"HIER!" & "Vorsitzen" Problem

I work the recall for speed with the toy. I start with my feet spread wide and hang a toy on a rope so it hangs a little above my knees, so he can see it. I am holding the toy at this stage so he will go through and tug the toy behind me, but he can't run off with it. Or I will be playing the two-toy game and throw in the recall between the legs once in a while. Later, I call the dog with my legs together, as in the trial, but I spread them so he can see the toy before he gets to me. He comes to expect the toy from me that way, even if he can't see it.

I work the front sit from 1 step away from me. In the beginning usually for food, from both hands in front (centered). Don't lean over the dog; lean back. Then progress to spitting the food from your mouth to his with your hands at your sides (he must get close for this or he will not get the food). When you are ready, tuck the toy under your chin and call him to front (don't let him jump up to get it). Take the toy from your throat to give it to him at first. Later you can probably just raise your chin to release the toy to him.

After a while you can put it together sometimes. Stand with your legs together, call him, and when he gets close put the toy at your chin. Occasionally throw in the finish. Keep rewarding between the legs to keep him motivated, and from the chin for the front sit, to keep things in balance. It always takes a little fiddling to get it to work, but that is the process I use.

I had the same problem. Bison knew the recall command, but wasn't sitting close enough. What worked for me is holding a piece food on my tummy where I would want his nose to line up. If he reaches for the food then mark (I used a clicker) and release the food. If he didn't reach for the food, then I took a step back and he naturally moved forward. After he was used to that, then I used just my hand and pointed to the spot on my tummy that I wanted him to line up with. Then when he was in a good position, I would click and treat. I am currently at the tail end of phasing out having my hand on my tummy. Through the whole process, he gets no reward for being too far away. At some point, he understands that being far away doesn't earn him a treat and he moves forward to get the treat.

I also use a tug on my tummy, but I wouldn't recommend that unless you know the dog won't make a grab for it

I've done the front sit a couple of different ways.

The older dogs I did sort of like what Amy was saying. Although I would treat at my tummy while walking backwards, so my dogs had to keep reaching in to get the treats and the dog had to keep moving into me. I would also bend forward a little sort of making my tummy target further away from the dog and then I would have them sit while I was bent forward and they were eating from the lure in my hand. And then when I stood up, they were good and close.

The other thing we did was a game with Tag. I would throw a piece of food between my legs, Tag would run to go grab it and I would be turning around and moving away, then I would call Tag, and he would run back towards me and I would throw a piece of food between my legs. It was sort of like wind sprints between my legs. Then after he got that concept in a couple of sessions I would start closing my legs and making sort of a small hoop with them that he had to go through. Then I would close my legs and have the food reward in my hand and as he was running to me I would stand straight legs together and pull my hand up and lure him right into the sit.

Another things we did was a backwards movement and pull him into a sit, restart backwards movement, drop him into a down, backwards then sit. Something about moving backwards and keeping them moving into you really just seemed to help alot.

You may also need to look at *how* Indra sits. If she learned to rock back into a sit, instead of to tuck up her rear into a sit...she may be in good position until she goes to sit and then she rocks back off of you into her sit. If thats the case, you either need to reteach the way she sits, or teach her to compensate for the rock back. Generally my dogs that rock back into their sits will bump a little on their recall because to maintain a close sit, they almost have to come in too close so they can have room to rock back into their sit and be where I want them.