Fun training game/exercises suggestions

[Mydogismental]

Our little cockers training is coming along pretty well, she isn't trial standard by any means but I am happy with her progress. She chases occasionally (only feather), she won't always sit on the stop whistle but she will always stop, she loves to retrieve and absolutely loves to hunt. Its all coming along nicely but she needs some work in all areas really as do I. As she is young I know that this will come in time so I am not pushing her.

So far I have been doing the odd blind retrieve with her, just getting her to sit and send her "back" for the dummy and gradually increasing the distance. She is slowly getting the hang of it. You can, well sometimes, get her to stop and direct her on to it but again this is a work in progress (she thinks she knows better). So the blinds are pretty simple affairs, point, send her back, she goes and finds it (not hidden and easily seen).

We also have a little hunt, I blow the stop whistle, she stops but again doesn't always sit, and then I throw a retrieve for her or get her to go for a blind. She was starting to prempt the stop whistle by seeing me put the whistle in my mouth so I stopped that by keeping the whistle constantly in my mouth.

I have been trying to get her to go for a blind over a mark but i don't think she is confident enough to do this. Time is still on our side though so no rush on this.

I am also thinking of starting to introduce cold game to her (we have rabbit skins amd wings and she has no trouble picking these up).

But I don't want her to get bored of these little games, she does everything with full on enthusiasm and I want her to retain this enthusiasm Does anyone have any interesting games/exercises that I can play with her to keep her keen. She is not getting bored of the ones that we already play but I would like to vary the things we do.

[esmerelda]

for the stop whistle....... I get mine to sit leave him, place a retrieve at a place ahead where there is a back drop, hedge or wall then walk back to half way between us and ask him to retrieve, blow the stop whistle as he approaches me, this way I can stop him too...........then he gets a big fuss, and sometimes he gets to fetch sometimes he has to wait till I go and get it. I gradually worked at this one and he will now stop about 18 inches from the retrieve, and changed the distance till I was at his side or he at mine and stopping father and farther away.... I also did - sit him in front of me, and send him back and stop whistle just a short distance away teaches the stop and the back. We do a covering of balls, dummies, old mobiles, gloves, socks stuffed, and feathered or hair on dummies into the leaves. WE have a clearing in our woods with 5 trees on the boundary of this clearing, so I can do direction to the trees with a retrieve at the base of each tree. Though he does not get to retrieve every one, some I fetch. He needs to learn that he cannot have every retrieve.......distance is about 6 feet from the centre to the trees. When hubby is with me, we play a game of running backwards to each other with the stop whistle blown as he arrives at us, I control the whistle as he gets to hbby, then he sits and I call him in and do a stop as he approaches.

[LJR]

I personally wouldn't stop a dog after asking them to retrieve - I want absolutely no hesitation when I send them.

I train the stop whistle whilst hunting by throwing a dummy whilst blowing the stop whistle. Not too far, but it encourages them to look up and stop. If the stop is perfect I will send them for the retrieve. If it is not perfect I will go to them and praise them, and leave them sitting whilst I retrieve the dummy myself.

[Mydogismental]

Not after training the stop whistle, well not on purpose, its all part of "the game" for her. so I was just after ideas, tasks, challenges that kind of thing - Make her mind work a bit more, keeps her out of trouble.

[David]

You can, well sometimes, get her to stop and direct her on to it but again this is a work in progress (she thinks she knows better). So the blinds are pretty simple affairs, point, send her back, she goes and finds it (not hidden and easily seen).

Have you taught your dog directions as a separate exercise? Left, Right and Back should all be taught with the dog sat in-front of you before you start stopping and re-directing her.

We also have a little hunt, I blow the stop whistle, she stops but again doesn't always sit, and then I throw a retrieve for her or get her to go for a blind.

Be consistent with what you want from her. If you want her to sit and she doesn't then go out and put her in the sit. You don't need to be rough or noisy. Put her in the sit and give her a little praise, back off and wait then go back and praise for a sit and then hunt her on again.

I have been trying to get her to go for a blind over a mark but i don't think she is confident enough to do this. Time is still on our side though so no rush on this.

What about going for a memory over a mark? This will build her confidence.

I am also thinking of starting to introduce cold game to her (we have rabbit skins and wings and she has no trouble picking these up).

I think you might be pushing on a little fast, try and get your basics 100% or there's every chance the wheels could fall off.

[Mydogismental]

Left, right, back where all taught on their own. You can tell her to go either one way or the other no problems.

I'll aim to be more consistent with the sit on stop. Do I judge that on a basis by basis situation or ALL the time?

We taught her blind retrieves and gave her confidence in where we are pointing using memory retrieves, never thought of using it for blind over mark stuffed. Thanks!

[David]

If you want your dog to sit on the stop whistle then I'd try as hard as I could to be consistent and insist on a sit every time. You will probably need to go all the way out and make her sit to start with, over time if she sits when your walking out then stop and verbally praise her and back off again.

So you say directions are taught but you can't always stop her and re-direct her. You also say "So far I have been doing the odd blind retrieve with her" so to expect her to stop and then be re-directed on to a blind seem's like a big leap for her.

Even though you've taught your dog these commands individually you need to make things simple again when you start to combine them. If you stop her on the way out, throw a dummy to the left or right and then direct her on to it to start with, once she's got this then mix it it a bit more. Stop her, throw a dummy and then send her back to complete the initial retrieve. Finish on a couple of straight out and back though, you don't want her thinking your going to stop her on every one.

You could then let her see you place out the left or right dummies (memory), throw a straight marked retrieve at right angles send her and repeat. this time stop her and give her a hand signal for the left or right. There's so many combinations you can do to keep her guessing.

Have a search for 'Walking the Baseball' or Retriever Drill's. Its also worth having a look on YouTube as its not easy to describe some of these, much easier to see them.