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Tiggy
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Yep Ptolomy just started out with doing leathers only. No metals or woods in the equation. She just thinks leather article = must retrieve anything. Although I am just about to order some more leathers as I have a funny feeling she might kill a few of my leathers with wanting to chew the bloody things before we get to far in the training.

As I said its kicking her into retrieve over drive :laugh: .

Edited by ness
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We just got back from class and I am shocked at how much improvement Mason has made this week, I have been working so hard with him this week re-training heel position with the clicker and its way better. He now also has MUCH more focus and I dont really know why I havent been doing anything to really ask for a lot of focus but he is just giving it to me. I thought I was going to need some one on one lessons with an instructor as Mason can be painful when he wants, he will just stick his head down and sniff the floor or watch the other dogs and ignore what I am asking him to do but he has improved such a lot I am very pleased! :laugh:

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Games to play when its wet - pouring with rain outside so I thought I'd have a go at find the seekback article inside the house with Kenz. She is loving the game. Thinks its the best game on the planet. You hide the article and she goes racing off to find it and comes racing back with it. Question - those of you with multiple dogs do you find it better to have different seekback articles for the dogs or do you just use the same one. Would that change if you had a dog who exhibited some signs of possessiveness over items. And this isn't meant to be a power question about ownership all my training toys are kept away when we aren't training.

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Although I am just about to order some more leathers as I have a funny feeling she might kill a few of my leathers with wanting to chew the bloody things before we get to far in the training.

JMO but I wouldn't proceed with scent work with the leathers until she can pick them without chewing them.

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Good point caffy. Maybe I might do some more work on her leather pick ups. Will spend a day or so sorting that out and then come back to scent work. Not like I don't have plenty of time - she still has such a way to go before I can get her into a novice ring. Trying to fill in the waiting game with other exercises. Her Novice would be so very very close if it wasn't for that one major hole :laugh: . Ah well no rush she will get there when she is well and truely ready.

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Please excuse the terrible noob question, but in regards to using mats in scent detection, are they optional to use in the ring? Assuming they are used to put the articles on so they aren't contaminated or roll away or something?

Just curious as I tried putting the metal article on a towel today so Daisy could pick it up more easily when we train inside. She is struggling to get a grip on it on the polished floor. She found it much easier to pick up on the towel. Obviously it will be easier to pick up on the grass but we can't always train outside. I don't intend to use the towel at any other time, I just wanted to make it easy for her to pick up now when she's learning what to do with it.

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Mats are optional Daisy. Some dogs find it easier to pick up the articles off the mat. Interesting neither of mine are great at metals inside. Ness I gave up playing inside for a long time until I had made the decision to trial her at the Adelaide royal which is indoors and on carpet) so then went on to sort out the picking it up off the carpet issue with her. It was effecting her confidence big time and she was struggling so much I just decided to avoid it until she was better at the game. Kenz is similar - she can't get her metals up off the floor inside yet so I am not worrying and will stick to outside sessions with her on metals until I feel a need to resolve it. Considering we trial outside anyway its no real big deal. I also know with Kenz at the moment she needs a certain length grass before she will persist to pick it up so I am trying to make it as easy as possible. That means we can't train on the back lawn at present because its a dust bowl.

A friends sheltie has real issues getting the articles up off the grass but is better with the mat so she always uses a mat.

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Thanks Ness! I might see how she goes picking it up off the towel and once she has it 110% I will see if she becomes more confident about picking it up off the floor.

Tiggy the metal articles I have are round so they roll around a lot!

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We just got back from class and I am shocked at how much improvement Mason has made this week, I have been working so hard with him this week re-training heel position with the clicker and its way better. He now also has MUCH more focus and I dont really know why I havent been doing anything to really ask for a lot of focus but he is just giving it to me. I thought I was going to need some one on one lessons with an instructor as Mason can be painful when he wants, he will just stick his head down and sniff the floor or watch the other dogs and ignore what I am asking him to do but he has improved such a lot I am very pleased! :laugh:

Well done! You must be thrilled! :laugh::laugh::eek:

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Good idea to use a mat or towel or even a piece of carpet indoors :laugh: . Its a big ask of any dog to pick up articles off a polished floor. In WA the mat never goes down as nobody uses it, but everywhere else in Australia that I have trialled the mat goes down at the start of judging and stays there. Its your choice whether to use the mat or the ground. If you use the ground the judge usually places the articles beside the mat although some nice judges will put it on the oposite side of the ring. :laugh:

Please excuse the terrible noob question, but in regards to using mats in scent detection, are they optional to use in the ring? Assuming they are used to put the articles on so they aren't contaminated or roll away or something?

Just curious as I tried putting the metal article on a towel today so Daisy could pick it up more easily when we train inside. She is struggling to get a grip on it on the polished floor. She found it much easier to pick up on the towel. Obviously it will be easier to pick up on the grass but we can't always train outside. I don't intend to use the towel at any other time, I just wanted to make it easy for her to pick up now when she's learning what to do with it.

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The rules require all metals to be round but some are knurled which makes them a bit rougher and easier for the dog to hold. Depends on where you get them and if you specify if you want knurled or smooth. Depends on what your dog prefers:D

Thanks Ness! I might see how she goes picking it up off the towel and once she has it 110% I will see if she becomes more confident about picking it up off the floor.

Tiggy the metal articles I have are round so they roll around a lot!

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Thanks Bedazzled!

Just did another quick training session throwing/placing the metal article onto a towel. This worked really well as it doesn't roll away or bang loudly on the wooden floor boards. She bought it back every time :laugh: I have done a quick video and am uploading it now. I am not fussed about proper fronts or anything like that, considering a couple of days ago she wouldn't so much as pick it up I am really pleased that she seems to be getting it. After I video'd her doing it on the towel, I tried placing it straight onto the floor and she picked it up every time then too (although without as much ease as when it's on the towel). I know it's only a very minor achievement, but I am so pleased she's picking it up now!

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The rules require all metals to be round but some are knurled which makes them a bit rougher and easier for the dog to hold. Depends on where you get them and if you specify if you want knurled or smooth. Depends on what your dog prefers:D

:laugh: I thought the knurled were round and the other ones were flat.

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I just did the 'find it' game with pieces of cheese. It was fun, I've never asked the dogs to find anything before, it was cute watching them sniffing. Sophie went a bit nuts at first, offering hand touches, drops then scratching me :laugh: but then caught the smell of the cheese.

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Huge achievement Huski!!!! Fronts and finishes can always be added later. I wouldn't be in a hurry to put it on the floor but it might pay you to get a few offcuts of carpet as well. It took a year before my Kelpie girl was able to pick up the metal and bring it back to me without dropping it. She hated the metal but in the end it became her best one as in the trial ring she never mucked around with it...straight out, select and bring that yucky thing back to Mum quick!!! This was many many years ago before I discovered clicker training.

Thanks Bedazzled!

Just did another quick training session throwing/placing the metal article onto a towel. This worked really well as it doesn't roll away or bang loudly on the wooden floor boards. She bought it back every time :laugh: I have done a quick video and am uploading it now. I am not fussed about proper fronts or anything like that, considering a couple of days ago she wouldn't so much as pick it up I am really pleased that she seems to be getting it. After I video'd her doing it on the towel, I tried placing it straight onto the floor and she picked it up every time then too (although without as much ease as when it's on the towel). I know it's only a very minor achievement, but I am so pleased she's picking it up now!

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Thanks Ness. I just tried putting another article down and she is reliably picking up the scented one but that's only because she is watching me throw it or put it down and going by that.

What does everyone do when the dog picks up the wrong article? Do you NRM or just take it from them silently and put it back on the mat/ground? Or do you do something else entirely?

Edited by huski
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