Rewarding the Dog for Coming to You Many dogs will begin to anticipate the turn away when you begin the cues. Early on in training, as well as throughout the dog's life, it is important to occasionally reward the dog for driving to you without turning the dog away. See Figure 6 (http://youtu.be/Zf4ZrS4oZec). 6 Common Errors * Too early: If the handler begins the cues too early, the dog will turn away toward the obstacle too early, which will cause him to approach from either the wrong side of the obstacle or in the wrong direction of approach. It is important to first focus the dog's attention on coming toward the handler until he can approach the obstacle in the correct direction. * Poor use of hand/wrist: For this turn, the dog has a lot of focus on the hand, so it is important that the handler uses the hand well. As the handler draws the dog toward her, her fingers should be facing upward. As she turns her hand away, her wrist should also rotate so that her fingers are now facing downward. The hand cues should be down lower toward the dog's level vs. high above the 7 handler's chest and shoulders. If the handler is not clear with the use of her hands, the dog can turn toward the handler instead of away. Sequences Figures 7 through 11 show several sequences using the lap turn. Good luck and most of all have fun! D 8 4 2 4 3 3 2 5 1 1 Lap turn from #2 to #3 16 Lap turn from #2 to #3 Clean Run | September 14