Just the slightest

I went back to look at some of my photos that I had for a training article. I was surprised at what I found! What a difference a couple inches can make! Can you see the difference in this photo?
When you're training your dog, try to be aware of how you are moving your body. I know it can be really hard - Really hard! We get so focused on what our dogs are doing, and how to get our dogs to do things. How to lure them, How to wait for behaviors so we can mark them. How to encourage them and keep up the motivation and engagement. But, we also need to think about what we are doing, and how we are doing it.

I didn't even realize I was doing this with Harper until I looked at the photos later. I was rewarding her for a simple "sit". In the first photo (with my bent leg), I had reached down to treat her at her nose level. See how she is planted in her sit and just reaches forward a tiny bit? That is how she should be treated. Me, reaching down to her.
In the second photo, I'm treating her all wrong. I didn't bend down far enough to treat her at her nose level, and you can see how she almost broke her sit, to try to reach for the treat. Her neck is stretched out and her back legs are almost coming up to a stand or a squatting position. I should put a big red circle with s line through it on this photo!

When I am training my dogs in conformation, I will often train in front of a mirror. It's not to watch myself, it's to see if my dog is in the right position. But, now I'm thinking I should be watching myself just as much! I love it when people video tape me when I'm in the ring, and even sometimes when I'm training. You can go back and watch your dog and yourself. I can sometimes be a little too hard on myself and I'll watch things over and over... Looking for the spot where I made the mistake. Most of the time when I'm in the ring with my dogs, my DOGS do great, but I get points taken off for "handler error"! I think if you show dogs, you've probably been in this position before too! But, it's a good thing to remember. We have to learn to work on ourselves while working with our dogs.

​Slight little movements can make a big difference. Some breeds are more aware of little movements. If I'm working with a dog on how to be respectful of space - Like "wait at the door", I'll have to lean in more with some dogs and less with some dogs. My old Rottweiler, Wyatt, had zero comprehension of personal space, haha! So, with him, I'd have to over-exaggerate my movements when I'd lean in towards him. But, if I were working with a Border Collie, for example, I could probably lean in with just the slightest movement, and he'd recognize that and lean back.

Can you see the difference in this photo? On the left, I had leaned back at my hip, just the slightest. I have also dropped my shoulders. See how Harper is leaning towards me? The photo on the right, I am planted and standing with my shoulders back. She recognizes that and she is sitting comfortably in her sit position.

Practice with your dog! This is a really fun exercise to see how much your dog is paying attention to your own body language. If you can, practice in front of a large mirror. Or, video tape yourself while you're training. It's a great way to critique yourself and help to become a better trainer for your dog!