This seems to have taken forever, but we seem to have got it! Molly even did it properly at our obedience class, with me throwing the dumbbell a proper distance. She will also do a finish (going around me to sit at heel) but I forgot to tell her to do it! We're entered for pre-beginners and beginners in October so that's one more thing ticked off the list. I think someone else was trying to teach this and if you are you might be interested to know that I did it via the clicker hold training on this site - but it took several weeks and only came just as I was going to give up. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=672970616189273
Well done! I have trained a heel position that I finish in with Bramble on my left, by luring, then adding a cue. I am now trying to do this with her going round my back as well, not with much luck! Be interested to hear how your trainer has suggested doing this?
I trained a finish a long time ago, from recall, (don't know why I forgot to do it in the video). I trained it by luring her round me and then adding a cue and fading the lure. I found that was much quicker to train than the hold.
Well that's not quite what I meant. I trained the go round to heel as a finish from recall, without a retrieve. When retrieving she just returned and either handed me the dummy in a stand or dropped it at my feet. I think you'll probably want Bramble to hand you the dummy before she goes to a heel position, as that's what you'll need if picking up on a shoot ( I think ) and definitely if you were doing competitions.
Once you have the dummy you can either twiddle it by your side to lure a European finish (Riley found this easier) or you can pass it round your back from hand to hand and lure a finish that way.
I did that with treats to lure Ella to do the 'finish'. First I started with the treat in my right hand, lured her to the back, passed the treat into my left (behind my back) and then used the left hand to get her into the heel position. Next I started with the treat in my left hand. As I signalled her towards my back with my right hand, I held the treat in my left hand behind my back to help lure her through the second half of the finish, into the heel position. Then I left the treat I my treat pouch and used my right hand to signal and used my left hand for her to follow (as in the step above but with no treat in my hand). Then a treat when in heel position. Then removed the left hand.
Thank you @Debs and @bbrown. I was starting to get a bit confused, as I see various different finishes post delivery, so not sure which is the correct one, or does it really matter? I always start Bramble in a neat heel, close, and a few inches in front of my feet. I then send her out from this position. A gundog trainer recently told me that was wrong..and that I shouldn't send her out for a retrieve from a heel position, so I ended up really confused.
That sounds peculiar! I'd have thought that most of the time, you'd be sending from heel in the field, because surely the dog is going to be sat there, watching to mark birds as they fall? OK, you need to be able to send them back from facing you, too, but, with my limited knowledge, I'd have thought that would be less common in real life?
I used treats for Riley's finish but if you have a dummy in your hand already for a retrieve it's probably quicker to lure with that and reward sat at heel again rather than try and swap dummy for treat. If you had a spaniel or HPR @Beanwood I could understand not sending for retrieves from heel as often the retrieve will be off the back of hunting. For the retriever breeds however they're predominantly sent from heel either in walk up or stationary as if picking up or on the peg. When sending by name for a marked retrieve they're sometimes 'in your vicinity' rather than tightly at heel but any directional work is at heel. This is particularly true if you're picking up with more than one dog. They'll all be parked near you but not at heel.
