Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT My young Lab carries a tennis ball, or ball on a rope and then puts it down somewhere, when we are a good distance away he comes and looks at me and I say "where's your ball" and he dashes off after it, he always remembers where it is. I think he does it so that he can do his own retrieves
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT Sorry, just been mulling this whilst trotting round the house changing all the clocks. My two dogs both understand the difference between playing fetch on a relaxed walk where they will chase after a thrown object and quite possibly hoon about with it, chasing each other round the field, etc etc and proper gundog retrieving with steadiness, etc. They both can hold their own out shooting although I do worry about Tarka's steadiness at times. Would they be better gundogs if I just did formal retrieving and gundog training? You bet they would. But the vast majority of the time I just want obedient pets who are out having fun with the family and not running off hunting so an excited game of fetch where all focus is on me and not on wildlife is fine. So an excited game of fetch with Charlie is fine in my opinion, especially as you have no intention of working him. But the advice about the blind retrieving still stands - teach him that your direction and control = more fun with the tennis ball. Tarka absolutely loves blind retrieving, it fulfills all her run-hunt-retrieve instincts but under my direction and I reckon you will get the same with Charlie. I even have an arrangement with a friend who tends to walk early in the morning on some days. She will plant a ball or dummy somewhere pre-arranged with me but well hidden out in the fields or woods where we walk and then I can send Tarka out to find it with me roughly knowing where it is - great fun for all, and using all the gundog techniques of sending out, stopping on a whistle and hunting under direction but just as a fun thing to do with Tarka, doesn't feel like work/training at all and I'm really not fussed about her finding it and coming straight back to me in a straight line and delivering to hand. If she hoons about a bit with it and does a triumphant prance about with the ball for a bit before coming back then that is fine by me. But when we are out shooting Tarka is the best dog of our little group on a long blind now, and switches completely into "retrieving" mode, never mucks about is just straight out, hunt, find, back, deliver. So, what I am trying to say is that I don't think you should get too hung up on the finer points of gundog training and worry about teaching him memory, marked and blind retrieves to hand in a formal way as this may be boring for you both, but use the way these gundogs are trained to hone Charlie's instincts to play a fun game of fetch and find the tennis ball under your direction and hence enjoy family walks together. Hope this helps.
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT Good post Lochan. I think it important that the dog sees it as fun, it fulfills their natural instincts. You won't be working your dog so you don't need the stricter, finer points. It also tires a dog out mentally to find the balls, keeps them interested in you as well ;D
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT [quote author=Lochan link=topic=5134.msg64703#msg64703 date=1396171046] Sorry, just been mulling this whilst trotting round the house changing all the clocks. My two dogs both understand the difference between playing fetch on a relaxed walk where they will chase after a thrown object and quite possibly hoon about with it, chasing each other round the field, etc etc and proper gundog retrieving with steadiness, etc. [/quote] I'd love to get to this point. I fear though that my Charlie does not understand the difference at all. At least not yet. I wonder if there are particular strategies to get there. I have completely failed to make any real progress on steadiness while he is still allowed to chase. Maybe it's a phase thing. Get steady, then you can chase sometimes. Er...what time is it? Darn it. Always forget this clock changing thing.
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT No, you let them chase then steady them! Dogs seem to know when it is playtime and when it is working time. I used to say 'ready, steady, go" with my GSPs and they knew they could chase, if I said "mark" they knew to be steady Clever creatures dogs!
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT [quote author=Stacia link=topic=5134.msg64709#msg64709 date=1396171621] No, you let them chase then steady them! [/quote] No, I mean after a period of chasing, the chasing has to stop completely while steadiness training is done. Mind, going back to the differences between trainers - one gundog trainer told me Charlie should never have been allowed to chase a ball. The other thought like you, it was good Charlie had been allowed. Both thought I'd have a job with steadiness though - and they were right.
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT I'm with Lochan. Im not going to work my dogs but they definately enjoy me creating fun things for them to do that just happen to be the sort of things a working gun dog would do but we are sooooo informal about it and there is plenty of fun fetch with little steadiness and we all really enjoy ourselves...cuilli doesnt retrieve to hand and i couldnt care less, she is loving finding that dummy and bringing it back ( by the toggle quite often and with the odd prancy, look at me with my dummy, arc of triumph but im not bothered about that either) We use balls much more than dummies because B prefers balls outside.. They will chase each other and have a right hooly with ball fetch games if i boot two balls in the opposite direction to each other and shout Go Play Guys....but they also both love quietly concentrating blind retrieves that are just over the lip of a hill and into thick cover, when they look like 'real' gundogs in action, and they also find that mega exciting. I just think of it as ways to have fun with them on walks and it certainly taps into their working instincts and helps hugely with brodicks hunting trips!
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT I`m also in the Lochan camp Sam will never be worked as I`m too old now to embark on it , but he a passionate retriever, we bring this into play most days . His steadiness is a work in progress, but he gets a lot of pleasure out of what he thinks is working , tiring brain and body , but the finer points of gundoggery are not of prime importance to me I have also managed to get little Millie hooked on tennis balls to the point that she will ignore anything and everything around her . As a terrier, I reckon she could have been a problem regarding recall ( think easily lead and distracted , to say nothing of stubborn and wilfull ) but balls have helped to overcome . I know that you havent been keen on embarking on gundog work with Charlie Helen , but it could just be the making of him and the saviour of your sanity, plus it really is good fun
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT I'm another one with lochan. It's all about making it fun but with some structure so they have to concentrate and use their brain. As Stacia says it tires them out mentally. My two have improved so much in their behaviour, focus and concentration since I've introduced some structure and a mixture of different retrieves into training. When I was just doing retrieves they could run in for they'd get bored and distracted. That was one of my first posts when I joined the forum, how to keep their attention. Turns out the answer is to engage their brain. We still do retrieves we're I lob the ball and they chase after it but they know the difference between play retrieve and steady retrieves. I admit we are still working on steady when I throw but for memory, blind or marked retrieves we're I go and place the ball rather than throw they sit and wait perfectly until I return and release. I do think placing a marked retrieve, blind and memory retrieves are good to help build steadiness and to get then to use their brain if they aren't steady with a throw. Gundog stuff can be fun. ;D
Re: Hamble Hounds Training - Lesson 2 REPORT Thanks everyone, feeling really fed up about yesterday and don't know how to proceed. My other post will explain x
