fetchindawgs

There are set rules for retrieving trials, just like all the other disciplines. For Novice, there is a single mark retrieve, and the maximum distance this can be is 100 metres. Terrain often decides how long a retrieve can be, as a mark must have a skyline, and obviously we want the dog to see it well so he can mark it down and do a no nonsense retrieve. The Novice yesterday was within the rules for distance, with the first mark being about 60 metres max. The second run had very difficult terrrain between the handler and the fall, but I walked out there and the distance was not overlength at all. Sometimes the difficulty of the terrain makes it appear longer than it is. The final run had a mark landing in water with a good splash, and this would have been close to the 100 metre length. So, you see, the judges do have to abide by the rules, especially for the lower levels. Sometimes in All Age you will find a judge that strays beyond the 150 metre maximum distance, and I have experienced retrieves over 200 metres at that level. Not in the rules, but how do you prove it. Ann and Trick did a lovely job of the Novice retrieves and were very worthy of their first placing. Allan and Finn also did well, and Sonja and Kajsa were right up there. Eleven dogs competed and five finished the trial. Restricted was much more difficult, and nine dogs started and only one finished. Remember, all judges are different in how they set a trial, and as you attend trials you will see that the dogs are challenged in their retrieves but each judge will have their own stamp on what type of task they set.

Can't say I have heard of British training for American retrievers, but check it out and see what may apply to your own training methods with your dog.

Hannah, that is a good book. Another is "Hey Pup, Fetch It Up" by Bill Tarrant. These books are written by Americans for American trials, so a few things are different to how Aussies do it. Keep this in mind when reading them. You could also go online and look at "Dobbs Dogs" where there are training hints. I have a DVD from a trainer in the USA which you are welcome to borrow. I'll try to remember to bring it on Sunday for you. It might help you with some of the basics with Lincoln. I'll look up what else is available for training hints and let you know.

For the people who showed interest in going to a retrieving trial, there is a Novice & Restricted trial this Sunday (18th). It is in Upper Swan and directions are: Travel north on Great Northern highway & cross the Upper Swan bridge and then over the railway line. Turn right into Glen Road and then right again into Hallett Gardens. Continue along this road to the end where you will see a carpark where all the cars will be. Novice will begin about 7.45 to 8 am and restricted will be after 11 am. There is no catering, so BYO everything. Your dog is welcome if kept on a lead and you can keep it quiet.

Yep, was me looking for a crate. Can you PM me the details please RoxyNH.

To all those with Gundogs, and, thinking of coming to a retrieving trial. It is quite ok for you to sit in the spectator gallery with your dog on lead beside you, as long as you have control of your dog, and it is quiet. Just ask the judge or C.Steward. Remember for Novice trials, these are usually very young dogs competing, and sometimes inexperienced handlers, so, the last thing needed is barking dogs nearby. The less distractions the better. The majority of trial managers will allow new or prospective handlers to the sport to have their dogs close by to experience the sound of the shot, and even to watch the throw which often incites excitement in the whole event. Your dog sees how much fun the dog working is having, and wants to do it too. To come along for the 18th you will need some lunch, water, lead & stake for your dog, and a seat for yourself. I will be there, as will many others, so introduce yourself and ask questions, then watch the trial and let your dog soak in the atmosphere and excitement of what a real gundog does in his spare time. The trial on the 25th will have food and drinks available for sale, but everything else applied.

Hi, I probably need a little more information on anything else you have done with Lincoln, but will attempt to put you on the right track. You say that he loves his bumper; which is good in a way, as we want our dogs to enjoy picking them up, but, we also need the dog to know the bumper belongs to me, and is not his. He is fetching it for ME and then giving it to ME. Although your dog will enjoy fetching a bumper, the joy should be fetching and giving, then waiting for another fetch. The excitement is in the act. So, now with Lincoln, will he sit next to you and fetch from your hand held straight in front of his face ? Again, have an exciting tone to your voice when you request him to fetch, then praise him, when he does it. He must get into the habit of immediately attempting to take the bumper in his mouth upon your command. Then he must hold it. You can stroke his head while he holds, whilst praising him. If you use a clicker, then click the moment he takes the bumper in his mouth. Only trouble if you click and treat is he might drop the bumper in anticipation of the treat, so just hold off on that, stroke him, praise him, ask him to give, then again click and treat. From this you should progress to little retrieves. Keep him on a lead up to about 10 foot long, so that you always have control. You can rev him up before doing your little throw, if you wish, otherwise without bothering at this stage to sit him, throw the bumper about 8 feet and let him retrieve it. No holding him, just let him go for it. When he picks it up, make a big thing of it, happily, and call him into you. You could run backwards with high excited sounds, to encourage him. No formal presents for puppies just starting, just concentrate on him coming back to you with the bumper, and, don't be in a hurry to take it from him at this stage. Make sure he doesn't chew on the bumper at any time; it isn't his play toy, but is a fun pastime to do with you, when you want to do it. If I can help with any other questions, feel free. I'll do my best.

Hi sparkyTansy, back again after a weekend of trialing. Re your question, you are allowed to have your dog in a sit, stand or drop position and this is allowed when you are at the gun steward, after heeling to the firing point, and also for whistle control in the field, where you may whistle your dog to stop and it may either be a sit, stand or drop. So, you will be fine with Ari. If you wish to go over the rules of retrieving, then go to the ANKC website where the new rules are listed. Remember it is for "retrieving" not spaniels & setters, or field.

thanks GR for the offer, but I have a fairly large fold up wire crate myself. It is large, bulky and quite heavy, so really wanted the lighter Clipper 6 if I can find one over the next couple of months. Also thank you CnR for offering to check on the crate for sale. Let me know if it is a "6". Anything smaller would be too cramped I'm afraid, and probably wouldn't be allowed by Qantas anyway. I have a friend in mind who has a crate and may loan it to me, but I will eventually need to buy one for future trips over east with my kids.

Darker Goldens generally don't do very well in the show ring, and really there is no explanation for the bias, apart from judges being so used to light coloured goldens being shown, they get in a rut and can't remove themselves. It is a shame, because the breed allows for the dark gold and many people prefer it over cream. I do like the true light gold coat colour too, just don't like "white" goldens. Can anyone give me a hand here please ? I am travelling to Queensland in August to compete with some of my dogs. I have two crates of my own for two of the dogs, but require another for my Goldie bitch. Either to borrow for the three weeks I am away, or to purchase a secondhand one. She fits into a Clipper 6 very nicely, and I would prefer one of those, but a large Vari Kennel would probably do. Length needs to be around 84cm up to 90 cm. As I said, I don't need it till August, and will keep an eye on Ebay and local papers, but would appreciate it if anybody hears of a crate available, or knows of a generous person willing to loan out a crate, if you could let me know please.

Nice looking dog there "Goldenrules". You may have to wait until the right puppy comes along for you. I am a breeder, and was going to mate my bitch, but she has just come in, and it is too late for a mating as I want to campaign her all 2010 season, as well as take her over east, so, I am postponing the mating till she comes in next time. If you are still without a dark puppy at that time, I'll let you know the outcome and you can look at the pups. Both sire and dam are dark gold, with super temperaments, and plenty of drive for the field. If you know Rebus then you know the type of Golden I have with my bitch. She is a bit more goey than Rebus. The male, Banner, is yet to compete in the field (3 weeks), but is very dark in colour, lovely sweet boy, and full of go. If you go to a retrieving trial you will see one of them as they are at different levels so one or the other will be there with me, competing.

The darker Goldens are my preference, but so too are the dogs with a finer coat consistency. The heavy coated show Goldens, especially the creams, are not for me. When you work a Golden through mud, heavy cover and long swims, the finer coat is a godsend. I know who you are talking about with the dark gold boy at agility, they are close friends; the dog is a brother to my bitch who is also dark gold. That line is very athletic, which is evident by the success in the different arenas that we compete. Depending on just what you want your Golden for, make sure you are aware of the background of the puppies. Parents having a show title only, will probably not give you a dog suitable for the field, agility, or DWD, but be a great pet. My two kids are field bred, with just a hint of show lines put in there, but, the pedigree behind them shows the success in the field that I was after, and combined together, their puppies should be top candidates for all types of activities, especially the field. Goldie puppies would have to be about the sweetest, tempting puppies you could ever wish to see, but prospective owners need to be firm with themselves and know exactly what type of pup is wanted and, the purpose of the puppy. I'm sure many people have been caught out with the cuteness of a puppy and bought on impulse, only to find that the pup doesn't fulfill the original requirements at all. Some element of luck is required, but seeing you have a dog for up to around 15 years, you may as well get as near to right as you can in selecting the puppy in the first place. Just my opinion.

You just need to reinforce the hold command, rather than the give. She obviously understands the game, but seems to me to be demanding that you throw for her, rather than hold it until instructed to release. Put her back on a lead and hold out your dummy in front of her mouth and ask her to fetch. She should take it straight away. Now, say "hold", good girl. You can place your hand just under her jaw to encourage the hold, and stroke her head with your other hand, repeatedly saying "hold" and praising her. Then, put your hand on the dummy end, and ask her to give. Do not pull away on the dummy at this time; you are asking her to release her hold, not for you to tug it out of her mouth. You may have to do this a couple of times a day, (about 3 -4 times each of hold and release). Do it every day for a week, up close and in her face to start off, then as she gets better at her hold, extend to the end of the lead, then, have her hold and come to you, present and give. See how you go, but don't rush it, and make sure she is established with the simple hold first before progressing. SparkyTansy, You can try the advice I have given above with your girl too, and see how you go. Regarding training, it is always better to train with someone of course, but many people train alone. You can achieve a lot even by yourself,and there are drills that can only be done by yourself with your dog. Re the GDC trial in 2009, yes I was there and I remember you.

First and foremost, get rid of the squeaky toy !!! Do not let your gundog have any toy that it can squeeze in its mouth. You will only be teaching your dog to be hard mouthed. Make yourself a dummy/bumper that is lightweight and easy for you and your pup to handle. A paint roller would be ideal (not a fluffy one). You can cover this with an old sock and knot the end so you have a handle. The thing is to make fetching the dummy the most exciting thing your pup has ever done. Lots of little throws without any formal setting up (these are called play throws or happy throws). Heaps of high pitched exciting sounds from you, and even run away from your pup when he is coming back, to encourage his return to you. Don't do a present yet, just encourage your pup, and make the whole thing a game. If you still have a problem with him coming back after the fetch, put on a soft rope, just so he doesn't run away, and so you have some control over the whole exercise, (without him knowing that you do). Be very careful with toys that your pup plays with, or has access to from your other dogs. No squeezy, or squeaky toys I'm afraid. No tugging (as in agility). Your dogs mouth is the most important part of him at this crucial time, and you need to encourage good habits with his handling of retrieving, regardless of what you want to retrieve. I practiced fetching anything with my pup, be it a window squeegie (sp), a spanner, a flower pot, a leather glove. Anything I asked him to fetch out of my hand, and carry, was necessary. Try it, without putting pressure on your boy, just ask gently, then lead him a few steps forward and back with the object in his mouth, praising him the whole time, then have his sit, and give the article back to you. You can do a couple of fetch and gives just at a sit beforehand, then progress to the fetch at heel, then, once that is established, try a walking fetch, where your dog is at heel and approaching the object (this could be your dummy), and you instruct him to fetch, then keep walking with it in his mouth. See how you go over a few days, and let me know your progress.

Hi, First off, I was thinking of a competition on Mirawee's property. Of course, it would need us to meet up, and see if the property would suit to hold one there if Mirawee and her parents approve. No problems with horses with the dogs Mirawee, especially with the All Age dogs; they are focused on the retrieves and usually ignore livestock completely. The guns used fire primers, so they aren't too loud, either. The questions about using natural terrain is correct, but, we have been so short on sites over the past few years, that several properties with man made dams/lakes etc have been used. As it is necessary for the dogs to retrieve in or through water, a good body of water is preferable. For those having problems with their dogs holding the dummy, keep the retrieve very short (a few feet), and reinforce the hold command verbally. Having a longish lead on at the time and encouraging the dog to return quickly with the dummy, can help. Do the short retrieves on land, and at the edge of water, again, verbally encourage the hold. Do not be in a hurry to grab the dummy; even stroke the dog on the head whilst he is holding; praise, say give, then reward. I have beautiful Goldens and a couple of spirited Labradors. Used to own Rottweillers, and a long time ago a Dalmation, G. Shepherd, and decades ago, an Afghan Hound. Now, I'm totally a Gundog fanatic. Hope all of you who are interested in retrieving give it a go. There's no bitching or backstabbing in our sport which is very refreshing; Most trialers are very willing to help newbies get started too.

Hi Mirawee, Would you consider your property for use for a retrieving trial ? I compete in retrieving, and judge, and we are desperate for new sites to hold our events. Biggest problem has been water, and it looks like you have heaps. By the way, to those gundog owners saying they have to toss up between obedience and retrieving, or agility and retrieving. You don't you know. There are several of us who do two or more disciplines, including retrieving. Training for retrieving trials is the same as training for any discipline, consistency, building confidence, gathering information, and training often. If you do obedience, you will have no problems with retrieving. Get a toy cap gun and get your pup/dog used to the noise (at a distance at first, then closer), then practise steadiness at heel, then a retrieve on command with a return to in front position. There is lots more of course, but if you have the basics, then go to the training classes, talk to people who trial for advice and suggestions, and have a go. You won't ever have as much fun with your dog, and, your gundog will be doing what he/she is bred for.