# Twiddling my thumbs



## BetterThanYourBentley (Oct 16, 2010)

I cannot wait to get Bentley outside to play and train. I cant wait to get him swimming and fetching in water. I have been a bad dad and been slacking on training... gonna start trying to make an effort to work on obediance once a day atleast. he was doing so good I kinda stopped formal training obedience and now that we are getting close to being able to do work outside I think i should probably start back up. 

Just wanted to share how eager i am to get him outside and out of this house and sitting and staying from room to room. Any ideas of what else is good for preparing to work outside. we can sit and stay while i walk to another room... he sorta heels... he shakes.... One problem spot is he wont lay down without coming to me first. I wanna get him to sit about 5 feet away from me and then when i say down to lay down and right now he walks to me and like dives on the floor at my feet. haha any other ideas would be great thanks. First field dog im training


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## boomers_dawn (Sep 20, 2009)

We're using the winter to work on manners. We practice hold, heel, and hold and heel 2 times a day every day. We've been going to obedience class and working on CGC stuff too - the usual sit / stay, down / stay, polite greeting and petting. I'm not sure we're ready for the crowd and the strange dog yet.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Did you start teaching Bently whistle sits yet?


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I hear ya Bentley. I am in the same boat. There are only so many bumpers you can throw inside. 

I have been working on Gabby's obedience, and taking her lots of different places. Getting her used to traveling, hanging in a crate, meeting new people and dogs. I want to start working on some of the field behaviors. 

She has been swimming (indoors) but I want spring. We are going to a hunt club awards banquet on Sat. We are just going to have food and socialize no awards for us. I hope to get with some people to get going as soon as we can. 

I do think Gabby is ready to be collar conditioned. I just don't know "where" to do it. If the woman we work with (trainer) is at the banquet I may get her feel. I would prefer her help in any case. Just don't want to mess it up.


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## BetterThanYourBentley (Oct 16, 2010)

No i have not started to work on whistle sits... I havent worked on retrieving really at all because he plays fetch so well. Should I start formal fetching? 

This is exactly what we are doing:
1. Sit stay with me about 15 feet away... we are at 30 seconds.
2.down stay the same way as above about the same time too.
3. Some work on heel... waiting for outside walks to work on it really hard.

think i may do some fetch with some bumpers today in the hallway.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

:bawling::bawling::bawling::bawling::bawling::bawling::bawling::bawling::bawling:

I just got an email from a friend. There will be a beginner field seminar and my trainer is the presenter. It is on March 13....I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN THAT WEEKEND! 

So I plan to talk to the hubby and see if he wants to take his dog. Then I will ask if he wants to take my dog. Sue will be at the banquet it sounds like so I can get her take too. Honestly I would rather pay her and take the private lesson. Just do not know how soon we can.


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## BetterThanYourBentley (Oct 16, 2010)

Update... on our training this afternoon he did sit stay for a minute 2 times... then did down stay for 45 seconds. Very happy with this... working up to the 5 min down stay. 

I did a little fetch with him with a paint roller. At first back in the fall i didnt think i would need to to force fetch, but he wants to pick at it with his front teeth after a few retrieves. I also noticed the last time we did it with the doves he did the same thing... gonna try doves tomorrow again and see if he is still doing it and if so... then i gotta get some lessons on force fetch.


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## AKGOLD (Nov 9, 2010)

BetterThanYourBentley said:


> No i have not started to work on whistle sits... I havent worked on retrieving really at all because he plays fetch so well. Should I start formal fetching?
> 
> This is exactly what we are doing:
> 1. Sit stay with me about 15 feet away... we are at 30 seconds.
> ...




Bentley,

As I saw under your name your goal is JH/SH/MH. In preparation for training for field the word STAY does not exist. Sit and down mean sit or down until you are told to do otherwise in the field world.

Not sure if you are to a point at which you can have a front sit "15 seconds or less" and give a heel command and have your dog swing into place, but you can begin that indoors. Also, as heel becomes more ingrained you can turn heel into an adjustment. When you take a step back the dog moves back to be even with you, and the same with if you change the angle in which you are facing. The dog will automatically heel to the same angle. Just a heel progression that can be worked on.

I still have to give the 12 yr old refresher lessons so she can come out and train with the 4 yr old and hopefully the puppy by august.

I can't find the video on RTF of a pup at 10 wks or so, working on sit, heel, here, and down.

Will post as soon as I can find it.

Have fun, I'll be working on the same things come the 1st week of May.


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## AKGOLD (Nov 9, 2010)

*11 wk old pup Here, Heel, Sit*

http://b.static.ak.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v1/yf/r/wn29KX6UvhD.swf?v=188190511207460&ev=0


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## BetterThanYourBentley (Oct 16, 2010)

I can get bentley into the heel sit and then I walk about 20 feet away and wait almost a minute now and then say okay. Guess I should change okay to heel and make him go into heel sit.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

BetterThanYourBentley said:


> I can get bentley into the heel sit and then I walk about 20 feet away and wait almost a minute now and then say okay. Guess I should change okay to heel and make him go into heel sit.


You may want to wait and release from the sit once you return to him. You don't want him to think because you walk away he will be released. I return to Gabby treat her and release her. Gabby understands "sit" really well. I can walk away and she will stay seated. I can also walk away on her leash, and pull on the leash and she stays put. She knows she can not move until released. Ok it is not 100% she is a young pup, but she gets it. We are working on "down" the same way. I am also making her understand the release word, nothing else but the word I chose is acceptable. 

We need to work harder on the heel work. Can't wait to get into the FF and hold, her teeth are coming out now. 

Now that I can put pressure on the leash, and have Gabby stay seated, I will now once in a while call her to come. She does not know 'heel' yet. So we work on coming to the front. I try to mix it up so I do not 'set' a pattern.


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## BetterThanYourBentley (Oct 16, 2010)

ya im beginning to not release him till he im back to the heel position. we also have not worked on the come to heel but that is easier done with 2 people I feel. His sit stay is darn near perfect as well, He has a long line of obediance and i think he got a little of that blood because he has been great even though we havn't done formal training for probably a month... Bad Daddy I know. But have done it twice a day for a few days now.

As far as force fetch... not sure im going to have to worry about it he is already such a reliable retrieve. If i throw something and he will run to it and when i say come he wont come back without it. Although I cant do food rewards for this because then he will just come for the treat, but for him just playing fetch is a reward. Today we went out in the back with a dove and he did a great job... we did about a dozen retrieves and had a lot of fun... again if he started trying to play with it i just said come and he brought it right to me... gotta work on him bringing it to heel but he is a pup and we will get there. One thing I really wanna start working on is public obediance... like at the pet store getting him to sit with distraction... harder then it sounds haha might have to start at the park this spring with dogs and people around us at a distance and work to close distance of the pet store.

Anyways we are so excited for spring to be here so we can get out and train some more.... Think im gonna start casting as soon as it gets better out... Wish me luck!

Here is a picture for everyone!
he is sick of being stuck in this house... he wants to be outside playing and training


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I guess I have been lucky. I have been able to get Gabby out to a lot of places. I am exposing her to as many different things as I possibly can. 

Bentley, have you looked for a 'trainer' to help you with field? I know Mitch White is not far from Columbus, and he is really supposed to be very good. He would probably be who I would contact for help with collar conditioning and making sure I am heading in the right directions. We have a local trainer a very nice lady who has put MH on several dogs. She works primarily with labs but has a nice approach so I think she will work well with my golden. I have heard such good things about Mitch, he likes "non traditional" field dogs (I think he does flat coats himself) that I hope to go to him a couple times over the summer. 

I am no expert, believe me, I have not yet run a hunt test, my husband only a WC. However from what I understand even though you have a natural dog who is a retrieving fool, you want that FF because you want to KNOW 100% of the time that your dog will do the job. FF teaches the dog that. That is why I asked about a trainer. 

This weekend Gabby has an obedience seminar. It will be a new and hopefully fantastic experience for her She will be crated during the lectures, and there will be times she is out, times Teddi will be out, but it will be great exposure for her at a brand new place she has never seen before. Me either. I actually expect her to be more adaptable than Teddi.


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## BetterThanYourBentley (Oct 16, 2010)

Ya I actually work with a trainer in Columbus and The GRC of Columbus Ohio for my training. 

This weekend I stopped in on her Obedience and Rally classes and Bentley at 4 months old completed his first Rally course with only a couple hiccups... Overall i could not have been happier... He was doing better then an 8 month old in the class and i have been struggling on being able to consistently train him, But now with our new goals of completing our first leg of Rally the beginning of the summer we are going to buckle down and get to work!


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

BetterThanYourBentley said:


> Ya I actually work with a trainer in Columbus and The GRC of Columbus Ohio for my training.
> 
> This weekend I stopped in on her Obedience and Rally classes and Bentley at 4 months old completed his first Rally course with only a couple hiccups... Overall i could not have been happier... He was doing better then an 8 month old in the class and i have been struggling on being able to consistently train him, But now with our new goals of completing our first leg of Rally the beginning of the summer we are going to buckle down and get to work!


You should add agility to your "plans" for Bentley... it is addictive :


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