Kum Ba Ya training

[luvalab]

Okay, I'm going to try a little positive training. Me--Not the dog.

And this has absolutely nothing to do with a definition of positive as in P+-r whatever.

I'm taking a dog out today--she's in shape, but a little rusty in the training department. We're going to go to a wide-open field. I have bumpers and buckets. She is one pass from master, and after that I intend to throw my money less often but more fruitlessly at qualifying trials. She loves drills. I will have about 1/2 hour productive time. I consider myself "no longer a rookie disaster but far from proficient."

Give me a positive drill, a positive attitudinal phrase, a tip for a green-but-not-fragile handler to work on, a suggestion to pay attention to something we all need to pay attention to, something happy I can do for myself or my dog that will advance early-season tuning up and training and getting back in the swing of things.

Happy, happy, happy! Seriously. The sun is shining, I want happy training.

[rbr]

Do you have a skill (lesson) you are working on?

For most of us, by the time the dog is where you are, even though the collar is still on pushing the button becomes rare.
For a confident well trained dog walking to the line has already become positive training.

[luvalab]

Do you have a skill (lesson) you are working on?

For most of us, by the time the dog is where you are, even though the collar is still on pushing the button becomes rare.
For a confident well trained dog walking to the line has already become possative training.

Yes, that's where we are. Give me something to remember this by, give me a mantra, suggest a drill that you find particularly reinforcing of attitude?

Yes, I do have a skill to work on today--seeing past and lining past shorter guns, blinds, temptations.

[KwickLabs]

Ok.....Kum Ba Ya training 101.

Walk out and throw a bumper every 2 minutes so they land in a big circle. After each toss, sit on the bucket while humming your favorite song and let the dog continue to stretch out, sit, lay down (whatever) and watch. When all the bumpers are gone, leave the dog on a remote, walk out and pick up all the bumpers, return to the dog and go back in the house. Let us know how things went.

Kum ba ya regards, Jim

[luvalab]

Ok.....Kum Ba Ya training 101.

Walk out and throw a bumper every 2 minutes so they land in a big circle. After each toss, sit on the bucket while humming your favorite song and let the dog continue to stretch out, sit, lay down (whatever) and watch. When all the bumpers are gone, leave the dog on a remote, walk out and pick up all the bumpers, return to the dog and go back in the house. Let us know how things went.

Kum ba ya regards, Jim

I'm TRYING to invite wise folks to give kernels of wisdom about day to day training. "Be part of the solution," everyone says! Bah!

This is the LAST TIME I try to be a peanut, I tell ya'.

I'm going to go back to being a walnut. Slightly bitter and acrid, but not bad with a brownie and coffee.

(Tongue. In. Cheek.)

[rbr]

If you are training alone use stickmen or chairs with a white coat and either do stan alone marks or run blinds tight to the chair.
If you are training with a group, singls, singles and more singles that imitate the set-ups you are looking for.

BTW it's all positive if your dog loves the work.

Bert

[EdA]

Most dogs like wagon wheel, do the handling part then finish up with lining wagon wheel.

[luvalab]

Most dogs like wagon wheel, do the handling part then finish up with lining wagon wheel.

Okay--see--this is why I posted this. "Do the handling part" ?????. I will search, but I've always done wagon wheel as just lining.

It also begs the question I can never get answered, How Big is a Wagon Wheel?

I ended up doing three piles of bumpers--send send send--successful, change angle to tighter--send send send--successful, one more time...

Very happy dogs, even the one I almost left behind b/c he doesn't like drills.

[gdgnyc]

Okay--see--this is why I posted this. "Do the handling part" ?????. I will search, but I've always done wagon wheel as just lining.

It also begs the question I can never get answered, How Big is a Wagon Wheel?

I ended up doing three piles of bumpers--send send send--successful, change angle to tighter--send send send--successful, one more time...

Very happy dogs, even the one I almost left behind b/c he doesn't like drills.

How have you been doing wagon wheel?

Want a positive perspective? Don't just finish on a good note, start on a good note. If you start with a simple wagon wheel where the dog can do no mistakes it becomes positive for the dog and lets the dog know he can win. When people say simplify, I interpret that to mean that they are doing just what I described. Letting the dog know he can win will then encourage him to not fail to try even after a failure or correction or a removal of a reward (such as not letting the dog complete the retrieve).

PM sent.

[luvalab]

I've only done wagon wheel as a lining drill. I am looking up diagrams as I type.