
Scoot
Scooting is Contagious

the scoot, when the dog starts backing up and goes between the handler’s legs, is a flashy set up move that provides great punctuation – a sharp stop, glitch, or pop in sequences and routines
This skill is about 4 keys:
- stability at the finish
- pay at your butt crack
- dog goes to the side you look at
- flip out or leap in
Create a Stable Finish
the Scoot is a very popular set up move, but most handlers struggle with using it in sequences because the finish position is hard to nail down.
Working the scoot into sequences can be quite challenging. This is largely a product of Reward PlacementThe dog puts his face where the Cookie or the disc happens. Where you put the reward matters. Reward Placement is huge in disc dog freestyle. Your dog’s face will always wind up... and pattern training. Having a predictable and consistent starting position is extremely important to creating sequences. Having flexibility on where that position is? That’s priceless.
The ScootA Scoot is a Set Up Move where the dog scoots backwards between the handler’s legs. It’s a really clever Set Up Move, the image of your dog spinning around and shimmying backwards... finishes behind the handler, and that’s where it should stay. But Reward Placement, pattern training, and opportunity say otherwise. Get some reinforcement at the finish of this skill.
Pay the Dog at Your Butt Crack
yup, looks as good in print as it sounds in conversation… so simple and memorable though… feeding cookies here reinforces a stable position.
If you have problems isolating the finish of the scoot, go ahead and back up a bit. Go back to cookies and pay the dog multiple cookies at your butt crack as they are finishing the skill. Make this the pattern. A couple of reps of this kind of preemptive reinforcement and you can finish the Scoot and turn around and your dog will be there.
If you need your dog to hit a finish position on any skill, just get a boatload cookies on the dog while hitting, and while in that position – do it several times and the dog will want to be there.
Got Stability? Just Look and Your Dog is There
once you have a stable position at the finish of your Scoot, all you have to do is look down at heel or side position and your dog will be there. it’s like magic!
If you have no defined position, your dog fires out where they believe their cookie or disc will happen. Having a stable and defined position allows your dog to look to the handler for their cue as to where to go. If you look down at heel or side, your shoulders tilt and cue movement in that direction.
The other awesome thing about creating a stable position at the finish of the Scoot is that you can take your time and turn around when building sequences and your dog will still be standing there. That, is awesome.
Flip Out or Leap In
the Scoot is like glitchy punctuation. a little rewind followed by a sharp stop and then fast forward. use that moment of flex to launch your next move.
The Scoot is a slow move that ends in a sharp stop. It creates drama. Make sure you capitalize on that dramatic moment and fire out of that sharply stopped finish by wrapping it right into your flip, set up moveSet Up Moves are tricks that are used to establish timing and position in disc dog freestyle. Traditional tricks include: Around, Through, Backwards Through, and Scoot, but any or all of your tricks,..., or vault. This really makes the Scoot pop and showcase some explosive performance.
Missing this moment allows the drama of the situation to deflate a bit and the Scoot, or multiple scoots can make a sequence look kind of slow and sluggish or even broken.
Try flipping from heel or side position, step forward as the Scoot is going down for a Leg 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..., or work Scoot to Fakie
An athletic Set Up Move, the Fakie is a flip off of the handler's body (normally the chest) with no disc in flight or intended to be caught. It is usually named by.... Like all set up moves, the Scoot is only really as cool as what it leads to.
