Lining out is something that is mentioned a lot but not necessarily explained. Lining out is when your dog stands at the end of the line, waiting to go when told to. Some people want their dogs looking forward leaning into their harness, some like them looking at them, getting that connection before you start. Sometimes it will depend a bit on the dog and it will depend massively on the handler.

Lining out is the best way for a dog to start running. It allows them to instantly put their weight into their harness, put their head down and go. It stops the running forward and ‘pinging’ back as the dog reaches the end of the line. This can happen when biking, scootering and when running! Even if you run your dogs as a team on a rig, it is so important to teach them to stand and wait – not just for the start line but if something suddenly goes wrong! What if someone you are training with has an accident, can you stop and know your dog will stand and wait? Same if you fall off the bike/scooter, will your dog run off or stop and wait for you to sort yourself out and get back together.

So what do you want your dog to do at the start?