Mason_Gibbs Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I was just wondering at what age do you start rear end awareness with your dogs and what do you do to teach this?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I was just wondering at what age do you start rear end awareness with your dogs and what do you do to teach this?? My girl started at 12 weeks (when she arrived). Walking over pool noodles, wobble boards, backing up, spinning in circles, pivot boxes are all good places to start. So is walking into and out of a box or walking through a ladder that is laid on the ground. I don't think you can start soon enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I've started shaping my parents 13 week old pup to put her front feet on a perch so I can start pivot work for rear end awareness. I'll get her to walk over low objects too so she understands she has back legs! As AD said, you probably can't start soon enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Started it as a baby with my current girl, and will do the same with my next pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I started with my current young dog as soon as I got her (I never did any hind end stuff with my older two) I did phone book work, ladder work and having a board for her to do 2o2o. The last one especially I found really helps as I can now stand a few metres away in front of it and send her, so she has to go to the board spin around and put her back feet on it only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 Thanks i used the phone book with the older boy ( started too late with him) and today i let the pup have a go at putting his paws up on the book and he got it really quickly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Thanks i used the phone book with the older boy ( started too late with him) and today i let the pup have a go at putting his paws up on the book and he got it really quickly You will be amazed at the difference it makes. Wikki is now almost 17 months and is while Xena has done heaps of these exercises and is pretty good Wikki is sooooooo much better because of the early start. I can't wait to start running her for real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Sorry, slightly off topic, but it occurred to me recently that our pet dogs don't need to learn this stuff so they don't unless we teach them, but if they were out in the wilderness they would learn a lot of it on their own. Since I taught my older dog rear end awareness at age 3, he has got so much better at making his way through difficult terrain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfsie Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 From the day they get home............And when I went to teach my dog to do the ladder, she just upped and went. All my dogs also climb logs and such on our walks. It makes a huge difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxagirl Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I've started with Booker- 13 weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 As soon as you get them home. They may have ever started before you got them. With my recent litter I made the environment such that they started to develop a good body awareness very early on - they had stuff to step onto, over, into, a wobble board to go over, ladder on the ground all for them to explore as they played during the day. A few people commented how well coordinated they seemed to be and I noticed it as well - they seemed to have a lot more confidence and body awareness than I would have expected for their age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 I left it late with my current lab and it shows, his turns in obedience are shocking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 (edited) I started with my current young dog as soon as I got her (I never did any hind end stuff with my older two) I did phone book work, ladder work and having a board for her to do 2o2o. The last one especially I found really helps as I can now stand a few metres away in front of it and send her, so she has to go to the board spin around and put her back feet on it only. Agree about starting early - but just had to laugh at the 2o2o bit. Rory has loved this exercise, but I think maybe I overdid it - he's only had a few chances to see the real contact obstacles (admittedly without enough interim walking long planks etc ), and his immediate response has been to rush to the equipment, and throw himself proudly into his 2o2o . ETA - at the wrong end - without having gone over the obstacle first. Boy brains! :D Edited September 13, 2011 by Tassie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I started with my current young dog as soon as I got her (I never did any hind end stuff with my older two) I did phone book work, ladder work and having a board for her to do 2o2o. The last one especially I found really helps as I can now stand a few metres away in front of it and send her, so she has to go to the board spin around and put her back feet on it only. Agree about starting early - but just had to laugh at the 2o2o bit. Rory has loved this exercise, but I think maybe I overdid it - he's only had a few chances to see the real contact obstacles (admittedly without enough interim walking long planks etc ), and his immediate response has been to rush to the equipment, and throw himself proudly into his 2o2o . ETA - at the wrong end - without having gone over the obstacle first. Boy brains! :D Nah Tassie, its genetics........ ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lablover Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Just a thought: Never ceases to amaze me how good mum's miss every single puppy, when jumping into the whelping box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I have found that some dogs naturally have rear end awareness & others don't. Trim knew where all her legs were and how to use them by the age of 6 months without any help from me. Shine was slower to mature & needed help at 12 months Fly, at 14 weeks already has a very good sense of rear end awareness. I certainly don't think there's any harm in rear end awareness exercises, but also don't see a great need to specifically focus on them early either. Often if a dog lacks awareness at 12 months, they are probably not ready for any kind of serious training anyway. Waiting 6 months till they mature can achieve the same outcome anyway. Jmo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 My boy seemed to have it naturally. I didn't do anything with him and when we did the exercises at agility he got them all in one go. I think smaller dogs that have a lower centre of gravity seem to find it easier? There was a dobe that gave us all a good laugh though - I don't think the poor dear realised that his back legs were attached to him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lablover Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Heck, maybe it does start with rearing conditions. As I sit here pondering, my pups seemed pretty unaware of poop avoidance (especially in first morning clean up!!), until the 6 week mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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