Spiraling outwards

[aidenroyal]

Ok, so I saw an awesome trick today and i have been racking my brain to figure out or imagine a way to teach it. This lady doing canine dancing, had her dog begin running a circle around her legs, each rotation the dog moved further out, till it was about 15 feet from her. Any ideas on how I could teach this?

[fickla]

huh, i've never seen that before! I've seen dogs do very large circles around their handler with the length defendant on how far away the handler's hand is out, but I haven't seen a spiral!

Maybe the dog was just taught extremely well to focus on the hand for how far out to go? But that would be some tough discrimination for each circle width. Or maybe cones are used to start out with that are set up in a spiral?

I have no idea!

[aidenroyal]

I know! I've been thinking about it all day on the best I've come up with is a lure on a pole, I know pretty sorry of an idea.

[szecsuani]

I think I know what you mean, here's how I learnt to teach it.

First of all, teach you dog, to go around an object, not in a big circle, just go around it. When you can send him to go around an object from a bigger distance, start it all over, but with 2 objects (similar if possible). Keep them close at first, the you can move them further away (both from each other, and from you), then do this, until you have about 10 objects, in a circle.
Pay attention, that the dog shouldn't concentrate on YOUR position, so when the objects are in a circle, vary your position. You can stand in the circle, further away, etc. Use a different command for the way when you are standing in the middle of the circle, and when you are out of the circle.
When your dog knows this VERY well, do lots and lots of practice.
Then, you can start taking out the objects (still keeping the circle shape), just one at a time. Go slow, practice a lot.
In the end, when you have about 5 objects, take them all out. This may confuse the dog, if he doesn't understand, put them back, and send him around again.

This is the way I know you an teach a dog to go around in a big circle.
Hope I helped, happy training!

[szecsuani]

Originally Posted by fickla

Or maybe cones are used to start out with that are set up in a spiral?

This sound like a good idea, although I don't know how the dog could memorize the shape, I don't think dog are such precise (is this the right word?), they may cheat (my dog does... ). I have no idea for the bigger and bigger circle too, maybe with the method I wrote here, but with different sized circles (with different commands)? But that would take ages to teach...