I thought it would be fun to start being able to direct the pups to left or right, to help them find things when we throw them into the snow. Any tips on how to start with this? I thought maybe start with throwing treats either left or right, making an obvious point, but I'm not sure how I would progress this to not using the treat? Do you know of any videos that might point me in the right direction, so to speak?
Re: Beginning teaching direction I haven't formally taught left from right but tell Juno to keep left or turn left or right when we are out walking and she seems to understand the difference between the two words. You could turn it into a fun play by having treats hidden in either the left or right hand and when they have worked out the hand which has the treat say left/right and let them have the treat. I'm sure they will soon know the words.... from there you could introduce it in play with balls
Re: Beginning teaching direction So I taught Riley left and right with dummies. Sat him up on a fence line facing out, then throw a dummy one side or the other, if they run in give your left/right command if not put your arm up in the air then move it 90 degrees to parallel with the ground whilst you give your command. Hopefully their desire to retrieve will take anything as permission to go thus creating the link in their minds That's what we did.....I'm sure there are lots of other options with marker poles and place boards but Riley and I did this before we ever knew about such things
Re: Beginning teaching direction I found this too.....if you're using mats at all. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wH5oKai09ZU&list=UUFRZYvku_hSPx7NMqggyIpA¶ms=OAFIAVgC
Re: Beginning teaching direction I taught it using placeboards (which I now use for just about anything). If you get Helen Philips' Clicker Gundog the instructions are mainly in there (only using mats, but boards are better). Placeboards have been amazing for Charlie, and we've loved learning them and now using them. You can use them to do all your directions - out in any direction, back, left, right, all before you have any steadiness on dummies.
Re: Beginning teaching direction I need to start bugging J again about making me placeboards then Thanks for the reference to the book. I was trying to find the name of it earlier because I remembered someone posting about it and it sounded interesting, but I couldn't find the name of it when I was searching. I'll get it ordered.
Re: Beginning teaching direction There are quite a few articles on the traditional approach to this (using retrieves) on the Totally Gundogs website which might interest you and give you some ideas. Here are a couple Gundog skills: directional control Casting and lining
Re: Beginning teaching direction Thanks for posting this, Fiona, I want to start this too once we can work outside.
Re: Beginning teaching direction Thanks for this! I have been wanting to do this for a while too! Especially when we are using the flinger and murphy runs off in the wrong direction! I also need to start introducing directions in agility. I assume/hope the commands will transfer!
