Chapter 3
🐾 Now we turn the movement into real distance
In this almost final step, we add the last important piece:
shifting your body weight onto the leg you moved backwards.
The setup stays familiar:
➡️ Walk backwards
➡️ Stop
➡️ Close the hand
➡️ Move the hand away
➡️ Shift your body weight onto the back leg
➡️ Move the free leg backwards
But this time, we go one step further:
➡️ Shift your body weight onto that leg as well
Then:
➡️ Move back toward the dog
➡️ Bring the hand back
➡️ Reward
💡 This is often the point where it finally clicks
After this step, many dogs really understand:
“I am supposed to stay standing while my handler moves away.”
From here on, you usually do not need to break the movement down quite as precisely anymore.
You can start to gradually increase the distance:
✅ one step
✅ then another step
✅ then a little further
But the important rule stays the same:
Always return to the dog before rewarding.
🔄 Add more variation
Once the dog understands the idea, you can also make your own movement more natural.
For example:
➡️ Move the hand clearly away at first
➡️ Then let it hang more naturally at your side
➡️ Vary the number of steps
➡️ Gradually make the whole picture less rigid
The hand no longer has to stay stretched backwards the entire time.
⏳ Take your time
Some dogs understand this within only a few training sessions.
Others need much longer.
Both are completely normal.
💡 Remember: for IGP 2, the Stand only requires 15 steps of distance.
That means you have plenty of time to increase the distance gradually and keep the position secure.
🐕 Focus on stability first — distance can always be added later.