Glued-To-Your-Hip Heel

[Guest Giselle]

Where we are now!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v474/LSophie/Videos/?action=view&current=Ivyperchwork.mp4

 

Unfortunately, she was taught 2-on-2-off contacts with a similar apparatus in agility and the 2o2o contacts were paired with a nose touch to the ground. SOOO, now, she keeps bobbing her head up and down trying to do the nose touch. Argh. I might resort to using a head halter to keep her head up, but at least she's moving her rear =)

[GreyPoopon]

We've used the stick method.

 

Also 90 degree turns (get dog in sit position, tell them to wait, pivot 90 degrees, tell them to "get in" again). Practice both directions. Also, sometimes take a step forward as well (it's usually easier to start this way, then shorten the step).

 

Another technique that I don't think has been mentioned: hold the leash in your right hand, but put it behind your legs rather than in front. When you turn, apply gentle pressure.

 

We haven't used this one much lately but it's a lot of fun: Leave the dog in a wait. Start walking briskly in a circle to the left (I like to start with a large circle). When you're about a quarter of the way around, tell the dog to "get in" or heel so that it has to catch up and bend into position.

 

We also tend to start with exaggerated shoulder position, but, as Batmom said, w/o looking back at the dog.

[Batmom]

Nice, Giselle!

[MaryJane]

From watching the gent - it looks like he used his right hand for the treats when he was perfecting the walk - the dog is just so focused on that hand that the treats must have come from there - or ... a little more work would have been to be walking and the person bending while praising and petting the dog with the right hand and sort of curing him on until the dog perfects the position. I didn't see any clues being given either with a shoulder dip or foot while he was walking but, I may have just missed them.

 

I'm not sure how you could train eye contact cues to do positions, did you mean something like winking or a raised eyebrow? In that case, your face would need to be turned towards the dog rather than straight ahead so not sure if the walk would look as precise as when the person is facing forward.

[Jackandgrey]

I am slinking away in sheer embarrassment now.

[Batmom]

I am slinking away in sheer embarrassment now.

 

Whatever for? Just because one knows of some techniques that help achieve precision doesn't mean that one practices them very often . Every now and then it amuses me to work on something clever with one of my dogs, but mostly I just go for "easy to live with."

[Guest Giselle]

We've used the stick method.

 

Also 90 degree turns (get dog in sit position, tell them to wait, pivot 90 degrees, tell them to "get in" again). Practice both directions. Also, sometimes take a step forward as well (it's usually easier to start this way, then shorten the step).

 

Another technique that I don't think has been mentioned: hold the leash in your right hand, but put it behind your legs rather than in front. When you turn, apply gentle pressure.

 

We haven't used this one much lately but it's a lot of fun: Leave the dog in a wait. Start walking briskly in a circle to the left (I like to start with a large circle). When you're about a quarter of the way around, tell the dog to "get in" or heel so that it has to catch up and bend into position.

 

We also tend to start with exaggerated shoulder position, but, as Batmom said, w/o looking back at the dog.

Can you describe the circle thing a little more?? I haven't heard of that before, and I'd can't quite picture it in my head.

 

Anyhow, we've been doing a lot of rear-rotation these past few days with the perchwork, and I think our next step is to do that 90 degree pivot exercise (have tried in the past without major success) but with a wall to help swing her butt towards me. Know what I mean? In agility, I know we use a lot of baby gates to help dogs build muscle memory for better positioning, and I think that's what's missing from our obedience skills. I don't teach much muscle memory, and I probably should do that w/ help of walls and baby gates.

 

I am also keeping my hand down now, walking more naturally like the Schutzhund guy, and, although I feed from the hand, Ivy is looking straight at my eyes What a pleasant surprise! We went for a training walk in the city today, and we received a lot of compliments. She's not glued-to-your-hip, necessarily, but we're getting there. I may just have to accept the fact that she is not a Border Collie

 

BTW, tips on footwork/cues? When we did rally-o and agility, there was as much emphasis on human body language (shoulder turns, hip positioning, foot work) as well as actual dog training. Does formal heeling come with its own set of footwork that I should be aware of?

Edited June 6, 2011 by Giselle

[Batmom]

Only thing I can recall offhand from formal obedience classes was leading with your *left* foot, but that's just to give a better signal to the dog. Some dogs it seems to help, others it doesn't seem to matter. With most dogs, in early training and in class I take much shorter steps than usual so my walk is peppier. I phase that out as we practice, tho; at home I just want to walk normally and not have to burble to get the dog to stay with me .

[Guest Giselle]

Just wanted to update:

 

I've been calling Ivy into heel position around a chair/wall corners/poles to get her to twist her rear around. We've been using the stick occasionally, although I have admittedly gotten lazy with perchwork There is something changing about her body awareness, though. I can move in tighter circles around her, and she'll move only her back end while keeping her front stationary. SO, it's getting there. The only issue is getting her to offer the move without physical helpers, like a chair or wall, etc. Slow goings, but, hey, her loose leash is so awesome now. It's starting to morph into a "heel"

 

From watching the gent - it looks like he used his right hand for the treats when he was perfecting the walk - the dog is just so focused on that hand that the treats must have come from there - or ... a little more work would have been to be walking and the person bending while praising and petting the dog with the right hand and sort of curing him on until the dog perfects the position. I didn't see any clues being given either with a shoulder dip or foot while he was walking but, I may have just missed them.

I just noticed this, and I'm confused by your observations. The Malinois is not looking at the guy's right hand. The Malinois is giving solid eye contact throughout the exercise. In fact, if the guy fed with his right hand all the time, the dog would actually curve his body out and move out of heel position.

[Batmom]

One step at a time, Giselle! Sounds like Ivy is doing GREAT.