The funny thing about retrieving is that because some dogs are easily 'hooked' we can often think (myself included when I got Betsy!) that if retrieving isn't the thing that can defeat the dog's interest in birds, rabbits, smells etc. that somehow we have a dog that is an indifferent retriever, or somehow lacks that thing we call 'drive'. Well, we don't think this about other behaviours, do we? We don't say because a dog will, say, recall, or spin, or sit pretty in the garden but not in a deer filled wood, that the dog lacks 'recall/spin/sit pretty drive'. No, we say 'well, have to build up to proofing a recall/spin/sit pretty in a deer filled wood'. You can think of the behaviour of retrieving in the same way. Including the enthusiasm and speed of the retrieve.
Thanks for your replies @JulieT, plenty for me to work on How right you are about the retrieve drive and proofing, I've never looked at it like that before.
It feels like over the last 2 weeks good progress has been made by Cassie and myself. I don't know if it's coincidence but it seems to have happened since we started agility. She appears to really like working on each task, and it has translated well to "keeping her close" games on walks which we've been doing for 12 months now, and it has renewed her interest. I felt sad at times that I wasn't able to do gundog training as I wanted to work in the countryside with her --- but actually I find our walks so enjoyable by working to keep her engaged that I do appreciate the environment we are in on a daily basis just as much. And I have had to work to counteract poo eating and deer hunting, but in the main it is being effective. For the first time in 3 weeks I got out her dummy last night, and she did 2 enthusiastic retrieves from the undergrowth in my garden, which I was happy to see. I have been playing tuggy with her 2 or 3 times a week. I think I will take the dummies out on a walk with us and see if she will retrieve by picking a time when she comes to interact with me. I feel like that too is quite a breakthrough in our training. And I think I will try to get a 1.2.1 with a +R gundog trainer, just to see where we are at and whether to persevere. She seems generally more willing to engage with me when out and about, she was very good at our companion dog class this morning, even though she wanted to greet the other dogs she was much more controlled in her approach, and turned herself back to me to make eye contact without being asked. After that and agility this afternoon she is snoring loudly in the chair opposite. It does feel like at 2 years of age things are coming together
So after I withdrew us from the gundog training group I didn't do any retrieving with her at all, but started playing tug and an exercise in RAO book. I soon got to the point where she would bring it back to me wanting more in the house, and then in the garden -- unless it's damp out there One day last week she suddenly started sitting by the shoe rack which has her old crate around it like a guard to protect visitors shoes, and giving her little moany squeaky whine which means she would like life to be slightly different at that point! To cut to the chase -- she could see her orange dummy and was trying to get it! So we went in the garden and she enjoyed a couple of retrieves, only short as my garden is small. So I put my thinking cap on and decided on a place on one of our walks where she often comes to me, as I sit on the bench and watch birds on the lake she sort of bimbles around and we practice handtouch or similar. Its the dam really, and is a nice grassy stretch were we can train undisturbed and so she's in the zone really. I did the get ready to work stuff, which I've only just started to do, but which she's getting the idea about due to agility. And threw the dummy --- way further than I meant to and it went right down the side of the dam, which is earthworks overgrown with woodland and brambles , pretty steep. I'm not very good at distance but I'd say a good 50ft. So she disappeared for what seems like 5 minutes but wasn't really , and I'm thinking oh there must be a pheasant down there and I'm going to have to clamber down and get it myself! But no, she came bursting out of the undergrowth with the dummy thinking she's the bees knees! It was such a joy to see her happy to carry it! She did drop it, but I don't care, hopefully I can build up her enthusiasm now, if I'm careful and don't over do it with her, complicated little girl can soon go off the boil. I know it's only a little thing compared to others achievements but I think I will be smiling all day. So thanks for the ideas I've received on here @Karen I think you've said in the past to make it more difficult for her , well I did, it was more difficult than I meant it to be! And @JulieT , for pointing out the obvious but wasn't obvious to me that retrieving needs proofing like any other training, for some dogs anyway. Well done to anyone still reading this long post
So we have been carrying on with the retrieving in the same place every few days. To my delight she's still keen -- I really hope it continues. I'm sure that the ebb and flow of her interest was affected by her hormone cycle, there have been times when she wouldn't even look at a dummy, let alone run out and pick it up. It definitely coincided with firstly that horrendous phantom pregnancy, I couldn't do anything with her at all, then as that went away she had a few weeks when she would retrieve eagerly but then as she came into season for the second time her interest waned. And now of course I look back and see that I have often asked it of her in the wrong setting, given that her retrieving gene is not as active as her hunting gene and super friendly gene! I only do a maximum of three, throwing it into the dense undergrowth as it's clear she loves to search for the dummy. And this morning we did the first memory retrieve -- I have read about others doing this and thought that Cass never would, but of course she had no problem. I've been working hard on the "on location" exercises in Total Recall as part of the War Against Poo Eating, not to mention deer chasing. Re-establishing the zone of control, which had gone to pot a bit, so lot's of high value rewards going along with the whistle. So deciding to use the recall whistle today as she returned with the dummy wasn't the best idea -- as she dropped the dummy in anticipation of her reward, whereas she has been bringing it to hand just by my stepping back. Also there is no steadiness ! But right now I'm happy that she's enthusiastic, and it's quite hard to throw the dummy and get her to wait, I'll have to see if my son or daughter will help me. I wonder sometimes if, with the one to one trainer I went to too much emphasise went on that too early. Guess I'll never know! Anyway, I love my quirky girl!
Sounds like good progress Selina. As for steadiness, I am nearly always on my own when I train so what I do is sit Charlie up on my left kneel down and place my arm infront of him telling him to "stay" whilst I throw the dummy. To start with it was just a few meters and then I cued him to "get it" gradually building up the distance, now he is really pretty steady on a long distance throw x
Recall is coming on well, I guess because I've always worked on it the concept isn't so foreign to her! We are now up to the long standing recall in the on location section. I have mixed up the locations and just adapted what to do according to the likely distractions. There's a big difference between Cassie in an open field and Cassie in the corner of the wood where the deer hang out the most! I felt like challenging us the other evening and took her up there, she responded really well with being in the zone of control, and more than once I saw her leap into the undergrowth as if she was about to go -- but checked herself and made a voluntary return! I was really pleased with that, but then headed for home while the going was good! I know hot sausage was involved, but if that's what it takes so be it. The high desire poo has me in a quandary though, obviously she can so easily self reward with that But today I had her practice off lead heel on the way home and she did dart off into the long grass, with me behind her. I'm happy to say she did actually make the decision to return to me before she found whatever it was, so perhaps we are making headway. I think though I need to find away of using training line for the bl*** orange stuff. Don't know if I'll ever win that. Thing with her is though that I mustn't nag her, otherwise the off switch gets activated! I think she will probably be quite pleased to do some agility this afternoon for a change. And again she has enjoyed some retrieving this week
