Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

Discussion in 'Your Training Logs' started by David, Mar 8, 2015.

  1. debsie

    debsie Registered Users

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    Impressed! Good stuff Lady!
     
  2. David

    David Registered Users

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    Well I've been out of action effectively for the last 4 weeks. Started with a cold that became a cough that then went into flu (OH has had it too so it was flu and not man-flu! ;D) and then became pneumonia! Anyway, apart from a bit short of breath now recovered, but of course Lady's training regime has pretty much gone to pot in the meantime. The progress made on stop and sit has all gone back to zero and she has forgotten the lot! ::)

    Notwithstanding went to a training session this morning. 3 Springers, 1 Cocker and my Lab, Lady. We went back to square one with the stop-sit for Lady. Not too bad I suppose but a bit disheartening. We moved on to a couple of retrieves teaching steadiness ie not running in on the retrieve. That went reasonably well and included sending the dog back for a short blind retrieve, and I'm pleased to say that Lady was the only dog of the four that understood the back cast. Lady does fine in this area and retrieves nicely with a delivery to the hand from a sit position, although one of the retrieves was her diving somersault retrieve that's not quite the thing really, but she doesn't do it with game so I guess we can allow her a bit of exuberance!

    As she's an older dog the advice from the trainer (the keeper on my shoot who knows Lady well) was to keep training lessons fairly short to maybe 10 - 15 minutes otherwise there's a risk that Lady will get bored with the dummy work as she's an experienced dog and much more interested in game than dummies. Homework is the stop-sit building distance and a spot of clock retrieving and "T" retrieving (ie when Lady sits at the bottom of the leg of the T and I cast dummies to either side and have her pick up the selected one).

    Talking afterwards with the keeper, he wants to do some work with Lady in the woods later in the season with pre-set blind retrieves and then cold game. One step at a time I think. I'm also waiting for a place on the syndicate so I need to steer the training towards potentially having Lady as a peg dog. Hmmm! Bit of a conflict of interests as I know the keeper actually wants us to carry on picking up as we got some good team work building last season that was working really well and made everything look a bit more professional on the beating side. There has also been some talk of organising the guns into position too so I'll have to wait and see what transpires.
     
  3. bbrown

    bbrown Moderator Forum Supporter

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    On your T drills if dummies are boring why not try food bowls sometimes? Pop something tasty in one bowl but go to all three then when she takes the correct direction she gets rewarded, she goes to the wrong one she gets nothing.....
     
  4. Karen

    Karen Registered Users

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    What would you rather do, David - shoot, or picking up?
     
  5. charlie

    charlie Registered Users

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    Don't know anything about this training but just hoping you and Rosemary are on the road to recovery xx
     
  6. David

    David Registered Users

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    [quote author=bbrown link=topic=10116.msg159470#msg159470 date=1430062932]
    On your T drills if dummies are boring why not try food bowls sometimes? Pop something tasty in one bowl but go to all three then when she takes the correct direction she gets rewarded, she goes to the wrong one she gets nothing.....
    [/quote]

    Sounds fun - I'll see how we get on. I suspect if I do that she'll got to the indicated bowl then just check out the other two. ;D Might give it a whirl in the garden if I have problems with dummies.

    [quote author=Karen link=topic=10116.msg159531#msg159531 date=1430077645]
    What would you rather do, David - shoot, or picking up?
    [/quote]

    The problem is I'd like to do both. It gives me a huge lift to watch Lady working, especially when she gets things right. The ideal for me would be to alternate shooting and picking between drives, but that's never going to happen so if I get offered a place I'll have to decide then. It might be possible to do ad hoc shooting if a gun drops out for one of the days - that would work.

    [quote author=charlie link=topic=10116.msg159550#msg159550 date=1430079494]
    Don't know anything about this training but just hoping you and Rosemary are on the road to recovery xx
    [/quote]

    Yes thanks. Both well on the mend now but it's knocked the stuffing out of both of us.
     
  7. David

    David Registered Users

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    Meant to add an update to the progress reporting to the post above.

    Couldn't do our usual walk this morning as cattle were barring the route and Lady is very fearful of them so we went into a corner of the field we were in and did a spot of training. Rory (keeper who's doing the training with me) said I needed to blow a much more forceful stop so tried a bit of that this morning. Lady was quite close and her bottom went straight to the deck! Then with her held with my arm up tossed tennis balls left and right and she held the sit. That's the first time she's done that without me having to run in and head her off as she ran in. She brought them back one at a time just fine. Sometimes she seems to just get it like this morning and other times it's really hard work. Anyway stopped on a success high and gave her a high value fish skin treat.

    Rory is right - she gets bored with training very quickly so short sharp training sessions seem to be the right way forward. Ideal for walking and proofing at the same time? Do a short exercise then walk on and do another a bit further on. Anyway onward and upward? ;D
     
  8. bbrown

    bbrown Moderator Forum Supporter

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    [quote author=David link=topic=10116.msg159607#msg159607 date=1430121678]
    [quote author=Karen link=topic=10116.msg159531#msg159531 date=1430077645]
    What would you rather do, David - shoot, or picking up?
    [/quote]

    The problem is I'd like to do both. It gives me a huge lift to watch Lady working, especially when she gets things right. The ideal for me would be to alternate shooting and picking between drives, but that's never going to happen so if I get offered a place I'll have to decide then. It might be possible to do ad hoc shooting if a gun drops out for one of the days - that would work.
    [/quote]

    I've seen guns who want to work their dogs and they do one week shooting and then they invite a guest for their spot and work their dog another week. Are you allowed to invite a guest if you've got a place as a gun?
     
  9. David

    David Registered Users

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    That hangs together! I've noticed guns beating on occasion and there has been a guest introduced before the safety briefing so that might be the case. I hadn't connected the two until now. Got to get an invite first though!
     
  10. bbrown

    bbrown Moderator Forum Supporter

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    Re: Lady's Training Log - Filling in a lot of cracks

    [quote author=David link=topic=10116.msg159613#msg159613 date=1430122960]
    That hangs together! I've noticed guns beating on occasion and there has been a guest introduced before the safety briefing so that might be the case. I hadn't connected the two until now. Got to get an invite first though!
    [/quote]

    Fingers crossed!!!!!
     
  11. David

    David Registered Users

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    Here's a long overdue update.

    Today we had 2 Springers, 2 Cockers and ...... Lady! The spaniels are lovely to watch and with Lady being the only Lab, watching them interact together highlights some of the differences between the dogs. For example, half way through the training session we allowed the dogs to have a play time together. The spaniels all ran around like mad things interacting with each other. Lady lay down and had a sleep! :rolleyes:

    We started of with walking up really slowly with the dogs at heal then Rory threw dummies and we all blew the stop. 100% success - all dogs stopped and sat. We repeated this a few times. Then we repeated but this time one dog at a time was released to pick up. Varying degrees of success with the spaniels ( all very young dogs) but getting there. Lady went straight out like an arrow and returned, sat and delivered, but she's always been good at that.

    The next exercise was stop and sit then walk away with the dog glued to the spot, and hold for around 2 minutes in Lady's case while one after another we called the dogs in but stopped then a couple of times part way. Woohoo - success again, apart from a false start when Lady misunderstood the stop hand signal as a go-back (my fault as I made a pushing motion with my hand) and immediately turned through 180 degrees and started hunting :D. We repeated this a couple of times. Very pleased.

    Finally the spaniels all did a quatering exercise with their owners one at a time keeping the dogs under close control and casting left and right to find a dummy hidden in straw in various places. In Lady's case we did a blind retrieve and on the return Rory rained dummies all around her. Not to bad as I kept her on track. She veered off a couple of times but called in ok.

    So all in all a good morning!
     
  12. Karen

    Karen Registered Users

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    That sounds like a great training session. Really interesting how different the spaniels are! Do you think Lady is making progress, are you noticing a difference?
     
  13. David

    David Registered Users

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    Yes she's doing much better, thank you. Just got back from our morning walk and I did a bit of ad hoc training around some hay bales. With no distractions of course her stop sit was instantaneous - she defo knows what's required now. Also steadiness not there yet but I can hold her for several seconds now before sending her out. We won't be moving up to anything complicated like place mats or anything like that but all I'm after is a dog that is sufficiently competent and I think we are getting there. I think I'm lucky in that she takes on new ideas fairly easily. Could that be genetic? She is 100% worker right back through her pedigree.

    Back later. Just off out to join a working party. We are repairing the pheasant pens at the moment. Glad it's in the woods. Very hot and humid this morning.
     
  14. David

    David Registered Users

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    It's been a while since the last update. I've been working with Lady on improving her stop and sit, and also her steadiness to falling game. She'll be 6 in September so breaking some of the bad habits of half a lifetime (sigh) can take time. I'm lucky to have the help of Rory, the keeper on my shoot, and he has loads of dog training experience and he falls pretty much into the positive training approach as well, so for me a win all round situation. I had a session with him yesterday together with the other dogs on my shoot - all springers except for one cocker.

    We kicked off with a bit of walking slowly to heel then a sit and walk off followed by a partial recall with a stop sit. All dogs did fine including Lady who can be a bit of a madam if she can't see the point of something so repetitions of the same thing over and over can lead to loss of attention.

    Then the spaniels were all given a chance to retrieve with the aid of a starting pistol, but having to wait before release. Varying degrees of success. Lady was lying down next to me and whined a bit but restrained herself.

    The spaniels were then introduced to a bit of realistic working along a ditch - again with a retrieve at the end of it and the starting pistol. The ditch was full of deep mud so all dogs came back a different colour than when they set off. :D

    Right at the end of training we got a proper go and as the only Lab there it was imperative that we show the spaniels how it's done. Rory stood off a good 150 yards and threw out dummies left and right with accompanying gunshot and Lady as good as gold kept sitting by my side. We paused for as long as I thought was possible and still have success and I released her for the right hand dummy. She went left ie the last one to fall but (and you could have knocked me down with a feather) she stopped and looked back at the stop whistle (didn't quite sit) and when I cast her back right she was off to the correct dummy straight as a die. It was one of those Docken birds and she was a bit confused by all it's bit so she dumped it at my feet rather then to hand but all in all near enough I thought. We repeated and she got the whole process exactly right the second time and sat and delivered to the hand.

    Next time out Rory says we will use the dummy launcher. He says he wants her moving on to really long retrieves which is where, he says, she starts to show her form.

    Very pleased I must say.

     
  15. Karen

    Karen Registered Users

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    Well done Lady and David - and bring on the dummy launcher!!!

    You show those spaniels, Lady... :cool:
     
  16. JulieT

    JulieT Registered Users

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    Oh well done, Lady, so pleased you held the Labrador end up when outnumbered by spaniels! Good girl. :D
     
  17. Merla

    Merla Registered Users

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    Good work, SBD!! Glad you showed 'em how it's done
     
  18. bbrown

    bbrown Moderator Forum Supporter

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    150 yards sounds really long to me!!! Good work SBD. Stopping on the way to a marked dummy taking direction to another extremely good stuff :D
     
  19. David

    David Registered Users

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    Another session today but unfortunately without the launcher. New dog there too. A Springer called Rocket - just a year old. I know him from walks so it was a nice surprise to see his owner there today. They are joining the shoot this upcoming season.

    We had three Springers plus Lady. The Springers were doing their thing hunting with a retrieve at the end, and hunting for a blind. It's great to see how they've come on this summer. Rocket was new of course but did well and showed a real natural ability I thought.

    I was getting Lady used to a tether as she's going to be a peg dog this season. She did some very good long straight retrieves and also some marked and unmarked in cover. Rory said I handled her well - woohoo! Rory had properly thawed the pheasant this time for the cold game retrieve and no probs. She blinked it last time out but it was still frozen. Delivery to hand with a hold all went well. Real progress I think. Very pleased.

    Next training is in 3 weeks time because of late summer holidays. Rory reckons we'll have loads of pheasants in the hedgerows by then so the Spaniels will be able to practice real flushing.

    Just got to get my eye in so the Small Black Dog gets enough action on the shoot as she's now reliant on me to deliver the goods to her! :rolleyes:
     
  20. JulieT

    JulieT Registered Users

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    Well done, SBD! Well, yes, your shooting has to be up to scratch....you have to live up to your dog!
     

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