PREPARING THE HAND SIGNAL
Ultimately, any hand signal you give the dog will be at a distance and if you are working one of the retrieving breeds it could be at a significant distance, so you must get into good habits from the beginning. A common mistake is that the handler fails to give clear signals to the dog, and this is especially true where the hand signal is concerned. I often see handlers with a hand in front of their faces. This will make it nigh on impossible for the dog to see the command, so make sure you give a clear signal with your hand up high and slightly to one side.
“A common mistake is that the handler fails to give clear signals”
of time. You must ensure that these basics are in place – if not, there is the possibility the dog will break and self-reward itself by getting to the dummy long before you can get to the dog, and once the dog has the dummy you will not be able to correct it. Remember, prevention is better than cure.
The ‘go back’ command basically means that the dog should turn around that 180 degrees and go out in a line away from the handler. Ideally, the dog should keep going until it either finds or winds the retrieve or is stopped and given another command. Obviously, you cannot expect the dog to run arrow straight but it should be there or thereabouts and you do not want it running off at an angle.
You will need to be consistent when teaching this exercise. If the dog veers off at an angle you must stop and put it back on the original spot and set the task up again. Don’t fall into the common habit of stopping the dog, trying to send it right or left, and then trying the back again.
The exercise is for the dog to go straight back and this is the lesson you need to teach it. Do not allow it to do a zigzag pattern.