Directionals

[teresaserrano]

When teaching a dog directionals, as in left and right, I assume it's the DOG'S left or right, independently of their position in relation to us?

Imagine I want to send Tess to my left, if she's standing next to me I say "left", but if she's facing me I say right, as it's her right? Or is it always in relation to my position (not likely, I'm thinking)? I'll be giving an arm gesture, pointing in the direction I want, but eventually it should be just the word.

 

In the beginning she will probably always go from my side, but eventually I will want to complicate things. Being a person that has a lot of dificulty knowing which is my left without thinking a bit (oh, it's the other left! ) I've been avoiding teaching Tess directionals, but, I mean, how hard can it be?

[alligande]

I would say what you teach is your choice, but I would think the dogs otherwise it will not be clear. I am so left/right challenged that I have not attempted it. I was teaching my dog to lift each back leg independently and thought it would be cute to name it port and starboard after the names used on a boat, well what did I do, first leg up was his right one, but as he was facing me when I taught it, I called it port (left) this has caused much amusement among my friends, I am married to a professional yachtsman and personally sailed over 20k miles at sea! I never get it wrong on a boat even after years of not sailing, but my dog that is disaster! There is an agility command that is very popular in one US organization called "switch" which means change leads/direction and works well for the directionally challenged.

[Blackdawgs]

I taught directionals relative to the dog's left and right. So, think about it in terms of sending to the dog's left/right which will be the flow of the course. (think in terms of the dog's path, not your path)

 

I am also left and right challenged, but once I got used to things, it improved course memorization because I practice where I use directionals in the walk through.

[teresaserrano]

Thank you for your answers. Thinking in terms of my path is hard enough (when I'm driving and the passenger is giving me indications, I always ask for hand gestures, as I'm hopeless at decoding left/right word indications...), let alone thinking of the dog's path... but If I establish routines it will be easier, and easier for her to learn too anyway. Maybe it will even improve my left/right awareness... It could even be fun, if I don't make too many mistakes and end up just confusing Tess

[gcv-border]

Yes, it is the dog's left or right. regardless of where you are in relation to the dog. At least, that is how I taught it.

 

I was directionally challenged too - needing that extra second to think which is right and left. But I spent a lot of time teaching my dog a tight left wrap and a tight right wrap for agility, and needed to get my act together to be able to teach it and use it from various angles, and also I needed to remember it faster. I am much, much better with left and right, but not perfect (occasionally still have a brain fart). So I think that you will also get better with practice.

 

If I can, I will also use a 'switch' command. For my dog that means if he is sweeping left, he should turn right - and if he is sweeping right, he should turn left. It's the same command, but a different meaning depending on which direction he is traveling at the time.

[Lawgirl]

I don't know that left and right would be my choice for words. I would be in the middle of the course and yell "Right! I mean the other Right!"

[teresaserrano]

I don't know that left and right would be my choice for words. I would be in the middle of the course and yell "Right! I mean the other Right!"

Yeah, but whichever words one chooses, there will be mistakes, and at least with the words left/right there already is meaning atached to them, even if that atachement is very loose to some of us...

[GentleLake]

You could always use "come bye" and "away."

[teresaserrano]

You could always use "come bye" and "away."

 

I thought about that, but... why make a hard thing even harder? I can just see myself thinking, soooo, come bye is left or right? And by the way, which is my left? And the dog's? By the time I figured it out, the dog would be just booored.

[GentleLake]

I'd originally thought come by and away would be harder than left and right, but it's actually easier . . . at least if you think of it as clockwise and counter-clockwise. These never change with the dog's orientation; IOW you never have to consider whether the dog's left or right is opposite of (or even sideways to!) your own. You never have to consider left or right at all, just a clock face, and for me at least, once I got my head around it it was infinitely easier than having to decide left or right (which still challenge me) on the fly.

[diane allen]

I think I posted elsewhere about this, but here goes.

 

1) Dog #1 - never could figure out R and L (mine or hers!). So, I taught her "switch" - which means turn away from me (might be R, might be L - if she's on my right, then it means turn to the right, etc.). The opposite was almost always "here" - though it might have been "tight" too - which means turn towards me, but not a wide turn, nearly a 180 degree (usually around a jump or out of a tunnel).

 

2) Dog #2 - really likes R and L !! I'm almost always behind, heading the same direction, so it's easier for me to remember R or L. I don't use it on agility courses much, but there have been a few times it saved my butt! Body language helps too (and may be dominant, but the verbal reinforces it, especially if I'm toooooo far behind!).

 

3) Dog #3 - is just barely figuring out R and L. I'll keep working it, but she also has a pretty good "switch" and "tight."

 

"Switch" and "tight" do eliminate the dyslexic possibilities of handlers!

My two cents' worth....

 

diane

[CptJack]

I am a switch/here person, with a tight in there for a 180% turn.

 

I'm not good with left and right. I mean really not good. Like navigating in a car with the GPS in my lap i just point the direction the driver is supposed to be turning.

This works.

[teresaserrano]

Thanks everybody for sharing what works for you