clever girl! And she's definitely got the concept down right, because if I ask for "back feet" when they're already on there, she'll stamp them in place and look at me for the reward. It's like she's finally worked out that she does have back feet.

Anyone else taught this? I'm hoping to progress it into a handstand at some point when her shoulders are all fixed up - not sure how much success I'll have!

[Henrietta]

^ Hehe, no, I've not tried it... but your post makes me want to!

[Prydenjoy]

I haven't taught that one Staranais, although he will back up and "find" whatever is on the floor with his back feet if we're shaping - I accidentally taught this one when I was trying to teach the 2o2o with an unsuitable board, he figured out his back feet were supposed to be on it and now he'll walk around the room backwards until he finds something to step onto

Also, if I put a broom down (don't ask why I taught him this, I was bored lol) he'll step over it with 2 feet so that he has his left paws on one side and his right paws on the other and the broom up the middle. He loves paw work

Mango has already learnt a visual cue for her pivots, if I turn my shoulders one way it means she has to take a few steps the other to straighten up, turn the shoulders the other way she'll side step in the other direction. Can't wait to take it on the road at the show in 2 weeks

[Staranais]

I haven't taught that one Staranais, although he will back up and "find" whatever is on the floor with his back feet if we're shaping - I accidentally taught this one when I was trying to teach the 2o2o with an unsuitable board, he figured out his back feet were supposed to be on it and now he'll walk around the room backwards until he finds something to step onto

That will hopefully be our next step, at the moment she believes that you have to put your front feet on first, then you can walk forwards and put your back feet on. I've just started teaching the concept of walk backwards, so hopefully we'll be able to put the two things together soon (walk backwards UNTIL your back feet are on the board). She is such a smart little cookie, it is so fun to see her working things out.

Are you competing in two weeks? Good luck!