kathq

Cant believe noone has suggested a GSP. Huski you've met my girl Coco otherwise known as the Energizer Bunny with ADHD.

Great. What stake do you trial your bitch? We have never done any retrieving trials before. Am planning on starting with the RAT this year. We currently trial at UD level but Coco is a retrieve driven bitch and I have always used this as a jackpot reward (much more effective for her than food). You name it she will retrieve it for you and has at some point in her life Her breeder (gspmadhouse) has convinced me that she would be worth giving it a go with - little did I know this was a sucker punch designed to get me thoroughly hooked

So LL the moral to the story is "Make haste slowly" Like most forms of training foundations would appear to be mega important and if we do lots of basic simple stuff until it is fool proof then we will have stuff to base the harder things like water and doubles on. At least I am lucky enough to have a bitch that knows how to learn and loves to retrieve anything.

Great. Are you throwing non cheaty water marks? What are you guys talking about?

Just a little bit At least you can do it in the rain and bog.

Coco is a 4year old GSP. Having a ball with this form of training. I pick up the dummies and we get saucer eyes,

Well managed step 2 in the training program this weekend. Got OH to throw dummies for us. Was a challenge to get Coco to look out for the dummies as her whole life has been focus on mum always and ignore anything else happening but we managed quite well I think using the command "watch". Ended our session with four retrieves of 30 metres with OH out of sight and just the dummy coming into view. Know she was looking as the ears would suddenly prick up and she would go straight to it no searching around for it. have been blending obedience with this training so she knows it is work and not games so that we will still get lovely fronts/presents with no mouthing. Step 3 - lengthen the distance of retrieve. Do I add water yet?

It was just me trying to be too clever for my own good and help her to take the direction better. I had to give up and only use my left hand as I couldnt break the drop habit with her.

I use my left hand in a palm towards the box pushing motion. I also use the left hand in a side on karate style for my fetch command. My right hand is only used for the drop command, nothing else. This is so ingrained that when I tried to use my right hand to send Coco out to Glove 3 with my right hand she continually dropped at my side. Couldnt stop her as soon as the right hand started to move she would go down so gave up. At least she never missed a drop.

Great videos Ptolomy. Strauss is certainly growing isnt he? Lovely focus for such a young pup. We have started back into training this week after doing nothing since early October thanks to a season and then summer break. Though not too sure it is summer with the amount of rain we have had. Making training a little difficult as all my usual spots are very boggy or else under water so have been restricted to a squelchy back yard and the back patio. The cocomonster is doing really well though it took her a couple of trys to figure out how to pick up her leather articles off the concrete. Fingers crossed this continues when we get into the trial ring in february.

Never leave me at home alone on a rainy day - went online shopping and bought my dummies from this website http://shop.dogsunlimited.com/list.asp?d=17&p=1. Was one of the few places that sold both canvas and rubber valveless types. Now to be patient and wait for delivery. We have a RAT trial on March 6.

poor, poor babies

I agree with gspmadhouse. Slow down - get him doing it consistently on the two containers before introducing more, and find his switch whether it is food or play. Scent work is hard work and the reward must be worth it for the dog..

Coco - get her UD titile start her tracking training at least one leg in Novice Retrieving Ability Test Not a lot to ask for really..

Excellent Polo photo FHRP! Well decided to give the girls a run down the local paddock this afternoon as had an early finish at work thinking after two days of no rain it might not be a bog pit. boy was I wrong!!! Nevertheless step one in retrieving training program 101 throw dummie and have dog bring back. Pass with flying colours even very very long throws into boggy water/mud. She had a ball covered head to toe in stinky mud. Doing very nice fronts into the bargain as well - yay for obedience training. Step 2 have second person to throw dummie and then hide to throw dummie. Hopefully rain will stay away and we can try this on the weekend!

Got my special package form gspmadhouse before Christmas and unfortunately the weather up here has only been suitable for those with webbed feet. Way to much water both on the ground and falling from the sky. Blast it!! Oh well readjust the plans and start next weekend if the damn water stops coming out of the sky. Can hardly wait Rubyroo maybe you should go out into the middle of the paddock with no trees around. Hope the car gets unstuck soon edit for spelling

Just got my January Dog world mag early and in the council notes there is a notice for a Workshop on the new Retrieving Ability tests at Novice and Open level to held at Durack on 20 February.. Better get my butt into gear and get training so I dont make an absolute idiot of myself!

Those Innotek ones have valves in them which is getting a little high tech for me. http://cgi.ebay.com/AVERY-GREENHEAD-GEAR-H...=item230b7bcd20 Like I said this website has some good dummies but the shipping is dearer than the goods and if you put in that you want to buy two lots (thinking a couple of us could go together to reduce postage) they just double the postage

There are three clubs around you. North lakes is pretty much right in the middle between two of them Pine Rivers club at Bells Pocket Road, Lawnton train Friday nights and Caboolture Sports Dog Obedience train Monday nights at Devine Court Caboolture. The thrid club is Metro and they are at Marchant Park Chermside. Everybody has broken for the summer now most are back in February. Hope this helps

Can anyone on here tell me where the best place to buy dummies from?? Looked at the place in the GSP forum but the postage is more than the dummies cost. Is there anywhere in Australia that they can be sourced from? Plus what is the best colour and size for trialling or doesnt it matter? Sorry about all the questions but am very new to retrieving training.

He's a GSP isnt he Rileys mum? They can be a very vocal breed remember. My girls talk quite often whilst training.

I love my Holden Rodeo dual cab. Can fit soooooo much in and the on the plus side with the grill across the back of the canopy I can take them swimming and not have wet, stinky dogs in the car with me on the way home

This is a great topic! There were always dogs around when I was a kid but back in the early 80's I met my first red dobe and fell in love waited 4 years to be able to actually have one myself and in 88 Chloe came into our lives. There was an agreement with the OH with that big a dog I had to go to obedience classes and the rest is history 4 dobes with obedience titles later with moderate success at state level trialling the ruling about tail docking came out, my last dobe was reaching her teenage years and I had at long last reached the grown up children stage and finished uni so we looked around for another breed to suit us (me) for another tilt at the show/obedience ring. GSPs came into my life in the form of Pip and two years later her niece Coco. Training styles have certainly changed across all those years and I hate to say it but I think if I knew then what I know now how much better would those dobes have been Still you live and learn and learning about training dogs is an ongoing thing so the girls now benefit from my experience then. As evidence of that Coco is my first dog to have seriously done any UD training let alone competing. Never let it be said I give up easily To do what I want/would like to with Coco means it will be at least two or three years more before another puppy enters the house but I will always have dogs and go training and trialling

Is there a chance she has been stung or harassed by a big bug out there.?. Coco has similar behaviour if she sees those big flies we get up here. Tries really hard for me but wont stay with me bolts back to the back door. She has been stung by one previously.

Well done LP, Fantastic to see versatility being valued! There should be more of it.