Gundog Training Forum

I’d be interested to know how many people use the same cue to send their dog out on a blind from their side and to send it on again as a redirection after stopping it, or how many use two separate cues, one to send it from their side and another to send it on again as a redirection?

If you are using one cue i.e. “Back” in both instances this would mean the behavior you are asking of the dog is to “go out from me in a straight line.”

If you are using two, the cue from your side would mean “go out from me in a straight line” where as the redirectional cue would mean “turn round and take a straight line back”

I guess it doesn’t much matter as long as the dog understands what you want.

But does anyone have any thoughts on advantages/disadvantages of using one cue over two or vice versa?

Wendy

I use the same, using the Swedish single word for out. Never had any dog being confused by it so i see no point in changing. In my experience from my own usage and others, the problem isn't if you use the same command from the side or when they sit facing you. The culprit is that people tend to swap command while the dog is on it's way out. Instead of pushing the dog on with the same command they swap to one or several other peppy thing as 'go go go' or 'get on with it' or whatever else they imagine being inspiring to the dog. It might be inspiring but if you use the same 'inspiring' command on everything you risk to confuse the wee dog. Luckily our dogs try their best and mostly they are clever enough to figure out that 3 or 4 things we holler means the same thing sometimes.

Helene

Wendy M wrote:I’d be interested to know how many people use the same cue to send their dog out on a blind from their side and to send it on again as a redirection after stopping it, or how many use two separate cues, one to send it from their side and another to send it on again as a redirection? Aye - "Get out!" is the spaniel cue to "Hie on!" quartering. "Back!" is the command given to the dog when at your side for running a blind retrieve (preceded in North America by the cue "Dead bird...Dead bird.") You give no command whatsoever whilst the dog's moving - unless it's the stop whistle, followed by the "Back!" command - and again, that command at advanced retriever training levels, is most often a silent command given by an arm extended overhead.

But does anyone have any thoughts on advantages/disadvantages of using one cue over two or vice versa? Depends on how you work the dog - and I work spaniels, retrievers and HPRs all the same. "Back!" means keep going, to kingdom come - unless stopped by my whistle - to find a bird on a blind retrieve. "Get out" is letting the dog know to resume quartering, either when first casting off, or after delivering a bird to my side. Yes, I give the "Get out" release from my side too - that way I can "angle" the dog in the direction I want it to go and often that's going away from an old fall.

MG

In my book it's commands for two situations. "Get out" is to send the dog in the direction you are indicating from beside you. "Back" is for when a dog has worked too far towards you and you stop it maybe a hundred yards out it and want it to go back out directly away from you.

DesO'Neile wrote:In my book it's commands for two situations. "Get out" is to send the dog in the direction you are indicating from beside you. "Back" is for when a dog has worked too far towards you and you stop it maybe a hundred yards out it and want it to go back out directly away from you.

I would use "get out" for a seen retrieve and "back" for a blind.

As DesO'Neile has said above, if the dog is on its way back towards me, I'll stop him and give the "back" command again. Whether it's the voice command that the dog takes its actions from or the hand signal which comes along with the voice command is another issue. I always give both anyway.

SpringerNI wrote:

DesO'Neile wrote:In my book it's commands for two situations. "Get out" is to send the dog in the direction you are indicating from beside you. "Back" is for when a dog has worked too far towards you and you stop it maybe a hundred yards out it and want it to go back out directly away from you.

I would use "get out" for a seen retrieve and "back" for a blind.

As DesO'Neile has said above, if the dog is on its way back towards me, I'll stop him and give the "back" command again. Whether it's the voice command that the dog takes its actions from or the hand signal which comes along with the voice command is another issue. I always give both anyway.

why use 2 commands?

mustogirl wrote:

SpringerNI wrote:

DesO'Neile wrote:In my book it's commands for two situations. "Get out" is to send the dog in the direction you are indicating from beside you. "Back" is for when a dog has worked too far towards you and you stop it maybe a hundred yards out it and want it to go back out directly away from you.

I would use "get out" for a seen retrieve and "back" for a blind.

As DesO'Neile has said above, if the dog is on its way back towards me, I'll stop him and give the "back" command again. Whether it's the voice command that the dog takes its actions from or the hand signal which comes along with the voice command is another issue. I always give both anyway.

why use 2 commands?

I read it as he's he's using get out for a mark and back for a blind but maybe i'm wrong? Having separate commands for mark and blind is a good thing, don't you think? Hmm or are you pushing your dog further out with the 'get out' on a mark? Meeeh, Des you have to clarify.

Same thing to me "back" run in a straight line where i sent you "back" keep going back
Dave

I use one command only for blinds and for marks. "Out !" This is done from heel position or after I have stopped a dog at distance. That one command simply means to my dogs ..... move directly away from me. Before sending a dog for a blind it has been given several cues ....my foot position, my body position , my hand and arm plus my cue word "Watch !" When my dog has "locked on" to the direction required I then send it using "Out !" I cannot see any reason to change from "out" to "back" if the dog has been stopped at distance and my dogs seem to understand pretty well. I have never trained in any other way, the way I use works.

Wullie

doesnt really matter does it? as long as you and the dog are consistent and know what you mean.