MiddleDog walks between your legs and sits facing forward
A position cue that puts the dog between your legs, facing the same direction as you. Useful for managing reactive dogs who need to be collected quickly, and a building block for leg weaves and cop cop.
Also known as: Center, Between
At a glance
- Tier
- 2 · Intermediate
- Time to fluency
- 2–5 weeks
- Practice
- 4× per week, 5 min each
- Equipment
- Small soft treats
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach middle
Lure
Lure the dog through your legs from behind and reward in position
- Stand with feet wide apart and lure the dog through from behind
- Mark when the dog's head passes through and is between your knees
- Reward at the dog's head position between your legs, not out front
- Add a sit between your legs once the pass-through is smooth
Hand Signal
Tap between your knees or point through your legs
- Tap the inside of your thigh to invite the dog through
- Once the dog is between your legs, cue a sit
- Practise with the dog approaching from both sides and from behind
Verbal Cue
The cue word sends the dog into position
- Say the word and wait. The dog should duck through on their own
- Practise with movement: say the word while walking, and the dog slots in
- Use it on walks when you need the dog close and focused
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Does not walk between your legs or avoids the space
- In progress
- Goes to middle and sits on the word from in front of you
- Mastered
- Slides into middle while walking, including when a distraction appears
Common mistakes
- Standing with feet too close together, so the dog cannot fit comfortably
- Rewarding in front of you instead of between your legs
- Not adding the sit, so the dog shoots through without stopping
- Only practising from one approach angle