• Welcome to the Chronicle Forums.
    Please complete your profile. The forums and the rest of www.chronofhorse.com has single sign-in, so your log in information for one will automatically work for the other. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Chronicle of the Horse.

Announcement

Collapse

Forum rules and no-advertising policy

As a participant on this forum, it is your responsibility to know and follow our rules. Please read this message in its entirety.

Board Rules

1. You’re responsible for what you say.
As outlined in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, The Chronicle of the Horse and its affiliates, as well Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd., the developers of vBulletin, are not legally responsible for statements made in the forums.

This is a public forum viewed by a wide spectrum of people, so please be mindful of what you say and who might be reading it—details of personal disputes are likely better handled privately. While posters are legally responsible for their statements, the moderators may in their discretion remove or edit posts that violate these rules. Users have the ability to modify or delete their own messages after posting, but administrators generally will not delete posts, threads or accounts upon request.

Outright inflammatory, vulgar, harassing, malicious or otherwise inappropriate statements and criminal charges unsubstantiated by a reputable news source or legal documentation will not be tolerated and will be dealt with at the discretion of the moderators.

Credible threats of suicide will be reported to the police along with identifying user information at our disposal, in addition to referring the user to suicide helpline resources such as 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK.

2. Conversations in horse-related forums should be horse-related.
The forums are a wonderful source of information and support for members of the horse community. While it’s understandably tempting to share information or search for input on other topics upon which members might have a similar level of knowledge, members must maintain the focus on horses.

3. Keep conversations productive, on topic and civil.
Discussion and disagreement are inevitable and encouraged; personal insults, diatribes and sniping comments are unproductive and unacceptable. Whether a subject is light-hearted or serious, keep posts focused on the current topic and of general interest to other participants of that thread. Utilize the private message feature or personal email where appropriate to address side topics or personal issues not related to the topic at large.

4. No advertising in the discussion forums.
Posts in the discussion forums directly or indirectly advertising horses, jobs, items or services for sale or wanted will be removed at the discretion of the moderators. Use of the private messaging feature or email addresses obtained through users’ profiles for unsolicited advertising is not permitted.

Company representatives may participate in discussions and answer questions about their products or services, or suggest their products on recent threads if they fulfill the criteria of a query. False "testimonials" provided by company affiliates posing as general consumers are not appropriate, and self-promotion of sales, ad campaigns, etc. through the discussion forums is not allowed.

Paid advertising is available on our classifieds site and through the purchase of banner ads. The tightly monitored Giveaways forum permits free listings of genuinely free horses and items available or wanted (on a limited basis). Items offered for trade are not allowed.

Advertising Policy Specifics
When in doubt of whether something you want to post constitutes advertising, please contact a moderator privately in advance for further clarification. Refer to the following points for general guidelines:

Horses – Only general discussion about the buying, leasing, selling and pricing of horses is permitted. If the post contains, or links to, the type of specific information typically found in a sales or wanted ad, and it’s related to a horse for sale, regardless of who’s selling it, it doesn’t belong in the discussion forums.

Stallions – Board members may ask for suggestions on breeding stallion recommendations. Stallion owners may reply to such queries by suggesting their own stallions, only if their horse fits the specific criteria of the original poster. Excessive promotion of a stallion by its owner or related parties is not permitted and will be addressed at the discretion of the moderators.

Services – Members may use the forums to ask for general recommendations of trainers, barns, shippers, farriers, etc., and other members may answer those requests by suggesting themselves or their company, if their services fulfill the specific criteria of the original post. Members may not solicit other members for business if it is not in response to a direct, genuine query.

Products – While members may ask for general opinions and suggestions on equipment, trailers, trucks, etc., they may not list the specific attributes for which they are in the market, as such posts serve as wanted ads.

Event Announcements – Members may post one notification of an upcoming event that may be of interest to fellow members, if the original poster does not benefit financially from the event. Such threads may not be “bumped” excessively. Premium members may post their own notices in the Event Announcements forum.

Charities/Rescues – Announcements for charitable or fundraising events can only be made for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. Special exceptions may be made, at the moderators’ discretion and direction, for board-related events or fundraising activities in extraordinary circumstances.

Occasional posts regarding horses available for adoption through IRS-registered horse rescue or placement programs are permitted in the appropriate forums, but these threads may be limited at the discretion of the moderators. Individuals may not advertise or make announcements for horses in need of rescue, placement or adoption unless the horse is available through a recognized rescue or placement agency or government-run entity or the thread fits the criteria for and is located in the Giveaways forum.

5. Do not post copyrighted photographs unless you have purchased that photo and have permission to do so.

6. Respect other members.
As members are often passionate about their beliefs and intentions can easily be misinterpreted in this type of environment, try to explore or resolve the inevitable disagreements that arise in the course of threads calmly and rationally.

If you see a post that you feel violates the rules of the board, please click the “alert” button (exclamation point inside of a triangle) in the bottom left corner of the post, which will alert ONLY the moderators to the post in question. They will then take whatever action, or no action, as deemed appropriate for the situation at their discretion. Do not air grievances regarding other posters or the moderators in the discussion forums.

Please be advised that adding another user to your “Ignore” list via your User Control Panel can be a useful tactic, which blocks posts and private messages by members whose commentary you’d rather avoid reading.

7. We have the right to reproduce statements made in the forums.
The Chronicle of the Horse may copy, quote, link to or otherwise reproduce posts, or portions of posts, in print or online for advertising or editorial purposes, if attributed to their original authors, and by posting in this forum, you hereby grant to The Chronicle of the Horse a perpetual, non-exclusive license under copyright and other rights, to do so.

8. We reserve the right to enforce and amend the rules.
The moderators may delete, edit, move or close any post or thread at any time, or refrain from doing any of the foregoing, in their discretion, and may suspend or revoke a user’s membership privileges at any time to maintain adherence to the rules and the general spirit of the forum. These rules may be amended at any time to address the current needs of the board.

Please see our full Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for more information.

Thanks for being a part of the COTH forums!

(Revised 2/8/18)
See more
See less

How to teach a dog to lunge?

Collapse
X
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • How to teach a dog to lunge?

    I know there are plenty of people who were horseless horse crazy girls who taught their dogs to lunge. A friend wants to teach her dog and is a horse person too, but has never thought about teaching her service dog.

    So... how do you do it? She does not have access to a fenced in yard so it will have to be taught on the line for dog's safety.

    Help please. Thanks!
    "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
    you have a right to be here." ~ Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

  • #2
    I tried. I was not successful. but perhaps that was because Airedales are not really the best dogs to try and train...

    Comment


    • #3
      Interesting challenge.

      I think i'd start with a lunge whip--but not to make him go! I'd attach him to it somehow, (not gonna think that thru) and ask him to walk "on whip" around me in a circle, about halfway out on the stock, rewarding him for moving on the circle at a slight distance from me. I'd reward for every step at first, until he got the idea to move around me in a circle.

      Then I'd teach him a cue to move out away from me, and reward him for doing that.

      Then I'd move him out to the end of the stock, rinse and repeat.

      After that I'd attach a 30' lead, and use it along with the whip. Gradually I'd fade the whip, until he'd go out on the lead alone.

      Caveat--never done this, just an interesting mental exercise, but maybe it will give you some ideas.

      OE: this assumes he'd have a hard time with the idea of moving in a circle at a distance. Dogs that naturally go out might just need to be reinforced for moving in the circle, but the whip or something stiff might help keep them from coming in to you randomly and provide more chances to reinforce going out on circle.

      PS--or you could just use alpha rolls
      Ring the bells that still can ring
      Forget your perfect offering
      There is a crack in everything
      That's how the light gets in.

      Comment


      • #4
        If the objective is to exercise the dog, wouldn't fetch be easier to teach? (And can be done on a long line if needed...)

        We practice turns and circling as part of agility class, on the leash. She could probably get him doing that really well and then just keep backing up until the dog was on a 20m-ish circle... I think?

        (I don't remember how we started the turning exercise or I would describe it... oops!) DOF, I have found our Airedale easy to train, but tricky to 'practice' with. She learns things so quickly that practicing a behavior seems to bore her! I find she rises to occasions though - thankfully.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by outside__line View Post
          (I don't remember how we started the turning exercise or I would describe it... oops!) DOF, I have found our Airedale easy to train, but tricky to 'practice' with. She learns things so quickly that practicing a behavior seems to bore her! I find she rises to occasions though - thankfully.
          true, we had one that was whip smart, but that didnt mean she was going to actually do the things we trained her! It was all on her time.

          Comment


          • #6
            My dog would probably longe. This is how I'd do it:

            Teach a "step up" command to have the dog walk up past me. Sort of the same command as when I release the dog from heel to walk in front of me.

            Walk in a small circle asking the dog to "step up" past me. This should get the dog walking in a small circle around me.

            Teach the dog to "out" by taking a step toward them and praising when the dog steps out, while working on the small circle.

            Continue until the dog is walking out at a reasonable distance.

            Once that's understood, introduce a "hup hup" or "trot up," probably on the small circle, working out to the large circle.

            I would do this on a SUPER light long line to avoid any confusion of a heavy long line tugging on the collar. I would absolutely not teach this on something like a flexi lead.

            Comment


            • #7
              Lunge the Bunny

              I think I would approach is slightly differently...engage any prey drive by attaching a tug or lure toy to the lunge whip like an extra long flirt pole. Attach lightweight tracking line to dog for safety.

              Start playing! Remember the horse is a prey animal and the dog is a predator so they think differently. If pooch has zero prey drive 1) develop it and 2) tie on long, durable food like bully sticks, jerky, or food-stuffed toys. The page I linked to for the flirt pole has suggested rules of play and a video.

              I don't know how physically healthy it would be to lunge a dog . Dogs have used treadmills for a couple decades but I can't find any info on the effects in dogs of repetitively running circles.

              What are your friend's specific reasons for wanting to lunge her service dog?

              Comment

              • Original Poster

                #8
                They are essentially housebound due to her seizure issues. She has 5-20 a day. Leaving home base isn't really safe. She also has other safety reasons not to try to walk about town (personal safety).

                Dog is a rescued German short haired pointer and she does play fetch. My friend is looking for new ideas to stimulate her brain and give her some different kind of exercise too. You can only play fetch for so long. Given my friend's limited mobility I thought lunging (and later free jumping) would be a nice challenge for them to work on.

                Like I said they don't have a fenced in backyard and given pup's recent propensity to dart off in to the woods to chase a bird/sound/etc exercise must be done on a line for dog's safety. I personally think they are both feeling cooped up since the college semester let out. I thought I'd ask her to see if anyone had ideas on how to train this. She has taught horses, but never a dog.
                "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
                you have a right to be here." ~ Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

                Comment


                • #9
                  OMG! I completely forgot about it, but this reminded me I used to longe my Malamute!!! Sorry, I have no idea how I taught him to do it though.
                  It's a small world -- unless you gotta walk home.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I would suggest she hire a dogwalker, and talk to a service dog trainer- perhaps the dog can be trained to pre-alert her to seizures and thus make her more mobile? many persons with seizures use such dogs.

                    I could probably get one of my trained agility dogs to "lunge" without any additional training because they are taught to follow my indicated direction/speed/distance. I wouldn't bother with a whip with a dog; dogs are Chasers rather than Chasees, so being chased by a whip wouldn't really motivate them. Perhaps put a cone out, and teach the dog to go out and move around the cone, and then put two cones, and move around the two cones, and build up to a small circle of cones, gradually making the circle bigger?
                    I think that would drive the dog crazy with boredom, running around the circle endlessly once the trick was mastered, but teaching it might be fun for the dog, and certainly will be fun for the owner.
                    I don't like to see people try to jump dogs while they are on lines, so until the dog is trained sufficiently to focus and obey while off a line, I'd bag that one.

                    Teaching the dog silly tricks is always a fun way to work their minds. Some "tricks" can be very useful- find the keys, fetch the remote, etc.

                    Other fun ways to work dogs at home: weight-pulling, flirt poles, rally training, agility training in general.

                    The dog clearly needs more work on basic obedience if he can't be let off a line, so maybe she should start there.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I would put something the dog wants (a favorite toy or whatever) on a long stick and have the dog follow the stick around in a circle.

                      Use this to introduce voice commands and graudually reduce reliance on the lure.

                      And/or clicker train it to do a very small circle around me and gradually make the circle bigger.
                      The Noodlehttp://tiny.cc/NGKmT&http://tiny.cc/gioSA
                      Jinxyhttp://tiny.cc/PIC798&http://tiny.cc/jinx364
                      Boy Wonderhttp://tiny.cc/G9290
                      The Hana is nuts! NUTS!!http://tinyurl.com/SOCRAZY

                      Comment

                      • Original Poster

                        #12
                        The dog does do seizure alerts (which is NOT something that can be taught by the way). Please realize she has 5-20 seizures a day. She has had a TBI and multiple concussions from falls, etc. Leaving home for even short periods has resulted in some God awful goose eggs and concussions.

                        I realize that it seems like it should be simple to hire a dog walker or call a trainer but as a homeless, unemployed 20 something there isn't money for that. (She is staying with a relative for the summer until her dorm is open again. Relative had a stroke so there isn't much support there.) The whole point is to find something the dog DOESN'T know how to do so it is physically and mentally stimulating. This team has been together quite a while and are very in tune with one another. My friend and I feel like the dog needs to turn and burn and blow off steam but there isn't a safe place to do that, ie no dog parks or horse farms with no-climb fence around.

                        Before becoming so ill my friend was an active horse person too. I remembered ppl here saying they had dogs that lunged so I figured I would ask for her.

                        Oh, they also do some backyard agility but even that isn't a huge challenge anymore given their limited equipment.

                        Not trying to be difficult. Just stating the facts. Things would be so much simpler if she could still drive or if there was a dog park, but there isn't. Just trying to help a friend brainstorm on how to start teaching her dog to lunge.
                        "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
                        you have a right to be here." ~ Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

                        Comment

                        • Original Poster

                          #13
                          As for the comment regarding basic obedience... ANY dog is prone to get a wild hair up their butt and take off without warning if the mood strikes them. That is the case here. Both handler and dog went thru a traumatic experience and the dog hasn't been 100% reliable on recall so for dog's safety she is on a long line for play. It would only take one time for the dog to be injured, shot, lost, or hit by a car. Please don't insinuate the dog isn't well trained. She is a bird dog that needs to run but they aren't in a place where she can safely do that at the moment. Since school is no longer in session both handler and are restless and feeling cooped up. Just trying to find new things for them to safely do in an I fenceless backyard with lots of traffic around. I'm sure my friend would like to get out and do more but her seizures are getting worse, not better. I'm sure the brain tumor isn't helping either.
                          "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
                          you have a right to be here." ~ Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            FWIW, I disagree that a dog would not enjoy longeing once the lesson has been learned. I think that a dog that loves to RUN and does not get the opportunity would not see it is a pointless, boring activity--it would see the chance to really run as a reward.

                            The tough part is letting the dog out on a line that's long enough to really let them ramp it up and then also not getting yanked off your feet if the dog decides to go in a different direction.

                            If I were unable to let my Ridgeback loose, I would consider teaching her to longe, as the dog really needs to be able to RUN and she would enjoy the opportunity.

                            Comment

                            • Original Poster

                              #15
                              Yes, the need for working up to a very long line to avoid stressing joints was discussed. Gotta get her lunging first though. . This dog gets so much joy from running that I think she would love it too. Would also help my friend miss the horses a little less to maybe.
                              "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
                              you have a right to be here." ~ Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Originally posted by PalominoMorgan View Post
                                I know there are plenty of people who were horseless horse crazy girls who taught their dogs to lunge.
                                There are?

                                A friend wants to teach her dog and is a horse person too, but has never thought about teaching her service dog.

                                So... how do you do it? She does not have access to a fenced in yard so it will have to be taught on the line for dog's safety.
                                This is like my stepdaughter walking into the house a few months ago and asking, "Is is possible to teach a dog to passage?" (Huh? ) She ended up using the patio chairs and jump poles to make a doggie jump course instead. TurboMutt enjoyed jumping around, but dressage is probably out of her league.

                                Why not teach the dog some agility? Fly ball? Or just play fetch? That can be done on a long line. Not so sure about longeing though.
                                "I did know once, only I've sort of forgotten." - Winnie the Pooh

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  I used to longe my son's adopted OTGreyhound regularly. He was quite good at it!

                                  Would make me very dizzy, though.

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZuWZ...e_gdata_player

                                    My pup lunges sorry, I have no idea how you would teach it...she just gets a bit crazy and runs around me in circles
                                    My CANTER cutie Chip and IHSA shows!
                                    http://www.youtube.com/kheit86

                                    Comment

                                    • Original Poster

                                      #19
                                      Maybe I should have posted on the H/J forum since I remember more than a few ppl chiming in about teaching their dogs to lunge before their parents agreed to get them a horse. Was hoping maybe they wander over here to this section too.

                                      Apparently it Germany dog lunging is not unheard of. There were some basic starting directions but not a real step by step. Just basically make a reverse round pen (person Inside, dog outside).

                                      They already play a ton of fetch and do some backyard agility. Dog is a quick learner though so we are brainstorming on a way to combine her desire to RUN with learning something new. We thought of fly ball, lure chasing, or dock diving but doesn't seem to be a way to get them there even if there was anything around.
                                      Last edited by PalominoMorgan; Jun. 12, 2012, 12:45 PM. Reason: Spelling
                                      "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
                                      you have a right to be here." ~ Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        As for the comment regarding basic obedience... ANY dog is prone to get a wild hair up their butt and take off without warning if the mood strikes them.
                                        uh, no. Politely disagree. Well-trained dogs don't take off without warning even if they do get into wild moods, and well-trained dogs come when they are called, or drop instantly on command, regardless of circumstances. You should go watch an advanced obedience class sometime and watch the antics they get up to, "proofing" the dog's basic behaviors. You never know what will happen, so you train against it.

                                        If you can't trust a dog to work with you off-leash, I would politely submit that should be your FIRST training goal- to develop a dog who has enough focus, attention, and training to work with you without needing a line. After you have that, then you work on fun sports.

                                        Seems to me the girl in question could probably find someone willing to take her dog for a regular run- I wouldn't be surprised if you submitted a request to the local dog-walkers for someone to donate some time to help a dog of someone in need you'll get lots of takers.

                                        Training her dog to lunge is a fine thing to try, but surely it would help the dog more to get someone to volunteer to run the dog regularly?

                                        Comment

                                        Working...
                                        X