|
CONSISTENT STRAIGHT SITS! The sit in obedience is the common problem that causes so many points off from that perfect score of 200! In novice you can count on at least 4 sits for the heel on leash and figure 8, at least 2 on the heel off leash (depending on the judge’s heeling pattern) and 2 for the recall, which is a sit in front and finish. That means for novice, if each sit is only ½ point crooked, you have already lost 4 points – just for sits! In Open you have a minimum of 12 sits to perform (minimum of 6 points off if each are a ½ point crooked) and in utility a minimum of 13 sits (minimum of 6 ½ points off if each are ½ point crooked). That is a lot of points to loose! So, let’s take a look at how we can teach our dogs to sit straight. There are several different methods to teaching a straight sit in heel position. Most commonly, what we see as the error that dogs make, is that they are taught to watch their handlers during the heeling, and then sit with their rear out because of how they crank their heads to watch. I need a dog to focus on me, and ignore all other distractions to get good scores in heeling, so the next job of the handler is to make certain that when the dog sits on a halt that the head is pointing forward. This can be accomplished by pulling up on the lead with the lead on the right side of the dog’s face, while at the same time using your left hand to push down on the dog’s rear. If done quickly, and in motion, as you tell your dog to sit, the sit will be fast and square. Occasionally, we will see that a dog is not quite as focused on it’s handler’s heeling and will forge out ahead on the sit. By taking your right foot and bringing it in front of the dog on the sit, to stop the forward motion, you can control the dog’s ability to go forward on the sit. Let the dog run into your foot, which will catch him by surprise. If done correctly, both of these methods will correct sit problems with just a couple of repetitions. One of the most common errors that I observe with handlers training their dogs is that they praise incorrect performances. By that I mean, the dog does a finish, and it is performed crooked. The handler then praises the dog while in the crooked position. The handler is telling the dog that the performance was correct and made the handler happy, so the dog performs the finish this way again. Remember our dogs will repeat what makes us happy, so if we praise an incorrect performance we are telling the dog to repeat that same performance again later. It would be much better to automatically correct the performance you are asking for, then heap on the praise for the job done correctly. You are also sending your dog a clearer message of what really will please you. In the dog’s world, consistency is the key to correct performance of the sit. |
|
|