Training a Retriever - Foundations
(by Bob Pickworth)
Solomon “What has been will be again, what has
been done will be done again; there is nothing
new under the sun.”
Preamble
I
began my adventure in NSRT (Non-Slip Retrieving Trialling) in 1982 when
the husband of one of my fellow obedience club members invited me to a
“working dog trial – the PhD of dog work”. After watching the All-Age
dogs perform seemingly impossible retrieves, I was hooked. I began
retrieving training with my Weimaraner and retired my Bull Terrier
after she succeeded at CDX) and “Smoky” eventually achieved RRD, but
due to his reluctance for cold water, didn’t proceed to A.A. level. I
had another Wei, who was also keen to please and loved to compete, but
again didn’t like cold water and I realised that to play with the “Big
Boys” in this sport it was “horses for course” and my next dog would be
a Lab. “Ace” (Zeefree All The Aces) was from a dual working/ show
background and she was an amazingly compliant Black Lab bitch. She
became competitive at A.A. and was a joy to train and live with – she
taught me a lot about myself and dog behaviour. I had a long break from
the sport (family, career, time commitments etc) due to the realisation
that it would be quite a few years until I had the required time to
invest in training to be competitive again at All-AGE, to which I have
now returned with my current pal – “Rosie”.
The team
work and willingness of our dogs and their desire to please and deliver
to hand, is at times simply astonishing. At other times their desire to
follow their instincts and ignore our
direction is perplexing and highlights the need for specific, well thought out drills and repetition in training.
The
following musings are not original and merely repeating the wisdom of
others, gleaned from reading, watching videos and sitting under the
tutelage of experienced others who have invested their time in
supporting me and to whom I am indebted and owe my thanks.
Training a Retriever Rudimentary Principles.
• Mentor.
Our sport has many successful and experienced trainers/handlers who are
willing to share their knowledge and experience. Without the input of
others (Especially Peter Betteridge and Joe Vella, I would not have an
advanced dog).
Proverbs 15: 22-24 says “Get
all the advice you can, and you will succeed; without it you will fail.
What a joy it is to find just the right word for the right occasion!
Wise people walk the road that leads upward to life....”. One of
the greatest benefits of having an experienced mentor is helping you
avoid making mistakes and handling errors, that you are not aware of.
• Program, follow a systematic and methodical program with sequential steps that build on
the
previous learning (Mike Lardy, Bill Hillman, Kevin Cheff, Evan Graham,
Dennis Voigt, Danny Farmer etc). These are available on-line or on DVD,
(unlike when I first started and books were the only available
“programs”.) Spend the money, follow the program and build success.
“Education is expensive, but failure is more expensive”.
• Slow and Steady. “The fastest way to train a dog is slowly”. “It’s a marathon not a sprint”.
To
develop an advanced dog takes time and the help of others. Hopefully
you will be training and trialling your K9 buddy for 10 years or more.
There are quite a few 9-10 yr old dogs still highly competitive and
running and placing (in State and National championships), so why rush?
• Respect and consideration for
your dog is foremost. Our dogs rely on us for everything and for them
to give us their best, we’ve got to give them our best (and this will
be expensive in time, money and commitment).
• T.E.A.M. (Together Each of us Achieve More),
You are the team coach of a K9 athlete. To achieve the desired goals,
the coach must lead the dog and both must work together and communicate
effectively.
• Mistakes, are going to happen in one of 3 ways;
1. Lack of understanding
– You know what you want the dog to do, but the dog doesn’t. (More
training needed, simplify the task and repeat -attrition until you get
it right).
2. Lack of knowledge
– the dog doesn’t consistently respond to the command. (More training
needed, go back a step, repeat -attrition and reinforce correct
behaviour).
3. Lack of effort / defiance – The dog knows what you want, but chooses an alternative response. (correct and repeat -attrition).
Dogs
are honest animals, they respond to consistently reinforced commands
and are not out “to get you”, so if they get it wrong, give them the
benefit of the doubt and repeat (attrition). Only use a correction if
you are sure they know the response desired and are not complying.
You
want the dog to make mistakes so you can train the correct behaviour.
Use attrition (repeat the drill until the dog understands). Mistakes
are only an “issue” if they are continually repeated, in which case you
need to reassess your training as there is probably a communication
issue. If it's you, the dog continues to make mistakes – change
something (“It is foolish to do the same thing the same way and expect
a different result”).
• Read the dog.
Learn your dogs’ behaviour: how it holds its head; sits on the whistle;
where it looks; how it responds when using its nose etc. Watch lots and
lots of other dogs train and compete and how experienced trainers
direct their dogs and their responses.
Know the “factors” that
affect your dogs’ behaviour. There are many, but the significant ones
that can “push” or “pull” a dog are WIND, SLOPE, TERRAIN/STRUCTURES,
WATER.
• Consistency.
It’s all about consistency and communication - how you and your dog
respond to each other. Non-verbal cues as well as verbal cues are
important. Teaching your dog to orient its body at the line with
shuffling the feet, “locking in” on the correct line, efficient use of
the body / hands when casting, verbal commands when “on the spot” etc.
WHAT YOU TRAIN SHOULD BE HOW YOU COMPETE. Have experienced others watch you and give feedback (ask the judge how points were allocated / lost).
• DON’T ACCEPT “LITTLE” ERRORS IN TRAINING.
If you let it go and accept it in yard training it will be magnified in
the excitement of the field (especially in competition). This is
especially the case when at the line. Lining up for a mark or blind –
take your time to get the dog’s Tail, Spine, Head, Attitude in a line
and aimed in the direction you want the dog to go.
• Marks and Blinds –
A well accepted training approach for Marks and Blinds is: “Hard to get
to - Easy to Find - Hard to Find – Easy to get to”
Good marking is best taught by throwing LOTS of singles – even for advanced dogs.
• Fun.
A happy retriever is fun to watch and all who see will know it. The
mood you establish in training and competing is fundamental to success.
If training and competing is about intimidation and punishment, the dog
will show it and others will see it.
Richfields Rhoda B Willing; call name “Rosie”
Photo
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