Purpose: A lot of beginner level dogs struggle with holding a square sit… and struggle more when transitioning into a square down. Whether it’s because of muscle imbalance, ungainly growth spurts, advanced age, or simply lack of understanding, a Fold Back Down can initially be out of reach for many dogs. This Sit-Walk Forward Down exercise “splits” the mechanics of the down into manageable parts instead of “lumping” them together.
Equipment: Standing Platform, 2 Rubber Bowls or other Raised Foot Targets
NOTE: It’s not ideal to have Ron Burgundy’s front feet off the platform. After shooting this video, I realized he was outgrowing this platform and I built another one more size appropriate. For more information on how to size platforms correctly, see the Measuring for Platforms blog post.
Targets: Sit-Walk Forward Down acts like training wheels (or a strider bike), allowing the dog to learn a less complicated movement with similar mechanics. This allows for a strengthening of the musculature in the pelvic limb in the Sit and Walk Forward Down, which avoid the difficult eccentric phase. Once those mechanics are ingrained, the dog is much more likely to be able to coordinate the different parts, and potentially move forward into a Fold Back Down.
In this video, I am mainly focusing on Ron Burgundy’s rear end. Because of a recent growth spurt, for the last six or so weeks his rear end has been a hot mess. He couldn’t sit without his hocks sliding out, femur rotating in, and his legs sliding apart… I couldn’t watch. So I set anything that needed good mechanics with hip and stifle flexion aside, attempting a few repetitions here or there to see where we were at, and instead focused on other exercises that didn’t require control through hip and stifle flexion.
Watchpoints: This video also shows how effective using an elevated platform can be for teaching rear end awareness. When Ron Burgundy’s rear foot slipped off, he was immediately aware, and was able to make an adjustment. Had we been attempting this exercise on the ground, or even on a low 1″ platform, it’s likely he wouldn’t have noticed. That lack of awareness turns into frustration over time… Which can look like shutting down, or becoming more crazy… depending on the dog.
In the “Sit” phase we’re looking for
- Neutral Spine/Not Hyper-flexed or “roached”
- Parallel Hocks/Not sliding off the platform
- 0° of rotation through the femur / stifle pointed forward
In the “Down” phase we’re looking for
- Neutral Spine/Not Hyper-flexed or “roached”
- Parallel Hocks/Not sliding off the platform
- 0° of rotation through the femur / stifle pointed forward
- Elbows tracking in line with shoulders/Not sliding off the platform
I also take advantage of my trained Stillness cue to help Ron Burgundy know he’s not supposed to “offer a bunch of stuff”. That the sit and the down are all I’m looking for. This helps create clean movement from the very beginning, and again reduces frustration for everyone involved.
