Pacing

[Kissntell]

Anyone know how to get a dog to trot rather than pace? This is Macy's favorite gaite. She even paces around the yard on her own.

So please help if you have any ideas to make her trot espically for the show ring.

I have a five gaited dog in disquise. But ain't funny from my perspective.

[OldDrumDobes]

Hard to explain w/out showing someone in person.. but here goes. Basically lift her head up while moving (w/ the show lead up as far as it'll go) where her front legs come off the ground. It'll throw the dog off balance and stop the pacing. At least that has worked for me.

[Janice McGerr]

I also lift the head up, bring them up by using my hand under jaw, telling them trot.
When this happens to me I stop the dog/bitch (every time) and tell them no pace, restart them saying trot and when they do it correctly tell them good trot as you are moving them.
I know a lot of people do not like using commands but it teaches them and it starts to become a habit for them on the show lead to trot. I will also do this off lead at times around the house.

Pacing is a lazy dogs movement, they do not have to work as hard to do this movement. I see it mostly in really short backed dogs/bitches, but in others it is just a really easy movement for them.

[Kissntell]

I agree that you have to give them a command so that they know what you want. This is what the professional trainer has told me whom I work each week with. He is really a police dog trainer so he knows nothing about the show stuff. So it isn't as easy for him to help me on the show stuff. He sure has helped on the other stuff though.

I had been putting her into a gallop, then back down, which is difficult for me. It was just what I had learned on horses to change a difficult gait. But this is really not what you want to do on a dog.

I will try the head thing and see if that works. It makes sense. I do have a lazy dog who never seems to get tired except when we go back in the house.

When I get her to trot, I try to keep her doing that which really tires me out. So the command with the trot will be so much better.

I appreciate the help because right now I am going it alone.

[dobesign]

Have found that the dog will seldom shift to a pace when already in a trot (unless running for extremely long distances such as we experience in wilderness search and rescue). When starting movement in the ring, the most important are the first 4 steps. I take one step into the dog, placing my body in a positiont that the dog will need to flex around me as I pivot to the direction I wish to travel. I will always start with a very large first step while I pivot. Then the next two steps establish the line and speed I want. Much like practising "getting out of the box" as a baseball batter, I practise this without my dog both in homework and before going in the ring. I do work it with my shortbacked bitch, but only when it is immersed in a genuine pattern. I do not, however, say the word aloud, but use sign language, as I feel the dogs are far more receptive to sign than spoken. Even then, my shortbacked, stubborn, attitude-laden bitch (in every sense of the word) prefers to demonstrate that she can pace at 42 mph AND do flying change-ups. LOL

[Kissntell]

I am amased how this bitch has helped me with my physical disabilities. I have a lame left arm which she forces me to use. And, I am an old tired person that can use the running excercise.

I never liked running but I can feel the difference in the fitness it has done.

I also have to handle her shipping crate everytime I take her anywhere much less a ramp to load her. Then there are the tie downs for her crate. This is a lot of work. After I do this stuff it seems that my shoulder hurts less. This is the physical activity of which you can never get at a gymn or physical therapy place.

Man do we ever work hard on our dogs. Right now I am glad I only have one.

Thank You Dobesign for your comments as well.