Help to look straight ahead

[Beckis]

My dog have a week tail, so I need to hold it on her back.
It´s hard to get her look straight ahead when I can´t hold candy in front of her. I need a third arm….
Do you have any tips for me how to get her look pride without the candy trick?

[tanza]

@Beckis:

My dog have a week tail, so I need to hold it on her back.
It´s hard to get her look straight ahead when I can´t hold candy in front of her. I need a third arm….
Do you have any tips for me how to get her look pride without the candy trick?

Think that many of us that show have had this problem… I know with Maggii, I did, as her tail set was low and very often I had to hold it, or "arrange" it...

It took time and practice to get the tail up and then work on baiting to get expression... no easy fix there.... sometimes you will have to give up one for the other

[Beckis]

@tanza:

Think that many of us that show have had this problem… I know with Maggii, I did, as her tail set was low and very often I had to hold it, or "arrange" it...

It took time and practice to get the tail up and then work on baiting to get expression... no easy fix there.... sometimes you will have to give up one for the other

How did you arrange it?
Noone have the perfect dog. You right about giving up one for the other, but it´s not easy…

[tanza]

@Beckis:

How did you arrange it?
Noone have the perfect dog. You right about giving up one for the other, but it´s not easy…

It was not really arrange, just kind of placing it where it would normally go and "hope" that she kept it there… and you are right it is not easy sometimes.

[Beckis]

What do you think about getting a long line and lay it around my neck and hold it with my "candyhand".? I will try tomorrow.

[lvoss]

One way to approach it, when you are at home and practicing stacking focus on the looking straight ahead and if you clicker train, click/treat for looking straight ahead. If not clicker training the a "yes" or "good" and treat. The more you reward the looking straight ahead the more she should start to offer that so you can start to reward less frequently so that hopefully in the ring she will default to the looking ahead without needing baiting.

300 peck method is also great for building time in a position. Get the dog in the position you want and click/treat or yes/treat then count to 1 click/treat if they hold the position, then 1,2 click/treat, then 1,2, 3 click treat if they hold position, etc building to longer and longer times. If the dog breaks position then start back at 1 and try building up again. It is important to cut your treats really small for this method but I have found it really effective in helping a dog learn to hold a body position.

[Beckis]

@lvoss:

One way to approach it, when you are at home and practicing stacking focus on the looking straight ahead and if you clicker train, click/treat for looking straight ahead. If not clicker training the a "yes" or "good" and treat. The more you reward the looking straight ahead the more she should start to offer that so you can start to reward less frequently so that hopefully in the ring she will default to the looking ahead without needing baiting.

300 peck method is also great for building time in a position. Get the dog in the position you want and click/treat or yes/treat then count to 1 click/treat if they hold the position, then 1,2 click/treat, then 1,2, 3 click treat if they hold position, etc building to longer and longer times. If the dog breaks position then start back at 1 and try building up again. It is important to cut your treats really small for this method but I have found it really effective in helping a dog learn to hold a body position.

I must practis that! I do train with clicker. Thank you!

[khanis]

You can train and train, but you will have to decide (or get some input from your girl's breeder) about the judges you enter her under.
Are they more concerned with the dog being super trained and looking straight-forward at all times, or the tailset.

I can tell you as a judge, I'd like to be able to stand in the rind and see all the dog's profiles. So, for me, I'd like to see the dog with it's head facing forward as I scan the ring. It won't matter if you hold her tail down on the back (ie., lowset tails) as I would notice it when I went over the dog with my hands. It isn't something that will be missed.

If your girl is young, I'd be far more concerned with her behaving exactly as you want her to (stacking and facing forward),that way as she ages, she will get that down pat and then you won't have to worry about it and you can hold her tail as you want it to be presented. You don't want to be tugging on the lead giving her a non-happy experience in the ring at a young age… basenjis are impressionable and won't forget if they get in trouble in the ring!!

Good luck to her and you both!

[Beckis]

@khanis:

You can train and train, but you will have to decide (or get some input from your girl's breeder) about the judges you enter her under.
Are they more concerned with the dog being super trained and looking straight-forward at all times, or the tailset.

I can tell you as a judge, I'd like to be able to stand in the rind and see all the dog's profiles. So, for me, I'd like to see the dog with it's head facing forward as I scan the ring. It won't matter if you hold her tail down on the back (ie., lowset tails) as I would notice it when I went over the dog with my hands. It isn't something that will be missed.

If your girl is young, I'd be far more concerned with her behaving exactly as you want her to (stacking and facing forward),that way as she ages, she will get that down pat and then you won't have to worry about it and you can hold her tail as you want it to be presented. You don't want to be tugging on the lead giving her a non-happy experience in the ring at a young age… basenjis are impressionable and won't forget if they get in trouble in the ring!!

Good luck to her and you both!

Thanks for your words!
I was in the ring today and she looked straight a head for most of the time.
But I have to practise on the table. She don´t like male judges.

[khanis]

@Beckis:

Thanks for your words!
I was in the ring today and she looked straight a head for most of the time.
But I have to practise on the table. She don´t like male judges.

This is where you take her to places (not sure if you can do this like we do in the States) to places like Home Depot, Petco (large stores with lots of commotion) and you hold her while going through the store and when people ask about your dog you encourage ALL men and large boys to pet her and talk to her. You NEED to have treats with you, let them give her treats…. and YOU give her treats after she's been good and TELL her she's been good too. She needs to know that she is a good girl and what she is doing is right. If anything happens (she grumbles, correct her and hold her head and have them just PET her and hold a treat in their opened flat hand). Don't let that behavior pass.... otherwise you'll have issues with her later. Once they get away with it, they think they can in the future! You wnat to nip this behavior in the bud asap.
It is imperative that you get her socialized OUT of a show ring with MEN/boys as much as possible. Getting her comfortable in those settings will just reinforce that they really aren't that bad after all (hey, sometimes I completely agree with her! LOL).
Try this and see how it works and let us know.... I bet you will notice a difference in her attitude around men in a short time if you can get her more socialized with them.
Most of all.. HAVE FUN with her!!

[Beckis]

@khanis:

This is where you take her to places (not sure if you can do this like we do in the States) to places like Home Depot, Petco (large stores with lots of commotion) and you hold her while going through the store and when people ask about your dog you encourage ALL men and large boys to pet her and talk to her. You NEED to have treats with you, let them give her treats…. and YOU give her treats after she's been good and TELL her she's been good too. She needs to know that she is a good girl and what she is doing is right. If anything happens (she grumbles, correct her and hold her head and have them just PET her and hold a treat in their opened flat hand). Don't let that behavior pass.... otherwise you'll have issues with her later. Once they get away with it, they think they can in the future! You wnat to nip this behavior in the bud asap.
It is imperative that you get her socialized OUT of a show ring with MEN/boys as much as possible. Getting her comfortable in those settings will just reinforce that they really aren't that bad after all (hey, sometimes I completely agree with her! LOL).
Try this and see how it works and let us know.... I bet you will notice a difference in her attitude around men in a short time if you can get her more socialized with them.
Most of all.. HAVE FUN with her!!

Thanks again!
I have her with me for the most of the time. She meets lots of men and she just react at a few. And it can be someone she met before. But I´m going to train even more. And have fun!

[Becky]

When I stack on the ground I will sometimes put a treat on the ground about 18" to 24" in front of my dog. This will make them arch their neck & it will tightend the back muscles & maybe bring the tail up.
I would reccomend looking into the reason she does not hold her tail up. A lowset tail is structual.
A drooping tail can be a physical problem. When my dogs start relaxing & dropping their tails I have an adjustment done. Voile! Tail is where it should be. An Orthipedic Adjustment can work wonders. A dog can be "out of Aliegnment & we don't realize it until they are realiegned! Find a Chiropractor or someone who does V.O.M..

Best of luck

Becky & the Ninjas