Today, I learned a very good lesson that I should have learned some time ago. If your training session is going well, but then your dog is mugged by a typical Wimbledon Common dog walking pack, STOP. Don't try to carry on, because your dog has lost some engagement with you and it's much more likely to go wrong. Before that, we were doing very well bringing back a brand new dummy with flappy ribbons on - both newness, and flappiness, are challenges to Charlie. Charlie is on his place board, to prevent error, because I don't have a helper (I've a helper tomorrow, so back to steadiness training). Sigh...I suppose tomorrow is another day. new dummy with flappy things on it by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr
Today, working on throwing a dummy and then giving a different cue from 'fetch'. He struggled through it...I now need to reduce his excitement, calm him down, and get a normal walk at heel out of him like a cool cucumber. Then get rid of the person guarding the dummy. Oh, and be able to do it in other places. About another year, I reckon.... We are deliberately not working on short grass - I'd got into a routine of working on the fields, and although he'd switch into 'training' mode in the fields, he wouldn't elsewhere. So we are trudging over light cover to work there. throw dummy then close by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr
Awesome! I thought he was going to explode for a moment, but he resisted the urge to rush the dummy! Such a lovely boy!!
Yes - he was finding it difficult. I can tell when he starts panting - it was cold and he wasn't out of breath. It was just the effort of not running to the dummy. Bless him, he tries really hard!
That's impressive! Love the way he really responds to the close cue...and knows there is something really really exciting going on. I am strugglng with steadiness right now, now way would Benson stay close like that.
It has taken me weeks, weeks...seriously. And money - I pay my helper. This proofing lark is serious stuff. I really can't quite believe it. Truly. I can't believe you have to put this much effort into training a dog. I think that my dog just learns things really, really slowly. Or, people with truly reliable steady dogs do not have to work for a living, or send their husbands to boarding school. Something like that, anyway.....
You think your Charlie is slow, I've been going for 4 1/2 years with my Charlie and still sooooooo far to go Good boy Charlie xx
Ah yes, Helen, @charlie - maybe it's just the case good results are hard won. And we all have to just keep going!
Well don't laugh, I now can get Benson in a nice sit by my side..and can throw a dummy...BUT have to have one finger on his head, and he will wait. Without that finger he is off. It started from a lead, then a hand on his collar, hand on his head...and now the finger..
Anyway, enough of dreaming of the sunny uplands when my dog is trained....and back to the slog of getting a steady(ish) dog from Charlie, the dog least inclined to be steady in the entire universe, I believe.... This is my spreasheet (it's taken me quite a while to get to this stage, and ball throwers aren't even on it yet ). But a couple of things haven't helped. Another month off while he had a sore elbow (that's all gone now), and constant interruptions from other dogs. On Wednesday, we are going to try the golf course - late enough for the golfers to have gone home. In theory, otherwise that will be even worse. spreadsheet by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr Two big step forwards today. A much better heel round a thrown dummy, and the guard person for the dummy moved back and back and back. Until we successfully faded her out completely. One row on the spreadsheet complete. Baby steps...... still proofing...... by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr
Oh my! Really what you've done so far looks promising, i think you and charlie are very close to the whole "perfectly trained dog" sure you might say "no we aren't" but from what i see you just have to polish what you think is not good yet! Beside it's very nice when you see both the dog and his/her handler working together =)
