pet gundog question

[ips]

Cheers newf, understood.

[ips]

Newf
Went through feilds yesterday as expected constantly jumping at me as she new dummies were in me pocket. I put slip on as you advised and walked her for fifty yds. Sat her removed lead told her get on, job done off she went on and no more jumping. Didn't do any retrieves so she doesn't start to expect it on every walk.
Cheers

[newf]

Great ! Isp, always try to keep principles in mind and use tools and techniques as aides. I find it less daunting to be looking at the dog for what it is doing at the moment and see where it is either rewarding or not. And if you look at the dog as trying to solve problems one way or the other in everything it does than you can be its mentor by manipulating the consequences ...reinforcing or not. Be patient, consistent, and relaxed. Whittle away at shaping desired behaviours or the elimination of undesired ones while observing the dog's actions. Look at small changes in behaviour as being big...you will be more satisfied, the dog happier and progress will move along.

[ips]

Update
Learned something today.

Dogs know when you really meen it.

On hundred yard walk to paddock she pulled like a train and ran infront of me causing me to take evasive action to avoid standing on her, in the process I nearly did my back in (sciatica) I wasn't chuffed and read the riot act. When I got in feild I gave her the usual fifty yard memory retrieve then sat her for the usual walk out drop dummy walk back to her etc etc, anyway still a bit mad and patience tested I was in no mood for fannying about so I sat her at my left and told her sternly "wait" then for the first time I tossed dummy fifteen yards ish waited five seconds then sent her out, steady as you like and the obedience remained for duration of training, did a few more then some blind and memory. She was the best she has ever been even good delivery to hand.

Lesson learned she knows when I mean it and knows when I just ask.

[Naj]

What you really need to learn is how to engage with your dog, because until/unless it is engaged with you then you won't be training it anything. The training bit is easy, getting the dog to engage with you is the hard bit.

Naj

[Alice]

Lesson learned she knows when I mean it and knows when I just ask.

you've got to mean it every time you ask, or there's no point asking!

[trekmoor]

What you really need to learn is how to engage with your dog, because until/unless it is engaged with you then you won't be training it anything. The training bit is easy, getting the dog to engage with you is the hard bit.

Naj

I agree with this and have only very rarely encountered dogs I could not "engage" with.....but didn't find being "engaging" hard to do ? The dogs I usually engage with the best however , are those with an independent streak and a lot of "go." I have had a couple of field trial winning dogs that , while I was engaged with them, were so easy to train that I described them as "boringly easy."

Wullie

[ips]

Update
Well the steadiness is coming along tickety boo. She knows the difference between the ball and the dummy. I start with a fifty yd memory retrieve do some marked and blind and general heel and stop to whistle stuff all with dummies and I demand steadines and a delivery to hand. I stop while the going is good then her treat is the ball which she knows she can do what she wants with. I know some frowned upon this idea but it is exactly what I wanted and the clever thing picked the concept up pretty much straight away.

Question
Steady as long as I am slightly in front of her and occasionally pick it up myself which I believe is correct, sometimes throw two pick both or leave one and send her. How should I progress and what else can I add to keep it interesting ?
She loves blind retrieves and will work to hand commands. Is there / should I teach a left or right or back command to whistle or is it just a verbal back and a hand / body command for left or right. If I send her out with a verbal out should I use the verbal out or back (hope that last bit makes sense)

[Springfield Pointers]

IPS. Just a question. Have you been to any trials or tests? If not you should try and take some in. It will give you an idea of what is required. Also if you can get involved with some field stewarding it can be invaluable as well. Just gives you a bit of a close up view and will put a lot of things in focus for you as well as answer a few questions.

[ips]

SP
watched some trials at Yorkshire and cla game fares and watched demos at both and watched stuff on you tube. I would very much like to get involved in some way and or attend FT comps, but when and were in lancs or south Cumbria ?
I am keen to replicate the world of gundog as close as I can.
My apologies if my questions come across as obvious or stupid I just want to ensure I do things correctly
Many thanks for your advice thus far