Clean Run Magazine - October 2009 - 48

Step 2 Position your dog so that he’s standing facing you, with his back feet at most an inch or two away from the towel. Show him that you have treats in your hands then close your hands and hold them against your body at his nose level. By Sassie Joiris, photos by author Backing Up Tricks Backing up requires coordination, rear-leg awareness, good core muscle strength, and also a good amount of trust in the person directing you backward. Any dog that is fit enough to do agility, and many that are not yet that fit, can learn to back up. Backing up is an excellent trick for using up energy and working muscles when the weather is not optimum for outdoor exercise. Backing up is also a trick that requires a lot of attention to detail on the part of the trainer, and as such, it’s a good way to work on developing an eye for what your dog is actually doing. You will need a large towel and an assortment of small tasty treats that are easy to toss, and of a color that contrasts with the ground you’re working on. With a large dog, you might also want to have two chairs for the initial stages of training, although these are not entirely necessary. If you are working on a floor that is somewhat slippery, you’ll need some way of fastening the towel to the floor. A couple of strips of duct tape work well, or you can put a non-slip pad under the towel. It’s important that the towel does not slide away from the dog. Step 1 Sit on the ground with your legs out in front of you and roll the towel so that it reaches from foot to foot and is about 2" to 3" high. If you have a small- to mediumsize dog, put the towel on the floor between your feet; with a larger dog, put the towel a short distance beyond your feet. With a very large dog, you might want to work on the trick while standing, so place a chair on either side of the towel and stand about your dog’s body length away from the towel. Agility for Step 3 Be very attentive to what your dog does with his hind legs. After trying to lick or paw at your hand to get the treat, the dog will most likely shift his weight back a little so that he can look up at you and assess the situation. At that moment, the dog’s back foot will touch the towel. Some dogs actually step right onto the towel. For others the first step is just a shift that brings the back of their foot in contact with the towel. In any event, the moment the dog’s back foot contacts the towel, toss a treat straight toward the dog. If he’s good at catching treats, you can toss it into his mouth; otherwise, aim for the space between his front feet. As soon as he’s done eating it, show him that you’ve got another treat and lure him off the towel to the original position. Repeat this several times. Pay close attention and work at catching the exact moment the dog’s back foot makes contact with the towel. If he can step back without touching the towel, move the towel closer. After several tries, the dog will start to anticipate by not wanting to move off the towel and back toward you, or by coming toward you and immediately stepping back onto the towel. At this stage you can start to insist that the dog step all the way onto the towel with both back feet before tossing the reward and you can start using the cue Back. Clean Run | October 09

Clean Run Magazine - October 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - October 2009