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No Lag – Figure 8’s It is a pretty common occurrence for a dog to lag on the outside circle of the Figure 8. Usually only those dogs who are forgers in heeling will be able to accomplish that circle without lagging. In this article, I will let you in on the secret to having a dog in heel position around both parts of the Figure 8. Keep in mind that this technique will work for dogs who have already developed a lagging problem, but, if you are lucky enough to use this technique when you are first training your dog for this exercise, it works even better. Consistency, your shoulders and your eyes are the key. Let’s start with the inside circle first. That circle is the one where you are on the outside and the dog is between you and the post. As you train this, it is important to slow down your steps, pull your left shoulder back and put your eyes down to the dog. This body motion and looking into the dogs face should pull the dog backward, keeping them in heel position. Start this body and eye position as you approach the inside circle which is approximately 2-3 steps into the figure eight. You will want to continue this position until you are all the way around the post. Just past the center of the two posts, you will start the outside circle. Your eyes will now be looking to the right, and your shoulder will be pulled forward as you increase your speed of walking ever so slightly. If your dog is paying attention to you at all, you will find him/her exactly in heel position without even looking at him. Exaggerate how far you are looking to the right when you first start working this part of the exercise to pull your shoulder really far up and forward. Can you use this in the ring, you bet! Of course the speed of your walking needs to be consistent throughout the figure 8 so you can not vary that, but with practice, you can subtly shift your eyes and your shoulder in such a smooth motion that it will appear to be part of your heeling and will not be an evident training technique. Plus it is an excellent cue to the dog to slow down on the inside circle and speed up on the outside circle. We have used this technique with dogs in my advanced training class with wonderful results, even for those chronic laggers on the outside circles. This technique also eliminates all the jerks, verbal nagging and food that is commonly used to encourage the dog to speed up. Good luck and may all your obedience ribbons be blue! |
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