# Angel is coming along



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Angel is in the middle of her forcework. The repetition and pressure is starting to get to her, so it's time to add some simple straight forward marks to help pick her up and maintain her training attitude. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgk6CmZ-7TM

These marks are intentionally short as the purpose is to give her something she can easily complete without any pressure. This helps to build confidence and maintain a good attitude during training.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Well done Angel. That was great to watch.


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## 3SweetGoldens (Feb 28, 2007)

That was Wonderful!! Great job Angel!!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Love it, there is nothing better than watching them do what they were bred for. On a side note, it's fun to see a BLOND doing field work! hehehe


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Wow, that was impressive!


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## GoldenMum (Mar 15, 2010)

Wow! And I'm excited if they come to dinner when I call them...great work Angel!


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

I think the point here is not to watch a beautiful dog run. I think the point is that there are "safety valves" for the stresses of force fetch. In this case, some simple marks were done to help her maintain a good positive attitude. Well done Swampcollie and good read on the dog.

You will also note in the video that angel is doing some little things that likely will get cleaned up as he continues through FF. When done, that little dog is really going to launch into some very wonderful work.

Thanks for sharing the video.
Randy


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

She sure is growing up! I love watching her come back to you...

SC, you've lost weight!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

enjoyed that very much...


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Klamath Gold said:


> I think the point here is not to watch a beautiful dog run. I think the point is that there are "safety valves" for the stresses of force fetch. In this case, some simple marks were done to help her maintain a good positive attitude. Well done Swampcollie and good read on the dog.
> 
> Randy


Exactly! She's been under a lot of pressure the last few weeks, Obedience drills, CC, beginning casting drills, and the beginnings of FTP. It's just a whole lot of repetitive yard work_. _If you look closely you'll notice she's a bit tentative as she leaves for the first mark. But once she's going she smooths out and gets rolling. She's much more confident on the second mark and goes with purpose. With her confidence boosted, she approached her yard work the next day with much more enthusiasm.


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

I thought it was cute that she looked over her shoulder a couple of times at the video camera--am I correct on that?

Also, when they bring the bird/bumper, are they to sit right away as you give the command? I saw that Angel was a bit slow--I thought she was focusing on the video camera--I think she stood at one point. Is that ok to do that? At the hunt test I attended as a visitor, and it has been awhile, I recall the dogs sitting (maybe I was looking at SH? I believe so--yes, it definitely wasn't JH).


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Thanks so much for sharing .. it is really good to watch Angel becoming more confident as the training stress is relieved a bit.

Do you focus on fast, quick marks for a certain amount of time or just until she feels ready to continue training .. or do you combine the motivational marks while you are training the more stressful things?


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

rappwizard said:


> I thought it was cute that she looked over her shoulder a couple of times at the video camera--am I correct on that?
> 
> Also, when they bring the bird/bumper, are they to sit right away as you give the command? I saw that Angel was a bit slow--I thought she was focusing on the video camera--I think she stood at one point. Is that ok to do that? At the hunt test I attended as a visitor, and it has been awhile, I recall the dogs sitting (maybe I was looking at SH? I believe so--yes, it definitely wasn't JH).


She wanted to be miss social butterfly and go visit the camera guy. He's her buddy and you could see the effect of the distraction when she was at the line. I could have got after her for a slow sit, but the purpose here was to pick her up a bit. A week from now we may not let that kind of behavior slide.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Sunrise said:


> Thanks so much for sharing .. it is really good to watch Angel becoming more confident as the training stress is relieved a bit.
> 
> Do you focus on fast, quick marks for a certain amount of time or just until she feels ready to continue training .. or do you combine the motivational marks while you are training the more stressful things?


These short simple marks are really to help adjust her attitude. I use them when a dog is showing a lack of confidence or pressure related stress. It's something that builds excitement and confidence in the dog. We most often use them when a dog is going through basic force work (boot camp if you will). We may need to use them occasionally with a dog if they've hit a snag in training and are showing some stress.

It's important to be able to praise the dog, not just pressure the dog. Maintaining a balance is very important to keeping a positive attitude.


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## bwoz (Jul 12, 2007)

Wow she's sure grown up, I love that they still want to go over and say hi even while they're working. I'm sure it's not so much fun for you though!


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Thanks for sharing the video.


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

Swampcollie said:


> It's important to be able to praise the dog, not just pressure the dog. Maintaining a balance is very important to keeping a positive attitude.


Very good statement.

So often in these internet discussions we get focused on one small piece of the puzzle that we overlook all the positive approaches that are also utilized. In this case, FF is a tool; no it is the foundation for good field work. There is pressure, but there are also outlets or "safety valves" for the pressure. If done correctly, the dog learns to learn and is happy about it all the way.

I absolutely love what you have demonstrated here. Many kudos to you Swampcollie.

Randy


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## Jazz & Jules (Feb 25, 2007)

And to the untrained eye, it's poetry in motion!


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