Delta is now about 14 weeks old. I am working her on heel in the backyard off lead, and have started to mix in some sits. When she sits, she does not stay in the heel position, but instead swings out in front, and faces me, and then sits. At this age, is there anything that I can do to get her to sit by my side? I did try getting her to heel along a fence, hoping that the fence would keep her from swinging out in front on her sits. It worked okay, but not great.
This is very common. If she's been well rewarded for sitting in front of you, that's what she expects the criteria to be in order to earn her reward. Go back to basics with the sit, teaching it from the very beginning again by this time at your side, starting off with the lure into a sit.
I use a treat in my left hand which I let Annie sniff but not eat. I hold my hand next to my left leg. She will then walk to heel by my side. I stop and say sit, only when she sits at my side do I open my hand and she get her treat.
The light bulb just went off on this one! I have been working with the placeboard and I ALWAYS stand in front of it. I will start placing the placeboard on my left side.
This is the easiest thing to do and put sit at front and sit at side on different cues. It's worth it to finish off your sit on the placeboard so the dog sits straight (or however you want the dog to sit). That way, when you use the placeboard to get the dog to sit in different positions you also get what you want. It's useful, later on in training, to have the dog line up with you straight.
Just a quick update. Yesterday I first tried placing the placeboard on my left side. But of course she still wanted to face me because that is how I have inadvertently trained her up to this point. So she was on my left side instead of out in front of me, but looking in at me instead of looking forward. Well that was better, but still not what I wanted. So I thought about it and changed things a little bit. When I walk back to treat her. Instead of giving her a treat as soon as I get to the board (which would be me giving her a treat in FRONT of me), I walk to her side so that she is sitting in the left side heel position and treat her there. She is now steady enough on the placeboard where I can do this. Things are improving. Boy describing the set up was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Hope that made sense.
