Slingshot Around the world
Recall is like gravity. Attracting a large, fast object at the right angle has beautiful, life-changing results while attracting a large object at the wrong angle can cause disaster or make the object float away.
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Before reading this, it is recommended that you look at the training resource to help with recall, as it has the foundation skills needed.
What:
Around the World is an exercise to help dogs that run back and don't stop in time, resulting in a crash or dogs that come close but then shoot past the handler and run away again.
Why:
- It teaches dogs not to crash into you or to orbit you and run away.
- It helps slow the dogs down when they come in running at high speeds.
- It teaches over-excited dogs to stop at the end of a recall behavioural change.
How:
- Start in a quiet, open space, and call the dog to you using your recall command.
- Hold the food or lure out at your side as a target as the dog runs to you.
- When they are a few inches away from the target, use the food as a lure to get them to spin 360° in a circle around you. Then, throw the food in the direction that the dog came from.
- Do this slowly at first so they understand the movement, then slowly increase speed.
- Once the dog can do this with ease, start randomising the direction you throw the food in. This will get the dog to slow down and watch where you are going to throw it. (If your dog comes in fast with a lot of energy, spin a couple of times to slow them down.)
- Once the dog is coming to you, circling you, slowing down, and watching to find the direction the food is going in, Ask them to stop for a split second at your side, mark them, and then reward them by throwing the food.
- Now, as the dog learns to go around your body and stop by your side, clip and unclip a leash to their collar or harness. Then, mark and throw the food. (You don't need to hold the leash. You let them grab the food while dragging it.)
- As the dog gets comfortable stopping by your side and having the leash clipped or unclipped, start to hold the leash and walk/run to the location from which they came.
