[mattm337]

When watching Lardy's TRM a while ago, I encountered his discussion on setting up a training session to properly balance drills/activities with likely pressure with those that would not need as much. Dennis Voigt seems to call it maintaining the ABCs. With all that said, how do you all like to go about deciding exactly what order to set up your training plan for a particular day? I don't mean what drills or whatnot to run that day, I mean the specific order in which you run them.

 

[mostlygold]

i too am interested in how folks do things.

B12??

Dawn

 

[mattm337]

Dawn,

Very good. My wife is a pharmacist, we're a little eccentric, and it's always been her favorite word to pronounce. With the oddities of a Boykin, we thought it was a perfect fit....

 

[MattC]

I set up training based on what the dog needs, what I'm trying to accomplish, and the mood I'm in. That third part contributes about 5% to my set up. If the dog needs line manners, set up to work on line manners. If the dog isn't running a straight line, work on that. It goes on forever.

 

[Aussie]

Pressure balance?

Dogs can handle pressure, which is positive and negative punishment reinforcement quite well, AS LONG AS THEY THOUGH know how to stop or not start the "pressure".

I am training a Weimaraner at the moment..of course very different from a labrador. Field labradors gain so much positive reinforcement from the retrieve/carrying of article.

Remember to split required behaviors NOT LUMP.

 

[captainjack]

You are getting replies from people that may not have watched TRM.

If you have the TRM book handy, it shows a good sequence and a poor sequence. This may help those who have not seen the DVD better understand what you are asking.

This weekend I had the opportunity to do multiple set ups in a single day. I ran:

1. two non cheating water marks
2. 3-peat water blinds
3. Land triple
4. Cheating singles

Oddly enough, this is the "Good Sequence" from TRM (I carry the TRM manual to every training session).

For comparison, the Poor sequence is:

1. Land Marks with flyer
2. Cheating singles
3. cross-wind land blinds
4. water blind

Cheating singles are likely to result in collar pressure and/or recalls.
Cross-wind land blinds are likely to result in collar pressure and/or recalls.
Water blinds can be very demanding and are likely to result in collar pressure and/or recalls.

Non-cheating water marks and land marks are less likely to result in collar pressure, recalls, etc.

Mix up the tasks that are likely with those less likely to result in pressure/correction. At least that's my take on it.

 

[mattm337]

Glen,

Yes, that's what I was referring to. I look at that page in the manual fairly regularly. I guess what I was after was a hypothetical discussion with, say, a transition dog, how might people who follow Lardy set up a training session to mix lower pressure drills/sequences with higher pressure drills/sequences with a dog that is not quite as advanced as the example from TRM.

I'm focusing on transition because even though my dog is older (just short of 3), I decided to go back and redo some of the basics and FTP work a while back now that I understand better how to go about it.

I'll throw out an example. In Lardy's flow chart for transition, would one mix up a couple of the first layer of items, like run a pattern blind leg, wagon wheel, and some therapy marks the same day? In what order to best balance the pressure? Or should the multiple items on the same day be saved for more advanced work?

 

[Evan]

I don't mean what drills or whatnot to run that day, I mean the specific order in which you run them.

I formed a habit during the summer I spent with Carr. Marks first every day. We may only mark on some days. But marks first - then a drill or blind(s), or something mechanical. Then we try to end each session with more marks. Sharper, happier dogs!

Evan

 

[Howard N]

I can't help you on a basics/transition revisit. Basics and transition are only a short period of a dog's life. Probably the dog's most important training but still they don't last for long compared to the dog's training career.

When training any dog, I try to put the hardest stuff right after a warm up of some kind. Could be a mark followed by a threepeat blind, done as one setup. Or a nice marking setup and then some water blinds done as at least two (maybe more with the blinds done in different places) setups. And then finish off with something exciting (flyer in test) or a big set of marks or ??? I try to put them away for the night excited and wanting more.

Even with my basics puppy who is just finishing up the TT, I try to finish on a good note on the drill and run a couple stand alones before we go home. I wish it wasn't to cold for the rubber bands on the throwers to work.