Fronts and Finishes

Ugh.  Vito is doing great in most of his obedience work but one thing (well 2 things) we're struggling on right now are fronts and finishes.  Vito usually does them with great pizazz and even is in a nice straight position most of the time.  However he also steps on my foot/feet a lot.  On fronts, no matter how close or far away he is, Vito happily runs in and slams into his sit but not before quickly using my feet as a springboard.  His left finish is extra cute as he plants his left foot on top of my shoe and keeps it there as he does a lovely swing into heel.  It actually looks quite spectacular.  To those not into the competitive obedience world it may not seem that big of a deal, but each foot touch is 1 pt off and it adds up!  In Novice that would only be 2pts, but Open would be 8pts and Utility 13pts!

*sigh.*  I know it's my fault.  I have rewarded it thousands of times since I wasn't even aware he was doing it on the finish.  I honestly can't even feel his foot on mine and it's so quick as he pivots nicely into heel.  The fronts I am definetly aware of and that's the one place where I feel he's actually improving.  And then of course I have rewarded stepping on my feet in another context (Vito's "cop cop" trick).  But now I'm back to the drawing board.  I am now walking the fine line between only rewarding f&f's without stepping on my feet and not losing his great attitude.