Moving From Novice To Open

[Dova]

Heel Free

Stand For Examination

Drop on Recall

Retrieve on the flat

Retriever over solid jump

Optional: either broad jump or change of positions

3 min out of sight sit stay

5 min out of sight down stay

Hmmmmmm might need to do more than just REAL serious training, better get started then & what's the worst that can happen at a mock trial , don't think they can shoot me for stuffing up . Thanks RubyStar

[RubyStar]

Heel Free

Stand For Examination

Drop on Recall

Retrieve on the flat

Retriever over solid jump

Optional: either broad jump or change of positions

3 min out of sight sit stay

5 min out of sight down stay

Hmmmmmm might need to do more than just REAL serious training, better get started then & what's the worst that can happen at a mock trial , don't think they can shoot me for stuffing up . Thanks RubyStar

No worries. I put Ruby into Open last Saturday at a mock trial for the first time. Though we were visibly not ready for Open, there is no harm in giving it a go at a mock trial! I would just advise that your dog is at least familiar with the exercises first, or there really is no point. The only exercise I felt we wasted the judges time with was the retrieve over solid jump, as we hadn't done a lot of training with that to date.

My mock Open round is on youtube if you want to see that even those who can't get a Novice pass yet can still give Open a go

http://www.youtube.com/bingaling81

[Zug Zug]

Latest update:

Heel free - ok - we need to polish it up before we get into the open ring but in general we're doing ok

SFE - haven't practiced this one for a while (better do that again soon)

DOR - making rapid progress at the moment following a PM from a DOLer with some excellent training tips. The penny has dropped I think and she is now starting to drop quickly at a reasonable distance from me DURING a REAL recall

Dumbbell on Flat - good - starting to come in a bit closer with her fronts which is good

Dumbbell over jump - as above only faster

Distance Control - practising from a distance using backyard table has made a HUGE difference after only a couple of tries - she's doing it pretty reliably all of a sudden

3 min sit stay - she's doing it - at the moment I visit her to reward every minute - the whining has stopped

5 min down stay - she's doing it - I visit her to reward every 2 - 3 mins - no whining here either

I'm getting excited about her progress this week. Last week we were hopeless, this week we're starting to get somewhere.

Thanks DOLers - your advice is really making a difference to our training.

I'll post a video this weekend to show you how it's going.

[Zug Zug]

Today's practice session on youtube here:

(Edited to fix the link)

Edited March 20, 2010 by Zug Zug

[ness]

Looking good Zug Zug. Just a quick observation from me - why when you did the DORs did you not use the clicker to mark the drop but only mark the front. I noticed you still threw a treat for the drop so just wondered if it was a reason behind not marking with the clicker.

Edited March 20, 2010 by ness

[Zug Zug]

Good point - no reason just handler error

[ness]

its amazing what you aren't aware you are doing until you watch it back on video. I know I am guilty of a few things like that.

[dogdude]

Hi Zug Zug.

You have some nice enthusiasm there.

My advice would be to either throw the reward behind, or leave a remote reward behind her for release to.

Also, when the dog fronts up short of the mark, be quick with an adjustment or NRM, before the bum hits the ground. Don't take a step back or anything, just roll back onto your heels and help guide her by leaning away, and guiding her closer with your hands. Try to keep the adjustment the one exercise. If you wait till she has stopped, its like two exercises.

She looks like she is coming along nicely.

[Dova]

How's the training going Zug Zug, looking forward to reading your brags from the open ring . I've been giving Izzi some work getting ready for the CD Saturday night, still expecting an in, round & out but that's ok because she's going sooooo well at herding . Pebbles won't be seeing the open ring at Dover next month, no use going & wasting the judges time.

[Zug Zug]

Based on last night's effort at club - pretty awful! I kept finding myself wanting to say 'she does it fine at home' but that just means we have more work to do. We need to get out and about more with our training and of course it's all new territory.

She just wasn't in the mood last night. Worst training session we've had in ages. ;)

Good luck on Saturday night! I won't be there unfortunately but hope to join you all again in a few months...

[ZAUBISTAR]

Based on last night's effort at club - pretty awful! I kept finding myself wanting to say 'she does it fine at home' but that just means we have more work to do. We need to get out and about more with our training and of course it's all new territory.

I think you just quoted my session on Sunday morning

I must add:

First time on that ground since Sept last year,

First time in formal class since Sept last year,

First time I have taken both Acteon and Roxy to do some work (I only had the one before now).

Well......

DOR ended up as run really fast, ignor the down signal look confused and return to mum

COP, excellent, but only to about 2m away

ROF, good except for my dumbbell landing only 3m away (he has reverted back to mouthing beofre presenting it)

Stays, I'm still impressed with his stays, we did a couple of formal ones and then I did one where I just wandered off around for a bit and came back

Roxy's first class was brilliant, I am very happy with her for her first formal lesson

[Zug Zug]

Sounds like you're getting pretty close.

Do you have a trial date in mind to head into the Open ring? I have a close friend in Hobart and have been thinking about popping down to see her and doing a trial while we're down there. Would have to be June or later though.

[ZAUBISTAR]

Sounds like you're getting pretty close.

Do you have a trial date in mind to head into the Open ring? I have a close friend in Hobart and have been thinking about popping down to see her and doing a trial while we're down there. Would have to be June or later though.

Maybe Ulverstone in May but we'll have to see. Last year when everything was going well I was planning on getting him into Open at the GSDCA Nationals Vic. but I just couldn't justify the cost of getting there and then potentially embarrass us both

Not sure for much of the year in advance due to work but I could easily look it up. We really don't get many OT down here Ok if you do agility as well but I'm almost at the point where I start looking for another job just so I can move the dogs and family to a more active state

Does your friend train at one of the Hobart clubs?

[Zug Zug]

She's not a dog person so much - just a friend that lives and works in Hobart.

Good excuse for a visit but I'm a bit like you - might happen might not we'll need to wait and see. Want an open pass under my belt here first.

[ZAUBISTAR]

She's not a dog person so much - just a friend that lives and works in Hobart.

Good excuse for a visit but I'm a bit like you - might happen might not we'll need to wait and see. Want an open pass under my belt here first.

Oh dear, I just assumed they were dog ppl

Hows your drop on recall going? still doing the two food trick?

I started this with Acteon and got good results, we just have issues progressing from that to something more formal. :D

[Zug Zug]

We had the same issue at first. Loved the 2 food game, but struggled to translate it into a recall situation. She is generally lightning fast on recall.

So we then moved from the 2 food game to short recalls (to control her speed a bit) with a drop and throwing the food reward behind her to collect it so she's thinking about moving back not forward. Also did a bit of practice at dropping at a distance, by putting her on a table in the backyard to do it. I think this helped also.

I was still having issues with her moving forward to get closer to me before dropping, so introduced a stick on the ground to mark the point beyond which she would not be rewarded. If she dropped before the stick, she got the reward, if she moved past the stick I immediately said 'nup' and we set the exercise up again from the start. It was partly for her sake, and partly to give me clear criteria so I didn't go soft on her.

She gave that stick one very long sniff after failing to drop soon enough a few times in training, then looked at me and that was her lightbulb moment. Following a bit more practice with the stick, she is now dropping smartly in a formal recall without the stick. I am still rewarding by throwing the treat over her head so she has to move backwards to get it. And I still withold reinforcement unless she drops quickly.

We now have a new issue - anticipation. And she has lost some speed and has started to occasionally drop at my feet in the last bit of the recall. So still a work in progress but there has definitely been some progress and I think we're getting there.

[bedazzledx2]

Sounds like she's coming along nicely ZZ Just before she gets to the point where she would normally anticipate and drop, throw food behind you with a big exaggerated movement and tell her to 'get it!' (try to do it before the last 2 meters of the recall) I rarely practice a formal DOR and if I do I mix it up with a few Novice recalls. When they are playing in the park and hooning in to me I will occasionally chuck in a DOR and throw the treat to them and release.

We had the same issue at first. Loved the 2 food game, but struggled to translate it into a recall situation. She is generally lightning fast on recall.

So we then moved from the 2 food game to short recalls (to control her speed a bit) with a drop and throwing the food reward behind her to collect it so she's thinking about moving back not forward. Also did a bit of practice at dropping at a distance, by putting her on a table in the backyard to do it. I think this helped also.

I was still having issues with her moving forward to get closer to me before dropping, so introduced a stick on the ground to mark the point beyond which she would not be rewarded. If she dropped before the stick, she got the reward, if she moved past the stick I immediately said 'nup' and we set the exercise up again from the start. It was partly for her sake, and partly to give me clear criteria so I didn't go soft on her.

She gave that stick one very long sniff after failing to drop soon enough a few times in training, then looked at me and that was her lightbulb moment. Following a bit more practice with the stick, she is now dropping smartly in a formal recall without the stick. I am still rewarding by throwing the treat over her head so she has to move backwards to get it. And I still withold reinforcement unless she drops quickly.

We now have a new issue - anticipation. And she has lost some speed and has started to occasionally drop at my feet in the last bit of the recall. So still a work in progress but there has definitely been some progress and I think we're getting there.

[Zug Zug]

Yep I think we're making progress. Have had some great advice from some very accomplished DOLers!

She did great at training tonight. My instructor was very happy with her DOR (instant drop, perfect recall) and her two retrieves, both of which were also perfect with some nice close presents. Heeling wasn't bad, but a bit distracted tonight. We would have passed though. Distance control was good too. SFE she moved 1 foot.

Our stays are coming along nicely but not quite there yet - still building up and doing 2 + 1.5 mins sit stay, and not practising the drop stay much because she likes it too much. Working on building time in both out of sight stays.

Overall I'm happy she seems to be enjoying it and coming along well. Mock trial in a week and a half. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Dova]

Look forward to hearing how you go in the mock trial Zug Zug, sounds like you'll be on a mock pass with the way your both working, keep it up :D. Took the dogs to the park yesterday & did a bit of work seperately then decided to do heel work with all 4 at once, heeled off did sit, drop, stand, stay & then a recall, lined them all up & called them in one at a time, then turned them all loose to hoon about that's the fun bit.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Dova

[Zug Zug]

You can do that? I've never seen anyone do that!

I want video - that would be great to watch.