Re: Obi spaniels training log So I haven't posted much on Obi recently mainly because we seem to be doing the same things over and over and some things are seeing very little improvement : it's been hellishly busy at work but I have the rest of this week working at home while Ben and Lizzie are in Devon so my garden now looks like this.... Two short retrieving corridors (one will be a jump pen for Riley), place boards are out, treats are stocked up on. We're going to do some proper work on Obi's retrieving and heelwork. Play lots of games with our boards and generally have some fun ;D
Re: Obi spaniels training log Have fun!!! Obi is gorgeous. The 'head up, glued to the handler' obedience heeling is a faddish style thing that not all obedience people approve of. Seems to be a UK thing as you don't see it so much here. There's a UK obedience trainer called Kamal Fernandez who epitomises this style - his dogs actually contact his leg and are gazing up the whole time. I personally don't like that style... It's not necessary even for obedience trialling and it won't get you any more points compared to the 'close but relaxed' style. To me it is the dog equivalent of Rolkur or hyperflexion of the neck in dressage, which is bad for the horse. I think it can't be good for a dog's neck to maintain that posture. Anyway, just did not want people to think that obedience heeling is meant to be like that... I'm enjoying reading about Obi's training And love the pics of course!!! Can't have too many - hint hint
Re: Obi spaniels training log Rachael, I don't think any Clumber spaniel is ever in danger of developing a stiff neck due to obedience style heel walking. ;D They are not natural heelers, to put it mildly. : ;D
Re: Obi spaniels training log Well we had a fun day. We did some heelwork round the outside of the baby pen with Obi between me and the pen. That seemed to work well although I realised I was clicking after I stopped walking at which point Obi was in the process of sitting so I started clicking while still walking so hopefully I'm capturing the right behaviour! We di some recall onto a placeboard too which was fun and fast ;D I'm slightly worried about Obi's rate of breathing, he seems to start panting really quickly in an anxious, over excited way during training. This worry is compounded by the amount he gets wound up when he's popped in the car or kitchen while I work with Riley. I was out this evening and when I got home his breathing rate was so rapid. I know Riley would have known when I pulled up but I'm concerned he's spent quite some time anxious even though riley is in the same room
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=bbrown link=topic=9805.msg155085#msg155085 date=1428439840] I'm slightly worried about Obi's rate of breathing, he seems to start panting really quickly in an anxious, over excited way during training. This worry is compounded by the amount he gets wound up when he's popped in the car or kitchen while I work with Riley. I was out this evening and when I got home his breathing rate was so rapid. I know Riley would have known when I pulled up but I'm concerned he's spent quite some time anxious even though riley is in the same room [/quote] I don't know about him being anxious when you've gone...but Charlie pants, heavily and quickly, when excited - it is the start of him getting into a state. The short retrieves to train reward a dummy with a dummy had him panting like crazy. It was just excitement. I had a mad experiment to try to find out how to calm him down (unfortunately, failing to take his pulse in a sensible way limited that :) but I did find a way to calm him by using my "settle" cue. 3 retrieves, settle (for longer than the retrieves took), 3 retrieves, settle...and so on. It made a big difference...he stayed calmer.
Re: Obi spaniels training log Obi does everything at 100 miles an hour and is generally very excitable. All the control stuff we try and do takes a million times longer that anything else. I KNOW he doesn't bark if we go a long way away at training as the other trainers have said he's quiet but I also know he DOES bark when I take Riley out for his morning walk because I can hear him still when we get round the corner - even when I've left him with a kong.
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=heidrun link=topic=9805.msg155082#msg155082 date=1428439533] Rachael, I don't think any Clumber spaniel is ever in danger of developing a stiff neck due to obedience style heel walking. ;D They are not natural heelers, to put it mildly. : ;D [/quote] Haha ;D Sounds like a healthy attitude to me
Re: Obi spaniels training log Do you ever split them up during the day, not just when you train one and leave the other behind?
Re: Obi spaniels training log No, they're rarely apart and they're only away from me if I go out. Obi is still crated but they're in the same room as each other. Obi will bark if I go upstairs. Its only the last few days he seems to be getting in a bit of a state. He's been quite vocal from the beginning but tho panting is new
Re: Obi spaniels training log I think you might need to split them up more often so that Obi gets more comfortable being by himself.
Re: Obi spaniels training log Split them up so they cant see each other or cant get to each other, or a bit of both? And separate from me too? I think I struggle to do this because it feels a bit like I'm punishing Riley (which is silly I know) and our house layout is a bit tricky for three completely separate spots.....but I'll sort something out!
Re: Obi spaniels training log Just put them in two different rooms while you go about your normal business in the house. So that Obi gets used to you coming and going but without his comfort blanket Riley.
Re: Obi spaniels training log We did some retrieving training today in the garden and I used place boards for the delivery and they worked!!! Finally got a proper delivery ;D I sat Obi up in front of me, walked backwards a few steps, threw the dummy begin me, walked back to Obi and sent him for the dummy. I quickly positioned myself behind the board, recalled when Obi had the dummy and he came straight back to the board! Yay!!! We'd also done a little clicker heelwork which is getting better in the garden but still not good enough to take it out and about.....ah well we'll get there eventually
Re: Obi spaniels training log I LOVE placeboards - it's official ;D They have helped enormously with Obi's tendency to run around me instead of delivering. Now we get a nice head up, bum down in front of me. Occasionally he drops the dummy but he picks it back up and tries again. I'm going to try and improve his hold with the clicker but at the moment when I try he just gets more and more excited so it's proving tricky. I've started some two dog work too, partly because Riley has hurt his toe and is on short lead walks so he's bored and partly because Obi has no self control around other dogs Today I've done two sessions with them both on boards while I move the other one around, sometimes a recall, sometimes heelwork(ish in Obi's case). It's all gone very well ! I even got Riley to do a short retrieve while Obi sat still !!!!! I also got Obi to do a couple of retrieves which is important because even though Riley has never stolen anything off him in his life he acts as if Riley is the biggest thief in the world and won't come near when Obi has picked up something and I want it off him. So I was thrilled when Obi's retrieve seemed unaffected by Riley sat on his place board a few feet to my right. It may be time to pack the placeboards in the car and go somewhere other than the garden! (and head straight back to basics at the same time!)
Re: Obi spaniels training log This all sounds great. Working with two dogs is much, much more challenging to get them to be steady and not run in I find. Either of my two will completely ignore what any other dog is doing around them, but when it's each other working they find that much harder. Actually, they find it harder because I have a tendency to use hand signals (even tiny inadvertent movements are enough) and as they both watch me closely for cues and both respond much better to visual and whistle cues than verbal it can be difficult to get one to remain in place whilst the other is sent off. In a shoot situation I've had to stand with my hands behind my back to stop them picking up on hand signals when I want one of them to go back. In my case, it's always handler errors that cause problems with the two working together.....
Re: Obi spaniels training log Yes there was definitely an element of confusion occasionally as they kind of went "did she mean me?" so I was careful with my hands and just used their names and a cue rather than the whistle or physical gesture. I hope as we get better I will be able to get them to work out which one I mean based on who I'm looking at. My friend works his lab and Viszla as a brace, it's impressive and a long way away for us! Got to start somewhere though ;D I've realised that Obi's whistle sit is really good but his sit to a verbal cue isn't so much. I think because I taught him to sit at a distance and used my whistle very early on in that process. I need to go and revisit all my verbal cues........add it to the list!
Re: Obi spaniels training log That sounds fab! I love placeboards too - I loved clicker training Charlie to sit on them, I loved doing directions with them and yes, Charlie sits and hands me the dummy on them (only when it's something that he would bring back anyway, mind, they don't stop him doing his victory laps - but he sits neatly on the board at the end of his victory lap! ;D They helped with all sorts of things with Charlie, for sure.
Re: Obi spaniels training log This sounds great, Barbara. I'm going to start ramping up my training with both of them and hopefully placeboards will help that. You've just prompted me to put my order in for the astroturf carpeting to go on the tops of the boards I'm going to have the old man knock up for me (I balked at the price of ready-made ones!). This morning I tried to use a little towelling thing I have as a place marker, but it wasn't very successful as it kept getting rucked up. I'd like to see some video of you working the two together if you could manage at some point? I also have a Muvi on order so I can do more videoing of my sessions
