dogdude

Huge congrats Prodigybxr!! Well done Ptolomy!!! Sounds like you cleaned up!! I'm another searching for the disaster thread. Problems in the Distance Control have me stumped. Won Open at Warringal with an NQ A brag fit for the disaster thread!

Likewise Kallistar, see you at Northcote.

Very well done to you and the super troopers!

There is a trial there in a few weeks time. There are many trials around the area at this time of year.

In short, I would not expect a dog of any age to learn an exercise while actually in class. If you havn't taught a solid stay (regardless of age) then you wouldn't expect your pup to hold one during a recall.

Well done Arya, you deserve it!!!!!!!! P.S Where is Arya and WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??????????????

You can also order a custom leather one at soverenstaff.com

Ohh......will probably be in the same ring in Open! Will see you there. Lets hope the weather holds out. At least there will be no mud, although that side of the ground can get slushy. Thanks for the good luck too guys......may need it if it rains! Oscar is a bit of woose when its wet.

There are a number of ways to build drive. Some of the things I use for promoting food drive Fasting, and making your dog watch another eat while on a tie out, using a release to a food target, rather than rewarding from the hand aso adds an extra element of excitement, not using the food lure to reward with, using extra yummy food for reward, (or/and) using full meal broken into parts for release, rather than full meal sitting, using marker word or click, coupled with release word, feeding once a day for non puppies, talking it up (upon release), experiment for higher value foods, maintaining drive via feedback to the dog mid exercise, keeping the training short and sharp, playing the two food game. For prey drive building, K9force covers drive building in his thread, and also the Balabanov dvds cover it in detail. The Balabanov method which I use, involves a base game in which the dog only gets drive satisfaction if showing maximum effort to catch tuggie. The "out" is used in a motivational way to restart game, building an anticipation. Initially, it helps greatly to promote chase games with them as puppies with toys or balls, and continue to build the interest using the drive methods. Not all dogs are successfully trained this way if they have no chase/catch inclination. I have one of each type of dog.

There should be plenty of old threads on this subject, but this is my prefered way to teach it (This week, ...........anyway!) (always evolving lol) Step 1) Don't practice block style heeling (heeling patterns) 2) Find what provides drive to your dog, and take time out to practice building it to a high level. 3) Make sure that step 2 has been achieved, if not...... start again. 4) Use that drive to build focus, and again.... don't move on till your dog can hold it for a long period statically at first. (at least a couple of minutes) 5) Begin to reteach correct heel postion using "find heel" games, using your new found motivation. When dog can find it regulary with vigour, start moving off very slowly, demanding your new found focus, and building on it. Move only in either straight lines or large circles, with no additional commands like sit, drop etc. When you have all of this up to this point, use normal and fast pace. Demand unbroken focus ALL OF THE TIME. You can use the word "watch" to regain focus (mark regained focus and reward) and "heel" for a lapse of position (mark and reward regained position) If you are regulary losing position or focus........BUILD MORE DRIVE 6) Teach a "one way focus" (dog using full focus, while you look ahead) statically at first, then on the move. (use a spotter, or your peripheral vision). Demand full focus like before. 7) Start to teach your dog turns. (I teach right turn statically). I start by firstly using your one way focus to cue the dog by turning my head to the right, commanding heel, then pivoting 90 degrees to the right. (mark and reward/release).Your dog will soon work out the head turn is the cue, and will turn with you, holding position. Encourage this by marking as early as possible with his initial movement. Make a game of it, moving faster and faster. Teach the left pivot the same way. This requires a substantial movement from the rear end of the dog, so be patient, and start off using a less obtuse angle for the pivot, and build it. Test the cue by looking left, but dont move. If he starts to shuffle out of the way, he has it. 8) Practice right and left about turns off a few steps ,demanding focus and position all the time. Make sure the dog remains motivated throughout, particulary mid turn. Lure mid turn, reward/release directly after turn completion if position held. Keep it a fun game. When you start to put it all together, you should have the feeling that the dog is almost backing into the left hand turns with his rear, and shoulder glued to you on the rights. By looking towards the direction that you are turning, a split second before you do, will always let your dog know where he is heading.

Hi J Yep, I had to even beg for a late entry as I hadn't been down to the club for a few months! Broke my dumbell in half too when I piffed it out of the ring and hit the start post on the way out!! Will be trialling with a new one to be purchased on Sunday :rolleyes: Hi Kallistar Will be entered in Open Dog with my brindle boy. Good point about Daylight savings.......Was warned, but forgot!! You UD and Open? The ground is covered with daisys so a white dumbell will come in handy........as I found out on Sunday (couldn't see my plain wooden one). The grass isn't long, but there is a lot going on colourwise.

Any body else????

Train focus without the turns, then when training turns, (no, not heel patterns) demand it. The best way to teach focus and heel postition IMO is to heel in large circles, both clockwise and anti-clockwise. I picked this up at a Gina O'Keefe seminar. Dont worry the dog with turns. Concentrate only on holding focus (watch!) and keeping position (heel!) Give the dog constant feedback with marking good work, and encouragement (goooood!) Think about where you want to direct focus (which part of you and why). The focal point needs to be one which gives the dog the earliest cue possible for turns etc. I demand focus above my shoulders, because I cue my dog for turns by looking at the direction that I am about to turn, a split second before I actually turn. This way, the dog is turning almost before I do. You can teach this by first demanding focus to your eyes, but then you need to teach an unconnected focus, using your peripheral vision, while you are looking straight ahead (as in a trial). Sometimes a spotter helps to teach it too.

No............We like it here in Australia's greatest city It would be our privelage if you could join us though Ptolomy! I have the odd trial or two coming up, and time is scarce atm, but I will let you guys make a date, and I will try to make it.

I would say that very few clubs if any actually teach trialling formally. Most will just have rings set up to do run throughs for a little critique and informal help. There is a simple reason for this. Most people in the know are out trialling on club days, and besides that, it would not make sense that every club member is taught by one person, otherwise, everyone at the club would be getting the same scores each week, due to one persons input. Trialling is really the beggining of a knowledge quest.....one that is almost never satisfied. You could never learn this from just a few people.

Plenty of good advice already, and maybe going to a trial to give the dog a taste of the atmosphere won't do any harm, and a pass a bonus. Just remember that the very good, and high scoring Open/Utility dogs, were also likely to have been very high scoring Novice and CCD dogs. If you accept near enough, you will remain that way, and end up disappointed. If you live a long way from help, then I would suggest that you find some good reading on teaching a comp dog. There is much to learn from a variety of trainers about trialling if you don't discount them on the methods they base their training on. Balabanov dvds give you plenty to think about heeling etc and also older aversively based books like Diane Baumans book. Its the thought behind solving the problem that is important to learn, not how they actually solve it. You can adapt your own methods to suite yourself.

All obedience lessons should be played as a game IMO if you want to keep the dogs interest, particulary if you want to trial. In the learning stages, you need to train every day in short bursts. If your dog is getting bored, then you should look at the way you are training. There is no exuse for a bored dog doing obedience. Training 5 or six times a day is great, if its in very short bursts and the learning is done in the form of a game.

Seita Usually we will have two markers in the ring in example Novice/Open. One for a recall from the far end of the ring, and one that doubles as a marker for Change of postition, Stand For Exam etc, also used for leaving your dog on a recall from the front half of the ring.

Another handy hint is to watch and memorise the heel pattern that the judge uses. Many judges will use the same one for all competitors. You don't want to go in there thinking too much about what the pattern will be, but it can help some people if they know they have some idea of what the judge is likely to ask them to do, especially on very windy days or when you occasionally get a very noisy competitor in the ring beside you, and its hard to hear the judge. I have winged it and taken a punt on a command that I failed to hear, and it payed off on one occasion.

Just couple more tips: Make sure your dog is well toileted before entering the ring Dont leave the ring by stepping over the ropes on completion Remember that you are being observed from the time that you walk through the entrance. Its fine to adjust your dog when you get to the start peg, but do not correct it in any way aversively. Think about which side of the start peg that you will set up on. I always have the peg on my right, so I sepperate it from the dog. It eliminates the desire for the dog to want to smell it (other dogs that set up beside it rub against it) When asked to go up to the other end of the ring to set up your dog for recall, dont run up there in an exited animated manner like in a training session. If you use your dogs name during the recall, make sure there is a distinct pause between the name and the command. When asked which end you want to leave your dog for the recall, consider which direction the sun is in (will not be in his eyes), preferably returning with a tailwind, and preferably towards the ring entrance, or your car, depending on your dog

Hi Ness I don't disagree with the points you highlighted regarding being easier to teach etc. However I really don't think there is a great advantage in having a natural desire to retreive versus a high drive in another form used for retrieving ie) tugging. (Not talking about teaching, just while working.) Similar to your dog, my Oscar has no desire to do an informal retrieve, but will quite happily do formal ones all day, as long as there is some other way to gain drive satisfaction that suits him. Do you think a natural retrieve and a formal one, use drive in the same way?

I've often wondered if a natural retrieve and a formal retrieve mean the same thing to the dog. I really don't think they do. During a natural retrieve, its about the chase and catch. During the formal, its more about gaining satisfaction after the fact? Having a natural retrieve and desire to tug often go hand in hand anyway. Tugging is normally taught with a chase element in it to begin with.

Give the command at dinner time, as in the triangle of temptation method. He will very quickly work it out. When training at home, release to a food bag rather than having treat in your hand. He will never have need to look for a treat in your hand then.

I go through a set routine for all trials for the "specifics". I will generally train at a different ground each day for about a week before the trial, concentrating on building speed for the recall and retreive type exercises early in the week, then shift direction doing light focus related exercises. I build speed by releasing part way through an exercise, to a food target placed in a direction inline, but past of where I want the speed to end. For general food drive building for Oscar, I will start to reward/release more often, while making him work for his full meal. (not normal routine.) Normal training is to have a lengthy time frame of work completed before reward/release. I find doing this improves his level of focus, and drive. On the last day before the trial, I fast him and feed other dog in front of him. I take extra yummy cooked steak with me to the trial, and give him a small sample of it during quick warm up just before I enter the ring.

Hi SD! FOO actually starts mid Oct. I miss read the advertisement. Bookings open 1st Oct. FOO details here