Fixing Left Pivots- Butt Behind!
Zumi passed her TEAM1 run and now we're on to TEAM 2! Fun stuff!
But the tiny bit of Zumi's rear end being behind me when pivoting on the perch in TEAM 1, is being exasperated in the 2nd level test of pivoting on the ground. Those little foundations always rear their head!
Zumi's known pivoting for quite awhile but clearly, I wasn't paying super close attention to whether her butt was behind my legs or not. Training is always a balance, and in my quest to get Zumi understanding I wanted her butt close I got it too close!
The TEAM level 2 test requires the dog to be within 30 degrees of straight, and Zumi likes to really straddle that line and even cross it once I start pivoting!
Fixing the Pivot!
To fix it, I'm trying to swing the balance of where I reward the opposite way. I'm so conditioned to feed on the outside of dog's head, add left spins before rewarding, and maybe even pass the reward behind me. All those things can help get the dog to think butt IN, problems both Vito and Lance can be prone towards.
Zumi is opposite, at least at the moment. So now I am swinging the opposite way. Feeding in front of my leg *gasp* or more commonly asking for a nose touch in front of my left leg before rewarding. If I'm using a toy I'll have her come forward to get it in to help bring that rear out.
Reward placement is such a huge part of training behaviors! The thought of feeding where you want to be is valid, but when you're trying to change a behavior it sometimes best to over correct and exaggerate what you want the dog to do!
Luckily this appears to be the only issue holding Zumi back from a clean TEAM 2 title. Wish us luck!
Congrats on the Team I title! That's one of my outcome goals for 2018 :)
I have just the opposite problem on the left pivot. I guess I need to exaggerate the end position (behind me) and just reward for that. How did you get that original 'close, butt behind' behavior? That's what I need now :)
Thanks Kathy! Do you have that closeness on a disc and just not with it?
Reward position for getting the butt behind would be feeding slightly on the outside of the dog's head to accentuate that leaning into you. I also do the passing of the treat behind my body to make sure the dog is not thinking about the treat coming from in front.
Bonus points if you teach a backwards circle around you to really accentuate butt in!
Thanks Laura for the response. I just really need to focus on this behavior more. I have tried the backwards circle using the pocket hand, but he has a 'bend challenge' :) I will keep at it. I have 'hesitation' heel position on the disc. If I wait long enough he will move his butt in. This week I will really focus on getting his butt behind me before I reward and I'll work on the backwards circle. I'll overcompensate for that position and see if that helps. I haven't tried the behind the back reward (afraid of lagging), but I will try that too. Thanks!!!
I'm sure you can fix it Kathie! Just make sure you're not having silence=try again. Support him with at least your talking if not with your hand, the reward as a lure, or even pivoting away from him to help get more movement. Whatever seems to help get more movement.