# Training: what are you ...



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

*Whoops. I just noticed the forum this was in. Hunt. Not obedience. Sorry. :#)*


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

Just working on some basic obedience in preparation for Rally-O and agility. My 2 youngest start formal agility training on the 22nd so looking forward to that. Austin is doing really well...he's very eager to please. His long stays need a bit of work. My biggest issue with him will be controlling him around other dogs (he's very social). Hopefully the agility training will help with that as we will be surrounded by other dogs.

Lincoln requires a bit more work!!! He's still so much a puppy and just wants to play. Having said that, he learns quickly and will listen when given a command. It's getting him to focus longer than 5 minutes that's the difficult part.....again, hoping agility will help him with this. In all fairness to him, I do spend more time with Austin training him....will need to shift my focus to Lincoln and I'm hoping he'll respond favorably.


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## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Monday our training session was working through tall grass. We started up close to a 5-10 yard wide strip of really tall grass with the mark 20-30 yards beyond that in shorter cover. We then backed the line up 10-20 yards at a time until the dogs were doing 80-100 yard marks going straight thru the grass.

One of my training group is still working on stopping vocalizing at the line. His dog has really come a long way, but it's been a long slow progress!

My group is also focusing on things we might see in a JH test as the last test of the season is this weekend. After that's over we will do a lot more working on specific concepts/problems.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Now that I have the last of the tubes out of me I can try to get Angel back up to speed. Hopefully I can get her through TT and Swim-by before the water gets too cold.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Still working on hold, sit/stay and heel. Heel is taking some time. He understands the command but is easily distracted. We're going to try it in the more uninteresting areas and see if that helps and then transition to the more interesting (i.e. smellier) environments. 

Had some progress in the sit/stay department when retrieving bumpers, I only hold his collar right now when the bumper is thrown. After that he stays without my hand on his collar until he's sent. Don't know how that happened so fast, but I'm not complaining!


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Angle entries on water blinds with the big fluffy dude. (Winter) 
Teaching the 3-legged pattern to the little dude.(Butch) 
Avoiding shredded toys, bedding, paperwork...with the wee girly.(Breeze) She is having a training break as she gets fatter and puppy arrival draws nearer!


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## Okamiko (Sep 9, 2010)

We are starting to work on a couple of things.

1. Crate Training aka bedtime. Trying to teach my new puppy that the crate is her special space and thats her place for naps and bedtime.

2. Be Gentle. I have a nine month old who's crawling around and starting to walk. My new puppy is in love with my daughter and has accepted her as a packmate but she is a little rough with my daughter nibbling at my daughter's ears and fingers as well as jumping on her. So what I do is when I see this behavior I gently push my puppy's mouth aside and say "Gentle" or "No bitting" and let her check out my daughter more and if she gives kisses and is being sweet I praise her

3. Potty here O.K. potty there No! 

4. And finnally trying to get my puppy on a feeding schedule

those are just the first couple of things we are trying to teach her, we will start sit, stay, and leash training once she become more comfortable in the house.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Here's something I would love to hear your opinion on....

At a recent dog behavior event, the speaker (with a biology/evolutionary/ethology -and- training background) commented that with s ome types of dogs, like high "prey drive" dogs, toys that encourage dissecting. These dogs should not be encouraged, reinforced, or given the opportunity to refine dissecting skills. That is obviously something we don't want our retrievers to do either...so no more stuffed toys/paper shredding/etc in our house. Along the same lines, should squeaky toys, water bottles, noise making toys also be banned... is it problematic for a dog to on one hand "always have a proper hold" on birds and bumpers and dumbbells... but in play and around the house be 'practicing'/enjoying/refining mouthing behaviors?


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

That's an interesting question, and one we're dealing with right now in starting field training, when we've allowed Jack to play with toys that have rope on them (like bumpers) and toys made of a similar material as bumpers. (We haven't started on birds yet, but at least he doesn't have any feathered toys!) 

To me it seems like there needs to be some signifier for the dog that an item is a toy vs. an object to be held and retrieved. I'm just not sure what that signifier should be to be as effective as possible. Otherwise you have a dog with no toys - which just seems a bit extreme. What toys did they deem acceptable?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

*Deleted, etc...*


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Gearing up for FTP--would love some ideas on how everyone has trained this exercise.

Otherwise continuing working on steadying (heheh), doubles, and retrieving the bird correctly (just about over this hump).


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

to clarify, my question was not about the dog having toys or not... it's whether or not (or the extent) it is detrimental for a dog to have toys that encourage/allow for practice of mouthing behaviors. Yes, dogs can learn the difference between informal play and training. But is it more efficient to eliminate/decrease mouthing in play?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

*Deleted etc....*


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## kgiff (Jul 21, 2008)

We've kind of taken the summer off. We finished up Force Fetch the spring. We haven't moved onto collar conditioning yet (haven't had a large enough block of time to dedicate to working on it). I do need to figure out a plan for what to do this fall...


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Megora said:


> Stays, stays, stays, stays...





Megora said:


> We are showing next Friday and I'm a nervous wreck even though I'm telling myself that I will have FUN regardless of how we do. I really want to get a leg at this show - even knowing my golden is young and not entirely mentally mature enough to be a sure bet in the ring.
> 
> *exhales*


A word to the wise here; If you question whether a dog is ready for an event, you’re probably right. They aren’t ready. The risk in taking a dog to a judged event when they really aren’t ready is that bad habits tend to form far more easily than good ones! Good luck with your decision.


Laurie said:


> Just working on some basic obedience in preparation for Rally-O and agility. My 2 youngest start formal agility training on the 22nd so looking forward to that. Austin is doing really well...he's very eager to please. His long stays need a bit of work. My biggest issue with him will be controlling him around other dogs (he's very social). Hopefully the agility training will help with that as we will be surrounded by other dogs.


How have you dealt with this so far?


Laurie said:


> Lincoln requires a bit more work!!! He's still so much a puppy and just wants to play. Having said that, he learns quickly and will listen when given a command. It's getting him to focus longer than 5 minutes that's the difficult part.....again, hoping agility will help him with this. In all fairness to him, I do spend more time with Austin training him....will need to shift my focus to Lincoln and I'm hoping he'll respond favorably.


How old are your dogs? How are you approaching the socialization issues?


IowaGold said:


> Monday our training session was working through tall grass. We started up close to a 5-10 yard wide strip of really tall grass with the mark 20-30 yards beyond that in shorter cover. We then backed the line up 10-20 yards at a time until the dogs were doing 80-100 yard marks going straight thru the grass.


Sounds like a good approach.


IowaGold said:


> One of my training group is still working on stopping vocalizing at the line. His dog has really come a long way, but it's been a long slow progress!


How is he dealing with it? I have a previously published article from the Golden Retriever News on the subject of “Noise On Line”. If interested email me at [email protected].


IowaGold said:


> My group is also focusing on things we might see in a JH test as the last test of the season is this weekend. After that's over we will do a lot more working on specific concepts/problems.


Where are these dogs developmentally? Basics…Transition?


Swampcollie said:


> Now that I have the last of the tubes out of me I can try to get Angel back up to speed. Hopefully I can get her through TT and Swim-by before the water gets too cold.


Easy does it. But I know you know that. Good luck.


goldenjackpuppy said:


> Still working on hold, sit/stay and heel. Heel is taking some time. He understands the command but is easily distracted. We're going to try it in the more uninteresting areas and see if that helps and then transition to the more interesting (i.e. smellier) environments.


How are you going about this? Are you force fetching? What method?


sterregold said:


> Angle entries on water blinds with the big fluffy dude. (Winter)





sterregold said:


> Teaching the 3-legged pattern to the little dude.(Butch)
> Avoiding shredded toys, bedding, paperwork...with the wee girly.(Breeze) She is having a training break as she gets fatter and puppy arrival draws nearer!


Is he two-sided (2-sided heeling)? That nuance can help to some degree, but won’t be a complete cure, of course. However, you can set up a series of drills using the no-no procedure that have one or two blinds – slim angle entry – using chairs or stickmen for structure to compose narrow slots. If the dog flares the slots, he will be way off line. It’s really pretty black & white for them. 

Be gentle at first. Walk your dog up close to the slots…perhaps make it a pile drill at first. Then back up on subsequent sends and make sure he takes the slot for his initial lines. If you do this right each blind will be a finer angle entry.


Okamiko said:


> We are starting to work on a couple of things.





Okamiko said:


> 1. Crate Training aka bedtime. Trying to teach my new puppy that the crate is her special space and that’s her place for naps and bedtime.
> 
> 2. Be Gentle. I have a nine month old who's crawling around and starting to walk. My new puppy is in love with my daughter and has accepted her as a pack mate but she is a little rough with my daughter nibbling at my daughter's ears and fingers as well as jumping on her. So what I do is when I see this behavior I gently push my puppy's mouth aside and say "Gentle" or "No biting" and let her check out my daughter more and if she gives kisses and is being sweet I praise her
> 
> ...


How have you approached these issues? How’s it going?


RedDogs said:


> Here's something I would love to hear your opinion on....





RedDogs said:


> At a recent dog behavior event, the speaker (with a biology/evolutionary/Ethology -and- training background) commented that with some types of dogs, like high "prey drive" dogs, toys that encourage dissecting. These dogs should not be encouraged, reinforced, or given the opportunity to refine dissecting skills. That is obviously something we don't want our retrievers to do either...so no more stuffed toys/paper shredding/etc in our house. Along the same lines, should squeaky toys, water bottles, noise making toys also be banned... is it problematic for a dog to on one hand "always have a proper hold" on birds and bumpers and dumbbells... but in play and around the house be 'practicing'/enjoying/refining mouthing behaviors?


I agree completely. In fact, as much as we all enjoy spoiling our dogs, some dogs are much worse off for having toys than being without them. I’m very selective with toys anyway. If I see that starting with a young pup I’ll try a less fragile toy. If it’s still a problem, no more toys.


GoldenSail said:


> Gearing up for FTP--would love some ideas on how everyone has trained this exercise.





GoldenSail said:


> Otherwise continuing working on steadying (heheh), doubles, and retrieving the bird correctly (just about over this hump).


FTP is a terrific skill set, and a key component of the force fetch program I use. The skills are acquired in a logical sequence.

1) “Hold”; automatically evolves to Walking “Hold, Heel, Sit”
2) “Fetch”; ear pinch, which evolves into Walking “Fetch” & “Fetch-no-fetch”, e-collar conditioning to “Fetch”
3) Pile work, including Mini-pile, Nine-bumper pile; AKA Force to pile

How are you approaching it? Are you following a proven system?


RedDogs said:


> to clarify, my question was not about the dog having toys or not... it's whether or not (or the extent) it is detrimental for a dog to have toys that encourage/allow for practice of mouthing behaviors. Yes, dogs can learn the difference between informal play and training. But is it more efficient to eliminate/decrease mouthing in play?


Definitely. Those traits often carry over to the ways in which such a dog handles birds.

EvanG


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

*Deleted, etc.... *

*EDIT - ogh. I didn't see which forum this was when I posted yesterday. Of course this is about hunt/field rather than obedience. *


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Good luck, and take some tummy medicine!

EvanG


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

Though FF next up CC.


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

> How are you going about this? Are you force fetching? What method?


We are going to FF but have not yet. We're just working on hold for now, per our trainer's instruction. We're using it as a building block going forward. 

For hold we're sitting him in a sit/stay and working on him holding (with a light tap on the chin if he starts to release the bumper or is moving it around/biting) until he works up to a consistent 1 minute without us correcting or giving the command more than once. Then, we're taking him outside and likely doing the same procedure. Then working on walking in a heel while holding. Once we're at 1/4 mile walking with the hold, we're supposed to call the trainer for our next session!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Lining and casting.
Casting is going great, but I have a question about lining.
What command would typically be used to send your dog out on a straight line? 
In obedience, we send the dogs across the ring to turn and sit and look at us and wait for further instructions (which jump to take) using the command "go out" or in my case, "run out". 
Should I use "back"? I use that for casting back left or back right.
Thanks!!!


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

goldenjackpuppy said:


> We are going to FF but have not yet. We're just working on hold for now, per our trainer's instruction. We're using it as a building block going forward.
> 
> For hold we're sitting him in a sit/stay and working on him holding (with a light tap on the chin if he starts to release the bumper or is moving it around/biting) until he works up to a consistent 1 minute without us correcting or giving the command more than once. Then, we're taking him outside and likely doing the same procedure. Then working on walking in a heel while holding. Once we're at 1/4 mile walking with the hold, we're supposed to call the trainer for our next session!


Evan can correct me if I'm wrong, BUT-

I am pretty sure hold is considered a part of the whole FF process. Everyone tends to think of the ear pinch/toe hitch/etc part as FF, but really I think (and have read) the whole process from hold to walking fetch is FF. In other words, I think that means you are working on FF now


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Aww Evan, you can slap me on the wrists now. No, I have not been following one program yet although thus far we are only through the basics (FF, CC, basic obedience). I have a few books I have been using as a reference but I am sad to say that neither of the two cover FTP sufficiently enough for me. So I've got to figure out my plan before I proceed--I was going to ask my training buddies for some ideas/suggestions and look into getting a retriever drill book.

I have watched a trainer's video of FTP on youtube but I just need more understanding of progression and final goal. This trainer used an ecollar nick halfway to the pile but I didn't see if there were steps before or after. My book just uses a stick as the forcer making the piles longer and longer. I have read that others use ecollar pressure the whole way to the pile. So, right now I am trying to sort out the different methods and get a feel for this before I seriously train it.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Slater is learning baby doubles with gunners although he will do hand-thrown triples. Of course a steady diet of singles up to 200 yrds. He is such a nice little guy. I have not steadied him at all, still hold his tab. At this point I want him to think every bird is his. We have done 4 sessions of shore breaking and he certainly gets it in that setting but I have not yet had a chance to do some cheaty marks with him and see if it carries over. Well -- he has had some slightly cheaty marks and was fine -- but the dog would have really had to have gone out of their way to cheat so I won't count those. Working on stretching out water marks.
He is stopping and casting GREAT to the back pile and to over piles separately. I have yet to construct the full single-T. I am biding my time because if I wait another month the weather will be a lot more bearable and will make T/TT less of a challenge. I am very pleased with his yardwork though. He loves it and really does anything I ask.
Fisher we are working on building triples. He is doing very well. Blinds are going GREAT -- I seemed to have nipped a leaning away at the line problem in the bud and haven't seen that for a few weeks. Taking great casts. My only complaint is he is shaky on angle entries, sometimes they are OK other times the little bugger cheats more than I like but it's fast and I'm nervous about stopping him at the water's edge. My fault totally. I need to get with it and just run drills for several days in a row. 
We got sidelined as all three of my dogs came down with kennel cough last weekend and are still coughing occasionally. 
That and my rope burn on my ankle is still really bad -- it's been 4.5 wks and it still looks bad. Was at the doctor today, a new doctor, she said, "You know I can't remember ever writing '3rd degree burn' as my diagnosis because those are usually at the hospital, not with me." She said I may end up at a burn specialist for a skin graft. ARGH!!!!! Still the only shoes I can wear are flip flops, my show shoes (patent leather flats), and my big rubber wellies.


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

K9-Design said:


> That and my rope burn on my ankle is still really bad -- it's been 4.5 wks and it still looks bad. Was at the doctor today, a new doctor, she said, "You know I can't remember ever writing '3rd degree burn' as my diagnosis because those are usually at the hospital, not with me." She said I may end up at a burn specialist for a skin graft. ARGH!!!!! Still the only shoes I can wear are flip flops, my show shoes (patent leather flats), and my big rubber wellies.


Annie,
After reading about your burn, I REALLY make sure I know where that line is. Thanks for the warning. Hope you heal soon. Hollly


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I'm working on articles/scent discrimination with Tally and drop on recall with Copley. Right now, he tend to simply lay down rather than drop properly.


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> Lining and casting.


That's fun stuff!


hotel4dogs said:


> Casting is going great, but I have a question about lining.
> What command would typically be used to send your dog out on a straight line?


I want avoid side issues, but we usually cue our dogs for blinds – not with a command, but merely a verbal cue; usually “Dead bird”. Use any cue you like, but that’s sort a standard one.


hotel4dogs said:


> In obedience, we send the dogs across the ring to turn and sit and look at us and wait for further instructions (which jump to take) using the command "go out" or in my case, "run out".





hotel4dogs said:


> Should I use "back"? I use that for casting back left or back right.
> Thanks!!!


”Back” is correct. That command got started decades ago meaning “Get back away from me”. Old timers used to even say “Get back” when sending them. Far too many people seem to think dogs speak English, so they tend to give wordy cues and commands. I like them short and simple, as they’re really just distinct sounds associated with distinct acts. For casting straight back, right or left, it’s “Back”, and for sending on blinds it’s also “Back”. What drill work are you doing for lining and casting right now?


GoldenSail said:


> Evan can correct me if I'm wrong, BUT-





GoldenSail said:


> I am pretty sure hold is considered a part of the whole FF process. Everyone tends to think of the ear pinch/toe hitch/etc part as FF, but really I think (and have read) the whole process from hold to walking fetch is FF. In other words, I think that means you are working on FF now


You are correct. If a trainer has begun teaching “Hold”, they’ve taken step one in the force fetch process. But it does not end with Walking Fetch. Force to pile, and really Water Force are the terminal skill sets of force fetch, and both very much worth the effort!


GoldenSail said:


> Aww Evan, you can slap me on the wrists now. No, I have not been following one program yet although thus far we are only through the basics (FF, CC, basic obedience).


No punishment yet, Grasshopper! I only correct a student for failing to make an effort.J However, in modern systems for retriever fieldwork “Basics” are as follows:


*The components of Basics in order*​ 

1) “Here”​ 

2) “Heel & Sit”​ 
3) “Hold”; automatically evolves to Walking “Hold, Heel, Sit”
4) “Fetch”; ear pinch, which evolves into Walking “Fetch” & “Fetch-no-fetch”, e-collar conditioning to “Fetch”
5) Pile work, including Mini-pile, Nine bumper pile; AKA Force to pile
6) 3-handed casting; teaching the 3 basic casts – “Back” and both “Over’s”, including 2-hands _“Back”_
7) Mini tee; includes collar conditioning to all basic commands, transferring to the _go, stop, cast _functions in micro dimension as preparation for the Single tee. *Also includes De-bolting*
8) Single tee
9) Double tee
10)Water tee with Swim-by



GoldenSail said:


> I have a few books I have been using as a reference but I am sad to say that neither of the two cover FTP sufficiently enough for me. So I've got to figure out my plan before I proceed--I was going to ask my training buddies for some ideas/suggestions and look into getting a retriever drill book.


May I suggest one that will not only contain all of what “Basics” really are, but will take you through mid-Transition toward a fully trained retriever? That book is Smartwork for Retrievers volume one; Basics and Transition. You can find it by clicking *Here (link)*  [/QUOTE]You are correct. There are multiple steps leading up to force to pile, and a couple after it. All are shown on the SmartFetch DVD, including forcing on other fetch objects, including real birds.


K9-Design said:


> Slater is learning baby doubles with gunners although he will do hand-thrown triples. Of course a steady diet of singles up to 200 yds. He is such a nice little guy. I have not steadied him at all, still hold his tab. At this point I want him to think every bird is his. We have done 4 sessions of shore breaking and he certainly gets it in that setting but I have not yet had a chance to do some cheaty marks with him and see if it carries over. Well -- he has had some slightly cheaty marks and was fine -- but the dog would have really had to have gone out of their way to cheat so I won't count those. Working on stretching out water marks.





K9-Design said:


> He is stopping and casting GREAT to the back pile and to over piles separately. I have yet to construct the full single-T. I am biding my time because if I wait another month the weather will be a lot more bearable and will make T/TT less of a challenge. I am very pleased with his yard work though. He loves it and really does anything I ask.
> Fisher we are working on building triples. He is doing very well. Blinds are going GREAT -- I seemed to have nipped a leaning away at the line problem in the bud and haven't seen that for a few weeks. Taking great casts. My only complaint is he is shaky on angle entries, sometimes they are OK other times the little bugger cheats more than I like but it's fast and I'm nervous about stopping him at the water's edge. My fault totally. I need to get with it and just run drills for several days in a row.
> We got sidelined as all three of my dogs came down with kennel cough last weekend and are still coughing occasionally.
> That and my rope burn on my ankle is still really bad -- it's been 4.5 wks and it still looks bad. Was at the doctor today, a new doctor, she said, "You know I can't remember ever writing '3rd degree burn' as my diagnosis because those are usually at the hospital, not with me." She said I may end up at a burn specialist for a skin graft. ARGH!!!!! Still the only shoes I can wear are flip flops, my show shoes (patent leather flats), and my big rubber wellies.


How old are Slater & Fisher?





 

I certainly wish you well in your recovery!

EvanG


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks Evan.
For lining, I have 3 white horse poles that I stick in various places in my yard. I line him up toward one of them (pivot heeling) and then send him on his way. I'm sending him about 30 yards right now.
Frequently I will put something on the ground in the vicinity of the poles when he's not yet outside to see me do it, so that when he gets there, there's something out there. Mostly I've done it with bumpers, but I did use dead birds once to surprise him.
There's probably a name for the casting drill, but I don't know it. I just stand in front of him, about 6 or 8 feet away from him, with bumpers on the ground about 30 feet to the left, the right, and in back of him. I send him to the right or left on "over", and then turning to the left back, and turning to the right back. I do it in lots of different locations.
I haven't combined the lining and the casting at all. Feels too soon to do that.
I also work on whistle sits on the way out, but I am probably doing that wrong. When we're tossing the tennis ball out in the yard just for fun (I have a chuck it that sends it a good 75 yards or so), I send him out, then I'll whistle him to sit halfway out before I throw the ball. Just to get the idea through his head. 
I'm open to any and all suggestions!!!!




EvanG said:


> That's fun stuff!I want avoid side issues, but we usually cue our dogs for blinds – not with a command, but merely a verbal cue; usually “Dead bird”. Use any cue you like, but that’s sort a standard one.”Back” is correct. That command got started decades ago meaning “Get back away from me”. Old timers used to even say “Get back” when sending them. Far too many people seem to think dogs speak English, so they tend to give wordy cues and commands. I like them short and simple, as they’re really just distinct sounds associated with distinct acts. For casting straight back, right or left, it’s “Back”, and for sending on blinds it’s also “Back”. What drill work are you doing for lining and casting right now?


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Hi Evan, Slater is the puppy he is 16 months and Fisher, his daddy, is 7 yrs old. Slater is entered in his first junior next weekend. We are going to run Fisher in Finished (say that a few times fast) this fall and if things go well, Master in the spring.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Barb -- if your trainer hasn't told you yet, I would absolute get Evan Graham's smartworks Transitions book AND Mike Lardy's Total Retriever Training articles. Both gentlemen also have videos which are great but for some reason I'm more likely to read a book than sit down with a video, so I prefer the books. Anyways its absolutely essential that you follow a flowchart of progression which both guys have a similar progression. I like having both because what one doesn't explain well enough for me the other does. Anyways you HAVE TO follow a program, winging it doesn't work. Skipping around doesn't work. Teaching handling is not an intuitive progression for a human so you need something to guide you. I wouldn't do anything right now that your instructor hasn't shown you to do, as far as handling. Doing something wrong may inadvertently teach your dog really bad habits.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Evan that is a great video, thanks for posting. Yes Slater's a bit older than your pup there but I did the same with him at that age. So cute!!!! 
Right now we do the double marks as singles first then run it as a double. I also do a bird-in-mouth singles which I think has helped with mechanics. 
Moose really is adorable, I'd love to see grown-up pictures of him. Is he a Stanley son?


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Well "I" am not working on much of anything, my dog won't play... TRYING to get her to hold... 

My husband is working on hold with our young lab, and per my PM with you Evan we are ready to reintroduce FF to her. 

I also talked to you about her 'noise' issue and things to work on. 

My big question, winter is coming (darn it) what all can/should we do in the winter. In Michigan, we should get some snow and pretty cold temps. I figure we can still do some retrieves but is this the time to work on other aspects? 

I have a puppy coming, : She is going to get introduced to feather and paint rollers as early as we can! So excited.


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

K9-Design said:


> Evan that is a great video, thanks for posting. Yes Slater's a bit older than your pup there but I did the same with him at that age. So cute!!!!





K9-Design said:


> Right now we do the double marks as singles first then run it as a double. I also do a bird-in-mouth singles which I think has helped with mechanics.
> Moose really is adorable, I'd love to see grown-up pictures of him. Is he a Stanley son?


Yes, he is. And he’s a real clown! I love him!!!


Maxs Mom said:


> My big question, winter is coming (darn it) what all can/should we do in the winter. In Michigan, we should get some snow and pretty cold temps. I figure we can still do some retrieves but is this the time to work on other aspects?


You can do as much as the weather permits. That includes lining drills in plowed parking lots at night under the lights, like they so often do in Alaska. Walking Baseball can also be done in places like that. Work on all the land aspects of Basics whenever/wherever you can.


Maxs Mom said:


> I have a puppy coming; She is going to get introduced to feather and paint rollers as early as we can! So excited.


I love puppies!

EvanG


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

How have you dealt with this so far?


Both of my dogs have been to 2 levels of obedience training so do know the basics. Austin, as I mentioned, is a quick learner is and is more focused making him easier to train. We've been working on sharpening his basic skills and practicing some of the commands used in Rally-o and using some basic agility equipment (jumps and weave poles). Lincoln is smart but he's mostly about playing. He does listen and follow commands but would rather chase a ball.....we're also working on agility training with him.

How old are your dogs? 

Austin is 20 months old and Lincoln is 18 months old.


How are you approaching the socialization issues? 

We try to spend alot of time around other dogs. We did some informal agility and rally-o training at which there were a number of other dogs. When Austin initially sees a dog, he just wants to visit....badly!! Once he's done the kissing and wiggly bum, he's good....most of the time. Lincoln isn't quite as social so he does calm down quicker. When we enter the building, I ask them both to sit until they've calmed down. It depends on the other dogs whether or not we let them visit at all. I'm trying to get to the point where they show little excitement and focus on the task at hand (and me). Outside, they can easily walk by a dog showing no interest at all...except when they meet some of their friends.


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Laurie said:


> Austin is 20 months old and Lincoln is 18 months old.


Are you planning to do any field work with them?

EvanG


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

EvanG said:


> Are you planning to do any field work with them?
> 
> EvanG


No.....I don't think we'll do field work with them.....as interesting and fun as it seems!!!


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