Quote:

Originally posted by Lee Baragona - Sch3FH2:
A couple ways to shape the straight front WITHOUT using compulsion - one is to only reward the pup when he is straight, ignore (not punish) efforts that are not straight. Eventually, he'll notice the association between the reward and his position and he'll get more conscious of his body.

I am really not wanting to cross hairs here but look the reason the technique is not successful has nothing to do with the fact the person is making the dog move again and back up. The reason is lack of trainer attention to targeting the reward…. AKA: butt mechanics...lol

I think I’m going to use this in classes. Thanks Lee for the term.

Anyway backing up and withholding the reward until correct and later enhancing the training if you are a die hard by then standing at different angles and requiring the dog to reposition teaches the dog where to be.

Backing up come is often used by trainers for more a reason when training large dogs. The large dogs front legs need to be under him like a post and not bridged by backing up and a slight hop to target the dog learns to scoot his rear forward in a tucking motion making the event more clean. The ‘V” in to front still allows and may even teach a rocking back sit. Even if strait the dog is not as close. This of course is not the case with every dog but enough to look at what you are doing and stop a bad habit before you get started. A rocking sit cannot be fixed in stasis.

The nice thing about this post is we have offered two techniques that work and work for different reasons. But more importantly if anyone who is reading this post has a sit front problem, likely we have touched on the most common ways of teaching the front. Options in training = a range to work with in a handlers natural ability.
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A lot of reading to cover all these posts.

I'm a wheelchair user with a mobility assistance working dog. He has commands for six different positions he must assume around my chair; "come,here,heel,turn,cross,place".

As with able bodied (ab's) I insist the "come" is straight and close. I call him in with my hands in my lap, and I praise profusely when he is straight n tight and ignore/withold treat unless it is exactly correct.

Always use a happy tone of voice and use all your praise, smile, treat, petting, lick your hand for tuning the come. Give him many favorable reasons to come and sit directly in front of you.

I'd say it's best to avoid any kind of correction, the backing up and agree that the dog must move himself to accomodate me.

I do exercises, call him "come", praise, stay and rotate my chair at differing angles and call him "come" again. He snaps to a straight sit each time.

Get it good and you'll be sharp in odedience.

Good luck,

Kirk Simon

what if the dog is a matured dog, & has learned how to sit front. However, at that particular moment, the dog isn't close enough and isn't look up at the owner, what advice to corret the dog ? Is "No food or No toy" sufficient as a correction ? Is this going to be reliable ?