IS YOUR DOG RIGHT OR LEFT HANDED?         Question:  My dog always wants to be on my right side.  We are having fun with the lessons on the video, but he doesn’t want to be on my left side.  I try to work him on my left, and he runs around to my right side.  What should I do?  Sarah,  Los Angeles, CA

Hi Sarah,   Thanks for your question…      This is a common problem, and fairly easy to fix.    With patience and small steps we can help your dog become comfortable on both your right and left sides.  Your dog is NOT right or left handed.  But, his handler probably is.   A large percentage of people are right handed.  Even before we start agility training we are teaching our dogs to walk, sit, stand, etc. from our right side.  When we take them for walks, we hold the leash in our right hand.   We inadvertently are teaching our dog that the right side of our body is where he should be.  When he is at our right side he gets to go for walks, we praise him when he sits, he gets treats from our right hand, etc..   When he stays on our right side good things happen.   The same holds true for those that are left handed.  Chances are their dogs feel the left side is the correct place to be.  Agility requires our dogs to work off both our right and left sides.  How do we get the dog comfortable working on both sides?   If you have a puppy, start with the thought in mind that you want him to line up on either side.  Sit, treat, pet, and praise him when he is on both sides of you.  This lays a foundation for future training.

If you have an older dog that already feels he needs to be on your right or left side, here are some easy steps to help him adjust to new rules.    Gently place your dog on your left side, staying close to him, praise and treat him while he is in the correct position.  If he moves to your right side, he is not in trouble….but he doesn’t get praise or a treat.  Simply repeat the process placing him on your left.  He only needs to stay for a millisecond for him to receive praise.  Continue placing him in a sit, down, stand or whatever he likes, as long as it is being done on your left side.

We are not asking for movement from the dog at this time.  He just must be on your left side.  After some time, it could be several days to a couple of weeks, then you can try taking a step forward; talking to your dog and praising him if he stays on the left.  Once again, if he moves to your right side ignore the behavior and place him back on the left.   Occasionally we find a dog so determined to be on the right that no amount of placing him on our left will work.  He immediately runs to the right side.  If this is your dog, instead of placing him on your left, simply let him sit on your right side. YOU walk around your dog so he is now on your left.  Pet and praise him from this new position. You might consider kneeling with him at the desired side while he is eating.   It is best to get your dog comfortable in a static, non-moving position before you start moving and expect him to understand.    Once you feel he is starting to understand right and left sides are both fun/comfortable you can start taking a step or two.  If he shows confusion with your movement, go back to the “stay” position.  He is not ready for you to walk forward.    As always, short upbeat sessions are best.  Remember that he is not trying to be bad, he simply doesn’t understand.  Once he learns we are happy with him on either side of us, he will become comfortable working off both our right and left sides.

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