BACK AWAY! To get your dog to refocus on you!

 Ever have a dog that is behaving and suddenly -- you can tell he is about to misbehave?

• You could be on a loose lead walk, and the dog suddenly sees another dog. His/Her ears go forward, his hackles may go up. . . or it could be some other cue that you know --- because it is your dog and you know your dog. 
• You are working heeling at the Training Building and someone opens the door to walk it -- your dog drops his/her head to look away.
• You are working arounds with a cone or back end awareness with a rubber bowl, and instead of working on the exercise, the dog starts biting the object for play (this has happened with me).

EVERYONE should know the Back Away!

GET STARTED:

• Walk Forward with the Dog, exaggerating your body language.
• (SILENTLY) -Pause, Stop Your Stride, Shift weight BACKWARDS, and then just step back, with the leash and treat in both hands at your stomach.
• Get your dog to sit front.
• Mark and Pay.

Just do a couple of these at a time to practice. But do them every day. Remember, it takes 600 repetitions for a dog to remember how to do things on their own. So, try to do 100 this week, by doing 3-4 sessions of 5 or so per day. This will pay off as a foundation for Impulse Control and Focus.