Front Cross: Guide 1

Get Started in Dog Agility at Home. Front Cross. Guide 1

What: 
A front cross is a handling move where you get ahead of your dog and turn plus and change your driving arm so that the dog change which side they are to you.
This gives us the ability to move in a clockwise and anticlockwise direction on an agility course.
In this exercise, we release the dog with one driving hand and then turn to direct onto a reward with another.

Why: 
We can practice the handling moving using toys instead of jumps. This practice teaches the dog to follow the drive arm to find an obstacle on the course when we put it into sequences as the dogs' progress.

How to practice dog agility at home:
You can work with a training partner or alone if your dog has a reliable wait. See place board guides: https://angliandogworks.com/blogs/place-board-training

1. Imagine a clock face
2. Position the dog at six o'clock in a wait or use a helper.
3. Place the reward for example a food bowl with a treat or toy at two o'clock.
4. Handlers lead out on the left side and stand in the imaginary middle.
5. When the dog is released, the handler turns to the left and sends the dog with the right arm to the reward at two o'clock.
6. Repeat on the other side.
7. Place the reward in different positions, for example, three o'clock or nine o'clock.

• Ask for a wait instead of using restraint
• Increase the distance between the handler and the dog
• Work on both the left and right side
• Add a jump the dog takes before performing the front cross

Goal to achieve: Practice until you feel comfortable and fluid with the handling movement and your dog changes from one side to another and is directed onto the laid reward each time.  

About the author:

Hi 👋 I’m Emma, accredited as a professional dog trainer by the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT). I help owners of energetic dogs achieve the dog-owning life they envisioned by providing robust obedience & agility training for dogs in Balsham, near Cambridge.

Disclaimer: The content of this article does not include personalised advice and is for information purposes only. If you need individual advice or other enquiries please click here to get in contact or if you're not local to Anglian Dog Works, you can find a trainer in your area by going to the IMDT website: https://www.imdt.uk.com/find-a-qualified-imdt-trainer

Please share your questions and progress: 

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