What have you trained...

blackcob

blackcob

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...what are you training now, and what will you be training next?

In light of poor Tyson's upcoming boot camp I thought it was topical!

D had a fab one-to-one agility lesson last week in which we learned that I am a crap handler and she is brilliant despite it. :o So being able to go to a new (very interesting, sheep-strewn, location previously used for super exciting canicross runs) venue with a new trainer, new equipment and to stay calm, focused and work well was the fing wot we have trained.

The fing wot we are currently doing is to re-train her contacts with a strong focus on the release cue, not the position, and to un-velcro her and encourage independence into certain obstacles, most especially the weaves for which I have always been on top of her to date. Apparently this whole feeding from the hand thing which has been so brilliant for un-husky-ing her behaviour is totally at odds with agility training and so now food comes from a tuggy toy sack thing left at the end of a sequence and I have to work on making the tuggy food sack thing the most exciting thing in the world.

The fing wot we will do next is to teach her to go to her box when the door goes - if I can teach her to do complex agility shenanigans there's no reason for me to put up with her mobbing guests and I don't know quite why it's been allowed to go on for so long. She doesn't jump up but is a wriggly underfoot nightmare.

I sometimes feel like I've taught R nothing but the fing wot we have done this year is prove that he is totally okay with other dogs by flooding the poor bugger at a million dog shows.

Currently in progress is to extend this neutral behaviour to passing dogs out on walks. He has vastly improved in this but will still lunge and have a (friendly, honestly) howl at some passing dogs who are then mostly inclined to tell him to eff off for being so rude, thus he appears aggressive. I still have trouble figuring out his triggers, to be honest, some dogs elicit no reaction and some very passive dogs generate a frenzy.

To do is to teach him to go to the kitchen when the door goes and also to work on his impulse control (aka thievery) around food. He is obsessed with food, gets underfoot when cooking, drools, mugs, begs, snatches and counter surfs. Again, why this has been allowed to go on for so long I don't know except that it now seems normal to store things in the oven or microwave so he can't get them. :o
 
Dylan: Recall!! what would have been my reply this time last year? Recall. What do I intend to train next? Recall. Whats been the real challenge with this dog? Recall.

We have had classes/ workshops/ gave in a bought a flexi for ease of use. He is a million times better on his own now though, just when out with with the others even if I just get one treat out when calling them back he is not that fussed if Buster or Teal gets it.



Teal: Somehow need to stop him whining and shaking with excitement as soon as we climb into the beaters wagon, and as soon as the guns start. Also need to get a decent STOP off him, I can when picking up he really listens and focus's but beating is more of a bonus I have good recall with him.


Buster: Whats training??? He says
 
Sophie: we used to do a lot of agility together. Its a shame we lost interest as she could have gone so far. You'd never have met a fitter Cavalier! Sophies incredibly intelligent

Maizie: "erm.. well I can poo outside..?" she says.

Ruby: still only about 3 and a half months old so waiting until litter training is fully ironed out before starting on anything else. Planning to get her listening to all the basic commands and then starting agility once she's old enough :)
 
Currently :o have to check my phone for the million memos I've written since the weekend. I'll keep it brief :p

Stopping noise during/before all three phases :o

Correcting the 'here' and the 'heel' position. Again :o I'm wonky myself which never helps

Stopping mouthing/chewing of the dumbbell

Long down(stay)

Slowing down the tracking

Teaching the hide search

Switching attention between me and object (ball/sleeve) on command

He's a good dog despite his numpty owner and he's got tonnes better, most of the issue is with me, my body language, the haste and speed at which I do everything. It's a common theme that runs through all my training which suited my soft, not very drivey dog, but not this one. A good coach can do wonders and having someone explain the 'why' behind the methods.
And playing with the dog and interacting with him, rather than being a ball dispenser, is very important.
 
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Freya has a good recall under training situation, i.e. from a wait, and is pretty good when running free in the fields, haven't had a rabbit to distract her yet. Her down stays are pretty solid for a short time, starting to increase now (and hopefully not tempting fate here as we have KC Good Citizens silver tonight).
I thought we had okay heelwork but a day on a WT training day with a top handler has told me different:o (I was also working far too fast CC), so now working on much better focus from her.
We have just started little tracks, and also very simple send aways.

She went through a spell of being really gobby with other dogs, despite having the life socialised out of her as a little puppy. She has improved loads with work and some firm correction.

The one thing that is proving a real challenge is her jumping up at people coming to the house, particularly people she knows. My son is home this weekend, and his girlfriend will be visiting and I know Freya will spend most of her time being removed from the scene.

Evie has taken a back seat a bit recently, but her basic obedience is up to KC Gold, she does a lovely send away, and does a reasonable track but again over a short distance.
Her failing is recall when she thinks there might be something to hunt, for her safety and my peace of mind she is on a flexi or long line unless I know we are in a secure field, less stressful all round.
 
I have trained Tyson to do all kinds of cool stuff at training, he'll down and stay and no longer gets up when he gets bored/I go out of sight/something better takes his fancy. He also works to heel really well now and is learning to use his nose (all be it very slowly)
I have trained Bryony to control herself around a football, and to be so socially awesome that she never needs a lead on walks any more.

In training Tyson is working on sharpening up his heel, down and present commands.
Bryony is (still) working on actually giving the ball back to me, willingly.

Tyson will be working on shutting the hell up and going in the kitchen when he's told/the door knocks/something happens that makes him want to shout.
Bryony will be working on the same re the door knocking.
 
posie_honey said:
last thing i trained my cocker to do was sneeze on command :D :D :D

ok no idea why - i was bored one day :o
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That's nice! I like that.:D

Mine (GSD) was taught to "speak" (bark on command) some time ago but I am now teaching to "talk" which is fun. That's those growly sub-bark noises dogs sometimes make. She has learnt surprisingly quickly.

Oh, she also barks to a mouthed "speak" command (i.e. lip reads) so small children who visit have to ask her if they can have a biscuit. She consents by giving a single wuff!:D
 
CaveCanem said:
A good coach can do wonders and having someone explain the 'why' behind the methods.
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Yes! I found this really useful, having been doing the same old 'fun' routine for something like 18 months. We needed a fresh and more knowledgable pair of eyes.

He was all "ok, that's worked until now, but do you see how it will fall apart when I ask you to do X and Y with the tools you have now?" and it did indeed fall flat when she had to stay in the weaves while I moved away to another obstacle or was relying on her to stop on a contact while I moved again and instead she ended up crashing into me. As a numpty handler I need that time and trust to be able to get myself into position to help her.

Most difficult homework we've been set is to foster a super amazing tug game. Food is no longer to come from me (my ham filled bumbag was confiscated!) but can come from a remote object with my interaction. I have put one of these on my christmas list. :o
 
I had similar at Freya's training day. Food rewards are still allowed but given in a totally different way, instead of stuffing food into her mouth, it is fed slowly, under my terms. Its really refreshing having a fresh set of eyes looking at you with your dog. I was slightly wary as the trainer has won the police trials and works a very full on mal so I thought he mightbe a bit dismissive of my "pet" from show lines. However, apart from taking the mick about her size he said he liked her and I came away with lots of new ideas.
 
I was also wary and nervous as she is quite obviously not a collie, doesn't work anything like a collie and he's a big name in agility terms but he also reassured me by saying that he liked her (having only met really badly behaved sibes before) and she had done well despite me! :o

Having not done much while I've been getting to grips with this new job it's spurred me to get back into things, trying to negotiate my shifts now so I can make the Agility Addicts classes at least every other week and I'll snag another one to one with my Christmas money. :)
 
Well, Ella is 15 weeks. We cracked sit at 9 weeks. We're currently working on 'down' (she jumps up a lot) and 'leave it'

Her recall is.....hit and miss...

Though for 2 days running now she's actually asked to go out for a poo.. hurrah!
 
You will sit for the frigging ball to be thrown- not chuck yourself at me- has (mostly) been trained!

Still waiting for "drop" to click- I have so tried- fact is if he wants to chase the ball again he "drops" perfectly, if he doesn't then it's a loosing battle!
 
I taught Ruby 'roll over' a couple of weeks ago :D completely pointless but oh well.

Advise please from you pro's but being a basset she is into sniffing everything (to be expected I know) I am right in trying to keep her attention on me using treats/toys so we can walk more than 5 steps before stopping to smell whatever smell grabs her attention?
 
He's trained as much as we want for a pet, good recall, good commands in the house and now since we got the halti he's near perfect walking BUT he can't greet other dogs. He's not aggressive at all but he seems to send out an "attack me" vibe. Some dogs ignore it and then they play together, but most of the others start growling and mouthing him to get him away.
This is ending with me putting him on the lead when I see another dog, which as CAYLA told me, my stress is going down to him. No idea how to stop this behaviour.
 
Work in progress for one bitch: everytime you meet a dog, you do NOT need to roll it over and p*ss on its head.....NO MATTER how nicely you do it or carry on and socialise or play with it afterwards. :eek:

As of today, new thing to train for a very large visiting male GWP that I had out backstopping: if I send you for a bird and a gun's cocker runs in and beats you to it you do NOT then need to chase said cocker and retrieve said dog (complete with bird in its gob) to me. :eek:
 
gunnergundog said:
Work in progress for one bitch: everytime you meet a dog, you do NOT need to roll it over and p*ss on its head.....NO MATTER how nicely you do it or carry on and socialise or play with it afterwards. :eek:

As of today, new thing to train for a very large visiting male GWP that I had out backstopping: if I send you for a bird and a gun's cocker runs in and beats you to it you do NOT then need to chase said cocker and retrieve said dog (complete with bird in its gob) to me. :eek:
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Aahhahahahaha! that has brightened my morning no end!
 
gunnergundog said:
Work in progress for one bitch: everytime you meet a dog, you do NOT need to roll it over and p*ss on its head.....NO MATTER how nicely you do it or carry on and socialise or play with it afterwards. :eek:

As of today, new thing to train for a very large visiting male GWP that I had out backstopping: if I send you for a bird and a gun's cocker runs in and beats you to it you do NOT then need to chase said cocker and retrieve said dog (complete with bird in its gob) to me. :eek:
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PMSL:D:D:D:D

I am very excited that as of today we will have access to sheep all winter - so we will be learning about how sheep are very boring and to be ignored over the next few months:)
 
Everything, anything, whatever it takes to rehabilitate and rehome ANYTHING:D

But right now I have 2 in progress, severe seperation anxiety of a lurcher and his recall an on both accounts we are near enough ready for him to go off to his home after a week of intense crate training and recall work, but im going to keep him a week longer as he is to go along way away:)

Number 2 (an aggressive terrier) as in human aggression and again we are there and she is spot on but lets hope she can be controlled in new hands (as they have to be worked with aswell as the dog)! as she also has a home to go to and her new parents are coming this week for their 2nd meet and bringing their own dog who is also getting a crash course in (not pulling/recall) whilst he is here.

And a basic tedious one is to teach one of my own to sit patiently in a designated spot for his tea (and 2 days in, we are there) im making him lie beside the bowl (que salivating):D until Im finished feeding the rest to teach him some patience as his love of food is a little ott:p

I was also working with a working cocker to teach recall in order to rehome but the owners have decided to keep him and carry on my work rather than rehome now (result):D
 
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