The other day, I had a student ask me what my cues were for pivots. When I told them I didn’t have any, they were surprised. And when I went on to say that I didn’t have cues for side passes either, they were really confused!
In my experience, many handlers tend to overcomplicate their cueing for what is essentially heelwork. If you’re nodding in recognition, you’re going to love this month’s newsletter because I’m going to simplify all of this for both your dog and you. It’s easier than you think!
— Julie, Founder of Rally Freestyle Elements
All For One
And one for all
I see so many musical freestyle performances and Rally-FrEe runs where the dogs are shifting this way and that, unsure of where they’re supposed to be while their handlers frantically repeat all these words- a different one meant for each direction- to them. It’s a lot for the handler to remember and a lot for the dog to hear, process and execute! And, inevitably, all this confusion results in a fidgety handler trying to lead their confused partners into position using hand, body and foot signals that confound their partners, wreck precision and interrupt flow.
If this sounds familiar, have no fear. The solution begins with using just one word.
The Magic Word
I use one word for moving with me in heel position on the left and one word for moving with me in heel on the right. This includes not only forward heeling, but backing, sidepasses and pivoting, as well. If my dog is on my left, my cue is “heel.” If she’s on my right, it’s “right.”
This makes it clear to my dog that the only thing they have to do is stay with my leg, no matter if it goes forward, back, to the side or in a pivot. It’s also a lot less for me to remember and to say during a performance!
The Defining Moment
Thinking about heeling this way simplifies training, too. Instead of having to teach my dog the meaning of four words for each direction, I just need to teach them one. If I’m asking my pup to maintain heel position, I need to have a very clear picture of what heel position looks like.
Setting clear criteria is critical. If you continue to reward your dog for lagging when moving forward or for crabbing away from you when moving backwards, these problems or other variants will carry over into your pivots and sidepasses, as well. If the game is to stay in heel and you’ve taught your dog that heel means their shoulder touching your thigh while they look up at you, this is what you should reward. If your dog is a little crooked or just a bit farther forward than you’d like, you can move slightly to place yourself in perfect position before feeding. Always reward in perfect position! This builds value into your heel positions.
Success Pivots on Understanding
I use pivots to teach my dog that my heel cue means to move with me. Pivoting is a multi-functional skill that not only teaches rear end awareness, right turns, and how to find heel position, but also teaches the dog the cue for moving in heel position. So unless you’re going to use “pivot” as your cue for staying with you and moving in any direction, it’s not a cue I would use for pivots on a prop such as a bowl or perch, or on the flat or floor.
Pivoting is heeling. My cue for heeling is “heel.” My cue for pivots on a bowl or perch is “heel.” My cue for coming into heel on the standing platform is “heel,” and my cue for sidepasses and backing in heel position is “heel.” My dog is doing the exact same thing for each of those – staying in heel position. “Heel” has a single definition that both my dog and I agree on. This simplifies heeling for both of us!
Want to practice? Here is a fun heeling game using pivots.
Pivot If You Cone!
This game is excerpted from my book, “The Joy of Heeling.” It can be played either with your pivot platform or while pivoting on the flat. If you and your pup enjoy this, you can find many, many more fun games to build enthusiasm and precision in my book!
How to Play the Game:
Step 2: From here you can either send your dog to the cone again, or do a pivot until you are back again facing the cone, before sending for another rep.
Step 3: Add some challenge! Pivot to a point where the cone is not directly in front of you but off to the side. Send your dog and give your heel cue. Can they still come back to you and find the position even if you move again?
Be sure to provide fast food when they do! Finding that position again is all about the value you’ve put into it.