Thank you, I wasn’t aware you could attach a double ended lead to harness and collar that’s something I hadn’t thought of. I will give that a try. Wow I never thought about it like that but actually it makes sense she is ready to move quickly to get her food - thank you so much I will use this knowledge to help her straighten up, for training, a really helpful tip. Many thanks!
Oh she is a beauty I love her casual sit, yes Daisy loves my praise she is always watching me wondering what I am going to do next. Thanks for the tips, so very helpful. Mess? What mess? I have lived through that
Ok @Jacqui Neil and @Harley Quinn , I've kicked the brain cells a little and I used a combination of methods - why try one when you can try two . So like @snowbunny I start from training a basic sit with dog in front of me and lift treat from tip of nose to over the head. As the head goes back, the bottom goes down. Get ready to mark a nice straight sit and reward. Practice and only reward those sits that are straight and then introduce the new cue. I also make use of the kitchen cabinets for this as well. I have a corner which has cupboards on both sides forming an 'I'. I stand around 18" away from the run of cabinets on my left and the other cabinets behind me, again around 18" away. I then give my signal to come sit and again mark as bottom hits the ground. The limited space helps the straight sit and I just rake a step forward and again ask for the position by my left leg. Plenty of rewards for the 'sit pretty. You can retrain the 'down in a similar way. I haven't bothered as it really doesn't bother me
The last dog I know that did a serious straight sit was my parent first dog which was a toy poodle mix. All the rest of their dogs including two labs, sat crooked. Our own pure bred 14.5 year old finally developed arthritis and couldn't walk but it has nothing to do with his hips. He sat crooked. Our 4 month old now has a hip guarantee because none of his ancestors back to great great grandparents have had hip issues. And he sits crooked too. I don't think the trainer knows much about how labs sit.
I’m inclined to agree! it’s a shame that there are no other labs in the class. I do feel that he seems to single out Daisy, when we first joined he called her a daft chocolate, he no longer says that as Daisy has proved she is far from daft. There have been lots of times where I have felt like giving up on this class, but I persevered because I want to progress further with her and now happily we have a different trainer from next Sunday, but now I face another problem two trainers (they share the class on the field) have said they want to see Daisy on just a collar and not her harness, which I am not going to do and if I needed any proof that Daisy is not ready for a collar, she proved it last night. In our second puppy class (totally different puppy class held in a church hall), last night it was a nightmare, Daisy was so excitable, lunging and jumping at everyone and their dogs. I could refocus her and she did some lovely recalls, but in between she was like a child who had ate too many smarties and drank coke. To make matters worse each person was responding to her and stroking her, saying how lovely she was, so she was getting lots of rewards for unwanted behaviour, my worst session with her ever, she turns six months next week. This is not her fault - I feel awful because I have set her up for this situation. I am seriously thinking of giving up this class (we move up next week to adult class but I am worried space-wise, it might be even more challenging as there are some huge dogs attending this class) as I can’t seem to get enough space between Daisy and the other dogs and their owners, it seems like it’s all a bit too close for comfort. I joined this class (its only six sessions for puppies) as I thought it would be good for her socialisation, we haven’t learned anything over and above that. I was reflecting on all the training sessions that I have attended with Daisy, 20 in total, and I feel a bit down and disappointed with it all, as I don’t feel I have learned much of anything, I find them all really boring but stick with them for Daisy and in the hope that as we move up it will start getting more interesting. I realise I have to persevere to be able to work up to other stuff I’m hoping to do with her. I have gained more knowledge through Pippa’s books, and just researching myself, and this forum. Everything I have done with Daisy so far is thanks to all the researching and reading I have done most of it before I had her. I wonder if anyone else feels the same? Maybe I should look into a one to one trainer but then would Daisy miss out on the distraction experience of other dogs on the field?
Hi Jacqui I have lovely Inky who's 17 months. I went to the training recommended by our vet from when he was able to start puppy class until he was about 14 months old then I thought enough is enough. Both Inky and I were bored, we did the same thing every week and he spent the time with me yanking on his lead and him trying to eat stuff from the field all the time. We could do the things they wanted away from class and I thought if he could do it in class with those distractions it would be a good learning opportunity but I'm not sure we learnt much at all. I'm not usually such a wimp but I just felt they were the experts so they must know best! Of course I know that's not right but somehow lost my perspective. Anyway having spent a lot of time on this forum I looked into positive trainers and found a new class. What a different attitude, we both really enjoy it, are never bored and although we still have things to work on I feel we are getting there. The point of my rambling is that if you're having doubts about the class, have a look around and see what else is available. I wish I'd done it earlier! Good luck, it sound like you're doing really well with Daisy anyway. Diana
Hi Diana Many thanks I can totally relate to all you say! I would love to find a trainer near me where I actually enjoy the sessions, the two separate classes I attend are highly recommended in my area, but maybe they just aren’t for us.
Hi @Jacqui Neil just read your last posts about training and my heart sank. It really isn't up to any trainer to tell you that you must have your dog on a collar to train in their class. Based upon your comments the last thing you need is a collar when dealing with distractions. You introduce a collar in low distraction environments first and gradually build up, just as with all training. The only time I would tell a client what equipment to use is if they were using choke/check chains, prong collars, martingale , ecollars etc as I simply will not work with them and state this clearly in my contracts. If you are bored at classes I can guarantee that Daisy is as well . One of the frequent problems with classes is the level of repetition of the same activities. The trainer though should be encouraging adding distance or duration to each exercise though as you gain good responses. There is simply no point in keep repeating the same exercise without extending. My trainer used to use barriers created from dog pens draped with blankets and towels to block off the view of other dogs/people to help those that struggle to focus or are reactive to be able to cope better. I used the set up myself a few times with Jen when she was losing focus because she was frustrated as she wanted to go and say hello to other dogs. It's worth discussing with the trainer and in any event they should be working to create as much space as possible around each and every dog to help their learning experience. It may be worth having a few 121 sessions with a good trainer as you can focus on what is important to you. And no Daisy won't miss out by not being distracted and hyper while at training with other dogs and distractions as a good trainer will have you and practicing in different situations.
And, conversely, when things are too difficult because of the distractions, there's no point flogging a dead horse to try to get results without changing the environment to make it easier. It does sound like this is a pretty poorly run class. If you're bored, how about taking a break from general obedience and take a workshop or classes for something different, like scent work, baby agility (won't be jumping at this stage, but there is still plenty of fun stuff to learn) or doggy freestyle (dancing with dogs)? These classes tend to be far more aimed at having fun than it sounds like you're getting right now and, when you're having fun, you're both in a far better place to learn. I find dogs who are engaged in fun activities with their owners tend to learn many of the basic skills with far less effort being put into them. Take a sit-stay; this can be soooooo boring to teach and to learn, but if you are releasing your dog from a sit to go and do something super fun, then the duration will increase organically as the release becomes really exciting so something worth waiting for. I'd have a sit and think about what it is you want to get out of the class and if there's a way to get that same thing in a far more fun environment for you both.
Thank you - I will have a serious think about this, I should imagine that if I am lucky enough to find a good 121 trainer to do a few sessions with I would not want to go back to these classes.
Thanks for your comments Snowbunny- I am indeed sooooo bored with the classes, with the Sunday class Daisy is in beginners, if I persevere and we move up I feel it will take us somewhere with the aim/goal of doing working trials, /gundog work, this is all achieved from the beginning with tests as each one is passed Daisy will move further up towards our goal and the hope was that we will have fun together so are the stagnant classes something to be endured in order to move along where hopefully it will get to be more interesting? that’s my pondering. Thanks so much for the tips, I will take a look and see what other activities are available in our area for Daisy’s age.
It really does sound as if you need something that you will find fun to do with Daisy. She is very young yet so there really is no need to worry about having to do a specific course now so that she might move on to another which can lead to field trials. No training is wasted but training/learning should be fun for both of you and really builds your bond. That learning experience should also be supported by a good, thoughtful, supportive trainer.
I work 2 of my dogs, both are very competent and both have been worked successfully in the field picking up. Our training classes are varied and relaxed. Mostly fun! There is a serious side, of course, there is no "messing around" once on the gun line, so certain behaviours have to be established. This all takes time, your puppy is only 5 months old a baby in gundog training terms. It is important to keep sessions short and above all fun! Working on behaviours such as being calm around other dogs, loose lead walking interspersed with really good engagement games coupled with lots of short breaks is the way we went about it. Traditional gundog trainers aren't too keen on harnesses, although most will just about tolerate them these days!
