Training 101: Orienting toward you
This is the very first thing I teach nearly all new clients. Establishing a pattern of orienting toward you helps in literally every situation because it helps the dog develop the expectation of turning toward you—for rewards, yes, but also in general.
The more your dog practices orienting toward you, the more this action becomes automatic. I think of it along the lines of muscle memory; although that’s not exactly what’s happening, it is a good analogy to understand how powerful patterns can be!
Regardless of the behavior issues your dog is challenged with, this up-down game is a fantastic starting place to build that pattern of orienting toward you. It’s one of those things that seems too simple to be effective—that was my first impression. I nearly threw this exercise out altogether because I thought it was silly, but I am so glad I gave it a chance because here I am many moons later writing a post about how helpful it is.
Give this pattern a chance. Read through the attached guide to learn how to implement it in progressively challenging situations, and watch the video tutorial to see how exactly to practice.
If you need help with this or anything else, reach out!
Click the image above to open & download the PDF.
