I know I posted about the first session 28 October 2017 in the general training board so I won't elaborate too much here. First class we did the following: Social circle game - everyone is in a large circle and one at a time we zig and zag in and out and around the other dogs. Walking dog is at heel and gets treats and sitting dogs are treated too. Command of "leave it" used by both parties. Harley and I - being the first time at a new class, new dogs and new space Harley was distracted during the walk and the sit but nothing concerning, pretty much better than what I expected from her. We then concentrated on some heel work, this instructor asks for the dogs to be near you and in heel position. It is more structured than my last class where as long as your dog wasnt bolting for the door you were good. We did heel, right turns and sits. Then we moved on to sit stays. I liked how this was done because once Harley was sitting and I had asked her to stay I took a large step away from her - to the side. This is generally exciting for Harley because I took a big step, she hasn't done a stay like this before and it was a safe way to explore how stay in the new class. Harley was great during this. She has done stays where I move from her and drop the lead so I know she understands the concept. We did figure of eight heelwork. We also did an exersize where we quickly move backward and excitedly call our dog to us and then ask them to sit, attempting them to get as close to us as possible. Kind of right on top of you, looking up at you. Harley was unphased but didn't sit as close as required so we will work on that. Not sure what the purpose is? Can anyone help me out here with an explanation? @Oberon or @Jojo83 or @snowbunny or @Beanwood or @Emily or @Karen (I am trying to remember who has mentioned classes before versus more gundog stuff, please do not feel offended if I leave someone out) Lastly we did some more social circle where you stand in a circle, walk two steps in, sit, walk another 2 steps (getting closer to others all the time), turn, walk out, turn, down, heel three steps in etc. It was pretty much chaos with every dogs wanting to say hello to the other. lol. But that is the purpose. Harley was very tired and over class at that stage. She doesn't quite have the capacity for long training sessions yet. And although we had a number of water breaks she was hot and struggling to focus. So was I. It was really interesting being the only person using a clicker, where previously everyone used them. I am not willing to let go of my clicker until I absolutely have to.
Oh that is weird. I posted the second class and then it appeared as a double post. So I deleted the second one. And now they are both gone?
That will be a walking recall. The first step towards a formal obedience recall. The dog has to be right up close for left/right finishes or dumbbell retrieve. If she's not coming close enough, try standing with your legs slightly wider apart so she can see between them Sounds like a great class. Quite similar to what our club does too. The work close to other dogs is sooooo hard for our over friendly labs . We would often do a circle, then be called in towards the centre and we'd all keep walking in a straight line so that we all crossed over in the middle and out the other side For about the first six months I had to just stop and reward Ella for calm while the other dogs kept walking!
As @Emily says it's position training in obedience work and not something I personally train. You can also practice thus while sitting on a chair (always a bonus ). Sit ont he edge jf a chair and widen your legs. Have a treat in your hand and let Harley know it's there and place your hand with treat at waist height over your tummy, you can raise it higher if necessary to get good position. Call Harley to you and encourage her closer to get the treat. You can adapt your position to help Harley get the position. The hand position also helps to focus the new body position and can become a visual cue.
Ah.. yes I don't really do obedience stuff, however, I do sometimes work with a trainer who does. The front cue was probably what you were referring to @Emily? The front cue was taught to me as a fun alternative to a recall, and something to else to use in our toolkit on a walk. I guess you can also use middle, side etc... The reason we used excited language and run back slightly was to encourage the dog to get as close as possible to the front of our body and also to get a really snappy response . I can really comment on obedience work, but I gather the correct position is very close indeed!
Same as Kate here - I don't do "obedience-style" finishes. It looks so uncomfortable, with the dog's head pointing up like that! I may be wrong, but I think it's more about style than substance; I can't think why you'd ever need your dog to be that close in the real world. I do teach a "front", but it's at a few paces from me, because I want the dog to be able to easily turn left or right from that position. Other than @Emily, maybe @Joy has some insight?
Thank you for the replies! And the tips. Poor Harley, I have spent all her life with us trying to get a bit of space to save myself from being jumped on, as we all know - they don't really have a personal space radar. Yesterday - 4 November 2017: I had a brain wave and took a tupperware/lunchtin full of ice blocks with and poured water over it when we got there. Harley could go refresh when needed and she loves to keep an iceblock in her mouth, she doesn't chew it. We started with social circle again and @Emily we did exactly what you described, after the zig zag exercise we did the walk into the circle, a sit and then continue walking. I must say that all and all the dogs were very good. A few licks were exchanged but with enough treats we made it through. The one BC that we have known since puppy socialization was there again and he is an absolutely sweetheart and a total romantic so he justs wants to be with Harley. We have a 6 month old Boerbull puppy who is HUGE but so incredibly sweet and another BC cross. So there were no worries about negative interactions, more the opposite. All the dogs wanted to give some love. So we will have to keep working on that but to be honest Harley at this age is like a completely different dog from Harley at 6 months. It would have been a nightmare exercise then and it would have taken ages to calm her back down again. We did a focus exercise where you toss a treat to the end of lead length, and let your dog and get it. Then you wait for them to look at you, not your hand, but in the face and you toss another, with a "yes" and in my case a click when she looks at me. The idea is for the dogs to remain at lead length and start to focus on you more and more. We had a very funny moment when doing some individual heel work around a square of cones because Harley targeted each cone with her paw or nose. She would immediately continue at heel. What I really like is that the trainer is very calm and in control but also gives the humans good corrections. She demonstrates new exercises with one of our dogs so that helps me understand. And she expects us to work on what we do in class because next week she will build on the exercise. She keeps a notepad with her and keeps record of what we do. She really encourages positive interactions between our dogs and us. Also, while she is individually working with you and your dog, with heelwork around cones for instance, she has left the rest of the class with a focus exercise. So you don't stand around. She is very encouraging of Harley and thinks she is a great dog with a very good temperament. She said she thinks she would reach CGC gold. I was very impressed and didn't ask if that also goes for me But she isn't an over flattering person where you doubt her sincerity. So far so good. The only snag I am getting is that Harley is a treat snob when it comes to class. I have had this issue with her before. She loves cheese and will work for cheese but with the volume of treats we use in this class I am concerned she will get ill. I mixed in a few of her normal kibble and she SPAT THEM OUT, in front of the class. So any tips for very tasty treats will be appreciated!
Spat them out?!! Hilarious! Snowie sometimes does that when he knows there’s something better; otherwise he’ll eat whatever it is OF COURSE!! I’ve used dried liver bits, sliced v small dried sausage, chicken biltong (revoltingly oily for me as a vegetarian, smell lingered forever), roast chicken, dried lung, tuna “fudge” (like a wet biscuit), and crunchy liver biscuits. I’ve heard liver pate or cream cheese in a squeeze bottle - they lick the nozzle - is also effective. I’ve also used pieces of apple, but they lose their appeal while training - but it’s his best on our weekly Sunday hike: I eat an apple as we start off, and Snowie gets half of it in bits along the way, great to practice recall. Snowie sometimes loves a particular treat one day, then doesn’t another day.
Sounds like a great class! For treats, you could try tinned hot dog sausages? The ones I got were made of chicken, and each sausage is only about 50 to 60 calories. Not something I would usually buy, but From memory, I managed to get over 50 pieces out of each sausage. Monty loved them, but he's at the other end of the spectrum of being a treat snob....
The trainer sounds really well-organised -and I think it gives you confidence too if their own dogs can demonstrate. I still haven’t mastered an obedience-style front with Molly -she just doesn’t want to stretch her neck right up so won’t sit quite close enough. (I’ve sometimes wondered if it’s my stomach getting in the way ) I have tried using a placeboard in front of me and calling Molly to me from different angles, rewarding with a treat held at my chest so she has to reach up. To be honest I’ve probably not worked consistently enough at this. I’ll be interested to hear how you get on.
Oh yes, treats. I often use real sausages and get 120 treats from each sausage. I cut the sausage into 20 slices and then cut each slice into six! Liver cake is also easy to cut into small pieces.
@Harley Quinn , this sounds a great class, good for you. I absolutely get what you mean about her being a different dog from six months ago, I feel the same about Cassie. I also have been using frankfurter style sausage, which I can buy very cheaply. I wouldn't touch them normally. I find these days I carry kibble in my pocket and frankfurter in my treat bag for bonus rewards, Yesterday at my class I ran out of ff and kibble wasn't quite enough for the exercise we were doing, the trainer gave me some tiny bits of dried meat which worked wonders. I must ask her if she bought them or made them herself. Going back to ff I like them because I can take big chunks and just break off little pieces.
This is what I do. I got bored with cutting millions of tiny pieces, so I cut things into sticks now, so I can break off either small or larger bits as necessary.
I use hotdog sausages with Harley when we are training as they are soft to eat, quite smelly and they agree with her tummy. I cut them really small so lasts much longer than most treats. Sounds like your trainer is fantastic and well done to you both to get to the stage you are at. Look forward to hearing about more of your classes.
Thanks Naya. With all the different cultures on this forum and sausage being something that is quite particular to different countries I am just making sure it is similar to what we have I do like the more structured class and I am excited to see if Harley becomes more enthusiastic about obedience work as she matures.
Saturday 11 September 2017, our third training class. I was really looking forward to class. I had put more time in with Harley during the week and she is definitely putting in her side but I should have known that having any sort of expectation was setting us up for a bumpy class - but in the end, a really positive experience. So, firstly, the class was in a different field because there were some other events on at the club. Harley was already a bit over stimulated by the time we hit the field because there were a whole bunch of new noises and in the adjacent field there was a man cutting grass with a weed eater. Harley is anxious when the garden service comes and we are working on her confidence with them but this sound didn't help our already new experience situation. Then at the entrance she was met by two of the dogs she knows from class and they all had a hello. I have spoken to the trainer and I am not going to stop and socialise with other dogs at the start of class. I would class to be class and play time with other dogs to be something different and I think it is unfair of my to expect Harley to be able to step out of the play with other dogs excitement so quickly. She is an only dog and she does love other people and dogs. The trainer fully agrees on this point. So from next week we are saying hello from a distance. The class started and we did the weaving social circle. Harley was attentive but a bit wound up, I can tell because she will wont be gentle when taking the treats and will occasionally catch my fingers in her teeth, definitely not a bite but far from the way she normally takes but still she did the exercise well. Oh boy. Then the reactive BC from the first class arrived. The BC was really good and the owner is very respectful and our trainer is very firm about them starting a good distance from us. So they do the exercises and as it is clear that the BC is okay they move slightly closer. But Harley started whining and staring at the BC. I tried to get her attention with some high value treats but nothing. It was like her brain had shut down. Then the two GR puppies arrived and although she is less interested in them it just seemed like she was very overwhelmed. The new field, grass cutter, cars on the very busy road next to the field (safely fenced), BC and other dogs were a lot to contend with and I must admit that I was becoming very despondent very quickly. I wasn't sure what to do, she didn't respond to treats, even right at her nose, it was lie she couldnt even hear me and the trainer was keeping an eye but she is not the type to fuss and from the outside Harley and I weren't having a pulling match and she wasn't in distress. Very quickly I started considering leaving the class and coming back next week. But luckily I gathered my embarrasment and thought about what I could do to improve this situation. I raised my hand and said to the trainer that we are stepping out of class for a bit and she said sure. Harley walked with me and we went to sit on a bench, in the shade at the edge of the field. I offered her some water and she had a few licks. And then she just sat in front of me. And I put my head near hers and rubbed my hands over her head and ears, like I do when we are having cuddle moments at home. Then I took her a few metres away and played the focus game from class, where you toss the treat and wait for the dog to make eye contact, C & T. She very quickly started focussing very well. Then we rejoined the class. The break had helped my social anxiety. Also I realised that everyone was so focussed on trying to get their dogs to learn that they didn't even notice I was gone. Harley proceeded to do some great down stays, I started off at the end of the lead for a few and then dropped the lead to move away once I could see she was really settled. She did the person introduction very well. Last time she stood up, this time she remained in a sit, even when she got her pat. We played sending off to a mat. I had forgotten the mat so I used my long sleeve light jacket and Harley was fantastic, she loves games like that. But she is a challenge because she quickly starts offering different options to the game. So even though we had a bumpy start she was absolutely fantastic, recovered well and completed 75 % of the class focussed and attentive. She was tired by the end and then she is a little harder to get responses out of, but the class ended a few minutes after she started showing signs of being mentally tired. And when I spoke to the trainer afterwards she again said that Harley is such a lovely dog and is doing so well, so that also confirmed that what I was experiencing was a rough patch for Harley and I but didn' t come across as disasterous to the trainer. We had a super cute moment when a page blew out of the trainers note book and I sent Harley to fetch it. She jumped on it and scrunched it in her mouth but was too excited to bring it to me. But it was really adorable.
Well done for coping in a difficult situation. I think taking Harley away from the class for a short time was exactly the right thing to do and it sounds as if she settled really well when you rejoined the others.
I think you did really well to step out of the class to refocus Harley and bring her under threshold which is the key. You ended on a positive which is important. I say well done both of you x
Oh, that sounds lovely. What a good girl she is. Well done you for sticking with it, and also for recognizing you both needed a few moments away from the class to regain your calm and focus. Super, well done to both of you!!!
