Clean Run - November 2016 - 24

using a rear cross, no matter what speed you or your dog are
moving at.

#3
Say there is a gnarly weave pole entry or discrimination on
course or in class. You have decided you need to "be there"
to help your dog get it right. So you have to develop a plan,
as many obstacles before as needed, to get ahead of your
dog. So many handlers will convince themselves not to
use a rear cross to get ahead of their dog; they will dismiss
the idea without taking the time to explore the particular
rear cross's elements of success. Yes, if you do the rear cross
poorly it won't work. But if you execute it in a way to maximize your goal, you very well may be able to get ahead of
your dog. I use rear crosses to get ahead and cut corners on
course all the time. I send my dog ahead and I go where I
want to go without using the three or four extra steps of the
front cross. I can often get to the next obstacle before the
dog lands the jump I rear crossed or even use a rear cross
to get far enough ahead to execute a necessary front cross.
I am not super fast; I have learned good timing and taught
my dog what he needs to know to cover me! Next month I
will give you some photos and diagrams to help illustrate
this concept.

#4
Rear cross training, like most dog training, can go wrong. If
rear crosses are repeatedly executed after the handler has

slowed down or stopped moving, and no "counter-training"
is done to keep the dog's training balanced, you could have
trouble. Once you teach and start using rear crosses in sequence work the dogs can, and often do, start to think we
want them to turn away from us when we slow down or
stop, or when we send them ahead. This is a common issue.
Most dogs (maybe even all) will ask their handlers about
deceleration cues and which way they should turn (left or
right) at some point. Anytime your dog turns the wrong
way, he simply has a wire crossed and it is often because of
when and where the handler slows down or stops (decels),
nothing more fancy than that. Your dog is never turning
the wrong way to defy you, please remember that. You can
minimize the confusion by being consistent with your rearcross rules and reminding your dog that when you decel or
send him ahead, his default behavior should be to turn back
to you, not away from you. Next month I will give you some
rear-cross rules and some counter-training drills.

#5, #6, and #7
I work hard to teach my dogs to understand my physical rear
cross cue-that is me literally crossing behind their path as
they pass me-as well as a verbal turn cue like left, right, or a
generic lead change (go the other way) command like turn,
switch, or hook. You must have both types of cues trained if
you want full utilization of rear crosses. I teach verbal cues
without body language (as must as possible) and I teach
physical cues with my big mouth shut. I revisit both of these

Clean Run | November 16

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - November 2016