Basic Flatwork Position and Freezing the Flank

Posing and the Flank

The standard disc dog pose in FrontFront is a stable position directly in front of the handler. Front is an traditional obedience skill. Usually your dog sits in this position, but standing is often acceptable as well, especially in... More position – disc held vertical in the throwing hand – is common to almost all disc dog freestylers. In the Yachi MethodA Disc Dog handling system practiced by the Japanese USDDN contingent, developed by Yachi Hirai with the spirit and influence of Melissa Heeter and Pam Martin.   More, this pose is called Basic Standing PositionStanding in front of the dog with the disc held vertically in the throwing hand is Basic Standing Position (BSP), a foundational position in the Yachi Method. More, BSP for short. This position has a lot of power, and in the Yachi Method, it means stop, wait, and drop.

The position of the handler in the Working FlankThe Working Flank is a moving position. On a Working Flank the dog is out to your side some distance and holds position, moving with you as you move around the field. The... More, is extremely similar to Basic Standing position. The hand closest to the dog is outstretched, presented in similar fashion to the BSP pose.

The Working FlankOut to the side of the handler is the Flank. If the dog is out to the handler's right or left the dog is on Flank. If the dog is moving with the... More, like Heel, can be thought of as a moving position or a duration behavior. As such, it definitely fits the PosingPosing is a communication tool for throwing discs to dogs (or people). A pose is a frozen moment of a throw; a key moment of the backswing perhaps, or a flashy presentation of... More concept.

Basic Flank Position (BFP)

I have been calling the handler’s position in the Working Flank Basic Flank PositionIn the Play+ philosophy, "Position" is the final stage within the "Next" phase of a Cycle of Play. It acts as a pivotal link between the "Next" phase and a new "Now" phase. More (BFP), and have been using it the same as a Pose.

It is the same thing, really, and tying Basic Flank Position to Basic Standing Position has really tightened up our flatwork.

It also created a bit of a problem with our Cued DropA cued Drop, or Drop for short, means that you tell your dog when to drop, purposefully, and upon your discretion. A cued Drop is a must in the game of disc in... More. The more I tied the Working Flank, conceptually, to a Pose, the stronger the physical Drop cue became. Loot and I lost our verbally cued Drop and holding a disc through a CrossA Cross is an canine agility term that describes a change of working sides. Your dog moves from your left to your right (Heel to Side) or from Clock to Counter. Crosses are... More or Set Up Move became impossible. Needless to say I was not Happy.

We are currently working some skills to remedy this.

Epic lost it for a while, but we regained it rather quickly.

The point is that when the Working Flank becomes a pose, all the pose stuff comes with it. If your pose means Drop and WaitWaiting on cue and situationally is extremely important for disc dog freestyle training. The competition field might not see too much waiting going on as everything is supposed to be happening in flow,... More, the presentation of BFP, that reaching out of the hand, will become the Drop cue. I have chosen to let the pose mean Wait and attend to me. I will call the drop verbally.

From Flank to Front

When I got my first lessons on Posing at Hirai Camp this summer, I saw it’s connection to FlatworkFlatwork is the stuff that happens between the catches. How the team moves and transitions, often without the disc, is flatwork. Flatwork concepts in disc dog are taken from the agility and herding... More. I figured that one half of a Front CrossOn a Front Cross, your dog switches Flanks in with you in front of them. From Clock to Counter Clockwise Flank or vice versa. Taken directly from the canine agility world, the Front... More ought to stop the dog cold.

This was always possible, but it didn’t make sense until I had the idea of the Working Flank as a Pose. With the posing on the mind, it became obvious that if I stopped while working the Flank, the dog should stop.

This is easier said that done. Between the dogs who like to run, and dogs who really like the disc, getting a sharp stop while on the Flank ain’t gonna happen naturally. It has to be trained a bit.

The Front Cross is a great tool for halting the dog. Leveraging positional pressure and reward placement, the Front Cross is a powerful movement tool. The matching of the discs in the middle of the body at the 1/2 way point is a dead ringer for Basic Standing Position.

All you have to do is stop and present a vertical disc – BOOM!

Practically Speaking

Getting a flanking dog to line up straight is not very easy. I’ve had to use a Rear CrossOn a Rear Cross, the dog switches Flanks with the behind her. From clock to counter clockwise Flank or vice versa. Taken directly from the canine agility world, the Rear Cross is a... More for this reason for a long time. Drawing the dog in all the time after a Rear Cross can damage the skill and turn it into a twistSpins and Twists are tricks where the dog spins 360 degrees in a clockwise or counter clockwise fashion. Spin is clockwise and Twist is counter clockwise so it is important to have a... More or spin.

Leveraging the Front Cross like in the video is a far more sustainable tactic and provides a real sharp, aggressive linear attack from the Flank towards the handler. This can be used for quick access to Front position, to set an OverAn Over is any leaping catch that happens over top of the handler’s body. Overs are usually named by the part of the body over which the dog flies, i.e - Leg Over,... More or VaultThe dog uses the player´s body as a launching pad to jump for a disc. A Vault is a leaping catch from the handler’s body. The dog leaves the ground for the target... More, or to set up a linear Set Up Move.