# Escort



## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

I am curious to see where people have their dog escort, and why they chose that style.

When I first started doing ring, my favorite exersize to watch was the escort.
When you watch FR dogs doing the escort well, like Twiny, it is really exciting for me to watch. I absolutly love watching a dog that has been trained, and had good enough decoys to get to the point where the decoy cannot take points.

The first dog that I was able to get a lot of experience with, was Ken Jaramillo's dog Ozzie. Ozzie escorts in front leaning into you. This dog really made some things clear to me, that had been fuzzy before. 

So Ozzie, in his escort, leans so stinkin hard into you that it is hard to move forward. I really liked how it screwed up the decoy. If you tried to kick him off you, it was near impossible, due to how hard he pushed.

Ozzie is the dog that made it clear to me, that the dog should choose the escort, not the handler, and it should be based on the dogs personality.

Ozzie was clearly dominant, and his force in the escort came from that. I have seen other dogs doing this, but it is not really the style for them.

I chose to "try" and teach Buko to escort with his chest pushed up on your backside. I had watched G'Bibber's escort and really liked it. I thought it made perfect sense with Buko's personality, as he would be pushing the decoy along.

As it turns out, teaching Buko this style got real interesting, and the end result was quite different than the picture I had in mind. However, it is definately "HIS" escort. When he gets a mind to him, he will shove his head into the decoy and push him along. I can always tell how frustrated he is in training by where he is in the escort. 

So, what style, and why you chose it????


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

we can´t choose:-( 
Transport is beside/after left leg of decoy, touching decoy,to much to the right or in front of decoy will cost you points.


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## Tim Bartlett (May 21, 2007)

I think that the best position for a dog in the escort is behind the decoy, with the dogs nose just touching the rear of the decoy, not between the decoys legs. It is hard for the decoy to mess with the dog in that position and the decoy cannot get the dog out of place by straddling obstacles, etc.

I do believe that the dog should be able to choose what position works best, but a lot of times the position that they want to take is just a position that feels natural to them. Teaching the position that you want at a young age will help later on down the road.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

With the working dogs I train, escort is in the heel position. The handler must be able to; search, handcuff with the dog guarding the subject, 10 feet in front. The dog is recalled to the rear of the subject and escorted.

DFrost


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Tim, the funny thing is that Buko escorts with the bridge of his nose in the decoys butt, or with his nose touching. The one thing that I was told to teach him was between the legs to hinder the decoy when he is straddling an object.

So far I haven't done that, can't really see how that would be a benefit. Take the MR ch this year. Can't see that helping there, or behind helping there.

I am thinking next pup I am going to teach to escort from multiple areas.

My thing with not teaching it right away, is more from how many dogs I have seen uncomfortable with the way they have been taught. Can't teach a dog to push into the decoy if he doesn't like to touch the decoy, saw that with a dog from your club, there was a GSD in my old club that they insisted in teaching between the legs, but he hates it, and does perfectly well with escorting from the heel position, and will do so the minute the decoy steps over him. However, they insisted on wasting months on getting him clean coming between the legs. He was usually dirty as he went around the back and would bite right as he entered.

AND as far as teaching them as pups, I really don't see this as necessary, as it is not so hard to teach the position, as get one that the dog cann work well in. Plus, it can get in the way on the OG, as the dog will try and escort the decoy when he gets a bit too stressed on the OG, or just likes the exersize better.


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## Tim Bartlett (May 21, 2007)

What position you teach the dog in the escort has nothing to do with the Object Guard. They are completely different exercises. If the dog is being consistently escorted away on the OG, then the dog is not being taught correctly, or needs to be shown more by your training decoy. 

The dog should never resort to escorting the decoy when he/she becomes stressed on the OG.

One of the most important things about the escort is teaching the dog where to go if his/her position is not available. In may cases in MR, a good decoy will figure a way to get the dog out of their position. That is when the points start getting deducted.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Yet, in tape after tape, training session after training session, I see dogs get escorted off the OG, and they were trained fairly well.

Many dogs are easily made hesitant to bite in the OG. I have yet to see a US decoy employ this to get a dog off the object, however, many I have seen once made a bit hesitant, (absence of the cue that I see too many use) the dog can be taken off the basket, and they go into the escort, or just stay there.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

As far as a dog never going to the escort when stressed, it is all fine and dandy to say that that is incorrect, but doesn't really tell us how to deal with it, and it does happen.

In other words crappy answer, you get a D. : )


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

I go with what feels natural to the dog, and maximizes their natural abilities. With some dogs, that is walking backwards in front of the decoy. With others that is being in a heel position, on either side. Another might go between the decoys legs, and another might go behind the decoy and follow. 

This is partly determined by where they guard, if the dog does a sit/guard in front of the decoy, then I don't want them having to try to go all the way around and between the legs to escort. Some dogs just don't walk backwards that well. Others get to dirty between the legs. Some are not fast enough to follow the decoy, etc. Once the dog has their basic position down solid, then I show them alternative positions, in case the decoy makes the basic one hard to achieve.

I also look at what I might want to do with the dog sometime down the road. If I'm looking at cross training for a sport other than FR, then I take into consideration what that sport requires.


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## Lisa Geller (Mar 29, 2007)

HI,

looks like another opportunity for a video --
this is Ciko, a dog in our training group working with Fernando Dosta.
I think Paula/Jeremy has him escorting predominately on the side, but I believe he works in front too? 

http://www.midwestringsport.com/Ciko070506DostaSearches.mpg

I'll try to load up a goose escort -- he is behind, like Tim explains, and in front (nothing on the side)

lg


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

here is braxton's escort


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

Lisa Geller said:


> HI,
> 
> looks like another opportunity for a video --
> this is Ciko, a dog in our training group working with Fernando Dosta.
> ...


looks good


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## Lisa Geller (Mar 29, 2007)

Hi Steve,

That is where we had Goose but soon discovered that a fast decoy can go backwards and get away. Plus the decoys do funky stuff with there hands to the dogs faces, like pretending to strike them.
If I were you I'd postion him back alittle, so just the nose peeps through.
you can do this by using 2 leashes - one in front one behind.

lg


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

hmmmm sounds like a plan. i think i know how to do this. i have had decoys run back but not gettin too far way seeing as he is very fast. but you still lose points. so i will try this and get that head back some. thanx for the advise


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

hey i saw a pic of mongoose on your site. i understand the dog placement you a talking about


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## Lisa Geller (Mar 29, 2007)

here, I found this lurking in the back of our website.
This is Joe Cinnante a really good FR decoy from Florida.

http://www.midwestringsport.com/Mongoose061125Cinnate.MPG


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

sweet. i like the way the decoy is using the leashes. seems to work well. thanx for that video


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## Bryan Colletti (Feb 16, 2007)

[So, what style, and why you chose it????[/QUOTE]



My preference to with the dog in the ass of the bad guy. Nose right there, a paw on his leg is fine too. Since I want to cross train to Police Work if necessary, this is easier than teaching the between legs, which no department would approve of. Not to mention, I have seen really fast decoys trick your dog forward and bounce back out of the reach of the dog and escape.

If you follow most Police Standards written in the last twenty years they all seem to be designed for the Schutzhund dog. I wouldn't want a side escort as an officer, I wouldn't want the bad guy ever knowing where the dog is and seeing the dog. He can feel the dog breathing a few steps behind. I like to keep them thinking, whether it is a decoy or real bad guy.

Bryan


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Is that your dog making all that noise??? Maybe you should have named him Flock, as he sounds like more than one.


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## Lisa Geller (Mar 29, 2007)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Is that your dog making all that noise??? Maybe you should have named him Flock, as he sounds like more than one.


no, that's Joe, he's excited about my dog :^o 

Here's one from Sunday -- clearly showing why we enjoy training with Jeremy so much. I knew he was at that end of the field but could not understand why Mongoose didn't alert on him in the blind. Cracked me up when he got up from that trailer.

http://www.midwestringsport.com/Mongoose070528searchescort.mpg

enjoy


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

no video. it isnt working


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