Pivoting: One Step to Tight Lines

written by Butch Goodwin
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Northern Flight Retrievers  

When I first started running field trials and, later, hunt tests about 30 years ago, no one ever showed me how to teach my dogs to move left and right at my side to make sure that they got a good look at each mark, or how to line them up precisely for running blind retrieves.  I remember just bringing my dogs to the line and hoping they would see the gunners and remember where the marks landed. Likewise, I would just step toward them or step away and put my hand down, praying that they would run in the direction I was indicating. I had a lot to learn. 

  Teaching your dog to follow your movements is helpful whether you're running trials or hunting from a boat or alongside a pond. This is the technique by which you will be able to move your dog and line him for running blind retrieves and for pointing him toward a fallen bird he may have forgotten. It's also the first step in getting him to look where your gun is pointed and to watch while you swing on a group of passing birds. Finally, it's the foundation of the "wagon­wheel" lining drill (sometimes called a "circle drill"), which will teach him to run in any direction he's pointed. 

  Teaching a dog to turn right and left and move with you should begin with his formal training, when he's working on his basic heeling drills. As you walk him on the lead at your side, teach him to turn left and right and to follow your body movements. (What I am going to describe is for a dog that heels on the trainer's left side. For a dog that heels on the right side, simply reverse the commands.) 

  Once he will walk reliably in a straight line at heel and will sit at 
your side on command, begin walking in large, figure-eight patterns. Each time you turn to the left (or into the dog), say, "Heel." Each time you turn to the right (away from the dog), say, "Here." On the surface, using verbal commands as you turn to the left and to the right may seem a waste of time, but there is a good reason for teaching the dog to turn left by using the "heel" command and turn right by using the "here" command. 

  (If you're worried about mixing up the commands, just remember that "heel" has an "l" in it for "left"; "here" has an "r" in it for "right." Of course, if your dog heels on the right and you have to reverse the commands, you'll have to come up with your own mnemonic.) 

  As your dog becomes more proficient at the left and right figure-eight turns, you will see him begin to anticipate your commands and move his head and body to the left or right when he hears "heel" or "here." The right turns are usually no problem, as you can apply several jerks to the lead and make him turn with you. If he resists turning to the left, try turning left and walking into him to get him to watch you more closely. 

  Your goal is to associate the word with the correct action. You can practice this by walking in a straight line and then making a 180-degree turn to the left or right and saying the "heel" or "here" command when you turn and head off in the opposite direction. Just try to keep the boredom to a minimum by changing pace regularly - and don't forget to praise him verbally, along with an occasional pat on the head or shoulders when he has done well. 

  When he is doing well with the figure-eight drills, try going in circles only to the left and then only to the right while continuing to condition him to the commands. The idea is to insist on good heeling position while conditioning him to the left and right movements and associated commands for those movements. 

  As you progress, make your figure­eight turning patterns into ever-smaller circles to the left and to the right. Eventually, your goal should be to pivot or step to the right or left and have the dog move with you when you give the appropriate command. 

  The reason you want to teach these commands early on with the basic heeling drills is to develop them with your dog's obedience. Later, when this has been refined through the use of the pivot drill and the wagon-wheel lining drill, you can teach your dog to follow your body motions and line his body up to run where you point him. 

Once your dog to responds to "heel" and "here" and can walk in fairly tight circles, you're ready for the pivot drill (also called the "one­step" drill). If you feel the need to back up and review the figure-eight exercises or walking in smaller left and right circles, please do so before you move ahead. 

  In this drill's simplest form, when you make a quarter turn to the right, your dog moves around you to line up in the heel position with your body position. Likewise, when you make a quarter turn and face left, he scoots backward to align himself in your new direction. It's easier to understand once you try it. (Be sure to study the accompanying diagram closely while you are practicing it.) 

  Start with your dog sitting at heel on a fairly short lead. For this drill, you might have to "encourage" him into the correct position with the lead until he gets the hang of it. The first step should be fairly easy. Take a 90-degree step to the right with your right foot and bring your left foot up beside it. As you are stepping to the right, tell your dog, "Here," and when he moves into the correct position beside you, tell him, "Sit." Now do  the same thing again: 90 degrees to the right and have your dog line up beside you in the heel position by telling him, "Here" and then, "Sit." You should be facing the opposite direction from where you started. Repeat two more times and you'll have completed all four cardinal directions and be back facing where you started. Pretty simple, right? 

Take a 90-degree step to the right with your right foot.	Bring your left foot alongside. As you are stepping to the right, tell your dog "Here" and then when he moves into the correct position, tell him, "Sit"	Repeat the step to the right with the right foot.
Again, bring your left foot up alongside and have your dog line up beside you by giving the "here" and "sit" commands.	Teaching your dog to follow your movements is helpful whether you're running trials or hunting from a boat or alongside a pond...	Starting again, let's go to the left. Step back with your left foot and point your toe to the left as you put it on the ground behind your right foot.
Bring your right foot around and next to your left. As you step back and turn to the left, tell your dog, "Heel," and keep the lead tight as you try to get him to walk backward and pivot, around to your left. Then tell him, "Sit."	Repeat the step to the left with your left foot.	Again, bring your right foot alongside the left. The dog should pivot backward and around to your left until he is seated beside you. Give another, "Sit."

  Now let's go the opposite way - this will probably be tougher for both of you to figure out, so take another look at the diagram. 

  Again, start with your dog sitting at heel and on a fairly short lead. This time I want you to step back on your left foot and point your toe to the left as you put it on the ground behind your right foot. Then bring your right foot around next to it. This should cause you to step back and turn to your left. As you move, tell your dog, "Heel," and keep the lead tight as you try to get him to walk or scoot backward and around you to your left; then tell him, "Sit." What you have done is get him to back up when you stepped or pivoted to the left. If you can get your dog to back up into the new heel position, try it again, 90 degrees to the left. Keep going in 90-degree increments until you can pivot 90 degrees to the left and your dog will pivot backward with you when you tell him to heel. 

  Remember to tell him to sit after every change of position. If you have trouble getting your dog to back around to your left - even with a few jerks from the short lead - try using a riding crop or your heeling stick to guide him. Tap him on the chest to move him back or tap him on the outside flank to get him to scoot backward around you. You aren't using the crop to correct his behavior or to punish him, just to guide him to step away from it and into the correct position. Keep working on lots of repetition; it will come together - and don't forget to praise him when he does it right! 

  Remember three things while continuing to work on these fundamentals: First, if he doesn't seem to understand what you are trying to teach him, break it down into individual commands or sequences; back up until he does the exercise correctly, and then move forward. Second, there are no shortcuts - especially in a precise drill like the pivot drill; drill work requires patience and a great deal of time and commitment. Never stop reviewing and reinforcing the fundamentals that you have taught previously. Third, all of his future training develops from and will totally depend upon the training done with the dog at your side. If you don't have your dog under control at your side, you will never have him under control at a distance. 

  Keep working on left and right pivot­ing until you and your dog can do it flu­idly. Only then should you move ahead to the wagon-wheel lining drill, which we'll tackle in the next issue .