Re: September training [quote author=bbrown link=topic=7616.msg106913#msg106913 date=1409842198] so you used them as reward for recall etc not in isolation as "just" games? [/quote] Cues are part of the whipit game. So, if Charlie is able to sit to his stop, the toy goes live again. Ditto recall. Catch the toy, recall to me, toy goes live. But because of the environment I was in, I was always going to have to use my stop and recall "for real" and when I had to, used the games to reward them too.
Re: September training Tomorrow, is "don't chase footballs that don't belong to you" training day. ;D ;D ;D Getting the treat bag ready.... image by julieandcharlie, on Flickr
Re: September training - thoughts please So this afternoon I have a helper with a bucket full of footballs. I want to work on Charlie not running to footballs that don't belong to us. We've done a lot of "close" work around footballs in the garden and when I'm on my own at the Common - eg sitting still when they move, recalling away from them etc. and it's time to translate this to more of a "real life" situation. In particular, I want my stop and recall proofed in a situation where Charlie sees a bouncing football, and some excitement around it, across a field. The real life situation is when we "come across" people playing football and Charlie isn't otherwise under orders. This happens quite a lot. It has to be positive only, and it has to be self directed (Charlie has to make the choice). I was thinking that I'd just get out there and do it. The helper can bounce the football, if Charlie runs for it, she'll put it away and ignore Charlie (no reward), if Charlie stops or doesn't run, then he'll get a football/whipit game/exciting toy from me. It's a bit of a jump from what I've been able to do on my own, to what I can do with a helper, but I think we've done enough prep. Wasn't thinking to make it any more complicated than that, really...what do you think?
Re: September training I won't be here to hear the answer but just wondering if your helper is known to Charlie or not as that might alter how he reacts but otherwise sounds like a plan! ;D
Re: September training Short of booking a football team sounds good! I guess you're planning on a variety of bounce, roll, kick etc. as you see how it goes. Good luck! We're heading out for an exciting round of look at me :
Re: September training Thanks both, enjoying your look at me, Barbara. Yes, I thought I'd work up gradually - just seeing the ball, the ball bouncing and so on. The new thing is that we'll do this at the Common, in an exciting field. Which is normally where he comes across footballs. The helper is known to Charlie, yes. Plus she is my dummy thrower, so I suppose Charlie might expect her to pick something up if he runs for it...oh, well, it's all I have so hopefully it'll help. We have been sitting and watching football games too...
Re: September training It's all grist to the mill!! Can't hurt and I would think it can definitely help ;D
Re: September training Good luck! Interesting to hear the results...definitely back on lead if we see any 5 asides....Benson is just tooo good at football.... ;D ;D
Re: September training [quote author=Beanwood link=topic=7616.msg107144#msg107144 date=1409905018] Benson is just tooo good at football.... ;D ;D [/quote] Charlie can't understand why they don't appreciate the help. After all, he is much faster than they are...
Re: September training Good luck Julie, I know from my mother's border collies that a dog that interrupts football games on the common is NOT a popular one!!!!
Re: September training [quote author=Karen link=topic=7616.msg107147#msg107147 date=1409905372] a dog that interrupts football games on the common is NOT a popular one!!!! [/quote] No. :-[ :-[ :-[
Re: September training It went quite well! His stop was good, his recall weaker, and his change direction whistle the weakest. The problem with his stop was that when I was rewarding it with a thrown tennis ball, he'd get his reward tennis ball then run back to the person with the ball and then my recall was even weaker. : So I stopped rewarding the stop with a tennis ball, then his stop got wobbly and I lost the fast swing round and intense focus I normally have with his stop. : Hmm....need to think about all of that. But some progress, for sure. I also said "Charlie" in a harsh tone when he moved from his stop, which was completely unnecessary - it would have had the same effect or better if I'd said it in a neutral tone (I was just returning his attention to me). At the end, as a reward we did three retrieves. He was tired but still enjoyed them. They were blinds but the person who placed the dummy was a sort of "marker" for him. But I made a mistake! I left the dummy bag not far from where he was supposed to find the dummy, so of course he diverted off to the dummy bag! Then I said "no-no" because I couldn't think of anything else whatsoever to say/do! : : : At least me saying something made him pause and he turned away back towards the area where the placed dummy was and brought it back. But gosh, good boy when he has such an incompetent handler! I learned some good lessons though.
Re: September training We watched a football game today - not any old football game, there were some dogs playing too. We were on lead, of course. Definitely better. No whining, just intense interest. He ignored chicken at first, but soon decided that since he obviously wasn't getting to play, he'd take the chicken. Definite progress. We did 3 retrieves in a very quiet opening in the forest. So not a corridor but sort of "enclosed" to deter the idea of running round. He was perfect. Not only did he bring it back, he walked away from me placing the dummy off lead. This is BIG thing for Charlie. Apart from that, we've been working on left, right and back. We are supposed to be targeting cones but that turned out to be a really rubbish idea (so we are using filled water bottles instead). First, because Charlie already has a habit of nicking cones and legging it. He started this at the Saturday morning obedience class a while ago. And also because lots of people working with personal trainers put cones up the hills on the common to do running exercises. I have trouble enough with those already without teaching Charlie to target them! : ;D ;D ;D I'll switch to cones once I have it on and off cue though. It's great fun, am really enjoying the clicker training. Might get a vid later....
Re: September training Well done Julie - sounds like real progress being made. Our own cone progress is going reasonably well. I only say reasonably (rather than well) because of one thing: do you remember the old adage that if you pretend to throw something a dog will anticipate its flight and look at where it should have landed whereas a cat will just look at your hand with the object still in it (and then look at you as if you are stupid for trying to fool it!)? Well Harv must be part cat because whenever I give the hand signals for the cones he looks at my hands for a couple of seconds (and sometimes jumps at them!) before setting off to the designated cone! :
Re: September training [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=7616.msg107821#msg107821 date=1410125856] Well Harv must be part cat because whenever I give the hand signals for the cones he looks at my hands for a couple of seconds (and sometimes jumps at them!) before setting off to the designated cone! : [/quote] ;D ;D ;D Good boy Harv! (Although, seriously, it's probably because you need to do on/off cue for your hand target).
Re: September training Slogging away on recall and stop with footballs and balls - bit boring, but has to be done. A bit of retrieving at the end (he was tired, and a bit slow). This was a blind - he didn't see the dummy placed, I just sent him as we walked through the wood. Although he could probably see it (and his dog walker acting as dummy thrower holding the video camera no doubt was a big give away ;D ;D ;D). Tree behind dummy slows him down nicely... https://www.flickr.com/photos/123706979@N04/15177583321/
Re: September training I think that looks wonderful! Apart from a quick glance at the cameraman he was straight back I'd be happy with that!
Re: September training That's great Charlie . Is there a reason you blew your recall command twice Julie? x
