Directionals?

Since the system I've been training in does not put too much importance on verbal commands and directionals it is usually matter of last resort when you need to compound enough attention. Having a strategy "you FC unless you can't" puts a challenge to be in front of the dog most of the time which contributes to dog chasing you therefore running faster. Being in front of the dog many times means that one has to trust dog to take that obstacle as opposed to see him actually doing it- this is the part Che and I are trying to figure out presently.
 
What SheltieChe posted is one reason why I don't do left and right. My dog, even if I'm behind should be reading motion, and it goes against the system to ask the dog to do something that doesn't reflect what your body is cuing the dog to do.
The other big one for me is that I'm unlikely to remember the correct directional to ask for. Now, my older girls do have a turn command that goes with the rear cross, which is an old crutch from a previous trainer. My younger ones have learned to read strictly the motion that goes with a rear cross, and a verbal turn is unnecessary (and is faded now in all but trial settings now with the older girls). If they're reading the motion to turn away, they don't need a left/right command, and otherwise they should assume they're coming with me, so no need there either.
I'm another who's challenged to go for the front cross, and to be ahead. Even with my fastest girl, who I expect to be a dog who runs 6yps (my trainer says the only thing that may beat her are the fastest 16" BCs), it's send and go, send and go. Unless we're doing a huge straight line down a straight away, I can find a way to be ahead, and to get the FC. It's rare for me to need the RC.
 
I'm curious how you non-directional, motion-only handlers would handle a sharp left turn into a tunnel off the dogwalk when you're going to head back in the opposite direction immediately after the tunnel.

Do you run to the end of the DW, do a tight FC to put your dog into the tunnel and then race your dog to other other end of the tunnel to do another FC? I'd like to see video of that if you have it. :lol:
 
Ideally, I'd have front crossed prior to getting to the DW so I wasn't trying to force a FC at the end (mine are running contacts and are fast) and would already be on the side with the tunnel, would do a pull, and then would just do my cross after the tunnel. If that failed, I'd find some way to shave yards for me to get there for the FC at the end, or if that weren't an option, would just use motion to push in at the end of the DW similar to what I'd do to turn the dog into a tunnel under the DW to get it to turn left for the tunnel.
 
I know someone who uses directionals - sometimes- to be sure the dog takes the correct tunnel entrance. two dogs- same handler, one knows them and one doesn't- same course at a trial- the dog who knew directionals got the correct entrance, the other didn't.
someday we'll work on that- of couse, Cran is learning come by and way to me for herding. anyone else herd and do agility- do you cross over some of the stuff/commands?
 
Could be a difference in the dogs themselves as well, not just the directionals. There are some that'll just focus on whatever tunnel entrance is in front of them and there is no telling them different with motion or directionals. Could also be the handling. As much as we all like to be consistent, our bodies/motion/cues sometimes don't convey the correct information. My trainer calls the ones that do what your body/motion/cues say regardless of what you actually meant, or might say honest dogs, as everything you've told the dog physically to read conflicts with what you're actually intending to ask for.
 
Phebe*DD said:
I'm curious how you non-directional, motion-only handlers would handle a sharp left turn into a tunnel off the dogwalk when you're going to head back in the opposite direction immediately after the tunnel.

Do you run to the end of the DW, do a tight FC to put your dog into the tunnel and then race your dog to other other end of the tunnel to do another FC? I'd like to see video of that if you have it. :lol:
Click to expand...
I am too green to tell you what I'll do in hypothetical situation but DW is nonturning independent obstacle which mean once dog committed to it he will do it regardless what my body indicates at the time of run.... which means I do not have to run real close to the DW or I could go lateral... Che presently has very solid 2o2o contacts which we might say he developed by himself:smile2: he had natural running and doing well, then I decided to teach him board 2o2o and he generalized it to the frame and DW all on his own... anyway, I do not have to be real close to him to do DW or to release him from it so my strategy will come from it... I will compound in a tight situation name "Dog", eye contact, body motion and arm as directional command...
 
My trainer taught us by holding the dog between our legs, giving the direction and clicking and treating when the dog turned the head in the correct direction. I moved this to using left and right when I am walking.

Funny story, but daughter trains her in Rally and Obedience in 4-H. My daughter gets confused sometimes on her left and rights and sometimes she says, right turn Dandie....and goes left. Dandie in the meantime is going right. One night, poor Dandie was so confused that when she got home she curled up in my lap and I looked at her eyes and the whites of her eyes were all red :cry: Poor baby probably had a headache.

I guess the story goes to tell that I am better at training my dogs to know their right from left than my own children :lol:

Great....
 
danisgoat said:
My trainer taught us by holding the dog between our legs, giving the direction and clicking and treating when the dog turned the head in the correct direction. I moved this to using left and right when I am walking.

Funny story, but daughter trains her in Rally and Obedience in 4-H. My daughter gets confused sometimes on her left and rights and sometimes she says, right turn Dandie....and goes left. Dandie in the meantime is going right. One night, poor Dandie was so confused that when she got home she curled up in my lap and I looked at her eyes and the whites of her eyes were all red :cry: Poor baby probably had a headache.

I guess the story goes to tell that I am better at training my dogs to know their right from left than my own children :lol:

Great....
Click to expand...

LOLLLLLLLL
Dandie had a migraine, I bet, poor girl
Yep, yer not going to win mother of the year award with that one :biggrin2:

Yes, THat is what I am training right now, too, set up with dog etc...
I think my instructors train right and left to get more distance and for us gals who are not going to be doing as much as running as we may want to...
Hoping this will help in gamblers, and lately the courses look tougher, lol

I will see what it is going to bring me once I actually DO trial ;)
 
I'm by no means experienced, but am going to tell you what I've noticed. I've noticed, in AKC, they use very little directionals. I don't hear people calling out left/right like I do in NADAC. It seems that most AKC people tend to use motion and go/out etc.

So, I guess my thought is, what is your goal? What kind of venue are you going to do mainly? Can you differentiate left from right (and do it when the dog is coming at you)?

Personally I thought I'd need a turn command, but I'm seeing, I may just need a simple "turn away from me" command. I'm also horrible with my directions so that was another reason for me to throw it out. Lastly, having started in NADAC, I see them use directionals a lot. But that's because in the Elite levels, if you want to run the "bonus line" (a line you stand behind, which is about a 1/4 of the course), you absolutely need directionals. Some use left/right. Others use switch or a one word command that means turn the other direction than you're heading (also known as a rear cross but from far away). I realized, that would work for me.

Until I started running AKC. And ran into the DW (on the left of me), doing a 180 turn into a tunnel, then having to run in that direction and now the DW and tunnel are on the right of me. Wow. What kind of directional would I need? Obviously, for me a left/right is out. So, I'm thinking of training a one word command to mean go away from me, or go in the other direction (rear cross).

So, as you decide on directionals, ask yourself what venue you plan on trialing in. Ask yourself if you can handle left/right (I know for sure I can't). And yes, there are a ton of ways to train it. BTW, our trainer taught us to sit behind them, click when they turned your way. I stopped because I was clicking as he turned the right way, but I was mixed up, lol.

Just some things to chew on. This is what I went through because of my own issues and choice of venues. Now I know better of what to train my next dog.
 
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