We practice this at least once every day. During play time in the yard, on our morning hikes, or just hanging around the house, I say HUDDLE. This means run to me, lie down side by side, and stay there until I say OK (my poorly chosen release cue). I usually hunker down as well, when my knees are working.
This practice has come in handy many times. For example today, when this photo was taken, there was a deer just a few metres away. Maggie and Maxwell hadn’t noticed him yet. I praised them in a very loud, enthusiastic voice, and tossed them some tuna fudge. The deer picked up on my intentions and wandered off. 🙂
Because we practice HUDDLE randomly, and when there often isn’t much going on, Maggie and Maxwell don’t get suspicious that I’m up to something. I made that mistake with Maggie and the “come” cue. I only used it when I really needed her to come. The result was that she interpreted “come” to mean scan the area because there’s probably something big happening!
