Purpose: This video demonstrates our very first attempt at a Front Foot Side Step, over three sessions, within the same training period. In the first training session, you’ll notice how Ron Burgundy struggles to keep his rear feet on the perch. After a short break, you’ll notice his form is much improved! When I see my dog executing with less than ideal form, oftentimes taking a break for a few minutes makes all the difference.
In the third session, Ron Burgundy’s performance has improved to the point I felt confident incorporating an unstable surface under the rear feet.
Equipment: 3 raised foot targets
Note: Some handlers have a hard time finding the rubber feed bowls, and some dogs are too boisterous for them to be used safely. In this case any stable raised target can be used. I especially like round garden pavers/ stepping stones for especially energetic dogs.
Targets: Side stepping with the front feet is an important exercise to help strengthen the shoulder abductors and adductors. Because the canine anatomy lacks a collarbone to provide stability to the shoulder complex, maintaining strength and stability through these muscles is important for proper shoulder function over the life of the dog.
For those competing in dog sports, like agility, disc or flyball, this movement is especially important for proper weave pole performance, properly decelerating and setting for a box turn, and absorbing landing forces after a vault. Even for the non-sport dog, executing quick turns, and navigating hard floors are improved by having proper muscle strength and stability through the medial and lateral shoulder.
A front foot side step is surprisingly more difficult than side stepping with the back feet because of the stabilizing limbs interface with their respective body parts. When the rear feet are the axis of rotation (as is the case in this exercise), the inherent mobility in the hip, pelvis and lumbar spine have to be overcome by muscular engagement. When the axis of rotation is the forelimb, the bones of the rib cage and shoulder blade provide a lot of the stabilization and the dog doesn’t have to rely on musculature as much.
Adding an unstable surface increases the challenge to the shoulder stabilizers, core/spine stabilizers, as well as the hip stabilizers. For some dogs this progression will be too quick, and should be broken out into several separate training sessions over days or weeks. Most professionals recommend sticking with stable surfaces until a dog is over 6 months old (which Ron Burgundy is).
Watchpoints: Because the thoracic limb is inherently more stable in it’s relationship to the scapula and rib cage, than the pelvic limb is in relationship to the pelvis/lumbar spine, side stepping with the front feet requires quite a lot more core strength and stability. A front foot pivot is a significantly greater challenge than a rear foot pivot. So be on the lookout for
- Loss of control
- Stepping off the target
- Lack of understanding
- Change in arousal level.
NOTE: It’s important to note that in order for the sidestep to happen (especially in progressions of this exercise), the head must drop down as the thoracic limbs abduct. This allows the dog to see where they are going, and because of the geometry of the thoracic limbs during abduction (start position will be a tall skinny triangle, intermediate position would be a short stretched out triangle, finish position would be a tall skinny triangle again). It’s not a real thing to think the head will be able to maintain position throughout.
This is a difficult and complex exercise that has many prerequisites. If your dog has yet to achieve fluency in the prerequisites, it’s unfair (and likely quite frustrating for all involved) to ask for this challenging of a progression.
