We had a BREAKthrough...

[Beaver93]

I’m a very proud Papa…

Bernice has been training a lot the last few weeks. She has this habit of breaking. I’ll give her the sit/stay command. She complies, and I’ll throw the bird (I'm a one man training show since my daughter was born). We’ve improved breaking from 95% to about 50% of the time. I can usually grab her check cord before she gets away if I'm not hanging onto it already. Occasionally, I miss. Saturday morning, she did two successful 30 yd retrieves without breaking. On the third (and final) attempt, she broke. Before I could grab the cord, she stopped, turned around, came back, and sat down. I went ahead and sent her. She completed the retrieve.

Yesterday morning and today, she did not break once.

An update...Her ear is fine after the foxtail incident. I tried the cotton ball idea. She just sat there and looked at me. When we started walking she had her tail between her legs. My wife kept saying I was torturing her. She eventually perked up and walked normally, but the minute she was off-leash she shook them out. I think I’ll try the Vaseline idea.

She has been sleeping under my one-month old daughter’s bassinet at night. I thought we might have some jealousy issues, but she’s fine. She is an amazing dog. I think it’s in her genes. If you want a great dog, call Doug Shade at Minoggie Kennels.

Thanks for letting me be a proud Papa.

[Tilla]

One way of preventing breaking (and there are several) is to hold on to the check cordor tie it to something with about 8 feet of slack. It takes once or twice of them coming to the end suddenly to curb the behavior. The key is to set up the situations in which they cannot break the rules. (They want to break the rules.) Train with the cord, you can let it go and it will drag alongside the dog. Also, one trap trainers fall into is being too consistent on the timing of the release. You should vary between 1-10 seconds the release after the mark lands. Too often the dog anticipates that he will always be sent 1.5 sec, this can be a problem. They will anticipate and go automatically at 1.5 seconds. Make them wait for you command.
The next steps involve whips, slingshots and e-collars, so it's best to get it done with the cord.

[ 07-28-2003, 08:59 AM: Message edited by: Tilla ]

[Beaver93]

You're dead right on the timing of the release. I think I used it as a crutch for too long. I was reading "The 10-Minute Retriever" and used the idea of timing the release when the bumper hit the ground. She started anticipating and still flinches when it hits.

Any ideas for how to train her on picking up marks with just me throwing them? I'm trying to replicate a Dove hunt I know is coming up. The birds will be flying up a canyon at us. In addition, I've heard that some dogs hate Dove feathers. Any thoughts on this?

Just some background...

She's fond of my shotgun, because she gets to retrieve pigeons when it goes bang. She loves having birds in her mouth (pheasants, pigeons, and some nasty old frozen duck wings).

[Tilla]

You'll find that most retriever trainers train in groups. (Or you can pay a pro). This provides not only the extra bodies but also the exchange of experience. Most of these groups start from one or more of the local non-profit retriever clubs. There are about 3 or 4 in the area that hold practice or "picnic" events from March through Aug.. This is a good place to learn, get birds, get pups etc.
Doves are a bit feathery and don't hold much scent. It depends on the dog, it depends on experience and enthusiasm, it depends on a forcing program.

[Lured In]

Originally posted by Tilla:
One way of preventing breaking (and there are several) is to hold on to the check cordor tie it to something with about 8 feet of slack. It takes once or twice of them coming to the end suddenly to curb the behavior.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Tilla knows what he is talking about. This is the same method his wife used to 'break' him of Sneakin' Out! :tongue: :grin:

[Beaver93]

Thanks for the info, Tilla. However, I'm a little geographically isolated. There may be a club in Kennewick, I'm not sure.

[Tilla]

The club in your area is Sand and Sage Hunting Retriever Club. Ask them to get on the newsletter mailing list. Some great people, hard core hunters too.
http://www.akc.org/dic/clubs/search/...uestTimeout=45

Look under Performance/Hunt test/Washington

[ 07-28-2003, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: Tilla ]

[1pump]

Just don't do what I did. My dog never broke during her first 2 seasons. Then we moved out of state for 2 years, and didn't hunt or train during that time. When I moved back down here, I took her out for refresher training during the summer, and she did fine. Remembered all her hand signals, whistle signals, and waited patiently for the "fetch it up" before running after a dummy.
But then the real thing- first shot, and she bailed out of the boat and was off like a prom dress, without waiting for the command. Then she did it again, and again, and again. I finally had to put her collar on and hang on to it, which is no easy feat when you're trying to shoot. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] Over the next few months I had a horrible time breaking her of this new-found bad habit.
Moral of the story is, don't stop training, even when your dog can do it blindfolded. You never know when they're going to "forget".
I've hunted with guys who didn't mind when their dogs broke. I find it rather annoying, to say the least. [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

[Tilla]

I like the dogs that go with the sound of the safety going "click". WooHoo!

[1pump]

I like the dogs that go with the sound of the safety going "click". WooHoo!

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Tilla, your dog does that, too?? Mine doesn't break on the "click", but she starts to whine, squirm and look up at the sky. I couldn't figure out what was causing it until her 3rd or 4th season. Took me that long to put 2 and 2 together. [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

[Tilla]

And that is if you are holding the gun, don't even try to reach for it!
Actually they sit with their heads poking out of the corn about 6 feet away, either the sound of the shot will trigger them or they will try to "greet" the birds.

[James in Idaho]

I use the same technique at Tilla, 'cept I put a bike inner tube on the end. Gives the dog quite a jolt. DO NOT USE A CHOKE CHAIN WHEN DOING THIS!

As far as training for marks, when you are by yourself, short tie the dog (so it can't break) walk out and throw the mark. Then walk back and release the dog. You might want to leave a white bucket where you were standing to help the dog remember the marks at first. As the dog becomes steady, you can release from where you are standing. Don't be afraid to "go big", most dogs are quite able to do 200 yard single retrieves. I probably throw 90% of my marks as singles, even when we are set up to do doubles and triples. Seems to work for us.