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Trick Of The Week 11/4-18/4/04


whatevah
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Leg Weaves

Uses - Good Showoff Trick, Doggy Dancing Movement, Can also help with straight fronts on a recall, as the dog is not scared of your legs [/b]

Equipment - food/and or clicker

Method -

Dog is taught off lead in distraction free area. Reason for off lead, if frees up both hands, and trick looks better off lead, saves you having to phase out the lead later.

Dog is facing you about one foot away. Your legs are apart.

Note:

If you are five foot tall and your dog is a great dane, you might have problems with this trick

Food Lure Method

Puts some food in your hand and put your hand behind your back and down in between your legs. If the dog is a nervous type, reward him as soon as he moves towards your hand. Slowly move your hand further and further from behind so that your dog is going through your legs. Reward for every step he makes towards you. Have legs spread out wide so it is easier for the dog. Lots of reward, praise and food once dog makes it all the way through your legs. The next trial the dog should be more confident, so reward him once he is in the middle of your legs, and then again when he is through. Add the word "Through" or another cue word, if that word is already taken. Your hand coming in between your legs is the signal. Gradually phase out the food so the dog only gets it once he is all the way through.

Then reward for every second "through".

Target Method

Same as food lure method, but you hold out your fingers, and the dog is rewarded once with food once he touches the two finger target. Instead of food only. See targetting trick for more info on targetting and teach it for a week if you are going to use this method.

Clicker Method

Same as above using food, but click for movements towards you. Then click for more movements towards you, slowly upping the criteria. Then click for the complete movement.

Problems

My flatcoat retriever loves this trick so much that he goes up to everybody and walks through their legs, even from behind. He once walked through this lady's legs and she had a kilt on. I have worked out that he likes the feeling of his sides being rubbed as he goes through. He will often stop midway so you can pat his sides. It is his spot. He also used to walk through mens legs, and give them a nudge in a sensitive spot on the way through. So just watch out for these joker dogs.

Figure 8 Leg Weave

Another leg weave you can do after the first one is known well. Is to stand with legs apart. You have pieces of food in both hands. You lure the dog through your legs with a piece of food with your right hand behind your back and through your legs. The dog walks through your legs and is rewarded. You then get your left hand and put it across the front of your body across your right leg, so the dog comes around from behind, you then guide the dog through your legs again and lure him around your left leg to the front of you and inbetween your legs again. It is confusing to write, but basically your dog is doing a figure of 8 in and out of your legs while you are standing still with legs apart. Think of the go around to heel after a recall in obedience, except the dog is going behind you and through your legs so he ends up in the front again and then going around the other leg.

Walking Leg Weave

Stand as if you have just taken a big step. An exaggerated step, lure dog through with food. It is easier if you have dog on left, right foot forward. Slip your right hand down with a piece of food and lure the dog through. Do this several times introuduce the word "through" or any other word you are going to use. Then put left foot forward right foot back, and have the dog on the right side, and use your left hand with a piece of food just under your left leg, and lure the dog through. Do this several times, and then put it all together. Gradually phase out the food and reward intermittantly, so the dog never knows when it gets the reward, also make less exaggerated foot steps and hand signals through the legs.

This is the method I have seen used in videos and read in books, and the method I have used on my own dogs.

ADVANCED

You can teach your dog to go through your legs from behind and sit when he gets to the middle.

You can recall your dog, with legs apart and have him run through your legs. Throw the food through the middle just as he gets to you, or he might cheat and go around.

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Edited by Toilet Duck
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  • 3 weeks later...

My diggers are pretty good with this.

Jamie, the smallest, I've got a walking weave, whereas I've found Texas and Chester it seems better to do the figure 8 weave, although they do do it, it's just the steps I have to make are too big, or my legs are too small.

One thing, with the walking weave, all my dogs tend to overwalk, I mean they get too far ahead and have to turn back a bit to go through again. I could either teach them to walk in really wide loops to keep at my leg width pace, or I would actually prefer a straighter weave line if that makes sense - any tips?

Sam.

ps: will post action photos next week if I can.

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Could you try rewarding the dogs right near your thigh, so they realise thats where they get the reward, after a lot of practice they won;t go as far ahead. I also free shaped Moses a bit to do the weave. Maybe take bigger steps.

Great to see the action shots.

post-21-1089764853.jpg

Edited by Toilet Duck
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  • 2 months later...
  • 5 months later...

With quite a bit of practise, they have straightened their line out naturally ...

Here's a whole bunch of photos ... the difference with these is that you should be able to see each of the dogs' heads come around my leg in anticipation of the next weave, which has straightened the line. These are all walking weaves, and it looks a lot cleaner than when I started ... also I'm not bending over as much, or giving those obvious hand signals :rolleyes:

Texas:

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That last one, not sure if I'm not almost falling over, he is a big boy hehehe

others to follow ...

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