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Post by maugh on Nov 9, 2008 12:27:47 GMT -5
Gangster learns to be sent from both the left and right hand sides for his retrieves. Sometimes he is sent from one side and required to deliver to the opposite side. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL5HtuZveoYThis is an important skill when a dog must retrieve when there are distractions in his view. In the spaniel water blind in Wisconsin the bird was planted on the bank of the water on a round pond, off to the left so that a dog would be tempted to run the bank to find the bird and avoid the water. I sent him from the right, partially blocking his view of the bank so that he had to go into the open water. That way just before he got even with the hidden bird, I cast him to the left, he swam, got up on the bank, got the bird, came back in the water and proceeded to swim back to me. It can be used to advantage in dove shoots or any place where there is activity or cover off to one side that might distract the dog. Maugh
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jackie
Hunter/worker
Duke & Patty
Posts: 97
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Post by jackie on Nov 9, 2008 14:37:57 GMT -5
Maugh, That Gangster is one nice, big, retrieving son-of-a-gun! I enjoyed seeing him figuring out what you wanted, right or left, and then doing it! I also enjoyed watching your hand signals. I don't know if these are commonly used in other dog breeds but they work with Airedales, I have naturally applied them to Patty because she seemed to understand these movements without much help and if you touch her while training she can become too excited to remember what she is doing, especially when she was younger. Great video, please keep them coming ;D. All the best, Jackie
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Post by maugh on Nov 9, 2008 15:14:17 GMT -5
Jackie, Thanks for your note. My hand signals are exagerated so that he learns to understand what they mean. I like to watch the retriever handler pros. Right now "silent" casting is the thing in HRC tests, so I'm using my hands to give a silent "come in" cast but I'm combining it with the retrieve, which he knows to bring to me and thus come in anyway. It is really important to watch good handlers and get ideas as to how you can better communicate with your dog. Best of luck, keep us informed on what you and Patty are doing. Regards, Maugh
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Post by frankyme on Dec 10, 2008 16:00:51 GMT -5
Got my HRC magazine yesterday. I flipped to the back to look for Airedales (AT) that passed tests in the last go-round. I only found one, Gangster and Maugh! Good job team! ;D
I've watched the video a few times now, I think it will help me and Kodiak keep our standards high. Keep them coming. You're an inspiration Maugh. thanks, Frank
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jackie
Hunter/worker
Duke & Patty
Posts: 97
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Post by jackie on Mar 28, 2009 0:43:01 GMT -5
OK, Maugh, what is going on now with Gangster in the bird dog world? Any more recent videos or wins? Also, what size is Gangster at the shoulder? All the best, Jackie
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Post by maugh on Mar 29, 2009 12:52:19 GMT -5
First, thanks both Frank and Jackie for your support. I am training Gangster for the Seasoned and Fisnished Retriever levels in the UKC/HRC Hunting Retriever program. The rules are pretty strict and the dogs need to take precise lines out to the area where the bird has fallen before they begin to hunt for it. So I am teaching Gangster how to take crisp lines. Lots of yard work at this point under simple conditions. Later I will move the yard work out into the field. I took my time collar-conditioning him. The e-collar serves as a motivator. I try to not use it as a correction but to keep him focused. Very low stimulation level or just the pager (Dogtra). Pretty much the Dobbs philosophy. With Hal as my coach I am learning to interact with him to prevent mistakes rather than let him fail. Then repeat the concept with an easier setup so that he is successful without my interaction. To get this right you really need to have someone watch and give you periodic critiques, because you can't always see your own timing. The weather is just beginning to get nice enough to be able to ask someone to video without freezing their hands. I hope to get some videos up on Youtube soon. Gangster is sortof built like a retriever, he is just under 25 inches at the shoulder. So what all are you doing? Regards, Maugh
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jackie
Hunter/worker
Duke & Patty
Posts: 97
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Post by jackie on Apr 6, 2009 23:35:22 GMT -5
I still haven't been able to make it out to the Dobb's, weather has been pretty bad over the Sierra's but getting better now. Have been watching bird dog training videos. Duke and Patty need more consistent work and I need, like you said, someone to critique me more than them. All in all lots of fun for me though. Keep us posted and looking forward to more videos.
Glad to hear you are progressing with Gangster. What is Madonna doing?
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Post by frankyme on Apr 9, 2009 8:03:08 GMT -5
Kodiak is just over a year old now. I get him in the woods and or fields 4-5 times a week. We recently got a pound dog so he plays with her all day while I'm at work and is much easier live with and train as a result. My goal in these off lead walks is to keep him in gun range, get him used to taking direction from me and sitting at a distance when I whistle. I'm hoping a crisp automatic sit on whistle now will help when we start steady to flush training. We were put to the test a few days ago when Kodi saw a couple of free ranging Lab mixes a few hundred yards out and thought he would go and investigate. He took off at full speed got about 70 yards from me before a blew on the whistle. His butt went down and he screeched to a halt. He refused to come, or even look at me but I was able to go get him change his focus we got out of sight of the other dogs and continued are session. I'm not sure about his natural retrieving instinct. He retrieves balls, bumpers and toys consistently to hand in the house. Outside if it doesn't have fur or feathers he doesn't care. However if he 'finds' any dead things on our walks hes always happy to share. Force fetch will begin soon. He is smart and picked up heal and sit at distance quickly hopefully he'll get fetch quickly and we can spend the summer in and around ponds and lakes working on getting him to be a consistent retriever.
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jackie
Hunter/worker
Duke & Patty
Posts: 97
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Post by jackie on Apr 10, 2009 0:31:52 GMT -5
Frank, getting your young dog to stop and sit from a wide open Airedale run, with two interesting dogs roaming ahead was really a good test. Excellent! Sounds like you are doing a good job with Kodi on the Hup!. Keep up the good work. My young male dog, Duke (Yes, another Duke), is doing good at healing, he has really got attached to my leg. I need to work him more on the force fetch, he, like your dog isn't as interested in fetching as Patty. She is a natural. Patty and Duke also wear each other out so that Patty isn't such a crazy and Duke, well, he is always pretty calm for a Dale, but very stalwart and easy to train. You go ahead and put up some vids also, love to see Kodi doing some work. Gangster and Maugh are good inspirations for me too. Jackie
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Post by maugh on Apr 10, 2009 15:19:09 GMT -5
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgiAHjhxXOA&feature=channel_pageThis is Madonna doing a double with two-sided heeling. This shows the finished result. I "push" her to control her view so that she is blocked from the memory bird while watching the go-bird. I also demonstrate how you might challenge the dog coming back by moving back into a cover change. My handling is exaggerated to keep her enthusiasm and to demonstrate the places where you should interact with your dog. Regards, Maugh
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Post by Summit Forge on Apr 10, 2009 16:32:24 GMT -5
Nice job Maugh...good grounds for teaching marks and taking a line.
Ron
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jackie
Hunter/worker
Duke & Patty
Posts: 97
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Post by jackie on Apr 12, 2009 2:57:36 GMT -5
Thanks very much for the video Maugh. I'm going to study it several times, just got to watch it once late tonight. Madonna sure doing good for you! Jackie
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Post by maugh on Apr 12, 2009 7:02:53 GMT -5
Hi Jackie, Any questions, let me know. I went to a Mitch White Advanced Workshop about a month ago. The prerequisite was "by invitation only" and that dogs be force-broke and E-collar conditioned. It convinced me that if you want to do senior/master level retriever work in the HRC program you have to concentrate on that. So what you see here is handling specialized to the retrieving venue. Having said that.... When you use the footwork I'm using there on the "go bird" I'm "pushing" her either to the right or to the left. When I step back I'm "pulling" her to take in the wide view so she locates the memory bird in relation to the entire setting. These techniques could be applied in the hunt dead portions of an upland test as well. Mitch said to impose your standards and introduce new material on the return part of the retrieve, move around, do things to keep the dog's focus and momentum. The dog already has the bird, so he can learn about other things without worrying about where the bird is. Challenge them by requiring them to return through cover and obstacles (e.g. I use my gallery in training class this way - I drive them nuts). Then next time send her through the obstacles as well as having her return through them. I also demonstrate "bird in mouth", where I take the bird just as I send her. Retriever trainers have found that this also builds focus, and via indirect pressure it straightens up mouth problems as well. Regards, Maugh
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jackie
Hunter/worker
Duke & Patty
Posts: 97
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Post by jackie on Apr 12, 2009 15:04:10 GMT -5
Hey, Maugh, I got to watch your video several times now and I went to the White's website and looked around too. I note they actually name Airedales as dogs they work with towards titling now (you may have helped influence that!). From watching the video several times I can see what you were talking about in your post above. Changing things up one way or the other each time keeps things interesting for the dog too, instead of the usual everything pretty much the same routine. I like your hand signals very much, I'm going to go out and work my dogs again here pretty soon and start the pointing finger with them, I liked that as well as your leg work. Question, what kind of warm up do you do with Madonna before you did the doubles? All the best, Jackie
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Post by maugh on Apr 19, 2009 16:35:53 GMT -5
Jackie, Madonna's warm-up is exactly what you see. She wams up on a double. But I had an interesting session with her this morning. I was at a lake throwing bumpers - blind retrieves - for Gangster. I threw three bumpers in and went to get Gangster. The wind was blowing the bumpers out quite far into the lake. Gangster had no difficulty getting the first two, but by this time the 3rd had really drifted far out and I felt the problem might be too difficult for him. I tested him by having him sit beside me and see if he would give me a "I'm ready to be sent" sign (see below). He did not. I then got Madonna out. Madonna is conditioned to believe that there is always another bumper out there. By this time the bumper had drifted behind some lilies and cattails. So I threw a bumper out in that direction and had her retrieve it. I then waited for her, sitting at my side, to give me the signal that she "knew" there was another bumper out there. She gave me the sign I wanted - she looks out intently, dips her head slightly and closes her mouth. I sent her at that exact moment and she nailed it. I try to always wait until the dog tells me he/she is ready to be sent. That builds mutual trust. The dog knows I will never send on a meaningless or impossible problem and I know the dog understands it has been sent and that standards apply. The Dave Rorem tape "The Art and Science of Handling" gives excellent information regarding this kind of clear communication with your dog. Regards, Maugh
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