How Do I Get Him To Step Sidways?

Vizzla

Experienced Member
I cant make it work. How do I make him follow me sideways? If I stand with the dog on my left side, sitting down. If I move one step to the right I would like him to move one step SIDEWAYS towards me? He doesnt get it... How do I train this?

Maybe its not a "trick" but for us it is :) We use clicker...
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
I taught this one, i began with my moving to my LEFT, with dog on my left side. That was much easier way for my dog to get entire concept. I gently pushed slightly into him, causing him to have to move his feet a bit---CLICK/TREAT. Another step, CLICK/TREAT!

I waited a week or two, til i then began working on having him follow me, which was admittedly a bit harder. I carried a piece of cheese, in my hand, which was on side of my waist. Then i stepped to right. Initially my dog just watched,
so i took another step away. Then he stepped just a bit to better keep his eye on the cheese.

CLICK/TREAT.
Adding a step, another step, another step, just one step at a time, to help Buddy get concept.

I also lured him, at times, by holding cheese lower to entice him to move beside me.

THERE'S probably better ways, but, that is what i did.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
If you haven't taught heelwork (the kind for doggie dancing) that might also help your dog "get" the idea of following you and staying beside your left leg when you move.

Doggie dancing heelwork is so so easy to teach, i think so anyway:

http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/easy-cheesy-way-to-teach-heelwork.4339/#post-31536
be sure to also read reply#29 in that thread, also, cuz i tweaked the whole idea later on.:rolleyes:

there are other ways to teach doggie dancing heelwork, but, "The Easy Cheesy" method is what i did, and i thought it was shockingly easy to teach to a dog, and Vizzla, since your cute dog is pretty low to the ground,:ROFLMAO: i'd imagine you might find the "targetting your hand" method a bit hard to do...but the EasyCheesy method might be easier for a small dog, than hand-targetting would be.
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Tigerlily, It really is tough to teach any sort of heelwork with the lowriders LOL I've pretty much ignored any heelwork, as I'm too lazy to bend that far and walk :) You def. can, I just chose not to LOL
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
I just had a thought! You could use a target stick. Teach him to target it with his side. Start with it 1/2 inch away, then slowly add more distance, only clicking for sideways movements :) It would totally work! I think I may just try this with Mouse and Ollie! LOL
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
// Tigerlily, It really is tough to teach any sort of heelwork with the lowriders //


:ROFLMAO: no doubt!! that would have to be true!! Love that term, Sara, "low rider"!! Perfect!:LOL:
BUT, i still wonder, if my Easy Cheesy method (reply #4 above) could be taught to a low rider.....i'd so so love to know. :) Would the small dog be TOO small to even see, and then follow a treat held at the human's waist?


IF ANYONE has a low rider dog, and tries to teach doggie-dancing style of heelwork, (where dog watches the human's face) i'd so so so love a report if the EAsy Cheesy way worked on a low rider dog.
I'm thinking, unless i'm really wrong, that no bending would be involved at all,
if one uses Easy Cheesy method,
except for the occasional treat after the clicks, same as any other trick, except, you'd probably want to hand the treat, (rather than toss it, as is done with some tricks), which, of course, would involve bending. I treated quite a bit at first day or so, and then only after every 10 feet, every 25 feet, and so on...fading out the frequent treats, cuz dog had the concept, by 2nd day or sooner, really.
After that, it was just sharpening the precision of his positioning, and then, in next weeks, we learned backwards, and turns, etc, while maintaining the exact positioning, with no forging, etc.

Maybe i should go try it on the mini-schnauzer across the street....


i thought of a target stick, too, but, no idea how you can get the dog to look up at the human if he trained on a stick...probably could be done, but, i'd have no ideaO_o how to get dog to transfer his gaze from straight ahead----up to human's face, but maybe someone else would know.
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Well they're going to be looking up for the treat anyway (hopefully) so that should just come naturally! Mouse and Boo never look up at me when walking. That could be due to several things, it might be uncomfortable for them to look up that far, or it might just be because they dont see the treat that high up. Even when I work with Mouse inside, it's hard to keep her looking up, unless there is food about 6" above her head, and even then she sniffs the ground (perhaps I might have dropped it??? LOL) about 1/2 the time, and the other 1/2 she's jumping at my hand to get the food, so I gave up It just doesn't work... though that was quite awhile ago... before I figured out the shaping thing... Maybe I should try again with a target stick, or just straight shaping, instead of trying to lure her... Hmmm
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Yeah, it might be too much strain to get a low rider dog to do that kind of doggie dancing heelwork where dog looks up at human face the whole time....it might feel like a strain to their neck, the way i feel when i try to see tops of skyscrapers i stand next to?!:ROFLMAO:
 
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