Dog Training Videos
The Pushing Exercise
To the right (or below on a mobile device) are 4 videos of me doing "The Pushing Exercise" with a boxer named Fancy. Kevin Behan invented this exercise to help you get the last .01% performance out of your dog. The practical applications are almost endless.
Although Fancy is not a novice, as your dog will be, these videos may help you visualize how to do this.
It's best to use your non-dominant hand to hold the food. That way you can use your dominant hand (right if you're right-handed, left if you're a lefty) to help the dog stay balanced while she's pushing into you.
In the first video I'm making a common mistake. I put my right hand against Fancy's chest before she's in the act of eating. With her it's okay, because she's done this a lot, and my hand being there won't distract or inhibit her. But when you're first starting out, wait till the dog is eating before you put any pressure against his or her chest.
The goal is to get the dog to push into you. You never want to push into the dog until she's at a level where she's pushing into you as hard as she can while she's also in the act of eating, as Fancy is clearly doing in these videos.
The next video shows the opposite angle. I'm still standing up, and Fancy is still up on a "platform."
In the 3rd and 4th videos, I'm seated instead of standing. But as you can see, she's still pushing very hard.
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The Collecting Exercise
The first clip is of Noodles doing "The Collecting Exercise," invented by Natural Dog Training creator, Kevin Behan.
In a nutshell, you place some tasty tidbits in your hand, then wave it around the dog's head as if your hand were a wounded bird. Go from right to left and back again, pushing slightly past the dog's line of sight so he's looking from side to side. Then you add another move, where you start making the "wounded bird" get closer to the ground (or in this case, a pedestal).
When the dog finally settles back on his haunches, you let him eat the food from your hand.
Here's a bichon frise named Kobe doing the collecting exercise. When I first started doing it with him, he was very tense. He did everything right, but he never quite relaxed. He's becoming more and more relaxed now, not to mention much happier overall. And he's far less and fearful of being left alone.
I credit two things: "The Pushing Exercise" and "The Collecting Exercise."
Yay, Kobe!!
