No, it certainly isn't trivial in comparison with what I do JulieT but different! A well known gundog trainer taught me training round the food bowl, more going towards and stopping etc, but this is how he learnt his very good (or was!) stop whistle
I was wondering about that - I mean stopping him on the way to the bowl after I'd say 'take it'. It seems a bit of a cheat to say 'take it' and then say 'stop'. I've used my placeboards before for stop - sent him to what he thought was a placeboard hidden in grass (which was actually a toy) and stopped him, then said 'back' so he got the toy. I suppose that as usual, the stop has the potential to be damaging. In this case, it would damage the 'take it' reward for the bowl. Perhaps that's easily repaired though, and better than damaging other cues.
With SWMBO, we did a stop whistle on the way to a bowl of food by a target. So, just send to the target as normal, then stop them on the way. Their release is "take it" to go get the food. It needs a helper to put their foot over the bowl if they don't stop, though.
Yes, I've seen that but at SWMBO's the bowls weren't used quite as zen bowls. I just don't like it the thought of damaging the 'take it' to the Zen bowl. If it's a normal food bowl and the dog was free, mouching around, I'd feel better about it. But maybe it doesn't matter, and it would be easily fixed.
Oh, no, I wasn't suggesting doing it with your zen bowl. I don't think you should stop after a "take it". I think that would be punishing and would damage your stop.
Yes, I'll have to have a think about it - I do need to do more stops with high distractions, for sure. Well, tonight I first worked with his Zen bowl, he did really well. He is able to walk round his bowl now, and follow very simple cues. Even with a nearly new runaround toy in the bowl. Then, I threw a ball to the same place as the Zen bowl had been, and asked him to walk away from the ball before he got to fetch it. It worked really well! I was using the most familiar, boring balls I own though! Next step a dummy....maybe.... I had a helper, for once (the price for this is an apple, prune and walnut cake, which I'll now have to go bake - bah! ), and I'm not at all sure I can move from this to no helper. Still, baby steps forward.... zen bowl and fetch by Julie T, on Flickr
Can't remember how I did it now, certainly didn't say 'take it' and then stopped him. Think I sent them on a 'go back'.
Ahhh, but the level of training is all relative really isn't it? I was in the park working on some heeling around dietractions the other day when a nutty little Spaniel came running up, completely ignoring his owners stop whistle. I asked Ella to sit and focus on me as the owner of the Spaniel arrived, puffing, embarrassed and apologising before leading him away. When they'd left I looked down at Ella, laughed and said "well that was a first, you were actually the 'well trained' dog for once!"
I've been giving some thought lately to how I can be more effective with Charlie's training. He clearly improves when I spend time in Cornwall and I think this is for 3 reasons: I have a field I can borrow that is free from other dogs. I train more, and more often (I'm not at work when I'm in Cornwall) and so he spends less time free running I sometimes have help - so for example over the Christmas hols I made progress with things like the Zen bowl, which I think is helping generally with Charlie's impulse control So, I have been thinking about which aspects of these I can translate to London. I can't find a dog free field in London - that's just tough luck, there are no spare fields in Wimbledon! I could perhaps try to arrange Charlie's training times for very early or very late though... I can cut down on Charlie's free running and train more - I am guilty, particularly when I have to go to the office or come back after a day at the office of being lazy, and just taking Charlie up to the Common for a random wander and play. I could be more disciplined about having a training plan for these times. I have decided that I will swap out some of Charlie's walks with the dog walker to be training - as in the dog walker will help me train. I can't do this very much because there is a good reason I have a dog walker! I need to work. But January is a bit quieter at work, so I've arranged 9 sessions over the next month when I'll have a helper. Charlie also goes out on a group walk with other dogs once a week. This is completely free running for a hour with other dogs. I do not think this helps Charlie's training one little bit and I also worry that he'll hurt himself playing with other dogs and I'm not there to supervise how much he does. He is always much more inclined to be distracted and run over to other dogs if he free runs on group walks. A dilemma for me though, these group walks do help his confidence around other dogs, and I like his confidence to stay very high since he has to cope with a vast number of dogs where we live. So a tricky one....I don't know what to do about that. Anyway, I have my first assisted dog training session on Monday! So excited, so planning to make the best of the time. I also have a 121 back with the gundog trainer on the 14th - first one in 10 months! Plus, going back to gundog training class at the end of the month.... Lots to do!
Right. After the eating of the pheasant pelt event....with very runny poo as a result for a day....we have got on with bringing back feathers. Should have done it a while ago, instead of having the pelts hanging round in the 'specials' basket with Charlie getting curious. Step one is: here is a feather covered dummy, and here is your breakfast. Put the feathers in my hand, and you get your breakfast. Step two is shown in the video. Very quiet area, a straight line from dog, to article, to hand - and sardines as the reward. GOPR1017 by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr Step three is a proper retrieve which involves turning with the article - still in the kitchen though. But step two needs to be repeated for a few days first.
Unfortunately Firefox will not let me play your video. My GSP learned to retrieve by the method you are using
Yes, I remember you said that - but this is only the first couple of steps for Charlie....he is RUBBISH at generalising, and there is no way it would transfer outside no matter how often I did it. I move to a switch retrieve outside. I am not at all sure how I will do that with pheasant pelts, because I think they will disintegrate...I have a 121 with the trainer next week (yay!) and will ask her.
Today was my 121 going back to my gundog trainer. This was a big deal - it is the first 121 we've had in almost a year. Sigh...anyway, putting aside all of the health stuff I was doing last year instead of my exciting plans...letting it go....deep breath! I asked to work on: Feedback on the impulse control stuff I've been doing To assess Charlie's retrieving and (if ready) what I should work on in terms of steadiness Blind retrieves (there wasn't time in the end) And some problems I've been having with verbal cues (no time to cover this either) I spent 2 hours in the lesson, and Charlie was a star. He trained for 2 hours, non stop. Whatever failings my dog has, not being keen and willing to work is not one of them! Here he is back on the gundog training field before the lesson started. He looks like he cannot believe his luck , and started his old trick of running off in search of interesting smells/going to say hello to the men in orange coats working on the railway line on the left. Eeek! But his recall still worked fine. Phew. excited run offs by Julie T, on Flickr We worked on his zen bowl (see Clicker Expo reports for details of this). He did really well, apart from walking at heel up to the bowl. He forgot that he was supposed to have his human with him! It was so funny. Like his furry brain can only concentrate on two things - walk at the pace for heel, and the zen bowl - and not three things: walk at the pace for heel, keep position with your human, and the zen bowl. zen bowl by Julie T, on Flickr We then moved on to retrieving. He did really well. So we started working on back, left and rights. We found a really interesting thing. Charlie reacts to the person guarding the dummy. He competes with a person and concentrates on how to 'beat' this person to the dummy. We've seen this before, but we hadn't diagnosed it quite so well. After this, he was able to be steady for all the exercises so long as I walked out and placed/threw the dummy! And there wasn't a person guarding it! This is a bit of a break through moment, I think, and will really change the way I train steadiness. I have long had the problem of Charlie being ultra focused on the micro cm of distance which means he can 'beat' the person guarding it (including me if I move to guard it). But now I have a way forward for this. We stop guarding dummies! Which when I think about it now, with a dog like Charlie, this is bloomin' obvious thing! guarding the dummy by Julie T, on Flickr And on my pheasant pelt issue (see other posts), I'm going to move to switch retrieves. Which unfortunately will be a bit expensive in pheasant pelts.....
Heh, I love how Charlie continues to walk slowly towards the zen bowl. Bless him! I can't see the last video Looks like you had a brilliant session. It's made me want to go back Where do you buy your pheasant pelts?
It does! You can see him really struggling there, can't you? I don't suppose that he would ever "give up" the dummy with your beautiful assistant standing there next to it?
Unfortunately your last video always stops at 0:57 when I try to view it. The one where he charges off at high speed towards the men on the railway track... Gulp!! Good thing his recall is so good!
I so don't know what's happening with my vids! Yup. Charlie would be impossible without that recall! He doesn't do it often these days, but yes, something totally random, very far away can catch his interest and zooooom! It was a long slog to stop him doing that all the time!
