Re: Lumpy's Log When we went to the park yesterday soccer training was on. We did some good proofing.
Re: Lumpy's Log I lost lumpy to a council worker spraying weeds this morning. I thought I would see how close we could get (without walking straight towards him) before Lumpy took off. It was about 30 metres. I called out to the council worker and he turned his back. As soon as Lumpy realised he was getting nothing he ran straight back to me. I didn't use the whistle or "come" until he turned to come towards me, because I wasn't sure it would work. I wish I came across more people like that in the park. Stuart.
Re: Lumpy's Log [quote author=Lumpy link=topic=9751.msg142854#msg142854 date=1423565264] When we went to the park yesterday soccer training was on. We did some good proofing. [/quote] Oh wow! Charlie LOVES footballs... ;D
Re: Lumpy's Log It's been a while. We've been plodding along & progressing slowly. I managed to call Lumpy off a rabbit & cat in mid pursuit 2 nights ago. 2 seperate events. Yesterday afternoon he spotted another dog & was off after it. I had to go & retrieve him. I couldn't work it out, he had been so good & this came out of the blue. For the rest of the walk he would not do anything I asked. He followed me & when I stopped he stopped. He refused to fetch & sat very slowly on command. It was like his Brain had fallen out when he was chasing the other dog. So we went home 1/2 way through the walk. Today he was very well behaved, close to the best he's been. Lumpy will walk around my right side behind me & sit next to my left foot on command. I can walk around him & the stay is working well. The heel is reasonable & he's good on the lead. He is easily distracted by little people & other dogs. We have stayed away from the morass because the snakes are very aggressive at this time of year. I am struggling with the down. I can't lure him. I read that I should wait for him to lie down then click & treat. He doesn't lie down much. He's an outside dog is always active when I'm with him. I hardly ever catch him lying down. Any suggestions?
Re: Lumpy's Log It might be that he got very excited meeting the other dog - when dog are excited, they can be "over a threshold" that means they can no longer follow instructions. Or, just like humans sometimes, he was just having an off day. You could try getting him to have to crawl under something for a down - eg your bent leg while sat on the floor. So the dog puts his front paws and head down to try to get the treat (on the other side of your leg). They do this when looking under things (for a ball etc). and usually, if you introduce a delay their bum will go down too - then you can say "yes!" and throw the treat through your leg.
Re: Lumpy's Log Thanks Julie. The days are getting shorter now & I'm walking Lumpy in the dark more. I got him a frisbee with LEDs, a ball with LEDs & a light for his collar from flash dog. They're great. Stuart.
Re: Lumpy's Log My two were both a bit of a struggle to get into the down at first. I tried getting them to crawl under my leg, but they wouldn't. They also never went into that position by themselves to capture. With both of them, I eventually cracked it by putting them in a sit and sitting on the floor in front of them, then taking a small treat (I used a piece of cheese) between finger and thumb and taking in from their nose directly down. As soon as I saw their elbows bend a touch, C&T. If their bum started to pop up, I'd raise the treat and lower it again slowly. It's probably not according to the book, but I let them lick the treat, but wouldn't let them get to it. They both eventually laid down to get closer to the treat, then they got a click and massive fuss and jackpot treat. Once they had both done it once, it didn't take much for them to realise what I was after.
Re: Lumpy's Log [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=9751.msg151405#msg151405 date=1427110375] I eventually cracked it by putting them in a sit and sitting on the floor in front of them, then taking a small treat (I used a piece of cheese) between finger and thumb and taking in from their nose directly down. As soon as I saw their elbows bend a touch, C&T. If their bum started to pop up, I'd raise the treat and lower it again slowly. [/quote] I tried that method. Lumpy just watches the treat drop to the ground. Doesn't even bend the elbows. Maybe I should C&T for a drop of the head to start with. It's funny because he lies down to eat.
Re: Lumpy's Log Try with much bigger, and much better treats [quote author=Lumpy link=topic=9751.msg151492#msg151492 date=1427134761] It's funny because he lies down to eat. [/quote] ...or his dinner bowl.
Re: Lumpy's Log The under the leg thing works a treat, although he needs a bit of a push sometimes. I should have Lumpy down on command in a few days.
Re: Lumpy's Log A few days have passed & I still need the lure to get the down. I think it's something he doesn't enjoys
Re: Lumpy's Log We've been in Buchan for 3 days hunting deer. It's a place where you're either walking uphill or downhill. Lumpy woke me up each morning full of excitement & didn't stop running for the whole time we were there. He slept very well each night, for the entire 2 hour drive home AND all night last night. We've been home 14 hours now & he's starting to look lively again. We saw a few deer, & Lumpy got onto the scent trail of something (who knows what it was) and he wanted to follow it badly. Thankfully I had him on the leash at the time. I couldn't get a clear shot at a deer so we came home empty handed. Next time...
Re: Lumpy's Log I think I can mark April 9th as the day that Lumpy officially went crazy. He is hyperactive, alert and destroying everthing in sight. I have had to move my boots inside. He favours my boots over anyone else's, but his favourite thing is the 8" plastic pots that he runs around with & bangs on anything he can find, usually starting at 5:30 am. Previously he had tunnel vision & collected & carried things around without destroying them. And he left my boots alone most of the time. I'm glad I put the ground work in early. With the new hyperactive pup comes an alertness that has taken away his prior tunnel vision. He hears me call when he is distracted & usually obeys. The recall has been working very well now & surprisingly he's behaving well on the lead too.
Re: Lumpy's Log How old is Lumpy now? Have you got a fully fledged teenager on your hands? ;D ;D ;D Great about the recall and lead walking though!
