RubyStar Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Well RubyStar I am trotting off to an obedience trial tomorrow night . I'd much rather do that!! Conformation bores me a little bit to be honest, but I sometimes go just to stand there ready with the next dog for her to take into the ring... that and I get to play with her newest addition I'm a sucker for lab puppies!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Teaching SD is fun but my feelings are you need that “formal” (that doesn’t mean it’s not fun too!) retrieve fairly solid. I always use the 2 food game when teaching the SD(and the retrieve) so the dog doesn’t necessarily have to present EVERY article but there are times when I ask for it and I don’t want to rehearse dropping an article, waiting, then asking for the dog to pick it up…that’s just another behaviour you are reinforcing? There’s lots of play in between too. In the beginning (I use Dogscout method too), I will turn and throw food and give a verbal “YES!”when they PICK UP the correct article so they would drop it to pick up the food. Make sure the “YES” isn’t said as they are hovering over the article. I vary when getting the correct article is consistent when I turn and throw the food…it maybe the pick up, it maybe three steps in after picking it up or it maybe 5 steps after picking it up but I also make sure to ask for a present as well in the session. I also make sure my dog can’t see me reaching into a pocket as he turns and heads towards me but show him the “final” picture which is me not saying anything and standing very still….the dogs love it as they can’t predict when the reward is coming and I make a lot of noise when they are rewarded. Probably not a good idea for an OTT toller and a full on BC, but I enjoy it. Funny, how everyone has a different slant on training…makes it all less stagnant. I like reading how others do it as all dogs respond differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Thanks, caffy! What is the 2 food game and what are its benefits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Argh ok I tried with the wood and she thinks retrieving the wood is self-rewarding and won't take anything else I offer. Still can't get her fetching the metal either. In fact she won't even put her teeth around it. Bugger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Thanks, caffy!What is the 2 food game and what are its benefits? Use whatever motivates your dog..doesn't have to be food... http://www.nwk9.com/twosqueakies.htm I don't use correction as this article suggests. You're increasing drive :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Thanks, caffy!What is the 2 food game and what are its benefits? Use whatever motivates your dog..doesn't have to be food... http://www.nwk9.com/twosqueakies.htm I don't use correction as this article suggests. You're increasing drive :D Thanks! I had seen this before but didn't know that is what it was referred to as Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Argh ok I tried with the wood and she thinks retrieving the wood is self-rewarding and won't take anything else I offer. Still can't get her fetching the metal either. In fact she won't even put her teeth around it. Bugger. Bugger! Are you trying the scent part yet or just trying to get her to pick it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Hmm we were going to try the scent part but I didn't get that far :D . I am not sure how to convey what I want when I don't have food to reward or a toy of higher value then a scent article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 How about offer her another scent article as reward? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 (edited) . She is just a weirdo but then what can you say she comes from the west and I hear the water over there does some very strange things to both humans and animals alike . Certainly wouldn't change anything about her though :D . Edited December 30, 2008 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 . She is just a weirdo but then what can you say she comes from the west and I hear the water over there does some very strange things to both humans and animals alike . Certainly wouldn't change anything about her though :D . We all seemed fine last time I looked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 (edited) caffy, so come on out with some useful advice since Ptolomy is obviously still occupying those feral red dogs :D . ETA. Besides you just know I am jealous and would love to live there. Oh well guess having my WA bred girl is the next best thing for the time being. Edited December 30, 2008 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 caffy, so come on out with some useful advice since Ptolomy is obviously still occupying those feral red dogs .ETA. Besides you just know I am jealous and would love to live there. Oh well guess having my WA bred girl is the next best thing for the time being. Do you have the Shirley Chong site? Conquer the hold and the retrieve. Get to the point where your dog can hold a coke can, a toy, even a clicker....anything you can think of. Don't stick to articles and dumbells. Do it at mealtimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Just PMd you but yes I have done the Shirley Chong retrieve with zillions of other objects all of which she grabs at more than readily. Just the darn metal object which for some reason is causing us grief. She will hold a metal teaspoon, I have given her car keys to carry around when she was younger so its not as though she is lacking exposure to various surfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 I made a start on the retrieve with Millie using the Shirley Chong website last week and it's like banging my head against the wall, she won't even LOOK at the thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glorybea Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Hi all I have 2 malt/shuh and they were not happy with metal and I put a piece of elastoplast [ NOT BANDAID] covering about 15cms in the middle played fetch games and slowly reduced the elastoplast until nothing there . hope that helps someone --there is always an answer isn't there -always something new to try Glorybea HAPPY NEW YEAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 As an interesting exercise - can I suggest that you leave scent for 2 days (the articles should be well aired by then) - then on Thursday - put out 4 metal articles with tongs - 15cm apart and add one scented one and send her to find it. If she brings back the incorrect one take it off her and send her to find it again. If she gets it wrong again just give her a pat and pack it up and we will try it another way. If she gets the correct one - tell her she is brilliant and try one more time only. Then pack the game away.Let us know how you get on. Reporting back with how we got on. If I make this learning experience public then hopefully it will be a useful thread to someone else down the track going through the same thing I put all 5 articles down (including the scented one) and sent her to find it. For the first time since that very first time we tried this exercise, she actually went and sniffed them all in the lineup instead of just picking out a random one (I had them next to each other horizontally to where we were looking at them from, not vertically if that makes sense?). I had the scented one 2nd from the end on the left (I wasn't sure if the scented one needed to be in a particular position?) She started from the right end (her choice, I didn't coax her), sniffed them all right down to the other end of the lineup, got to the last one, went back to the scented one next to it, then decided on bringing me back the end unscented one So close!! So I sent her back to have another go and she didn't want to sniff them again, she just went to the very first one, grabbed it, and half heartedly brought it back. It seems leaving the game a couple of days made her want to sniff them again (as the 2nd time I tried it straight after the first night, she didn't sniff them at all, even on her first go) - and when she's wrong and asked to try again, she doesn't even attempt to sniff them, just grabs at a random as soon as she gets there! Oh and ignoring her this time, she eventually got fed up of looking at me with it in her mouth so she found her own fun by having a play with the article instead and the one she previously got wrong :D Where to now? :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 How windy was it when you tried doing the 5 articles Rubystar? It is possible the scent had blown onto the article next door, but it is also possible the dog has no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted January 2, 2009 Author Share Posted January 2, 2009 Don't remember it being windy, so I'm guessing she has no idea! The question is, how do I help her get the idea? She's a smart girl so I know this can be done, it's just a matter of me being able to find a way to help her understand the requirements! I did the exercise outside on the grass, all the other times I had done it inside on the carpet. Perhaps I should try the carpet again. I don't want to give up, there has to be a way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Don't remember it being windy, so I'm guessing she has no idea! The question is, how do I help her get the idea? She's a smart girl so I know this can be done, it's just a matter of me being able to find a way to help her understand the requirements!I did the exercise outside on the grass, all the other times I had done it inside on the carpet. Perhaps I should try the carpet again. I don't want to give up, there has to be a way! Are you free Sunday after 6pm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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