How to teach your dog to back around you
A fundamental skill for canine freestyle is the dog backing around the handler. It’s also a fun trick that will impress your friends! Before you begin teaching this behavior, make sure your dog knows how to back up in a straight line (see Teach Your Dog to Back Up to a Target). Once your dog is backing up reliably at least 4 feet on cue, you can begin teaching your dog to back around you.
In this video, Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Certified Training Partner (CTP) Celine Yang and her dog Servus demonstrate the steps to follow to teach your dog to back around. To begin, Celine uses an adjustable exercise pen. The pen is only wide enough for Servus to walk backward; it is not big enough for him to turn around. The key to teaching this behavior is to go slow and click for increased duration. Note how Celine stands in the center of the pen and clicks in increments until Servus is backing up 360⁰ around her. Celine then phases out the gate and Servus backs around her on cue!
Interested in a new way to train and have fun with your dog? Learn how to put together your own show-stopping freestyle routines in KPA's online Canine Freestyle course!
Happy Training!