[Click-N-Treat]

I've got a rally trial coming up at the end of March. The signs where the dog spins right, spins left, and where I spin with the dog, always give me a bit of a sinking feeling during trials. My spacial awareness gets lost during trials and I make handler errors. However, I've come up with solutions that have helped me.

Sign #312 Dog Spins Right Forward
In heel position, a right spin turns the dog's head inward toward your body. The right spin brings the dog's NOSE toward your KNEE. Nose to Knee.

Sign #313 Dog Spins Left Forward
In heel position, a left spin turns the dog head outward away from your body. A left spin brings the dog's TAIL toward your KNEE. Tail to Knee.

Keeping that in mind...

Sign #319 Side by Side 360 Right Circle
The dog is turning Nose to Knee. Think, "Knee the dog in the nose." Don't do it, obviously. However, if you think of kneeing the dog in the nose, you'll be moving your left knee in the correct direction when you turn. Dog's nose comes toward your leg, you move your leg towards the nose and circle right.

Sign #320 Side by Side 360 Left Circle
The dog is turning Tail to Knee. Think, "Chase the dog's tail." Tail comes toward your left knee, you chase the dog's tail and circle left.

Sign #321 Dog Circles Right Handler Circles Left
Looks horrible and confusing. It's the 360 version of a Novice left about turn. Dog goes all the way around to the right, do exactly what you would do for a left about turn only the full circle version. That's it. Easy peasy.

Another Hint... During the walkthrough, ask the judge how long a pause is for them. Some judges think half a second is long enough. Others want two seconds. Losing points for handler errors is never any fun.

Hope this helps. Rally on!

 

[lily cd re]

Oh yes those signs are hard. I don't have spatial awareness issues along the lines of "oh no, your other right!" We did have a very hard time sorting out spinning from back up 3 steps. I used to use a hand signals of my left hand above Lily's head making a backing up motion and she did beautiful back ups, but thought the idea of spinning next to me (even though she spins like a top in front of me is the best way of saying welcome home and happy to see you) was really not something she had any interest in. I took to using my flat hand moving in towards me or away from to represent her direction of travel and ruined my back up in the process since somewhere along the way Lily decided she loved to spin. Every time I started to signal for a back she decided to spin. I know pick my left foot while saying get ready to start the back up 3 steps.

As to how long a pause is I myself and tell my rally students to count the pause audibly for the judge to hear (one and two okay let's go). I may lose a placement on time that way, but I always want to make it easy for the judge to know what I am doing. There is no useful purpose to be served by making the judge wonder how to score us. For example in Lily's no spin days I would look at her after trying the sign and say out loud "on no spin today, okay let's go then" rather than leaving the judge thinking I hadn't even tried to get it (and that is the difference between minus 10 vs. NQ).

 

[Click-N-Treat]

It took Noelle a while to figure out how to spin at my side, too. My biggest problem is backing up three steps. Noelle cannot reverse in a straight line. Sure, she can do it if there is a wall, but remove the wall, and she's going rear end to the left. Maybe I'm doing some kind of crazy body language cue that's throwing her off. Noelle can walk backward in front of me, but not in heel position. We'll keep working on it.

I was at a trial, and the backup three steps was sandwiched against the ring gate. I almost started laughing because that was the only time Noelle did that sign perfectly.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

I don't do performance sports, but am spatially challenged as well. I used to do drill in highschool, so got yelled to suddenly turn left/right. The trick I was taught was to slightly squeeze my left or my right hand, or my left or right big toes when I hear it, then you get one step, then you are "prepared" with the direction. It helps a lot, and I still do it.

 

[Click-N-Treat]

I actually had to do LEASH hand and WRITE hand when I started rally. It was the only way I could tell Left from Right. Turn toward the leash hand. Turn toward the write hand. I love scrunching up your toes. I can see how that would help.

 

[Skylar]

I actually had to do LEASH hand and WRITE hand when I started rally. It was the only way I could tell Left from Right. Turn toward the leash hand. Turn toward the write hand. I love scrunching up your toes. I can see how that would help.

. Like Click I have to think Left dog, right right. I tried the trick of slapping or pinching my right hand but it didn’t work well.