Left Circle Drill Using a Modified Left Hand Grip

Summary

Left circle drill Using a modified left hand grip with instructions for using both the leading right step and the left leg or step.

While I do have a standard training system that works for most of the people most of the time, we always need to be flexible enough to work with each individual's specific needs. This dog will be working with a head collar, but for this lesson we worked with the equipment we had. The reason for modifying the grip is that I felt using the standard grip would put too much strain on the handler's right hand and wrist.

I believe this is the first time I have documented my use of stepping with the left foot. While you may have seen this as a basic movement in other videos, I am now starting to use it (teach it) in a very controlled manner and in very specific situations. In this case after stopping and while in good balance. If done wile waking, using the left foot to step will make it likely that at some point the handler will fall over the dog. If the dog is very active and running into your leg it is also likely that the dog will knock the handler down. For the dog in the video we needed to get the dog to stop with a leash prompt before moving the dog with the left. This is not illustrated in the video and was done just prior to recording.

When doing the left circle, cutting the dog off with the right foot is still the standard way to keep the dog back while moving.

Machine generated transcript.

Okay, so with this dog we are handling her a little bit differently.

Instead of my usual right hand grip, she is working on the left hand side left heel. I'm doing the same thing, drop grip in the left hand, taking up a little bit more slack. And I still want my left hand on my center line, but I'm going to have my right hand over the left wrist. If you've read some of my articles or books, you'll know this is called the Gurkha grip, because this is what the Gurkhas used for, the Kukri.

And then we're going to do the circle, but using the body to control her. So we're working on a couple things. One, we're still working on the right leg.

And then we are also doing a step 90 degrees to the left with the left, or 45 degrees up with the left. So let's see how she does. Come on. Right here.

So you'll see that I… Okay, now easy. I'm still going to do the easy. But you'll see I don't have my left hand appraised now, so I need to compensate with the right. If she's in front of me too much and I want her on the left, I can spin to the right. Come on. You can get her back on the left side.

So I'm going along. I'm going to anticipate her wanting to go forward here.

So I'm going to step with the right. I'm going to make a little smaller step here too. Come on.

Good job. Good. Come on.

So here she's going to want to pass. I'm going to just right foot, right foot. Come on.

And another thing we're doing different with this dog is a prompt with the leash. Leash prompt when the handler stops to stop the dog in a heel position.

Usually I don't do that, but there are exceptions, and this is one of those. Come on.

Come on.

Here she is. Come on.

So I'm going to stop and then we'll do that one more time where I use the food rewards. I've worked here a little bit today, so this is where I started her with praise in the food. Come on.

Stop. Good. She does it on her own food rewards for stopping in a heel position.

And sitting. Sitting's even better. We worked a little bit on trying to get her to sit before, but she really didn't want to. This is a very nice sit. Release. Good job.