# Right turns in Obedience



## hawtee (Nov 1, 2006)

Ok for you obedience pro's out there, 2 weeks ago we were in an obedience/agility trial. Lilli did a very good job esp. with pigeons flying around and just comig out of the agility ring.She got her 3rd leg for her ASCA CD with a score of 192, where we lost points was on the right turns, we lagged. Any hints on how to get a faster/sharper turn?


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## Rastadog (Oct 24, 2006)

*may be a couple of things*

Does Lilli lag on about turns? Does she lag during straight line heeling? How is your footwork? We as handlers can do things in the ring that we blame on the dogs when we in fact cause the behavior. When doing right turns is your left foot in her way causing her to go wide and lag? If you feet are in the right place do you have ring nerves? Our partners sense that in a heartbeat. If no to those questions I would go back to basics,heeling in a clockwise direction, on leash, working on heel position using praise and food to help motavate your partner. After a good right turn release and praise. With heeling issues there are no easy fixes. If you don't have it in pratice you won't have it in the ring. I would also look at the attention you have in the ring. It might help to do some attention work. Attention is the key to all obedience. Have you done attention work? Sorry I can't provide an easy fix without seeing you and your dog.


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## hawtee (Nov 1, 2006)

let's see, she lags on the right turn, straight line , left turns and abouts are great she is has wonderful focus. nervous in the ring, ahem. I find it more so than agility...foot work... dang it !!!! I just had to get up and do it and caught myself swinging MY right foot wide. Boy are you good. 
will retrain the right turn, praise and treats...thank you very much I would not have caught that


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Katie how are her 270R's? Or 360R's ...if
If they are good...then speed may also be a factor in your 'plain jane' right turns.. you may be taking them too slow for your 'fast and agile' agility dog!

Sorry Pam! - I saw your avatar and thought of Katie!


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## Rastadog (Oct 24, 2006)

*footwork*

heel, ball, toe keep your feet and knees together. One other thought if you are worried about the right turns you may be turning your head to look at your dog that can cause a lag in some dogs. " Keep your face in your space." Quote from Teri Arnold. I'm glad you were open minded enough to check your footwork. One of the first things Teri taught me when I was training was that when problems happen it is usually the handler and not the dog. Good luck with your training. Are you using the ASCA trials as a warmup for AKC novice classes?


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## hawtee (Nov 1, 2006)

Grrrr..you both have nailed it she is very fast in agility and I noticed as I went to do the right turn I slowed myself down, pulled my shoulders back and I did look at her which is my cue in agility for her to go left. I did not realize that when I slowed I also turned my left shoulder as I looked, jeesh so much to correct on my part. In the 270's and 360's we are in a tight fast turn..trust me I know 99.9% of the time the fault is me lol..although sometimes she does have the yehaw factor..
Yes asca is just leading up to the AKC I figured I would try to get all the practice I can before jumping into the big ring lol..
Thank you both for the great info..


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Woohoo! Glad you found the answers you needed! The dogs are so amazingly tuned into every little move we make - the slightest dip in your left shoulder can cause a dog to lag!

Here's a trick my coach gave me:

When you're heeling, turn your head the direction of the turn a nano-second before you turn the rest of your body. For me, once my head has gone to the right, I'm less apt to do something to make the rest of my body shift to the left, which makes my dog lag. So, the sequence is... heeling.... someone calls right turn.... head>body. If you were counting it off, the head would turn on one and you'd execute the turn with your body on two. OH - heeling to a metronome is helpful, too -- because it lets you know if you're slowing down during the turns.


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## hawtee (Nov 1, 2006)

Wow thanks Steph, good idea...


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