Dog Training

The Pivot happens when the dog changes direction enough to cause some kind of reversal of field, essentially a 90 degree angle or more.

The moment that the dog is stationary in that directional change, that moment of balance, is the Pivot.
The Pivot combined with consistent position creates a moment that can be harnessed to create fresh and interesting sequences and tricks. The Pivot provides a consistent stationary position that allows a handler to generalize a maneuver to an alternate distance and positional relationship between the dog and handler.

Major Pivots:

• Here - turn towards me
• Squib - turn away from me
• Around
• Through
• Recall
• Backwards Through (back to front)
• Flip
• Reverse
• Scoot

Shaping a Chain In the Pivot

Initial Break Down and Understanding of Position Is Necessary. Disc placement for follow up Trick must also be understood and replicated.

1. Pivot... Wait... Bite
2. Pivot... Wait... Trick
3. Pivot > Trick
4. Add Cue

Flipping the Pivot

Capitilize on the commitment of the pivot. Dog has committed to going this way and we want to set the impossible catch that requires the particular athletic maneuver we are looking for.
If the dog is well balanced in the pivot the trick will come off well. If the dog is unvbalanced in the pivot you will get wild erratic trajectories and flailing.

Whether or not the dog is well balanced or not is entirely dependent upon the handler's approach to establishing the pivot. It is the handler's responsibility to fully understand the time, place and position of the pivot, and to serve a disc at a particular time, place and orientation that creates a safe and successful flip.

Reading our dog and understanding the properties of his movement and athletic capabilities, strengths and weaknesses, are a key element of flipping on the Pivot. Without this understanding and the ability to deliver the disc reliably with precision, flipping on the Pivot is a dangerous activity flipping should remain a stationary skill.

Predicting the Pivot

As we start to add distance between the dog and handler it becomes necessary to predict the Pivot. We need to know how and when our dog is going to make that move - the exact position, the exact timing, and disc placement are all predicted and we feed the disc to the dog where he is going to be.

Leaping off the Pivot

Setting a clean, aggressive starting point, with a Pivot is great for setting a dog's stride for a big catch on the run. The first several strides after the pivot will be standard and the handler can then choose the distance required to hit the dog on the run in stride and at the apex of his leap.

Moving from a position of balance with immediate commitment creates the right tone and timing for a Big Leaping catch.

You can see this in well dialed in teams' Go Around and through work. The set up move, in particular, the Pivot sets the tone and timing for good leaping.

The same kind of hook up between dog and handler is available to us through any of the other pivots, although planned, big leaping is rarely seen out of the other Pivot moves.

Reward Placement and the Pivot

Dogs gravitate to where the Reward happens. If you have a history of throwing a big, Mighty Zig Zag, 20+ yards, the Pivot on a reversal of field is going to be extremely aggressive, as the dog will be shifting direction and moving with the intent of going to where the target is placed.
Breaking things down and Shaping the Pivot with a good solid wait and clear intent will help you control your dogs commitment after the Pivot.

Too strong, or aggressive, a Pivot, and the dog will not be able to lift his rear to accomplish the flip the handler is asking for.

Too weak and slow, and the dog cannot depend on fluid motion out of the pivot to set his stride and to set the tone for a big, well intentioned leap.

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