Just posted, a new article on basic training. http://thelabradorsite.com/training/basics.php Over the next few weeks we will be adding articles on various aspects of Labrador Training. If you let us know what training topics you would like to see articles on, we will prioritise those on the main website.
Re: New article: basic training Hi Thanks for the article link. Nice site! I would find an article on Whining (eg in the car, or when left alone) very helpful. Thanks Susan
Re: New article: basic training Hi Susan, sorry, I was a bit slow to spot this post :-[ An article on 'whining' is a good idea. It can be a very tricky problem to solve. I'll let you know when its up on the website. In the meantime, if you can us a bit more information about when your dog is whining, we might be able to offer a few tips. Pippa
Re: New article: basic training Hi Pippa Thanks for your answer - I seem a bit slow too! Our biggest problem is whining in car, on the way to our usual walk. It gets louder and louder as we get nearer, and only stops when I get her out and on the lead, by which time she's completely over excited! If you have any advice that would be great! Sue.
whining Hi Sue Dogs tend to whine in cars for different reasons. A common reason is stress /anxiety. Another common reason is excitement – usually the anticipation of a walk! It sounds like your dog is doing this through excitement in anticipation of the walk There are various things you can do to increase quiet behaviour in the car, some you can do by yourself, but most of these need to be done by you when some-one else is driving. I will sort out an article in the next few days and put it up on the main website. In the meantime, a couple of things which can help: 1. Take the dog out in that car a lot for boring purposes ie not when you are going for a walk. If most car journeys are boring this can reduce the excitement level for the dog. 2. When you arrive at your destination, don’t get the dog out of the car for his walk, until he is silent, and preferably sitting or lying down quietly. Each time you let him out whilst he is fussing, you reinforce/encourage the noise. I will post up the link when the article is done. It is a horrid problem and one that a lot of people have trouble with. Unfortunately it is not an easy or quick one to fix, but you should be able to improve things over time. Pippa
Re: New article: basic training Hi I've found a wonderful technique for anything anxiety/excitement related. It's called the Trust Technique by a chap called James French. When I first got Barney as a rescue he couldn't be left at all, he had huge seperation anxiety issues. All the ususal techniques recommended by the behaviourist made no difference although all the other issues had started to improve. Someone recommended James to me and the results were amazing. On his site he has videos where he's helped a dog that was terrified of the car. I'm sure Pippa's suggestions will work well with your dog Sue as it doesn't sound to extreme thank goodness (mind I haven't had to hear the whinging!) but I thought it worth mentioning for anyone struggling with anxiety etc. I now use it daily for all sorts of things it's made a great difference to us You can learn the technique online so you don't need to have a personal consultation to get benefit from it. http://trust-technique.com/dap/a/?a=266
Re: New article: basic training Hi Pippa, Just a question regarding the "Sit" position, I understand that you gradually increase the time, my question is how long would an adult fully trained Lab be expected to stay in position? As in past training I was always taught that anything over say 2 mins, you should put the Dog into the down. This being that due to the confirmation of a Canine it is "more comfortable". This is due to probably lack of experience of the Shooting theatre and appreciate that a Dog in this area may be expected to sit for a longer period. Regards, Paul.
Re: New article: basic training Hi Paul, Many traditional gundog trainers do not differentiate these positions (sit and down) and many never teach a ‘down’ at all. So whilst they may train a sit, if they leave the dog in a sit for several minutes, they are quite happy if the dog lies down. I use the command ‘hup’ which is a traditional command for stopping a gundog. (It is an abbreviation for ‘hold up’.) If I leave my dogs ‘hupped’ for several minutes, at least one of them will probably lie down and that is fine with me. The crucial point is that they do not move. Many gundog trainers will be pleased that the dog lies down as this indicates that the dog is relaxed and have accepted that they must remain ‘in situ’. Most experienced gundogs will quickly sit up again if things start ‘hotting up’ as this is a better position from which to 'mark' . Pippa
Re: New article: basic training Paul You might find it interesting to know that in my training pack - the assessment for a grade 1 which is the beginner level the dog is expected to sit/stay for 2 minutes. At grade 3 which is intermediate a 4 minute sit/stay is required. At the higher levels - 4 & 5 the time isn't addressed specifically but the dog is expected to behave well off lead without undue commands and honour other dogs working without fuss. Carole
Re: New article: basic training Hi Pippa and Carole, Interesting, I take it then that the Dog does not have to actually stay in the sit, but is allowed to lay down in the exact position, would not be penalised unless he/she moves from the spot where it initially was "sat"? I follow your points Pippa and can relate to this out in the field, but in a Test I have always thought the Dog should remain in the last command given position. Probably me trying to read too much into it!!! Regards, Paul.
Re: New article: basic training Hi Paul Assessors at early grades shouldn't penalise the dog for lying down on a stay - but I expect they might choose to at a later grade if the dog lay down at an inappropriate time and this prevented them performing at their best on a subsequent marked retrieve. That said, as Pippa says, most experienced dogs sit back up when the guns start firing! Sam.
