by Bill Bailey » Thu 01 Mar 2007 9:51 am
I think the bulletin board is a fantastic way of sharing ideas and information. People can be serious, funny or just "take the mickey out of someone". Years ago I remember that I wanted to get an experienced handler's advice on training my dog Cass. I was pretty nervous as I was a relative newcomer to the sport. So at the next trial when we I had a chance to speak to him, I said "How do you think Cass is going?" Expecting some comments that would help me with my training. To my surprise he replied "I think he is developing a bad habit"? I was stunned, so I stuttered "Wha, Why, what is he doing?" To which he replied "Every time you say Fetch he flies out and comes back with a pigeon, quicker than any other dog" So I guess he thought Cass was giving me all the help I needed and probably more than I deserved. To be serious I think the bulletin board replies can not only help whoever raised the question but can also help others with the same or similar problem later on and so we are all better off.
When training a dog to acquire a new skill or to practise what has already been taught in order to strengthen an existing desirable habit, it is essential to do it in the right environment, to avoid "distractions" that can cause the dog to do something that neither of you were expecting. You also have to avoid putting your dog (especially a relatively untrained dog) in a situation where he is not yet capable of doing the work required as it should be done. So always try to avoid any situation that can give you a future problem.
Say your dog gets very excited when at a trial and as a result he might start barking or fail to heel as he should as you walk up to the firing point, or creep forward, so that he is outside the control area. While you could discipline the dog at home or when training you cannot do it at a trial. So all you have done is to allow a problem to be created. It could become a major problem that you cannot overcome. Another common mistake (in my opinion) is the way people run their dogs on marks.
On a marked retrieve the dog should be able to do the work required on his own. All too often dogs have to be handled, allegedly to help them complete the run. In my opinion they would do far better in the long run, to just call the dog in and go back to training.
Look at it this way, if you were training a two legged high jumper, how could you develop their ability to do the job on their own if you supplied them with a ladder or just lifting them over the bar?
If you want to teach your dog to mark succesfully, give him a mark that he can do time after time on his own in training AND THEN UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS. Then gradually increase the difficulty of the mark but ALWAYS MAKE SURE THAT THE MARK IS EASY TO SEE. If he has serious trouble with the work then you are the one to be growled at because you picked a run that was unsuitable at that time and under those conditions. Never ever help your dog complete a mark in training. Better by far to call him in or stop him and walk out to him, then walk with him up to the fall and you just pick it up and then give him a mark that is within his current capabilities, then over time gradually move the marks closer to his limits and so gradually extend his ability to do the job ON HIS OWN. Rememember you have to go at your students "speed". As Eddy Halford used to say "Bill, just remember the best dog only has a brain about as big as the end of your thumb".