One of the escape turns is the U turn. This is where you start off walking in one direction before prompting your dog to turn 180° and walk with you in the opposite direction. It is perfect for when you see distractions up ahead that you think your dog might struggle with or if you start to notice shifts in your dog’s body language and movement that communicate, they are getting stressed or excited.

Start by walking in one direction before slowing down and guiding your dog to turn beside you. You can use a hand target, food lure or simply turn your body in the direction you would like your dog to follow and wait for them to respond. Mark as your dog turns and reward them beside your leg before continuing to walk together in the opposite direction.

As your dog gets really good at this you can fade out any food in your hand and add a cue, such as ‘let’s go!’ Simply say the cue before turning and reward as before.

Make sure to practice in a variety of quiet locations before taking your training to more distracting environments.

Working on this before you really need it will help to prevent problems in the future.