hello. all. Me again on Brodick, and more good news! I'm finding it quite helpful posting about our Chase Training journey, so I hope no one minds updates and this one is a rambly one! About 4 weeks ago we had a major step backwards with young B. He managed to get under my radar and shot off into the pondy bog where the wild ducks are nesting with their chicks. The adults swung straight into Decoy Mode, and flew off low over the water luring Brodick with them, a good 200m away through the hill. Brodick uninterested in ducklings, went went in hot pursuit of the Flyers. after a good 200m of flying low to lure him away, they flew up high, circled, and flew back to the pond. Brodick in hot pursuit. They hid. Brodick found them, they flew off, he chased, they returned, and on it went. for forty minutes. could NOT get him to stop. Aside from admiring how fit he is, I was fuming at him! anyhow, he started to tire and I managed to grab him, he was exhausted but had had a huge adrenalin rush, off home we went, me with a sinking feeling that I would pay for this slip!! And off course this was possibly the best thing that has even happened to Brodick yet, so a big step backwards for his training... Roll on a few days we go back to the Bog, and he was like a demented loony. I had put him on a 30m long line in anticiaption, he was straining at the end of it, on his hind legs, barking and barking at the ducks, desparate to chase. However....this week I have got him to a place where we can now walk past the ducks off lead, and not a flicker. Today I even let him look at them from twenty feet off lead, he put a paw in their direction, I told him Ah Ah, he came straight back to me, jackpot treating and a game of mousing with me followed. We have done absolutely tonnes of training about this on his walks over the past four weeks, Ah Ahs, and really working on recalls to get that instant, unthinking response to the whistle back. And he got the idea more and more that this, and other chasy type activies, just aren't allowed, I gave him a litttle more freedom each day as we built control more and more, and tested him a little more each time we went past the ducks. Its tricky when I'm building things not to set him up to fail, but I think this time I got it mostly right! Last night they both got wind of a scent and charged off up the side of the hill. I gulped, decided it was time to test him on this too, and didn't do anything. they both stopped briefly and looked back at me, a quick Toot Toot on the whistle, and the both turned and charged straight back to me, BRODICK LEADING THE CHARGE BACK! treated then let them go and look again as a reward....came back straight away again. exciting long dummy retrieves as a reward... they had been at the beach earlier that day and he had been awesome on recalls, Cuillin is as well, as she has been benefiting from Brodick's training too, they were swinging round in unison like a synchronsied dog team when called. Even recalled them off a mad hooly with a small spaniel that went a bit wrong for the wee spaniel, he had seen them having a really rough wrestling game with each other and decided he wanted to join in, then regretted it once he realised it was the equivalent of labrador WWF, and started loooking frightened. They were in full adrenalin rush mode but I toot totted on the whistle and they both stopped instantly and came to me. I was a little surprised myself at the success of that as its never happened before and they had been in full adrenalin mode, but I think its just this repetitoin repetition repetition of recall training thats getting them to that next level now. Ok, thats it for a while now, just really really pleased that we are making progress, and actually the Duck Event was probably a good thing as it gave us a specific training set up to work with, which has knocked on to everything else .
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! That is brilliant ! Lots of hard work paying off and the ducks are safe again
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! That sounds like wonderful success! And thanks for the long post - really helpful for people like me, trying to figure it all out.
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Debsie, that has brought a real smile to my face . You have done an amazing job with your dogs. Absolutely well done, in that Duck situation I think I would have had a nervous breakdown . One question, what's "mousing"? I really wish I could get to grips with the 'hunting' aspect of training, but it scares me Again very well done and B & C. Helen xxx
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! thanks all, I do sound like an over proud mother on here sometimes! Helen, Mousing is one of Brodicks favourite things, he loves hunting mice in the long grass, leaping about and pouncing. Quite cute to watch...so, we just do it together but I sort of run the show.... I'll go somehwere were I know there are mice, shout Brodick Come and Mouse, and I lead the way pointing in different directions and sending him off to look.. - Find The Mouse- he is all eyes on me looking to see where I go next, and we normally find one so we are 'hunting', but with me. And the mice never go far! I'm not the best to talk about hunting aspects of training as I'm learning all this stuff for the first time myself now and I'm sure someone more experienced can explain, but for me I try to make sure we all only 'hunt' - eg Mouse! - together, no one does it off their own bat. And as I can trust Brodick more and more, he is allowed to have a little 'Hunt' as a reward if I know its safe - so, the other night I was sure that whatever they had scented wasn't around anymore, but as a reward for coming back I didn't put him on lead or anything, I directed him back to have a look again, as that is exciting for him, scenting, and he knows its ok to come back to me because I'm not the Fun Police - ie we have to go back when she calls but if we do she'll either create something exciting for us or sometimes we get to go and scent (Hunt) again because we came back when she said.....that kind of thing.... but I've had to get Brodick to a certain level where I can trust him, and sometimes that takes the odd leap of faith and not getting too worried if they charge off somewhere, I've found recently that brodick will still charge off, but he'll come back too....
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Wow, really impressive. Well done You've got a great system going there.
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Oh that is amazing.....and your are doing this all for the first time.....well done, its a fantastic feeling when something feels like it clicks D ;D gives me hope ..... You dealt with the duck distraction so well,I would have just lost my head......as the following illustrates I had my first charge off the other day,frightened the life out of me!i thought he would never come back.we were out with my friend with her cocker and lab.The cocker Tam was a working cocker for Dexters breeder and was 3 when he came to Dubai.he takes off on a scent or after a bird and the labs follow,but Dexter has always stopped at a certain distance,looked back at me and come straight back on his verbal recall command.they were just disappearing over the horizon after Tam at a gallop.....I was nearly throwing up.Im really precious about not letting Dexter go out of what I call my recall comfort zone and he was miles out of it and I had lost the plot just yelling him and yelling him and being totally ignored :'( .big step backwards! Tam started to arc back and Dexter stopped and looked back at me and I moderated my voice from hysterical to fun (ish) and he came pelting back to me thankfully,I did reward him with chicken,but then I made another massive mistake,I put him straight back on the lead another step backwards.......in the panic of thinking I'd lost him,I forgot everything :-[ On the same walk we had another charge attempt but I saw the signs and called him back to me before he forgot his name.....I dealt with it a bit better I think this time as I wasn't as scared and I just made him sit by me until the other 2 got back.....and by that point he was so pegged out he was really easy to keep on heel for a bit before I put him back on the lead. I'm doing total recall really slowly to the whistle at the moment and with Heidrun's encouragement I'm going to attempt to train the stop when we get back from the UK.....I didn't think I'd be able to do it but I can at least give it a go.......after starting from scratch with heel work and pulling on the lead and seeing a massive improvement Im not going to say I can't do something until Ive tried it and failed!This morning we had a 600m walk or so back from the golf club car park to my house with a loose lead all the way......taken me 3 weeks :-\...... We then had a tussle outside our house as Dexter's alter ego took over DDDD( Dexter the Devil Desert Dog,thanks Julie)and barked because I wouldn't let him go and play with a little dog we didn't know miles across the park.....we looked a mess exactly like Broderick on the end of his 30m line......still it would be boring if everything was perfect wouldn't it
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Naughty Dexter getting carried away ! We're on our first dog too and I find it interesting how some things are easy and others are hard and need tiny little steps to build and build until you've got bombproof behaviour. We never struggled to walk on the lead but I was paranoid about it as we would be doing a LOT of walking with a buggy and I did not want to be hauled all over the place. Recall on the other hand has been a massive, massive challenge and we have had to do periods of walking onlead and finding safe places to be offlead and practise our recall gradually progressing, adding in distractions and locations. We still have a way to go but we're getting there as will you !!! I found classes have helped me realise what Riley's capable of(in a good way ) and given me confidence. We walked with my husband this morning and he was impressed at how responsive Riley was. There was a collie ahead of us and he did as was asked and stayed with us until I told him he could go play - this is a really big improvement for us. If it had been the 9 month labradoodle we met at the beginning of our walk I think I would have had to release him earlier as he wouldn't have been able to contain himself but I think I'm gradually convincing him that I'm in charge of when he plays and when he doesn't(as long as I don't ask too much this is working). Baby steps but I was really proud of him showing OH how good he could be ;D
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Well done Debsie and Riley too , makes it all worth while when you have a good positive response ;D
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Thanks Debsie, maybe I need to go mousing too ;D Wow Barbara, amazing, you are all moving on so well and certainly getting there, be proud Helen xx
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Good Boy Riley! and great it was in front of your OH too! And Oh Dexter.... ;D. bless him it all gets too much for them sometimes doesn't it, the excitement of other dogs...I can just picture your tussle with him when he was trying to get to that other dog.....I've now reached that Completely Immune To Embarassment Brought On Me By My Dog stage....doesn't take long actually does it! I reckon as first time owners we are all doing Right Good!
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Dexter would like it noted that he feels very 'wronged'........I have checked my emails and would like to file a correction that it has taken him only (!) 14 days to perfect 600m of loose lead walking...not the quoted 3 weeks : He states this level of prowess would have been achieved earlier had he not been sabotaged by the arrival of new neighbours with 3 cats.I told him that it doesn't matter how long it takes.....we will get there,learning together
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Well done to all!!! I'm starting to envision all the training I'll be doing when I get back and wish I could just get at it!! But for now you all are spared all my rants and venting a on the forum, so that's a good thing!! :
Re: one step backwards, three steps forwards! Well done all - Debsie, so glad the ducks are safe now!
