Focus Exercises

If your dog barks and lunges at distractions or just drags you on walks, one helpful
strategy is to perform fun exercises that help your dog focus on you. These
exercises work best if you adopt quick, precise treat delivery and movement speed
as well as posture and arm positions that make your signals clear.
The following is a set of patterns for combining simple exercises:
REPEAT SITS BACKWARDS, HEELING, REPEAT SITS ON THE SIDE and CHANGES IN PACE
in ways that make focusing on you fun.
A. Repeat sit backwards: change directions by turning 90 or 180 (backwards U-turn) and continuing with
(A) Repeat sit backwards, change directions by turning 90 or 180 (backwards U turn) and continuing with repeat sits backwards.
repeat sits backwards.
1. REPEAT SITS BACKWARDS
2. 180 TURN, CONTINUE REPEAT SITS

1. REPEAT SITS BACKWARDS

2. 90 TURN, CONTINUE REPEAT SITS

B. Repeat
sit backwards: change directions by turning 90, 180, 270, or 360 and heeling forwards.
(B) Repeat sit backwards: change directions by turning 90, 180, or 270 or 360 and heeling forwards
Dog heels on LEFT SIDE. Handler must turn CLOCKWISE

Dog heels on RIGHT SIDE. Handler must turn COUNTER CLOCKWISE

Start with:
REPEAT SITS BACKWARDS

TURN 270
FORWARD HEELING

TURN 90
FORWARD HEELING

TURN 180
FORWARD HEELING

Start with:
REPEAT SITS BACKWARDS

TURN 90
FORWARD HEELING

TURN 270
FORWARD HEELING

TURN 180
FORWARD HEELING

(C) Heel forward:

change direction,
direction switching
to repeat sit backwards
90 sit
(L-pattern)
or 180
C. Heel forward:
change
switching
to repeat
backwards
90 (L-pattern) or 180.

2. 180 TURN
REPEAT SITS BACKWARDS
2. 90 TURN
REPEAT SITS BACKWARDS

1. FORWARD HEELING

1. FORWARD HEELING

2013 Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS

For additional free educational resources and more dog

behavior books and products, visit www.drsophiayin.com

Focus Exercises
Heel forward:
forward: Change
directions
by continuing
to heel but in ato90
or 180
D.(D)
Heel
Change
directions
by continuing
heel,
butabout-turn.
in a 90 or 180 about-turn.
2. ABOUT-TURN 180 CLOCKWISE
CONTINUE HEELING

1. FORWARD HEELING

2. TURN 90 RIGHT
CONTINUE HEELING

1. FORWARD HEELING

(E) Heel
forward: Change
Change directions
by continuing
to heel but
90 but
or 180
turn.or 180 U-turn.
E. Heel
forward:
directions
by continuing
to in
heel,
in aU90

2. U-TURN 180 COUNTER CLOCKWISE

CONTINUE HEELING

1. FORWARD HEELING

2. TURN 90 LEFT
CONTINUE HEELING

1. FORWARD HEELING

F. (F)
Changes
in Speed: Sudden increase in speed for 3-5 steps.
Changes in Speed: Sudden increase in speed for 3-5 steps.
1. HEELING NORMAL SPEED

2. SPEED UP FOR 3-5 STEPS

3. BACK TO NORMAL SPEED

(G) Changes in Speed: Sudden stops by doing repeat sits in heel position.

G. Changes in Speed: Sudden stops by doing repeat sits in heel position.

1. FORWARD HEELING

2. REPEAT SITS IN HEEL POSITION

2013 Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS

For additional free educational resources and more dog

behavior books and products, visit www.drsophiayin.com