Spring has sprung, but you wouldn't know it looking at yesterday and today; we've had almost continuous torrential rain and gales! You expect to be out in all weathers with a dog, especially a gundog, and our "official" training (either individual or group) carries on however extreme the weather might be, but when it's a Sunday morning and just the two of us, the thought of going out to train in the pouring rain is sometimes not that appealing - so it was today!!
SO . . . what to do? A spot of indoor training of the "hunt" and the "hold". How to proceed . . .
Choose an appropriate place to sit your dog. I sat Nénu in the porch, then left her there while I went through the kitchen into the living room to hide a toy. The only command given was "sit!" (There is no need to stay "stay" as "sit" means "sit there until I give you a command to do something else"!)
Return to your dog and walk around your dog so that she is in the "heel" position. Give the "go back" command and then your 'hunt' command using whichever word you have chosen for that ("hi-lost", "find it" or whatever other word you use)
When the dog returns to you with the toy and is in front of you in the correct delivery position (sitting, holding the toy), give the "hold" command. (If you turn your back to her and allow the dog to come around in front of you, she will be facing the correct way for the next time) Remind your dog to "sit" and "hold", leave her there holding the toy and repeat the action of hiding another toy in a different place.
Return to the dog, give the command to release the toy (I used "dead") Walk around the dog so she is in the heel position and facing the correct way and send her again with a "go-back" then "hi-lost" ( or whatever hunt command you use)
Repeat the whole exercise just a few times making the toy a little more difficult to find each time. Do NOT overdo this just three or four times will do in any one session.
Below you can see Nénu sitting and holding a toy prior to me returning to her so she could release the toy when commanded, prior to being sent for the next article!
SO . . . what to do? A spot of indoor training of the "hunt" and the "hold". How to proceed . . .
Choose an appropriate place to sit your dog. I sat Nénu in the porch, then left her there while I went through the kitchen into the living room to hide a toy. The only command given was "sit!" (There is no need to stay "stay" as "sit" means "sit there until I give you a command to do something else"!)
Return to your dog and walk around your dog so that she is in the "heel" position. Give the "go back" command and then your 'hunt' command using whichever word you have chosen for that ("hi-lost", "find it" or whatever other word you use)
When the dog returns to you with the toy and is in front of you in the correct delivery position (sitting, holding the toy), give the "hold" command. (If you turn your back to her and allow the dog to come around in front of you, she will be facing the correct way for the next time) Remind your dog to "sit" and "hold", leave her there holding the toy and repeat the action of hiding another toy in a different place.
Return to the dog, give the command to release the toy (I used "dead") Walk around the dog so she is in the heel position and facing the correct way and send her again with a "go-back" then "hi-lost" ( or whatever hunt command you use)
Repeat the whole exercise just a few times making the toy a little more difficult to find each time. Do NOT overdo this just three or four times will do in any one session.
Below you can see Nénu sitting and holding a toy prior to me returning to her so she could release the toy when commanded, prior to being sent for the next article!
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