Three Shelties. One house. Plenty of opinions.
Biscuit’s Guide to Advanced Leg Weaving
Hello, students. Biscuit here—Head Instructor at the “Biscuit Academy of Impressive Things Dogs Can Do for Snacks”.
Today’s lesson is the Figure 8, a trick in which your dog weaves around and through your legs, tracing the shape of an eight. It looks complicated, earns admiration from visitors and creates the impression that both dog and human possess excellent coordination.
Only one of those things must actually be true.
Before You Begin
You will need a quiet space, a non-slip floor and plenty of very small treats. A clicker is helpful, but a cheerful marker word such as “yes!” works just as well. Your dog should already be comfortable following a treat in your hand.
The human should wear sensible shoes and avoid loose clothing that could confuse the route. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart—wide enough for your dog to pass through without squeezing or ducking awkwardly.
If your dog is much larger than you, or if stepping over and around a moving dog could affect your balance, practise a figure eight around two chairs or cones instead. A trick is considerably less impressive when it ends with the instructor in a laundry basket.
Step One: Teach Half the Eight
Begin with your dog standing in front of you. Hold a treat close to your dog’s nose and guide them through the space between your legs, moving from front to back.
Once your dog passes through, curve your hand around the outside of one leg and guide them back to the front. Your dog has now completed one loop around one leg.
Click or say “yes!” and reward immediately.
Repeat this same half-loop several times. Keep your lure low and close to your dog’s nose so they walk rather than jump. Move smoothly and allow them time to work out where their feet belong.
At first, reward any honest attempt. If your dog puts only their head between your legs, that is progress. We are building confidence, not conducting entrance examinations.
Step Two: Add the Other Loop
Once your dog follows the first loop comfortably, continue directly into the second half.
From the front, guide your dog through your legs again. This time, curve the lure around the outside of your other leg and bring them back to the starting position. Together, the two loops form a complete Figure 8.
Reward after each half during the early attempts. When your dog understands the route, wait until the entire eight is finished before delivering the treat.
Keep sessions short—three to five successful repetitions may be enough. Stop while your dog is still interested. This is known as ending on a high note. Kevin calls it “quitting before da treat supply mysteriously disappears.”
Step Three: Add the Cue
Do not introduce a verbal cue while your dog is still guessing. First, wait until they can follow your hand through the complete pattern reliably.
Then say “Figure 8” or simply “Eight” (or I respond to “weave”) just before giving the hand signal. Repeat this pairing over several short sessions. Eventually, the words will predict the movement.
Be consistent. Do not call it “Eight” on Monday, “Weave” on Tuesday and “Please stop standing between my feet” on Wednesday.
Step Four: Fade the Food Lure
A successful magician never reveals the secret, and a successful trick dog should not require visible payment throughout the entire performance.
Begin guiding your dog with an empty hand while rewarding from your other hand or treat pouch when the pattern is complete. Gradually make your hand motion smaller. You can eventually replace the sweeping lure with a subtle gesture toward the space between your legs.
Continue rewarding often as the trick becomes stronger. Dogs work for many reasons—fun, praise, partnership—but nobody objects to a performance bonus.
Troubleshooting
If your dog stops between your legs, reward that position a few times and then encourage one more step. If they keep circling the same leg, practise the weaker loop separately. If they jump toward the treat, lower your hand and slow down. If they seem worried, make more space and reward simply for approaching.
Never pull your dog through by the collar or force the movement. The Figure 8 should feel like a game.
The Finished Performance
When both of you are comfortable, try two or three consecutive eights before rewarding. You can also finish with a sit, bow or dramatic pose. I recommend looking modest while accepting applause.
The Figure 8 builds focus, body awareness and teamwork. More importantly, it proves that humans can be trained to stand still, hold treats and follow instructions.
Honestly, I could not be prouder.
The Trick Biscuit Taught Me
by Daddy
Teaching Biscuit the Figure 8 was supposed to be simple. I would stand with my feet apart, guide her around one leg, then the other, and reward her when she completed the pattern. According to the instructions, the dog was the learner. This turned out to be inaccurate.
Biscuit understood the route after six treats. I required considerably longer to remember which hand held the lure, which leg she was circling and where my own feet were supposed to go.
“Daddy,” Cricket observed from the doorway, “you appear to be losing a dance competition to a dog.”
Kevin tried to count our repetitions. “One, two, free… eight!”
Biscuit ignored them both. She swept between my legs, curved neatly around each side and returned to the front with the expression of an athlete awaiting her medal.
I gave her a treat. Yet she remained in position.
“That was the reward,” I told her.
She glanced toward the treat bag. Apparently, that had only been the appearance fee.
Later that evening, I received some disappointing news. It was nothing terrible—just one of those small setbacks that can sit heavily on your shoulders. I lowered myself into a kitchen chair and stared at nothing in particular.
Cricket settled quietly beside me. Kevin brought me a toy, dropped it on my foot and waited for the medicine to take effect.
Biscuit watched from across the room. Then she walked over and nudged my knee. When I stood, she slipped between my legs, circled one, crossed through the middle and looped around the other. A perfect Figure 8.
I laughed despite myself.
Biscuit sat in front of me, her tail sweeping the floor. She had recognized the sound she wanted, and now she had found a way to produce it.
I reached for the treat bag.
She leaned against my leg before I could open it. That was when I realized we had both learned something that day. Biscuit had learned a new trick. And I had been reminded that sometimes dogs perform their best tricks without being asked.
If you want to see Cricket adventuring in her youth, here’s her latest video.
Before you go…
Cartoon of the Week!
Until next time,
The Dad, the Mom and all the Pups!
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