It takes some work to get your dog comfortable sitting and staying while you walk away from him and then eventually extend that distance. Be patient with this because it is at the core of effective handling.

When you start teaching hand signals, be sure your body is still with no unnecessary arm movements. This drill is teaching the dog to do what your arm movement tells him to do. Yes, you will start by also giving a verbal command of back or over but at long distances, and in wind or rain, your voice will not carry to your dog. When you’re starting this drill, stay still.

Adding left or right body movement to the arm movement AT LONG DISTANCE can make it easier for the dog to see the direction you want him to take.

It is ‘easier’ to direct your dog to go left or right (over) than to send him straight back; especially when you want to send him far back. Always remember (in this example and other examples throughout this website,) that Ember has been doing this for 8 years so do not expect your dog to react like she does right away. It’s certainly not going to take 8 years, but it’s not going to take 8 minutes either. And once your dog ‘gets it’ he needs you to work at it forever to keep him sharp.

The video below demonstrates your long term goal. But remember, do NOT move to this type of distance until the dog is ready for it.

 

Baseball is the next step in teaching to handle.

Step 3 – Baseball teaches more advanced handling