How Do You Teach The Emergency Stop ?

[Lauramutt]

We need to do the emergency STOP for G.C.Gold award & in training class we are not doing very well
Any good tips? for me & Faye.

[supergirl]

Everyone has their own way of doing it.  For Lexi who did her Gold last year, I put her on a longish line which I tethered to a post and let her walk around examining her surroundings etc, then I moved away and called her to me and just when she was getting to the end of the line I said "stop" and gave a flat hand signal (also used for sit), always rewarding her when she stopped and sat down.  Having the long line means that they can't do anything but stop when they get to the end of it. I just repeated the exercise in different locations, the kitchen, hallway, garden, out on a walk where there were no distractions  etc.

Usually you can use another person to hang on to the long line (I have to use a post as I train on my own).

With Misha & Roly I did it differently in that I would get them to retrieve a thrown ball a number of times, and then when they were anticipating the next ball to be thrown I would pretend to throw it, they would run to get it then stop and look at me (ie, wheres the ball mum?) and I would say stop & stay and then go and reward them. Weird but it worked.

Good luck

[Abbi]

Really interested in this as I'm trying, and failing, to teach Abbi this for her Gold KCGC award. It's about the only thing we haven't been successful with and I'm running out of ideas.

Like the idea of the long line.

[MegandMolly]

My Mum's labs would do 'emergency stops' , they learnt by jogging / running alongside me (on a lead), then Mum shouting 'Stop' I'd stop dead and then say sit, then we progressed to jogging alongside without the lead, then the dogs seemed to pick up the idea, and would do it without a handler alongside.

[Lauramutt]

Thanks, Faye & I will try all these methods for our emergency stop & let you know how it goes?

                       Julie & Faye

[tallulah0710]

Hiya. I'm doing bronze with Poppy at the minute but she's doing it in the silver/gold class with me rather than a bronze (only because I work at the training centre and i am starting to teach bronze classes). So we practiced the emergency stop on monday. It went like this.

I put Poppy into a wait, walked to the other end of the training hall. I recalled Poppy and when she was half way I raised my hand with a few treats in and shouted stop, as I did I threw the treats just in front of poppy so she could see them. This made her stop and get the treats. I did this a few times and she finally got the idea that when the hand was raised with the cue "stop" she waited for her treats to come and she stopped. Eventually I could give the cue, she would stop and i could walk over and reward.

Hope all that makes sense  .

Clare and Poppy.

[Penelope]

We taught first on lead, and gradually built up from there..... also put a treat on the floor half way across the hall.  Timing had to be spot on for this - give command just as they get to the treat and then ensure you get to the dog really quickly to give loads of praise!!! Then gradually don't put the treat down - just touch the floor and pretend... the dog will never know if there is really a treat there or not, so will stop to check and you can praise when they "stop" on command. 
Got it in the end, but agree it is pretty hard to do!! Good luck!

[Nicola]

This thread from the working board has a few methods for teaching the stop whistle/stop command

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=77135.0

I think the method I use is probably closest to that which MegandMolly has suggested although I do it as a stop whistle with a whistle blast which they already sit to. Depends what you need it for though - I'm using it in a working gundog context but the other person calling may be better in respect to the GC scheme.

[Mudmagnets]

I taught Katie much the same way as Penny,  I sat her and told her to 'wait', walked away - not too far at first -and then called her as in novice recall. When she was a fair distance away I shouted stop/sit and held out my hand as a policeman would. I then went up to where she was and praised her. I then built up the distance that I was away from her. I had to be careful tho - If I did this exercise too often she would stop halfway on a 'normal' recall. 

[Penelope]

We also always made sure we finished every training session with a few "proper" recalls to make sure that the dogs understood the difference between a normal recall and one where they were going to be asked to stop part way back to me! 
Always enjoy teaching this one cos the "lightbulb" moment when the dog suddenly gets what you are asking is priceless!

[Sarah1985]

I taught it with tallulah0710 method which got me a pretty good standing stop but they do tend to creep forwards. Im told its good enough for good citizen thou. It only took a few sessions for them to pick it up.

Im now attempting to teach stop using a sit whistle. Its taking longer but I can see that the stop is going to be much firmer with no creeping.

I suppose it depends what your after and how fussy you are and how much time you've got.

[Mudmagnets]

We also always made sure we finished every training session with a few "proper" recalls to make sure that the dogs understood the difference between a normal recall and one where they were going to be asked to stop part way back to me! 
Always enjoy teaching this one cos the "lightbulb" moment when the dog suddenly gets what you are asking is priceless!

Yep!! 'lightbulb moments' are pretty special methinks  Thankfully in the Gold it is an A type recall, so at least it is not too confusing for doglets (or me  )

[praia]

I taught my pup the same way as Nicola.  Already had him trained to sit to the whistle and a hand signal (hand up, open palm).  For stops started him on a leash walking to a heel, blasted the whistle to put him to a sit.  Eventually moved on to me blasting the whistle and walking on leaving him at a sit/stay.  Moved on to proofing the behavior with a check cord attached.

[Abbi]

Looking forward to having a go with some of these methods and sure Abbi will pick it up eventually. She seems to be the only one in her training group that still rushes right up to her owner and gets a laugh as I'm standing there with my hand up as she sits at my feet!!

Will let you know how it goes.

[bluemoonrose]

Thank you for posting this topic - we're struggling with this one too.