The Spotted Devil

But that's the embarrassing thing fetchin' I'm sure they did :laugh: But you know how much information there is to absorb, some of it just gets filed away for later.....I just failed to retrieve it Plus I never thought we'd be training up for anything beyond Novice what with the issues we had with quartering, cover, water, deliveries, rabbit retrieves....

I run both my dogs without collars - always have and always will purely for safety reasons. They both get heavily rewarded for putting their collars on so I don't have problems with them running off. Regarding the t-shirt, I agree with the club's policy - not only safety but also freedom of movement. Is it that your little dog feels the cold? If so I would be doing a really good warm up with him, whip off the shirt, run the course, reward and then put his t-shirt back on. My Dally really feels the cold and this routine works very well for him - it's become his pre-trial routine (whether a cool or warm coat) so he knows when to switch on.

Should have given this to you yesterday! Dr Georgia Davis www.optimalchiro.com.au/animal/index.html

In terms of generalizing the sit try changing your position - sit, stand on a chair, lie down etc. Make it heaps of fun and highly rewarding. A stand from a sit may be easier to teach than from a down so get that solid first :)

Will see you there TO! Em loves a flip, Zig not so much. She is so agile and rear end awareness comes so much more naturally to her. Some people think it's because I learnt so much with Zig but I still think her soft, flexible body lends itself better than Zig's angular, elegant physique.

RS - fetchin put it better than I did. Quality over quantity every time. Yes, we had a busy session yesterday but it was about building confidence back up with Em - the more she got right (they were set up so she could get them right as much as possible), the more her enthusiasm went through the roof. If she was fading mentally (which she certainly does - it's just an ear position thing but I can pick it a mile off) I would have pulled the pin earlier. rubyroo - thank you but I don't know half of what I should and always feel like I stuff things up. I am lucky to have good people around me to bounce ideas off and structure my training. Had a chat with a very well known retrieving stalwart at the Easter trial - we were camped next to each other - and was telling him about Em's WOEFUL marking :laugh: He asked what I had been training and then said something that really, really stuck with me (and stopped making me feel so bad!) - he explained that with all the lining and blind work I'd done (which she's really learnt to love as much as marking) that she'd finally got the whole concept of running in a straight line and that's where she was looking at the start pegs. Instead of looking UP for the mark she was looking DOWN into the cover, looking for that line she was going to run - great for a blind but not much bloody good in Novice. When he put it like that everything fell into place - the fact that she wasn't head swinging but still wasn't marking well, and the lovely lines she took and the overrunning! He was so nice and told me that everyone falls into the same trap - and to just go home, do 3 days of marking only and then alternate marking and handling every session. And to keep them much more separate than I have been doing. Anyway - think I will need more marking practice than I will have time for before the next trial but will just do what we can. Can't fix everything at once! Regarding the delivery, I shape it and my criteria is very tight in training - similar to obedience (sit straight in front, hold the item in the middle, no mouthing, look me in the eye, no "spitting") - when it does break down (training or a trial) it is quite easy to then go back to that foundation work. Keep it very light though - I laugh and say "gotcha!" when they muck up - helps keep my voice light and fun because neither of mine respond well to that sort of pressure. The hardest thing is to generalise it - we were doing a lot of work on frozen game and dummies and her deliveries were perfect. Brought out fresh, soft game which she hadn't seen for about 6 months and she put it on the ground and wagged her tail uneasily - went back to the drawing board for a few days and she was fine. That's the thing with a young dog though - concentrate on one thing and you neglect something else!!! (Although apparently it's because I let her sleep on my bed :D ) I think because I've built value for deliveries she sprints back nearly as hard as she goes out. If you're having trouble my first suggestion would be to shape the retrieve with completely different items - no dummies or game - but every household item you can think of including pens, rulers, metal, wood, plastic......etc I just sit in a lounge chair and use their dinner to work on it. Keep it fun and have them absolutely busting to grab the item in the middle (no matter what angle you hold it at) and rush into a lovely sit. No spitting from them and no snatching from you though! Hands under the mouth, touch the item but they don't give it up until you say "give". Have fun :)

:laugh: Yes, but that is over an entire day - I left home at 8am and arrived home at 10.30pm. OK, so there was some puppy cuddling in between And I have built the motivation up just like you would in heel work - we used to do 3 walking singles and then go home. Yesterday I asked her to do two marks only and then have a good rest before she is remotely ready to take a break - she is very much used to that routine of training but I used to do a lot less. But definitely the swimming knocks them around, particularly if they have to think as well! When we did water work yesterday, the swims were quite short but she had to face cover, long land entries and deal with selection (for doubles). Patience, RS! You will get there ETA: Just saw your edit. I understand! Remember I run a Dalmatian who's great purpose in life was to pi$$ on every tree in sight :D I had to build him up too.

Nice score! Em was pinged 50% of her marks in her one and only RATG for dropping the dummy - but it did get me working on her deliveries :D Regarding training and switching off - I sound like I do a lot of training but I break it up very, very carefully so Em doesn't get bored or tired. She may be a a little rocket rabbit but she hates repetition. I give her lots of breaks over the training session and will break a drill down so I'm working on exactly what I need to. Work on concepts separately to long swims. Maybe two long swims were too much? You could teach the concept of a double rise on land or on a much shorter swim perhaps? As several wise trainers have told me....don't do in water what you can't do on land. Yesterday, for example......single mark 1 (good!), single mark 2 (good!) - one medium and one short to test depth perception. Rest whilst I reloaded the bumper boys and another dog ran. Single mark 3 (average), repeat single mark 3 (good!). Rest whilst I moved mark 2. Double mark 1 and 2 (memory mark average), repeat double mark 1 and 2 - complete disaster on my part because a) I forgot to cock the bumper boy for one and b) had no bumpers left on the other :laugh: LUNCH so long rest. Double mark - hand thrown so focus on concept not distance (good!), double mark in different location (good!), double mark with one long, more challenging cover (deep ditch of water, land, water) and a short water memory mark (good!) Long run into water beyond several large clumps of reeds (average). Big rest whilst other dogs ran. Tried the last one again (much better!) Just re-read my previous post and felt I should give Em some credit for the way she faced cover and water. The second training area is somewhere I haven't visited for a long time and it was hard to remember how truly spooked Em was by the reeds, deep ditches and water. She smashed through everything at top speed yesterday - supremely confident in her own physical abilities which was just delightful. The other youngster in training had similarly come a LONG way :)

Nice to see I'm not alone in keeping this thread alive anymore :laugh: Well done RS! What did they ping you for Millie dropping the dummy? RV - nice to hear you've got enough game out and about to do some training. Tell me about the whole newby handler though *rolls eyes* I'm losing count of the number of times I've "broken" Em So....have been trying to "unbreak" Em with respect to marking. After 3 days of marking drills we went back to one day handling/lining alternated with one day marking. I'm flat out at the moment so a lot of our drills have been done on the oval (thank you Mr TSD!!!) One thing I have been conscious of is really splitting our training rather than lumping and her understanding has improved as a result. Yesterday I caught up with an experienced trainer and worked Em out in the real world. She saw some really tricky marks through the trees so I was very pleased with those but started pottering on a long mark - a consequence of all that handling on marks at Easter I suspect as I never handle on marks in training. We worked on building her confidence and then added in a memory mark. Of course she couldn't recall what that was what with all the single marks we've been doing (!!!!!!!) so had to run that again - penny seemed to drop though. Had a nice lunch at a country cafe and then switched training grounds. The sleep in the back of the car did Em the world of good as did some much cooler water work. Marking was much better - we had a lesson on "switching" on a double and a couple of lessons on not giving up. Her confidence really improved and she stopped looking to me for help but went back to hunting persistently as she used to. I don't think we're quite there but there was an awful lot of "bad trainer" to undo

Yes! That's what I suspected

Thanks Tassie The stations don't look too hard (for Em not me!!) but I will need to teach a traditional finish - she likes her flip.....points off for leaping a foot into the air before landing in heel position? :laugh:

My Dad was saying the roos just stop on the side of the road instead of "randomly" leaping across in front of the vehicle.

The bolded part is most telling... you aren't overly enamoured of your hubby's choice of pet, yes? Thusly, when he leaves you at home to cope with his pup, you maybe aren't all that interested in entertaining his whinging pup... T. I think that's a good point T :) I train and trial alongside some of the top working GSPs in the country (field trial champions, retrieving champions, state/national winners, rough hunters) and I certainly wouldn't call them highly strung. Intense and drivey in the field? Absolutely. But great sooky sweety pies in the house. Only my ESS has a better off switch.

You linked me to the cat agility clip!!!

Thanks gals - will do some quick thinking over the next few days and then send off the entries.

JulesP - will talk more today about this....but if a dog can do nice heel work, has good rear end awareness etc would I be completely crazy to enter them in a Novice Rally trial with limited training? There is a Group 3 agility/rally trial coming up and I like to support them as much as possible - it's always a really well run trial, very friendly and good sponsorship. I'll enter Em in novice agility and excellent jumping but I was wondering about Rally.......I've just got so much on at the moment that I'm not sure what chance I'll have to get to training on Sundays.

Yes, but it depends on the issue - I can pick muscle tightness in my dogs and have it treated with Bowen accordingly. Anything that I couldn't pick I would be off to the vet.

Was chatting to my Dad and he uses them - serious BIG, bold roo country in SW WA (I've had 2 altercations with them) and he swears they work. They have them on a notorious stretch of road on the white posts and I've never seen roos since they were installed. Not sure about dogs and have no idea of the science or pseudo science behind them.

Tazar, there's a simple and clean motel in Holbrook with 2 dog friendly rooms - bookings essential. I stayed there coming back from Sydney last year. I think it's The Jolly Swagman??? But not 100% sure. I will check tomorrow if you like - please PM me if I forget and you're interested. Really nice owners plus great local bakeries for breakfast :) Check the Agility Nationals 2014 thread in Training forum also - Tassie had some nice suggestions.

If I can get my Springer running as hard in agility as she does in the field retrieving game I'll know I'm there. And for Zig it's how fast he can take off after a kangaroo :laugh: Thank Dog for good recalls eh! TO - I honestly suspect that many 500 handlers have to train harder and have better timing so their dogs don't smash through everything, take off course tunnels and bail on every contact. It just makes them look more suited :D

Get some soft toys & rub them all over his mum to transfer her scent onto them. Also, is there a blanket or rug that his mum & litter mates used? Give these to your puppy. Dogs can get some comfort from smells, like we get some comfort from a photo. Keep on doing this, from now on, with your scent on. Rub your hands & feet over some soft toys for him. Put an old unwashed T-shirt of yours on his bed. Mums still here but was out training with my hubby most of the day. She's a working GSP. They have been seperated before but this was his first time alone without siblings. Will try bones and toys but I'm told gsp's shouldn't chew toys as this impedes their training in the paddock when retrieving birds. Will see how we go next time. Many thanks for the advice A soft mouth is part genetic and part training. Too much pressure in the field from the handler will do a lot more damage than a few puppy toys ever will :) Puppies have to manage teething and keep busy somehow. If you don't supply something appropriate to chew pup will just start on your furniture and garden!

A relative of mine earns a decent salary. Wanted me to help find him a cat - but not an expensive one because they live near a busy road and they'd just have it put down if it got hit by a car. Um. No.

Mine dropped the game at a trial because I let her sleep on the couch/bed/chair/my lap :D Dunno what happened at the next trial though as her deliveries were perfect. Training maybe?

Well don't you forget woman! And leave an evening free for dinner, wine and song :D

For sure, TO, my big lad has to really collect on tight turns but I have concentrated so hard on well timed decel cues that this is rarely an issue. He is deceptive, actually, and runs faster than he looks with his big strides. Not as quick as others but super reliable. Fast 500 dogs need a lot more training to handle at a furious pace. How often do you see handlers of small dogs run with their dogs without much of a handling system? Some of the dogs are capable of being quicker. Not everyone I know but it is reasonably common. I love now that I can send Zig out or leave him in the weaves whilst I run somewhere else - no babysitting is my challenge this year :laugh: My 400 dog gets some decent speed up but is taking off early - some training and I think she'll then be competitive again. All that said, I did love the Agility and Dalmatian Nationals courses that were clearly designed for bigger striding dogs. It's like retrieving in a way - I really have the "wrong" breed but it makes it all the more sweeter when you have a win :D