# Parking a GSD



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I have seen some videos in here where the dog finishes but rather than going to the heel position it goes to a sitting position between the standing handler's legs.....is this called "park" ?

After seeing the Baliff positioning video, I figured I needed to add more to my dog's repertoire....I tell her to "place" and she positions herself between my legs while I am standing....she also now will go forwards and backwards in this position as I move. I don't know if there is any benefit to this position but it sure seems like she really emphasizes the eye to eye contact with me when she is there....looking straight up at me awaiting whatever comes next. Do some dogs feel more at ease or safer in this position? The reason I ask is it was so easy to teach her, she completely latched onto it, once I lured her through it a few times.


Thanks,

SuperG


----------



## TwoBigEars (May 11, 2013)

You can call it whatever you want to call it. I call it peek-a-boo. Others call it park, park-it, place, through, etc.

I think it's a fun trick that can help a bit with your dog's body awareness by having them move with you. As for feeling secure, that probably depends on the dog. My more nervous dog I think feels secure with it. Other dogs like my confident male are not such fans of having you physically looming over them. BUT he does like this trick and I think it helped him be more comfortable with people over him.

You just have to watch out for your dog to start offering this trick on her own! Both of my dogs did. Nothing like a surprise GSD bowling through your legs!


----------



## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

I call it "start" so I can line him up the way I want for him to start his agility run.


----------



## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

The agility and fly ball people I train with call it line up. 
And I agree, my dogs love it. Be forewarned though, if you do agility, it is a big pain in the butt when you are running a course and the dog decides to line up as you are sending them to an obstacle lol.


----------



## Pax8 (Apr 8, 2014)

Mikelia said:


> Be forewarned though, if you do agility, it is a big pain in the butt when you are running a course and the dog decides to line up as you are sending them to an obstacle lol.


Lol, Kaiju will try to go to his start between my legs if I mess up my handling bad. I call it his "Hey stupid, pay attention!" signal.


----------

