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Trialling And Eye Contact


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Can you look at the dog when you stop or down or stand or whatever? I don't want to hit him in the face if I don't look down and just swipe my hand in front of him!

Hi Jeanne

I would have thought a Pap would be well below your hand signal, from an upwright position?? Should be no need to worry.

I think I'm just making excuses of why I need to look at him ;)

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I keep getting told that Berri doesn't need me to look at him etc, and it's true. He actually works beautifully when I don't look at him. It's my own bad habit I'm breaking.

Jules perhaps you need to go back to basics and reward immediately for the correct position (from the left hand, treating with the right hand can increase forging) and work your way up from there. Mango was a forger when I first trained her, I see her now holding herself back (it seems so hard for the poor mite, she just wants to take off). If she gets in front of me I pause and she scoots back to my side, and we start moving again, Mango keenly looking at me waiting to be released (I train her with a tug toy, there's nothing she loves more). She's only 5 months old though so still in the very beginning stages of training, and no, I don't trust her enough yet to take my eyes off her! I do about 95% of our training off lead, I want them to choose to be with me, you know you have your dogs focus if its off lead and is simply choosing to be with you because it's the most reinforcing place to be! They both love to heel though, if I'm walking around the yard they are both pushing each other aside to get next to my left leg :shrug:

ETA and Jules, another thing you can do is "shape" your own behavior. Don't go straight from adoring eye contact to looking in front of you, try slightly averting your eyes, reward you dog for maintaining position, and slowly work up from there. That's pretty much what I've been doing with Berri, I just wish someone was standing there with a few morsels of cheese cake to reward ME for correct position!!

Edited by Jeanne
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Ok I'm going to have to revise some of his signals etc I think!

The best thing you can do is video yourself and see what you are doing with your hands. The camera is your best training tool. It is also good to video yourself from different angles ie front on, side on and from behind. This will get your whole body, remember to watch yourself carefully it is amazing what you do without even knowing your doing it.

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Totally agree with BC4ME - as horrifyingly embarrassing as it is, videoing yourself is so helpful! And if you are game enough to post your video on DOL some of the more experienced triallers will give you some pointers :shrug:

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I need to as well, but I ssooo don't want to!

Oh and if I did I would have absolutely no idea of how to get it onto youtube - wouldn't even know how to get it from the camera to the computer to start!

I have to wean me off so much eye contact with Lewis - and I think someone should be standing there clicking me with teeny tiny Cadbury solid choclate eggs!

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Oh dear... Just got my obedience numbers back for the weekend... For Saturday morning my number is 1 - Does that mean I have to go first??!!! I wont have anyone to watch before me! I can't describe my feelings right now lol

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Oh dear... Just got my obedience numbers back for the weekend... For Saturday morning my number is 1 - Does that mean I have to go first??!!! I wont have anyone to watch before me! I can't describe my feelings right now lol

Is Qld doing this too? Last time I trialled you didn't know your number until the day of the trial, which was great 'cause I didn't have time to stress like Jeannne is now :eek:

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It also means you will only have 1 dog next to you for the stays :thumbsup: A lot of clubs do the order in height too so you will be first or last a lot. You will be fine!

I'm fairly confident with his stay's, he rarely ever breaks no matter what the distraction is.

Yes, stressing I am - My first trial and I'm first in line, how on earth am I going to survive this!!! LOL.

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Needless to say I will be enrolling in the judges training program later this year so I'm sure I'll have LOTS AND LOTS of questions to test out all the senior judges!! ;)

I have always thought or been taught, where ever you hands are before you about turn for the Recall , that's where your hands need to stay, anything else is marked as a double signal??? Sucks, but that is what I think the rules are.

Just need to train for it. :thumbsup:

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Thanks. He's not actually been trained "for a trial", just attended the regular classes. He's only attempted the figure 8 like twice, and stand for exam has only been a light touch on the back so as not to frighten him. I do hope the judge goes easy on us!

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Some judges are more heavy handed with the SFE than others. I've seen some do a light run down the dog's back, I've seen some a bit more heavy handed. In CCD it shouldn't be too full on but every judge is different.

Try getting a heap of different people to run their hand down his back for the SFE, he needs to get used to different kinds of people doing it so he's not put off in the ring. I am working on this with Daisy at the moment, I thought she was pretty solid with her SFE but a stranger leaning over her has put her off a couple of times so I am trying to get her used to lots of different people doing it.

Edited by huski
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