# Help with Fronts



## IndyBindy (Nov 4, 2011)

Looking for exercises or techniques to improve our fronts. 

Indy had good fronts from the get go, naturally centered and close. But recently, since working on more recall and dumbbell exercises, our fronts have become crooked! I haven't really worked these much before, as they were always pretty good for a young dog!

So, what can I do to get them back? Oddly enough, when asked to front from heel, they are much straigher than when he comes in from a recall. If it helps, he almost always drifts one way...he ends up too far to my right. I'm also thinking we need to ditch the fronts w/ dumbbell until we can get this straightened out. 

Thanks for your help!!


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Have you rewarded Indy from your right hand more than your left? Do you finish him often from the front position - and more to the right than to the left?

Fronts are never a finished produce - at least for me LOL


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## IndyBindy (Nov 4, 2011)

Absolutely have rewarded from my right hand more often and I could see why we now have the drift! Should I just reward from center and hope that everything straightens out?

I feel like I work both finishes evently, although his right it much easier for him than the left...even though they are both pretty solid.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I think rewarding from the left hand more will help re-center your fronts. Once they are re-centered, reward randomly from the left, the right, centered and if you reward from your mouth, that too.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

In addition to rewarding with your right - do you take the dumbbell with your right, left or both hands in the center?


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## IndyBindy (Nov 4, 2011)

I take the dumbbell with both hands. Is this correct? This is my Novice A pup, so if I am doing anything wrong I would SO appreciate the feedback


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I hold dowel sticks in my hands. At first they are held out just wide enough to make an area for the dog to come into. As the dog gets used to that I will hold the sticks at my side and just flick one out if I see the dog is coming towards that side. 

The key is your arms and hands are always kept at your sides just like they will be in the ring. All movement of the dowels is by moving your wrists.

Any treats for fronts come from my mouth. For some dogs I will spit the treat to them, and for other dogs I will remove the treat from my mouth with both hands and slide it down my body towards the dog. Cheese flavored Charlee Bears are perfect for this, they taste like goldfish crackers.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Sit in a chair and call front with your legs sticking out like Loisiana's dowel sticks.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Lol, don't make my mistake and teach "fix it' - now, with my dog Finn, I have to call him Fix It instead of front. It was a dumb boo boo.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I love training heeling and fronts and we got threads about both this week!  Maybe I'll see about making a video of a front training session today just so you can see what I do.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Tally will sometimes just barely step on my toes.I havent been dinged for it yet, but I have to fix that.


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## DNL2448 (Feb 13, 2009)

Bridget uses an office chair with wheels to work fronts from a sitting postion. I keep looking for one at garage sales.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Jacks had this problem for a LONG time. 

Our novice instructor wanted me to use a front box (like a platform to use as a sit target) - which my dog absolutely refused to sit on or step on. 

And I got yelled at a lot for my old trick of fixing crooked fronts by taking a step backward so he could straighten up. *weeps* Even though it worked fine for my first golden. 

The best I can say that helped is that practice, practice, practice those scoot fronts. There isn't that much room for your dog to go crooked on those, and you can get them to present that straight up sit position so you can mark and praise it. 

The treats always come from my pockets vs being held in my hands, and I usually pause a few seconds to praise the front and make eye contact with my dog before reaching into my pocket. 

Jackpots (where the treats are somewhere else, not on your person) also help. 

9 times out of 10, he's usually perfectly straight. If he's ever crooked, it's usually because he's galloping in too fast and almost runs right past me. Or we are doing fronts next to something noisy that he veered away from (which is something I need to proof for, I know).


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

I have done lots of things to work on fronts. I think one thing that really helps is teaching the dog how to move it's butt over sideways. I have done pop over fronts, sidepassing(in front position), bowl pivots, thru the legs, dowels, bent wire, quarter pivots, more pop over fronts, side passing in the front position with front, or back feet on a plank, front onto a box, front feet onto a bowl, and more pop over fronts. Fronts are something that needs daily upkeep, and yes, I am guilty of not working on them daily

To get my dog to ignore my hands, and focus on my face have held my arms out with treats in them, and when they look at my face instead of my hands, I bring the treat into my face, and then straight into the dog's mouth. I then lower my hands down and closer to the dog as we progress. I have also treated out of my mouth, and either spit it at the dog, or took it out with my hands to feed the dog. One of my favorite ones is having the treat in my mouth, and then having the dog come up to my face, as I take the treat out with my hands. I found this to help get the dog in closer, and focused up more.

I know there are other things, but I can't think of them now. I think I may need someone to make sure I train my fronts daily, ecspecially with Rivet. Filly seems to get more time from me than he does, and he deserves it to. I need to spend more time working on precision with him, and less time babying, and spoiling him.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Okay I went ahead and turned on the camera while we did some front work in the living room. As you can see we do a lot of close up front work. I think it's important to add that I don't nitpick fronts. Not all the fronts I got in the video were perfect, but what I am looking for is from my dogs on fronts is effort, not perfection. So while some of them were an itsy bit off, I at no time felt like my dog wasn't trying to be right, so I did nothing about it except continued working.

Here is Flip:




 
And then Conner wanted a turn too. Conner can do pretty much anything he wants at this point and I'll let him since he's not showing anymore. I just like to see him happy.


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

I agree about not nit picking, and letting them put effort in and enjoy themselves. I feel bad that when I first started training my Hank 11 years ago, I trained him by pulling him in ect..You know old school


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

IndyBindy said:


> Absolutely have rewarded from my right hand more often and I could see why we now have the drift! Should I just reward from center and hope that everything straightens out?
> 
> I feel like I work both finishes evently, although his right it much easier for him than the left...even though they are both pretty solid.



I think you should always reward from center, take dumbbell/article and vary which side you finish to get straight fronts. Does Indy catch treats you spit? I treat by spitting the reward from my mouth. If Indy does not catch you can keep treats in your mouth and using BOTH hands together take the treat from your mouth and then give it with BOTH hands. By alternating/varying finishes keep Indy guessing and less likely to drift to one side or he other.


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## DNL2448 (Feb 13, 2009)

Thanks for sharing that, Jodie. Your boys are so cute! So you use the command FRONT, do you use it on the recall as well?


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I generally use front when they are up close and come when they are at a distance. When I say come and I am in the right position the front is implied. I don't think it really matters that much which one I use for the dog and if I interchanged them I think they would know what to do.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Really cute videos!!! Thanks Jodie!
Connor's butt scritch was the best part


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## Titan1 (Jan 19, 2010)

Awe... it has been a while since I seen both dogs work them.. Nice job with Flip and Connor brought a tear to my eye.. Love the retired boys that try that hard.. good boys!
Nice job Jodie!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

DNL2448 said:


> Thanks for sharing that, Jodie. Your boys are so cute! So you use the command FRONT, do you use it on the recall as well?


Not that you asked me, but I'm chiming in anyway ...  

I use front for a recall and come when I'm going to drop him. So a DOR is "Quiz come > Down > Front."


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## DNL2448 (Feb 13, 2009)

Steph, you chime in whenever you like...


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## Stretchdrive (Mar 12, 2011)

FlyingQuizini said:


> Not that you asked me, but I'm chiming in anyway ...
> 
> I use front for a recall and come when I'm going to drop him. So a DOR is "Quiz come > Down > Front."


 
I do the same thing.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

FlyingQuizini said:


> Not that you asked me, but I'm chiming in anyway ...
> 
> I use front for a recall and come when I'm going to drop him. So a DOR is "Quiz come > Down > Front."



I did this with all my dogs till - you guessed it - Oriana. She very quickly caught on and would anticipate the drop. We tried but it was no use. So now I mix it up to keep "us" honest.


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

Jodie, love the front videos! Those gave me some very good ideas! I need to get out and get some of those dowel things.

Conner is so darn cute too! Handsome happy boy!


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

I love the dowels as well. I had Deja trained to three commands, front meant 'front', come was just come on over, 'that'll do' was stop what you're doing and come on back. (She was trained in herding.) Deja was a rough collie, not a Golden. Wish I'd known about the dowels back then. I had to smile about the 'fix it' comment. I now find when I tell Dakota to fix it, she goes to heel position at my side. hmmm.


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