6. "Left" and "Right" If you don't wish to teach "left" and "right" cues, you might find a generic "turn" or "switch" cue just as useful. By using a generic cue, you don't have to worry about whether it is a left or right turn based on the dog's direction. My "turn" cue means that my dog should turn away from me and go in the opposite direction. If I am on the dog's left side when I say "turn," the dog will turn away from me and run to the right Dog approaches barless jump and turns away from handler. I begin teaching "turn" on a wingless jump, without bars. This allows the dog to focus on your body movements. If you want your dog to turn right (away from you), then you start on the dog's left. Think of the face of a clock. You are standing in the center of the clock facing 12 o'clock. Your dog is on your right side with a jump directly in front. With a treat in your left hand, lure the dog around the right stanchion while you step behind him so that both your dog and you are facing 3 o'clock. Take a few steps toward 3 o'clock while rewarding your dog. If your dog is more toy driven, toss a toy through the jump stanchions towards 3 o'clock. Practice this drill with the dog turning toward 9 o'clock also. Once your dog is proficient at this, you can add a second barless jump in your dog's path toward 3 o'clock. After success with this in both directions, you can add a bar to the jumps at a low height. You would then proceed by alternating between marginally increasing the distance between the jumps and slowly raising the bar to the correct jump height for your dog. Adding bars at a low height as you progress in training. Joanne and Claire using their "turn" cue. 10 Clean Run | July 18