On July 18 2007, 3:29 PM, brooksybrooks1 wrote:cool. hey i found a video of me using the leash behind my back for a sit in motion and i'm uploading it now so that should be up here sometime today. let me know if it's what you were talking about.
He's forging because hes not always looking UP at you, hes turning his head a bit to look AT you (or the tug). It looks like a really good foundation, tho! I personally don't like a tug under my left arm for precisely that reason - if I have to use it, I hang it over my shoulder so he can look at it FROm heel position, not forging. (it also has to be that way since I have big boobs that get in the way!).
In all honesty though, even at higher SchH levels (I won't talk about other sports since I haven't seen enough of their obedience), it's nowhere near as competitive as AKC ob where you will get dinged constant points for the wrong heel position. It's all judge relative, and at nationals it may be a lot more tight than at a local club trial, but the heel position and all the forging and bumping a dog does is not frowned upon as much as in AKC, and some people simply dont care, period! My impression has been that the heel position is simply not so stringent - I've seen many dogs that when they finish don't get to a full straight sit, but rarely get dinged much if at all for points. It's part of the problem I have with my own dobe - he was allowed to bump so much in the beginning, now that we are prepping for the AKC ring he's going to cost us a lot of points!
in terms of any positions out of motion or changing positions/signals - or anything, really - if you TEACH it fast, they will do it fast. If you allow them to do it slow in training, you are going to have a hell of a time getting them to speed it up later. The easiest way I have found to do that is work them IN DRIVE - my dog is a lot faster if he wants whatever I have - be it tennis balls, food, or tug. I did use food to lure a fast down, I use food to heavily reward fast sits (you can also do scoot sits to get fast ones).
I haven't found working up against a wall to help for forging or bumping, but I have had good luck using that for a dog that crabs (walks with his back legs out), but YMMV. For bumping, I lift my left leg extra high and it hits him when he is too close, and for forging, I make sure I *never* reinforce that position. You reward him with tug when he is in the WRONG position, and he will never know what he is doing is wrong, and won't know the difference between the real heel position and the forgey one. If i want to reinforce, i make him come back to the correct heel position and once he is in it, i let him know and THEN reinforce.
good videos - I love ob ones more than anything! post more!