How to teach lift back leg

welshherder

New Member
Hello,
I am trying to teach lifting the back leg one at a time like the right back leg and the the left back leg etc. I believe many of you have trained this. Could you please explain how you got it started and progressed? I have watched the video of teaching the handstand. We have started that - backing up on to a low object etc. I have also been trying to capture movement of a back foot and c/t however, it has been really hard to isolate just the back foot moving as usually something else is moving too, so she hasn't made the connection. She can lift just front right or front left paw, but that is an extension of shake etc. Any ideas would be appreciated. I tried searching for this and couldn't find it, so if it is out there somewhere please just direct me to find it. Thanks a bunch! S
 

fickla

Experienced Member
You have the right idea. The way I'm teaching it is to reward Lance for backing onto an object like a book. One leg should hit the book first, so i focus on clicking that. It takes awhile to get it, but once Lance knew that, I click before he touches the book, and now the book is there but several feet away.

An alternative way is to have the dog focused on a treat in front of you while you gently touch her back leg. Some dogs are very sensitive and will move a bit, so click that movement. Lance wouldn't do it that way, so we're doing the slower, but I think more fun, method!
 

welshherder

New Member
Yeah, we tried the touch the leg thing too, and it didn't work. She just looked at me like, "what you doin' touchin' my leg for, but here is a kiss now how about that treat in your hand." She can give me the funniest expressions if you want to call it that when we are learning something new.
 

fickla

Experienced Member
I would just continue what you are doing then with backing onto a low object, and clicking before both legs touch it. It's hard since most dogs aren't aware they have a back end! The more rear end awareness stuff you do, the more it will help. Like you could teach her to pivot on a block (front feed on, back feet off, and turning in a circle), walk through a ladder forward and backwards without touching it, backwards weaving, etc.
 
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