Thanks some Leerburg courses I'm used to train regularly some exercises of body awareness. E.g. exercises for rear end awareness first on a touch pad, then on the flat ground, front end awareness like climbing up on objects, then power steering, moving backwards, moving backwards up on to something, little tricks and s on.

Again a discussion with people who had other online trainers, who had said with the normal family dog they'd never do such exercises, because completely innecessary and inutil. An ordinary dog needs no rear end awareness etc. We might even harm them.

Necessary or not, but harm them and inutil??? Provided the dogs have fun with it, they will also learn from it in different aspects.

I've besides others taken the 3 HT courses from Forrest, although their actually preparation for someone, who wants to go into competitive sports.

I don't intend to do this,(my age, the region here) but I found such a lot of inputs in these courses. My dogs are much more concentrated and lively than before. It had also a great impact on my relationship with them and they're crazy about it.

What would you tell to this owner or trainer (or to me)? (Use without hesitation your normal direct language, I'll not give you away)

I believe teaching any of the exercises involved in obedience, agility, and other dog sports, maneuvering like rear-end and front-end awareness, backing up, sidepassing, etc., even teaching tricks, is of enormous benefit. How it can be harmful to the "family dog" is really beyond my comprehension, unless we're talking about a dog with specific orthopedic issues. Even then, a little physical exercise is generally considered beneficial.

(Sorry, Christina, I haven't figured out what your word "inutil" means.)

Two of the biggest benefits, I believe, are (1) you are teaching the dog how to learn, you are stimulating the learning center of the brain. (2) you are opening lines of communication with your dog. He's learning to understand "human speak," and the owner is learning to observe the dog's communication signals. Both of these things will follow the owner and dog through their lifetime and come in handy maybe when one least expects it.

Last but not least, dogs like to enjoy their lives, too! I don't mean to ascribe human emotions to them, but my lifetime of observation of them makes me believe that they like to live an interesting and happy life, however that is perceived by a dog. Most dogs, if treated kindly, are devoted to their people, and interacting with their people in a variety of ways seems to be one of their most basic pleasures in life.

I am not a professional trainer or behaviorist, just a lifetime dog owner who believes that owning a dog is a serious choice that involves taking on the responsibility of providing a safe, healthy, and, yes, enjoyable life for that dog.

So they absolutely *need* it? No.

Is it healthy for them? Yes!!!

Besides the above, rear end awareness exercises can promote fitness. Which can really help with injury prevention and contribute to longevity.

Hi, Cheri, sorry, unintentionally a Portuguese word slipped in. Inútil means useless.

So happy to hear from your experience. So I'm doing anything wrong with this, as long as I don't force, rush and they love to learn. Thanks!

Thanks also Mara. This makes things clear. As I have only 4 and 1/2 year of experience, two of which I can quase forget, because it was limited on walks and some stupid games. It took a long time googling, googling and trying out until I finally found Leerburg.

Since then I have the chance to train correctly, although everything is still far from perfect.

If for no other reason I teach rear end awareness because it's time spent with my dogs.

Some dogs are naturals with rear end awareness and some have no clue how to get over even a small jump or how to climb up on a box.

Very true, whatever we do should be out of fun to spend time with our dogs, fun for them and fun for us, not all in order to teach them something WE want.

Exeptions: Some behavioral issues, house rules etc, or if a a dog needs to learn something like my Charlie with his problems of balance, coordination and orientation. But also such things as I experienced at least until now, can be done with fun.

With rear end awareness he isn't anywhere. Enough problems with front end awareness. So I concentrate on this without leaving completely to further the other one. I don't want to overwhelm him, but I want to try to losen him up and help him to get better aware and gain more control of his body.

I'm trying to make him follow my baited hand in curves and circles, so he has to move his rear end also bit.

But he has big problems doing this. In the best case he masters a quarter of a circle, mostly not even this. Exercises backwards are way too difficult. How would you try it?

You could lay a ladder on the ground and walk the dog through it top to bottom.

That makes them conscious of all their legs.

Of course a physical inability can makes some thing much harder but kudos for trying.

Back up exercise.

Use a narrow hall or a couple of pieces of plywood as a shutes and, with the dog in there just slowly move into the dog.

Each and every step backwards gets a mark and reward.

Don't know if these exercises are even possible for your dog but they are worth a try.

The tip with the ladder you gave me already some time ago. I'm regularly training this. In the beginning Charlie didn't even want to touch it with one paw, but meanwhile he crosses the whole ladder!!! Though still a bit hesitating, but I think for him this is a big success.

Very useful exercise, also for my other dogs who are doing it now fluently backwards.

Against backing up Charlie has a great aversion or maybe I haven't succeeded yet to make him understand what I want.

I've tried it directly after reading your advice with two chairs. (Improvised barricade, plywood I don't have yet) Going backwards just one step between those chairs seems to frighten him. But it's understandable. Just too new for him,

I guess I will first have to get him used to that barricade luring him forwards through it. Once I've got the plywood it will probably be easier, because lower.

Yes for him I mark/reward even each forward step, at first even when he stretches his head a bit through that corridor towards my hand.

He also resisted at first coming fro behind between my legs. He does this now. But as soon as I make one little step forward he jumps away. Didn't know, my legs are so intimidating.

I have no idea what this dog had to go through in the first 1 and 1/2 years of his life.

Thanks so much for your advices, Bob. Yes it is certainly worth trying. The success with the ladder shows me, that I just have to keep going on in lots of little steps.

Hey man, you're really a talent! As dog trainer and as Grandpa!