Re: September training hmmm....need a think. Sometimes I think I go wrong because I don't know "where I'm going" if that makes sense...my poor pooch. I think I'm dreadfully confusing sometimes!
Re: September training Think simply to begin with. Dog goes away from you from heel, if a seen retrieve, just say his name, if a blind, line his body up directly in the way you want him to go (this includes his nose and eyes!), when he is looking directly at the blind (which of course he cannot see but you know it is there) say "back". When a right or a left say either 'out' 'get out - or left 'get on' - right 'get out. I just use 'back' and 'out'.
Re: September training I found it really useful to watch experienced dogs and handlers. Then I kind of mapped where I was to where I wanted to get to and thought about the intermediate steps. The reason I digressed into having a plan was that the simple exercises became much more relevant once I knew what I was trying to achieve and I only really grasped that once I started thinking in planning terms.
Re: September training [quote author=bbrown link=topic=7616.msg110550#msg110550 date=1411031146] Then I kind of mapped where I was to where I wanted to get to and thought about the intermediate steps. The reason I digressed into having a plan was that the simple exercises became much more relevant once I knew what I was trying to achieve and I only really grasped that once I started thinking in planning terms. [/quote] This is what I need to do. I sort of feel like I'm following a recipe without having any idea whatsoever about what the final cake is suppose to be like! ;D ;D ;D I'll have a bit of a think and plan this afternoon.
Re: September training I know even after one dog the route through training is considerably more apparent than before ever owning a dog and I can quite see how people on their 4th, 5th or nth dog can probably get away without thinking heavily about it. They also know what order they want to establish certain behaviours in. I'm not suggesting they don't or shouldn't think about it and you can see the best trainers invest time and effort into evolving their training. They could probably produce a very nice dog by falling back on experience though
Re: September training So I'm now 20 days into this push - and I have 2 weeks left to go (until my next training session). I've just updated my matrix to see exactly what I have achieved. My main progress has been: Bringing back the dummy - we've made great strides here, moving to behaviour complete in a familiar field so that's a 5. I am nervous about pushing on further, because I fear it might all fall apart if (when) Charlie gets too excited. So I might just consolidate what I have and ask for more advice next time. Placeboards - we started this this period, and the behaviour is complete in the garden. So I have a 2 here. I think it's time to change location now. Sit on left - behaviour is now also complete in the garden, with the assistance of placeboards. So this can "go outside" now too. Left right and back - I gave up on the cones, it was just too tiresome, so this has been done with placeboards. My left and rights are good, and my back is ok, but I haven't had 3 placeboards out at once yet. So that's still to do in the garden. Passive observer of exciting things - we are up to a 5 here, able to watch other dogs and balls on the Common now. This is the most pleasing for me, because at my last lesson I was the only person who had to put their dog away when other dogs were in the retrieving lane. Everyone else was able to watch with their dogs. So next time, I'll try keep Charlie out to watch too - it will be a leap because dummies are different from balls for Charlie, but hopefully not too much of one. That will make us feel nearly normal. Tug - is definitely more of a reward for Charlie now. Although still not as much of a reward as throwing the tug toy. But we are getting there with it. Recall, stop, change direction - I have been working quite hard on recall away from footballs, which is reliable but not fast (I have latency). I'm going to stop work on recall and switch to proofing other cues such as walk at heel around footballs etc. and move to using stop followed by another cue. And then get some advice at my next lesson. Over the next two weeks then, I'm going to: Consolidate the bringing back of the dummy. Take my placeboards, sit on left, and lefts and rights out of the garden to the Common - and add in back at the same time (garden first though). Continue to work on passive observer of exciting things. Proof more of my cues around moving footballs.
Re: September training I am so admiring of you and your dedication, Julie. You are so methodical! I really relied on the gun dog club training manual to help me - I think I am too impulsive to create and stick to a self-made training plan in the way you do. Hats off to you, I say.
Re: September training Aw, thanks! Being more organised has made a big difference, I think. I feel a bit in a hurry to catch up on Charlie's training (not in comparison to others, just we did nothing for so long) so feel I have to be more impactful. [quote author=Karen link=topic=7616.msg111686#msg111686 date=1411300267] I really relied on the gun dog club training manual to help me [/quote] I do use those - but I don't have steadiness, which is still a work in progress (slowly improving) so I found I could do fewer and fewer of the exercises. Placeboards and targets allow me to do more things while steadiness improves.
Re: September training I read your training reports with huge interest - I don't often comment as I don't really have anything useful to add! I have taken your idea of the 'whip-it' toy however (I've just tied a toy to some thick cord) and this is working really well. 'Stay' has been so difficult to master, but now she will stay if she sees I have this toy, as when I walk back to her we have a game with this - and she's always happy to release it for another go. In a session I do one long stay (try to get to a minute but if she looks fidgetty I sometimes cut it short) and then lots of really short ones, where I just walk around her once or a few steps away and back again. Your posts have made me more conscious of the need to be systematic and regular in training, so thanks!
Re: September training Oh, thanks, Joy - I like to see stuff about training on the forum, so try to contribute myself - so it's good to know someone is reading the posts! And pleased to hear about your progress - it's great to hear about the steps people go through to make progress. Yes, whipit is a very effective reward. Charlie is less excited about it than I thought he would be though, so it doesn't work as well as I had hoped as a means to manage his thresholds. Maybe I need to tie a football on the end of the string! Some dogs go mad for it though. You can do lots with whipit - even in the middle of a game. Whenever the dog gets the toy, ask for something before you restart the game (the dog should get the toy a lot). Remembering that if the dog can't do what you ask for, it might be because s/he is too excited (so try something easier).
Re: September training So, just a very few days left now in this period - hope to see UB and Harvey on Sunday! Over the last 10 days or so, I've seen a dramatic improvement in Charlie's ability to stay focused even with other dogs around, which is really great. He is also much more responsive to me around other dogs generally when he has free time, which I'm pleased about. We can stay at an off lead heel most times passed other dogs now (not if they are playing with balls though). We can do an off lead heel passed an assistant bouncing a tennis ball though! Baby steps, but very pleasing for us. He has been more distracted by scent (or smells), he can wander off for a few metres and go deaf to everything apart from his stop whistle. He will always obey his stop and then will obey the next cue - but I don't want to keep doing this, as want to protect my stop. So I have to work harder in getting him to not wander off (from a walk at heel or a sit or whatever in the first place). I've started to go get him when he does this but wonder if I should just wait - I'll ask the trainer next time. Placeboards outside the garden have been challenging. We train in quite busy areas, so it's been difficult to find a quiet spot to work on these. Although, a big advancement has been to reward him by throwing a tennis ball for him to catch. He is so sweet, he sits on the placeboard, with his wagging tail hanging off the back, waiting for his ball. Speeds up his "place" cue response no end. Bringing back the dummy has taken a step back - and I don't know why really. We were doing so very well, but he was interrupted by another dog on the return and then he started running round with the dummy again. So disappointing. Obviously, the interruption was a shame, but the desired behaviour must not have been very firmly established for the old undesirable behaviour to resurface again so quickly. So we are back to walking holds and going over again all the steps that gave us success last time. Thinking about this, I might have got a little complacent - I was more diligent in rehearsing my clicker retrieve and doing my walking holds, but perhaps I got a bit sloppy when I thought "oh, that's ok now". :
Re: September training You and Charlie have done so well again Julie. ;D It's a shame about the retrieve but I bet it improves again quickly because he has done it before. His focus when other dogs are around staying at an off lead heel is brilliant and passed a bouncing ball !!! Can't wait to see what you've got lined up or October. ;D
Re: September training [quote author=JulieT link=topic=7616.msg113775#msg113775 date=1412083852] So, just a very few days left now in this period - hope to see UB and Harvey on Sunday! [/quote] We're planning to be there (Just back from holiday so we may be a little rusty!)
Re: September training Well, his retrieve was better tonight. He did a blind in a corridor perfectly, and then his walking holds perfectly, so we went back to his permanent blind in the open, although it's just a really, really, wide path (not really a field) and apart from a tiny victory turn behind me on the first one, he did all his retrieves well. He fumbled the dummy a bit on one - I had previously sorted that by having him do his walking holds with a dummy 1lb heavier than the one he is sent for which seems to make him hold the lighter dummies a bit more firmly. So I'll go back to doing that tomorrow. I do wonder whether I should move to heavier dummies more generally though. I don't know what's normal to use, really. [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=7616.msg113804#msg113804 date=1412091757] We're planning to be there [/quote] Fab!
Re: September training [quote author=JulieT link=topic=7616.msg113823#msg113823 date=1412094733] Well, his retrieve was better tonight. He did a blind in a corridor perfectly, and then his walking holds perfectly, so we went back to his permanent blind in the open, although it's just a really, really, wide path (not really a field) and apart from a tiny victory turn behind me on the first one, he did all his retrieves well. He fumbled the dummy a bit on one - I had previously sorted that by having him do his walking holds with a dummy 1lb heavier than the one he is sent for which seems to make him hold the lighter dummies a bit more firmly. So I'll go back to doing that tomorrow. I do wonder whether I should move to heavier dummies more generally though. I don't know what's normal to use, really. [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=7616.msg113804#msg113804 date=1412091757] We're planning to be there [/quote] Fab! [/quote] I keep mixing up the dummies, lighter ones and quite heavy ones. I also vary the shapes and textures, so the dogs are used to picking up whatever I send them for.
Re: September training [quote author=heidrun link=topic=7616.msg113839#msg113839 date=1412096521] I keep mixing up the dummies, lighter ones and quite heavy ones. I also vary the shapes and textures, so the dogs are used to picking up whatever I send them for. [/quote] I maybe need to do that a bit more - sigh...off to buy more dummies! ;D ;D ;D If I use 1lb dummies all the time he seems to not hold them firmly enough, he seems better with heavier dummies now. So mixing them up might do the trick.
