How to Train Wing Wraps in Dog Agility (Beginner Guide)

How to Train Tight Turns (Wing Wraps) in Agility

Introduction: Why Teach Tight Turns Early

Tight turns, often called wing wraps, are one of the first handling skills you’ll come across in agility — and one of the most useful.

At grades 1–3, courses regularly test whether your dog can turn on cue, not just follow your movement. Teaching wraps prepares your dog for the types of questions they’re likely to see at this level, without you needing to run right up to every jump.

Training tight turns helps with:

• Teaching your dog to turn on cue
• Building independence around jump wings
• Reducing frustration for both handler and dog
• Creating quick, clean lines between obstacles

When a dog understands how to land, turn tightly, and commit to the next obstacle, runs feel smoother and handling becomes clearer.

That’s why wing wraps are such an important foundation skill — and why we’re focusing on them in our Cambridge agility classes this January. They’re easy to train at home, require very little equipment, and they carry through as courses become more technical.

What Are Tight Turns (Wing Wraps) in Agility?

A tight turn, or wing wrap, is when your dog:

• Jumps
• Lands tight behind the wing
• Immediately turns back in the opposite direction

Instead of continuing forward after the jump, your dog performs a U-turn around the wing to take the best line to the next obstacle.

This is different from:

• A loose left or right turn, where the dog continues forward
• A backside send, where the dog goes behind the wing before taking the jump

With a wing wrap, the picture is:
Over the pole → land → turn tightly around the wing

Direction matters:

• Clockwise around the wing = right wing wrap
• Anti-clockwise around the wing = left wing wrap

Verbal Cues for Tight Turns

There’s no single “correct” cue for tight turns.

You can absolutely swap the words for something that makes more sense to you. What matters is:

• The cues are easy to say
• You use them consistently
• They clearly contrast with your loose turn cues (such as “Left” and “Right”)

In this blog:

• “Check” = right / clockwise wrap
• “Wrap” = left / anti-clockwise wrap

What You’ll Need to Train Wing Wraps

You don’t need a full agility setup to teach this skill.

You’ll need:

• A place board (this acts as a start line)
• A jump wing, cone, stick, or household object
• A food bowl used as a target
• High-value treats
• Optional later: another obstacle (for example, a tunnel) for discrimination

Step-by-Step Training Guide

Step 1 – Teaching a Left Wing Wrap (e.g. Jump 9)

• Position your dog on a place board to your right.
  This creates a consistent start point.
• Place a food bowl by the outer edge of the left-hand wing, on the take-off side.
• Say “OK” to release your dog.
• Use a treat in your hand to lure your dog anti-clockwise around the object.
• As soon as your dog completes the turn, drop the treat into the bowl.

Repeat this five times, helping your dog build confidence and fluency.

If you want a visual of this stage, there’s a short demo on my YouTube channel showing the setup and movement.

📽️ YouTube Video – Click to Watch

Why Use a Bowl?

The bowl prevents your dog from expecting the reward to happen near you or your hand.

This helps:

• Build independence
• Encourage your dog to drive around the wing
• Create value away from the handler

This becomes important later when you start moving or handling at a distance.

Step 2 – Remove the Lure

Once your dog is confidently moving around the object:

• Repeat the setup, but use an empty hand
• Release with “OK”
• Drop the treat into the bowl after the turn is completed

After around 10 successful repetitions, introduce your verbal cue:

• Say “Wrap” just before your dog commits to the turn

Step 3 – Building Independence

Progress gradually by:

Increasing Distance

• Move the place board and bowl further away from the wing
• Increase distance in 0.5m increments, up to a maximum of around 4 metres

The goal is confidence, not adding distance too quickly.

You can step forward with a gentle bowling-style arm and leg movement, but your dog should travel without you.

Example course: Obstacles 8–9 are 7.3 metres apart. With practice, notice how far your dog can travel and stay committed to the wing wrap without you.

Training the Opposite Direction: Mirror the entire setup to teach the right wrap ("check"). Train both directions separately before linking them together.

Adding Handling Moves

Once wraps are solid, you can start layering in handling.

Front crosses can help encourage tighter turns when timed correctly.

The Figure of 8 Game

Once your dog understands both directions, you can start to link wraps together.

Set two wings up in a loose figure of 8.

You stay in the middle and do not move towards the wing.
Reward after no more than four wing wraps in a row.

Adjust difficulty by increasing or decreasing the distance.

 

Example Sequence

• With your dog on your right, say “Wrap” (left)
• Your dog wraps the left wing
• Pivot
• Say “Wrap” again
• Perform a front cross as they complete their turn

Your dog should now be on your left.

As you approach the next wing:

• Say “Check”. Perform a Ketschker

You're not changing handling sides. This handling is more collected than a pivot. It opens a clear line and helps prevent falling into obstacle traps. Your back will be to the wing as your dog circles behind you.

• Reward after no more than four wing wraps in a row.
  

Testing Commitment With Movement

You can test your dog’s commitment to the wrap cue by adding handler movement.

• Say “Check”
• As your dog commits to the turn, move slowly in the opposite direction
• Start with small movements
• Gradually increase speed and distance

This teaches your dog that the cue still applies even when you move away.

The Clock Face Exercise

The Clock Face exercise is used to test commitment to the wrap as the handler moves.

• Imagine a clock face
• The wing is in the middle
• Start at imaginary 6 o’clock

Say “Check”.

As your dog completes the wrap, move towards 9–10 o’clock.

Switch sides: Say “Wrap”. Move towards 2–3 o’clock

Reducing Handling and Testing Understanding

Gradually fade how much your arm moves around the wing so your dog learns to respond to the verbal cue, not your hand.

An advanced test is placing wraps adjacent to a tunnel.

Ask for the wrap and see whether your dog:

• Responds to the cue
• Or takes the tunnel

This gives you clear feedback on understanding.

 Final Thoughts

Wing wraps are easy to train at home and make a noticeable difference on course.

Clear cues, consistent pictures, and steady progression allow your dog to understand how to turn tightly without needing constant support.

This January, we’re focusing on tight turns in our Cambridge agility classes, helping handlers build strong foundations that carry through as courses become more technical.

For more agility training tips and class updates, follow me on social media
@angliandogworks