Recall to "front" ...Need help
 

Hi,

I have 100% confidence in Kira's recall. I can call from anywhere, and she'll stop what she's doing, and come to me.

However, I've been trying to get her to "come to front" position, and sit in front of me.

If I call her, she comes running over at full speed. 99% of the time, she'll end up close to me, then I have to command her to either heel or front. I can't get it in one recall.

So far, I've managed to accomplish this, ONLY by either stopping her while she's running to me, and then commanding her to front.
I want her to run to front, and sit.

Suggestions welcomed.

Go back to basics and start luring with the "here" command. Ask her to sit, step back a few feet and call her to "here" luring with food or a toy into the correct position then reward once she does it.

Go to your kitchen. Sit in a chair with your legs apart. Tuck a treat under your chin. Call her in, when she's between your legs, release the treat. Muscle memory...you need to build the muscle memory. Do not use the Front command until you are sure that she understands the position.

Hope you don't mind me giving my 2 cents :)

I have similar problem with my dog. He half sits in front and half goes to heel position

The problem is the dog anticipating a heel or another command so it's like why bother sitting right in front.

It comes down to foundation training i think. If the recall to front was really solid to begin with the problem shouldn't arise

Bart Bellons theory with the boxes or a marking board is a good route to fixing it. He'd put a box open at one side in front of him and call the dog into the box and reward there. Then when that was solid he'd remove the box.

Similarly he'd put another box to his left so to position a straight heel from the front position

I'm sure you know this technique and can search for his clips if you need it

She will do the above mentioned in a close, controlled environment.
Now that I'm typing this, I realize that maybe I'm the one that may have confused the commands...

If i'm within close range, I can easily say "front", and she'll come to front. I use reward based, and repeat.

Now if I'm long range, I use COME command. I guess I associated two different results.

I need to be corrected.

This is interesting, and sounds like a fun game too.

MadLab what helped me with anticipation are two things:
1. I would only do the "finish" (when dog moves from front to heel) once in a while - most of the times I'd reward the recall separately (so maybe I'll release midway with the ball between my legs or maybe I'll have him come to front and then reward etc). The less u do the finish, the less anticipation (same with down with recall)
2. I taught two commands that can be called from the front position - fuss (finish) and "under" (figure eights between my legs). This way I can mix things up while still working the front, finish, etc. Dog learns that even if he anticipates a command after the recall, he doesn't know which one (fuss or have him weave and then fuss)

Summary: be predictably unpredictable

As for Bellon's methods - I never really tried it (I have enough equipment to carry with me, I can't bring a bunch of boxes with me) but from what I've seen the end picture is a nice one, very clear to the dog.

Anthony: I agree with others, you can probably go back to basics. Lure very closely into you (exaggerate the position - I lean back and have the dog's nose literally touching my midsection when I first taught) and reward from the front position, then you can increase distance

Make a platform just big enough for her to sit on, and about 3-6 inches off the ground. Teach her that sitting on the platform gets rewards. Then recall her while you stand at the platform so if she is on the platform, the front will be correct.

Also, I used a different command for "recall to me" and "recall and front & center"... "Come" and "Heir"

Hope you don't mind me hijacking a bit, but I have trouble with mine with this too. She will Hier but will stop and sit about 1 foot in front of me. Would the platform or chair work in this case? I have done the treat and ball under my chin but she tends to still stop 1 foot in front of me for the treat, and will get close but jumps for the ball.

Anthony, I do a little of what everyone is suggesting with my crack puppy. I did start with what Michelle has suggested in a controlled environment, because he is so difficult to keep focused.

What really polished it up was even after he fronts and I reward, I'll back a step and repeat again. I do it a couple of times. That way he waits at the sit (in front of me) for additional instructions from me and stays focused. Sometimes I'll throw in a single reward then we'll run off to play. But I don't ever reward and end it there. I will when he matures, but right now my game is to keep him focused on me.