How to teach a dog to back up

A lane removes the easy options. In open space a dog asked to move back will sit, swing its hips sideways or walk around you. Between a wall and a couch, along a hallway or between two rows of chairs, straight back is the only way to go. Make the lane a little wider than your dog, with a non-slip floor, and stand at the open end. Hold small treats in your hand rather than a pouch, so you can deliver them fast at the dog's chest.

Where the treat arrives matters. Bring it to the dog's mouth and slightly down, so it does not step forward to reach the food, or toss it a little behind the dog so it backs up to collect it. Sessions of two or three minutes are plenty. Backing up works the hind legs in an unusual way, and the AKC's advice to get your vet's approval before any conditioning program applies to a stiff, sore or older dog.

The AKC's article on conditioning exercises puts it plainly: dogs generally lack rear end awareness, and where their front paws go, their back paws follow. Backing up reverses that, because the dog has to move its hind legs first with nothing in front to follow. Over weeks the dog places its back feet more deliberately, which helps on stairs, getting in and out of the car and turning in tight spots. It pairs well with spin, which bends the body instead of reversing it.

Cape Ann gives the skill plenty of work. Halibut Point State Park requires leashes and has granite ledges where a dog sometimes needs to back off a step rather than turn on a narrow edge. On a crowded summer sidewalk in Rockport, a step back lets you make room for a stroller without dragging your dog. A dog that backs out of the car footwell or a dead-end corner of the yard on a word needs no pushing.

Finish each back up with a calm stand: the dog stops, all four feet planted, and you count one, two, three before paying, building to ten seconds with a hand resting on its back. That stand is the position a bath and brush-out need. Our grooming studio needs no evaluation, a bath starts at $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds, and a dog that needs slower, more careful handling carries a $20 surcharge.

Some dogs plant their rear and sit every time you lean in. Others back up crookedly however narrow the lane. Private sessions from $94 can sort out the timing and the setup, and our trainers, led by Gabriella Pope, keep every step force-free. Dogtown Academy days, $89 full or $69 half, include fitness blocks with treadmill sessions, low-height agility and the A-frame, which work on the same body awareness, plus a training session and a report card.

Back up also has a place in trick titles. The AKC lists it among ideas for Novice handler's choice tricks, at three body lengths with a lure and the handler walking toward the dog, and as an Advanced trick at five lengths with no walking in. Ask your vet before backing work if your dog has hip, knee or back trouble, and stop any session where the dog seems sore or reluctant to use its hind legs.