I'm spilling the answer to why I don't use platforms when I teach position changes right up front.
I'm a control freak. I want those pretty position changes where the dog confidentially anchors their feet in place. I want it so bad! And for no real reason other than that it makes me gasp in awe.
And, for at least the average trainer, full-body platforms just aren't going to get you there!
When I'm teaching position changes I want to be very clear HOW I want the dog to move. It's not about the end position itself, it's about the movement.
If we only focus on the end position, it likely won't make us clench our chest in amazement. But more importantly, it's harder to communicate the concept of remaining in place once we're at a distance.
The easiest way to communicate that point is to focus on what 2 feet I want to remain still as the dog moves. The dog focuses on locking up their feet, which not only results in that breathtaking movement but also in a dog who can confidently do that same ACTION at a distance. Because the entire focus has been on the HOW and not just about getting there. No ugly butt drops into a down. No walking a few (or more!) steps.
Platforms
You can argue that a platform does prevent forward motion! It can be helpful in teaching your dog not to come to you. And if that's your sole goal then that's ok!
But platforms at the foundation steps are also the prop I see the most often that leads to those problems down the road of extra movement at a distance. Thought is often not put into using them in a way that pays attention to the HOW part of the dog's position change.
Careful thought needs to be given to how the dog is set up on the platform so they have the room they need to do the style of position change you’ve trained but not any extra room. And care needs to be given that the platform is both long enough to allow the dog to be balanced in a stand and down, and wide enough so that the dog isn't’ worried about stepping off as they “kickback” into positions that have their front feet still like a kickback stand or kickback sit to down.
This is a great example of a platform that is long enough for the dog to lie down on without their elbows over the edge, and wide enough that the dog can comfortably kick back if needed on some position changes.
This platform is NOT long enough for Zumi. If she were to lie down, she would be scrunched and her feet would be hanging over the edge. The width could be ok for an experienced dog in kicking back for a stand or down, but likely too restrictive for a dog learning how to move back into a balanced position.
Here’s an example of using a platform and the difficulties that can bring with a dog who isn’t already solidly trained.
Can you see how both Arlo and Grace don’t kick back very far on their sit to stand? The platform is too narrow for them to do so confidently. Then on the stand to down they’re both coming forward slightly. Not enough to be scored, but they’re losing that foldback down they both had with a rear foot target! On the sit to down, both dogs hang their paws over the edge. Arlo because he wanted to keep rear feet still, and Grace because she isn’t pushing back far enough for her “front feet still” style. She's closer than Arlo due to her bigger foundation with front foot targets, but not quite there for platform work.
If your goal is consistency, and maybe even a bit of prettiness, then let's talk about using front and rear foot targets.
What Targets Should I Pick?
Foot targets communicate to the dog which feet to plant and thus what feet to move.
Unless you're fully committed to only front feet still or only rear feet still, there's a good chance you'll end up using both front and rear foot targets!
For example, I usually train front feet still for stand into a tucked sit, but rear feet still for down into a push back sit.
Because of this, I can’t do both of those position changes on my front foot target! (And I also choose to give the sit different names since the action is very different! “Sit” is tucking in, and “lift” is pushing back.)
As the dog gets more advanced, I can use both targets at the same time and have the dog sometimes come off a target as they purposefully move into their position change.
Your own goals don’t have to be super exact with the dog keeping their feet completely planted. But you do want to pay attention to HOW the dog is moving and go for that consistency!
When your dog is focusing on the action of how to move, then it’s much easier to get that at a distance even when the prop is gone!
Here is an example of how I use a rear foot target to keep the dog’s feet planted. The first half she’s starting on the target and I demo stand to down, down to stand, and down to sit. The 2nd half I demo how I can start her off the target and she’s focusing on really kicking back to find the target behind her for sit to a kickback stand, and sit to a kickback down.
And this is an example of using a front foot target for position changes. The first half is using only the front foot target and she does a pretty good job, but I lure her for the downs as she didn’t (yet) have the skill of really reaching back. You can see when I add in the rear foot target alongside her front foot target she confidentially pushes back.
What Now?!
Thinking about all this precision can feel overwhelming! You may be wondering if you completely need to retrain all of your cues!
With my 2 current dogs, my goals are very different!
Loot struggles with precision goals. The pictures I have in my mind of what I want his position to look like aren't quite as sexy as the feet perfectly still in one place. But my goals are still that he remain in place and that he's consistent in what parts he's trying to move! It's not super pretty, but it is very functional!
With Ginny I am still dreaming of those perfect positions. But at the same time, I'm not letting minor foot shuffles hold me back from progressing with the other goals I want to work on of distance, distractions, and positions in motion!
I want to encourage you to take a deep breath. Then grab a video camera and record what you have. Bonus points if you put some tape or chalk lines on the ground where your dog is starting so you can easily see what, if any, movement you're getting! Try to start out of arm's reach of the dog so you can really evaluate what they are doing without your body's help.
Video all six position changes (yes 6!!) for a few attempts at each one.
Was your dog consistent within each position change? Meaning, each time you cued a sit from a stand, did your dog move the same two feet such as front feet still and rear feet come up or vice versa? This doesn't need to be perfect form, but the overall style should be consistent.
Did your dog remain in one spot when you were at a small distance (out of arms reach)?
Did your dog do it on the first cue and without pausing in another position first?
If you answered yes to all of the above, then you're ok!! You can continue to focus on building distance from your dog, and adding in more challenges such as positions with your back turned, touching your toes while cuing, etc!
And if you realize you need some help, that’s ok too! Grab those foot targets and focus on teaching your dog how to respect the boundaries so they really plant their feet in one place.
And join us in TEAM 1 for some in depth discussion on how to teach those position changes! We can drill down and get really nerdy on what it looks like, or just shoot for functional!