Locked Front Legs vs Locked Back Legs in Recall Training Part 3

When I learnt it at Bonus, not many people had locked front legs, and I actually got asked whether it was permitted in competition. There's nothing anywhere that says you must have locked legs at all. The dog should be in the same place throughout all the transitions, and I think that's easier to explain when you're working with locked front legs.

I've heard things like it's supposed to be much harder for a dog to do transitions at distance with locked front legs. The argument is apparently that you can just try the different movements yourself.. I don't think that's comparable. We walk on our hind legs and use our front legs in a completely different way. Dogs, on the other hand, walk on four legs and naturally carry more weight on their front legs than their hind legs. Their hind legs, meanwhile, they often don't have as good control over, and it's something you usually need to work a bit with to teach them good rear end control.

My dog is too slow for locked front legs..\
I have to be completely honest — I don't understand why that's an argument. Whether a dog is fast or slow, I don't think it has any bearing on the choice between front legs or hind legs.

You have to use a platform/target to teach a dog locked front legs.\
No! It's entirely possible to teach a dog locked front legs without using aids at all.\
There's nothing magical about a platform that makes the dog keep its legs still on it. Whether you use a platform or not, the dog needs to learn to lock its legs to the surface. If you're going to use a platform, you first have to teach the dog to lock its legs on the platform, and then unlearn the platform. That's why I think it's simpler to teach the dog to lock its legs to the surface directly, without the detour via a platform.

What are you wondering about regarding distance recall and locked front legs versus locked hind legs?

Would you like to start learning or improving distance recall with your dog?\
Then my brand new rear end control course is a great place to start. Whether you want to work with locked front legs, locked hind legs, or aren't quite sure yet, your dog needs good rear end control among other things to perform the transitions properly. It also needs good strength, stability and core musculature, and of course that's included in this course too.

Curious? You'll find more information and enrolment here:\
Rear end control – from baby steps to perfection