Weaving - How To Teach
Equipment - food/and or clicker
Method -
Dog is taught off lead in distraction free area. Reason for off lead, if frees up both hands, and trick looks better off lead, saves you having to phase out the lead later.
Dog is facing you about one foot away. Your legs are apart.
Note:
If you are five foot tall and your dog is a great Dane, you might have problems with this trick
Food Lure Method
Puts some food in your hand and put your hand behind your back and down in between your legs. If the dog is a nervous type, reward him as soon as he moves towards your hand. Slowly move your hand further and further from behind so that your dog is going through your legs. Reward for every step he makes towards you. Have legs spread out wide so it is easier for the dog. Lots of reward, praise and food once dog makes it all the way through your legs. The next trial the dog should be more confident, so reward him once he is in the middle of your legs, and then again when he is through. Add the word "Through" or another cue word, if that word is already taken. Your hand coming in between your legs is the signal. Gradually phase out the food so the dog only gets it once he is all the way through.
Then reward for every second "through".
Target Method
Same as food lure method, but you hold out your fingers, and the dog is rewarded once with food once he touches the two finger target. Instead of food only. See targetting trick for more info on targetting and teach it for a week if you are going to use this method.
Clicker Method
Same as above using food, but click for movements towards you. Then click for more movements towards you, slowly upping the criteria. Then click for the complete movement.
Problems
My Flatcoated retriever loves this trick so much that he goes up to everybody and walks through their legs, even from behind. He once walked through this lady's legs and she had a kilt on. I have worked out that he likes the feeling of his sides being rubbed as he goes through. He will often stop midway so you can pat his sides. It is his spot. He also used to walk through men's legs, and give them a nudge in a sensitive spot on the way through. So just watch out for these joker dogs.
Figure 8 Leg Weave
Another leg weave you can do after the first one is known well. Is to stand with legs apart. You have pieces of food in both hands. You lure the dog through your legs with a piece of food with your right hand behind your back and through your legs. The dog walks through your legs and is rewarded. You then get your left hand and put it across the front of your body across your right leg, so the dog comes around from behind, you then guide the dog through your legs again and lure him around your left leg to the front of you and in-between your legs again. It is confusing to write, but basically your dog is doing a figure of 8 in and out of your legs while you are standing still with legs apart. Think of the go around to heel after a recall in obedience, except the dog is going behind you and through your legs so he ends up in the front again and then going around the other leg.
Walking Leg Weave
Stand as if you have just taken a big step. An exaggerated step, lure dog through with food. It is easier if you have dog on left, right foot forward. Slip your right hand down with a piece of food and lure the dog through. Do this several times introduce the word "through" or any other word you are going to use. Then put left foot forward right foot back, and have the dog on the right side, and use your left hand with a piece of food just under your left leg, and lure the dog through. Do this several times, and then put it all together. Gradually phase out the food and reward intermittently, so the dog never knows when it gets the reward, also make less exaggerated foot steps and hand signals through the legs.
This is the method I have seen used in videos and read in books, and the method I have used on my own dogs.
ADVANCED
You can teach your dog to go through your legs from behind and sit when he gets to the middle.
You can recall your dog, with legs apart and have him run through your legs. Throw the food through the middle just as he gets to you, or he might cheat and go around.
