RA260: Get Ready to Rally - Foundation Skills

Behavior - Sit at Heel/Halts

Signs that need the skill Sit at Heel/Halt: Halt Sit, Halt Sit Down, Call Front Finish Right Sit, Call Front Finish Left Sit, Halt 1 Step 2 Steps 3 Steps, Halt Fast Forward from Sit, Halt Walk Around, Halt Down Walk Around, Halt Right Turn Forward, Halt Left Turn Forward, Halt Slow Forward From Sit

Wow!  So many signs incorporate the skill of sitting in heel position.  This is an important concept in the sport of Rally.

Sitting at heel seems so easy, but it can be quite complicated.  Ideally we should train the dog to sit straight. In Rally, if the dog is a little crooked it’s no big deal, but let’s train this sign to the best of our ability!

Placement of Reward  

Placement of reward is so important to the dog’s position.  Where the treats (or toy) come from and where the reward is delivered will really make a difference in where your dog wants to be.  Dogs are very efficient. If the reward is always delivered in the same place, they are going to go there to get the reward! We can use placement of reward to encourage proper position, and we can certainly use placement of reward to mess it up!

There are a couple of alternative ways we can reward the dog, depending on what your dog’s tendencies are.  For dogs that tend to forge, bringing the treat around our backs can be really helpful. Be sure to deliver the treat with the dog’s head straight up.  You can also reward in between your elbow and your body. I have chosen to have a specific marker cue that means that I am going to reward this way called bounce.  Here is a video example of those two reward strategies.

You want to make sure you are encouraging a straight sit at your side with your placement of reward.  Ask your dog to sit, then step into heel position. Be sure the dog’s ear is lined up with the side of your leg, where your pant seam is.  Practice moving your hand over by your hip and straight down into the dog’s mouth, feeding when the head is up. Do this several times until it feels comfortable to both you and the dog.  Practice this often to build the dog’s reinforcement history for being in a straight sit in heel position with the head up.

Sitting on a Platform in Heel

Another way you can build reinforcement history in heel is to have your dog sit on a platform.  The platform should be just big enough that the dog can sit on it without being too crooked. For most large dogs, you don’t want it much larger than 10 inches wide.  You can build value in heel by having your dog find heel position and feeding when he or she gets there. Set your dog up on the platform and mark/feed a few times. Then throw a treat off the platform in front of you and see if your dog can find the platform and set up in heel.  Mark and feed then repeat.

Halts

Now that you and your dog feel comfortable, let’s talk about the dog sitting as you stop.  In Rally, you can talk to your dog. Saying “sit” as you’re stopping can be really helpful in preparing your dog to stop and sit straight.  Be sure to say “sit” on your brake foot, the foot you plant before bringing up the other foot to meet it in a halt. If you completely stop then say “sit” the dog will often end up crooked because he or she did not have time to prepare.

If your dog ends up a bit butt out, you can sidestep if this is a skill that your dog has.  If not, we will be covering it later on in this class. Often times we can fix position errors by having the dog work a bit harder to get into the position.  In this case, we sidestep and ask him to work a bit harder to come into heel position. You can see on the next repetition the Excel is straight.

One thing you can do with a beginner dog just learning this skill is as you’re stopping, take your treat hand and put it straight above the dog’s nose.  Alternatively, you can use a pocket hand or target hand to keep the dog’s head straight as you’re coming to the halt. If the dog’s head stays straight, the butt most likely will too.  If the dog’s head is tipped or looking towards you, the butt will likely swing out.

Rock Back Sits

Some dogs naturally have rock back sits, which results in the dog sitting behind heel position.  A rock back sit is when a dog plants their rear end and backs their front legs up into a sit. For Rally and Obedience, we want tuck sits, meaning our dogs plant their front feet and tuck their butt under them.  If your dog is prone to rock back sits, there’s a few ways we can help. First, a front foot platform can be really helpful to teach the dog to plant their front feet. Here’s a video of Excel working on tuck sits with a front foot platform, both in front and in heel.

If your dog knows a chin behavior, you can teach the dog to do a chin rest and ask him or her to sit.  The dog should keep contact with your hand as he or she sits. This can also result in a nice tuck sit, but is more difficult to do in heel position.

Homework

Show me some sits!  I’d like to see both some stationary sits with rewards and some halts after a step, if your dog is ready for that.  Happy training!