[Guest]

Hello All,

My little Brittany is doing brilliantly after her FF work and I have done simple doubles and blinds with her and want to take training to the next level, and I assume this to be hand signals. One thing I am failing to achieve is steadiness. The only time she is steady is if I stand in front of her and throw the dummy over my head, if I throw it to the side she breaks.

Please can I have some advise to get her more steady.

Best Regards,

Leon Besaans

 

[lennie]

I don't know how old your dog is, but, use a checkcord. If she breaks, stop her and no retrieve until she sits.

Sit means sit, even when the bumper is being thrown.

Also, don't hand throw, get someone else to throw for you, and if she breaks, stop her with the check cord and pick up the bumper.

 

[wetland_retrievers]

The check cord works well as previously mentioned and I do use them.
Here's how I teach it beyond check cords.
During initial basic obedience and CC I use place mats. They are taught once on it they are not to come off of it until sent to retrieve or called by name. They learn the mat is a comfort zone.
For those really awnry client dogs that really love to break. I use an oval sheet of plywood with an eyebolt through the center. I'll attach the dog to it and make them sit. When they break they punish themselves. They are just fighting against there own body weight. I'll stand there and let them fight against it and just gently remind them to sit. When they are sitting and calm I'll detach them for the retrieve.

 

[Colonel Blimp]

In general terms..... the dog must learn that not every bumper is hers. Currently she's "dummy happy", and working for herself not you. In all your training only let her have one in three or four retrieves; collect the balance yourself. Make her honour other dogs.

In specific terms, I guess you are a collar trainer(?) if so, then others are more qualified to advise you on that aspect; if not (and it may be useful anyway to teach the concepts) one Amish approach is as follows.

Reinforce the whistle sit command; this is her big weakness right now. Pip her down, stand close and drop a dummy a yard away. Praise her and pick the dummy. Repeat over time gradually increasing the distance to a few yards. If she breaks, shout "NO"! in a big gruff voice, grab her and put him back in place giving the whistle sit.

Once you are ready to increase the distance beyond just a few yards, have a colleague stand in the place you throw the mark. If Fido is still steady, throw another one a short distance in the opposite direction, and let her have that one. Retrieve the first one yourself.

If she does move on the longer one, your chum simply stands on the dummy and denies the retrieve. No need for him to remonstrate with the dog at this stage. Once again grab Fido and drag her back to the sit position and whistle pip her.

Repeat with distance and numbers of bumpers, with you gradually moving away from her, then start to whistle pip on her out run and send her for another thrown dummy.

And again, honouring, honouring.

That's the bare bones of it,

Regards
Eug

 

[GONEHUNTIN']

Here's a great little exercise you can do in the yard with her that not only will help steady her now to shot and fall, but will help staunch her on point and she'll love it. As others have said, always keep her on a cc, later a collar can be substituted if you wish. CC should be about 10' lone. Walk her at heel in the yard and throw and shoot at a bumper. If she breaks, don't say a word, just let her hit the end of the cc and tell her gently to heel. Let the cord punish her, not you. Just keep doing this. If she doesn't break, send her for every other bumper, not each one.

When she'll do this flawlessly, swith to clip wing pigeons, same program. Now you can make her sit and throw the pigeons at her, so they hit all around her. Don't let her retrieve them. When she's steady doing this, walk her in a field. When she is working out from you, shoot a blank and throw a clippie in the air. She should stand staunchly if you've done your work in the yard. You may have to whoa her the first couple of times.

Dogs love this drill and it is a great steadying drill, or sit to shot drill, for any breed. The dogs seem to love it; it's interesting to them.

 

[Rick Hall]

Bravo, Gonehuntin! Though taken before chasing habits are developed, a very similar course making a game of getting stopped for thrown bumpers and flighted pigeons has revolutionized steadying at our house for pointing dog and retriever pups alike.

 

[Miriam Wade]

Once you've gotten her steady where she's the only dog working using the suggestions you've been given here (NEVER let her have the bumper if she breaks) there's a drill you can do in a group that will really proof her for honoring. You have a group of dogs lined up and a thrower out front who is going to throw laterally & only about 10-20 yards out. The thrower calls the name of the dog who is going to be released for the retrieve. The slightest indication of the dog going before his handler releases him results in the bumper being picked up & thrown & another dog's name being called. You get quite a few corrections in at first until the dogs realize that even though they hear their name-they aren't to move in an inch until their handler releases them. It usually (not all dogs are created equal!) only takes a few rounds before the dogs realize they are going home w/out a single retrieve if they don't cool their jets & play by the rules.

M

 

[ducksoup]

Don't know if this might help but remember seeing an article in Field and Stream years ago (in Bill Tarrant's column I believe) where it showed a way to staunch up a bird dog to point by using a rope (or a checkcord) looped around a post -- the idea was to steady dog to flush (or thrown bird or bumper) and not release from that position until dog was commanded -- rope or checkcord would then be released and dog would retrieve (with rope running free around post)

 

[crackerd]

Don't know if this might help but remember seeing an article in Field and Stream years ago (in Bill Tarrant's column I believe) where it showed a way to staunch up a bird dog to point by using a rope (or a checkcord) looped around a post...)

That would be RFT's own Sharon Potter with the "whoa post." Though Tarrant may have advised likewise.

GH is onto the failsafe method, but easiest to steady if Eug would just pack up and ship you over a rabbit pen, bunnies included. Although Leon, you're bass-ackwarding it (Afrikaaner slang?) by running blinds before the dog's taught hand signals.

MG

 

[ducksoup]

The "whoa" post -- that's it -- thanks crackerd