Gunner and I started our first Rally Obedience class this week. Gunner did extremely well, considering his handicap of a handler! In class we reviewed sit stay while the handler walks around, down stay while the handler walks around, sit in front position with front tuck-sits to the handler, and moving the hindquarters around a pivot point to improve precision heeling.
Our homework this week will be to polish our sit stay. Gunner has learned so many tricks involving waving or raising his front paws that he tends to hover his paws over the ground in anticipation. For a proper AKC stay, all four paws must stay firmly planted on the ground. So we will be working on reinforcing true stays this week.
The pivot around a platform was one of Gunner’s advanced trick title tricks, but of course I taught him to move away from the handler. For Rally, the dog learns to pivot into or toward the handler in heel position. So that took a few minutes to unscramble in class but I have some good ideas now on how to reinforce the hindquarters pivoting toward the handler for heeling pivots around a platform.
It felt good being in a classroom with Gunner again! He did so well with stamina and was keen and eager to go to work, and never got tired. Unfortunately a big thunderstorm followed by lots of rain and lightening happened in the middle of class. Gunner, like many Border collies, shuts down during thunderstorms, so that was unfortunate. But we persevered the best we could, and have lots of ideas for homework this week.
- Gunner started Rally O class, and we’re loving it
- Homework includes reviewing sit, down, stand, sit stay and down stay while the handler walks around the dog, reinforcing for sitting in front position and reinforcing front tuck-sits, reinforcing being in heel position, and pivoting the hindquarters around a platform
- Paws firmly planted for stays will be reinforced, and pivots around a platform will be based on my hands being directly in front of Gunner’s nose
- Bait pouches are good hooked to the handler’s backside, this way the dog never knows where the treat is coming from and the dog doesn’t get involved in staring at the bait pouch rather than looking at the handler
- When reinforcing heel position, use your left hand slightly to the left of the dog’s nose to avoid the dog’s hindquarters splaying out away from the handler and to be sure the dog’s hindquarters are balanced in toward the handler
