Labrador Retriever Forum
Peggy, It has been awhile since I had a dog in utility but I also used the tie down method and found it worked very well and that the dogs figured it out pretty quick. However I will add one more precaution that has a humerous slant. You may need for your board or rubber mat to be large enough that the dog has to be standing on it to reach the articles. My first male started on a clear mat but quickly learned he could just stand on the mat and pull and rip the article he wanted to retrieve off the mat. So we went to a board which worked great for one or two sessions then he realized he could just go out, grab any article and bring the whole board back to me. I had to train with a 4x4 piece of particle board for a while. He was a very challenging dog to train because he was one of the smartest dogs I have ever dealt with but the minute he knew what you wanted he started looking for short cuts! Debbie Darche DVM
Thanks, Debbie. Yes, I did get a chuckle out of that description - been there with other dogs and other training!. Fortunately, Jake is not super bright, or maybe I should say super inventive. Obviously, he's not stupid. He really tries to do what you want, and once he fully understands, he usually does it right. I have been searching the web, too and have gotten some ideas. The two methods used most commonly are the tie-down method and the around the clock method, which I have yet to find adequately described. Apparently you must buy a CD. I am familiar with the tie down method already, and the thought process behind it is well described in Diane Bauman's book, so I may start with that.
Peggy, I have the written version of the Around The Clock method on my laptop. While it is helpful to have someone experienced in the method to consult, it can certainly be done from the written version. If you would like, I can send you my copy. I need to edit and proof it first.
The gist of it is that you use spray cheese/peanut butter/something you can put on the bar of the dumbbell, and teach the dog to search for that. Gradually you lessen the cheese and increaseyour scent on the bar. The true version has the dog working on leash a lot in the beginning, but since I rarely work my dog's on a leash, I find it more distracting. Depends on the dog.
p.s., are Rippin Good cookies still made? ESP. The frosted animal crackers? Drooling over 30 year old memories!!!!
I also have dogs that do field work and obedience. I have not had any trouble with my dogs learning the traditional obedience signals--they get the context of where they are and what they should do.
My older girl who had her SH before learning articles (and has a UDX and OTCh points now), learned the tie down method. I tried a little of the Morgan Specter method, but she needed me to make it black and white that the exercise was not pile work. My young girl learned articles at the same time she was doing pile work. It was not a problem. She was taught with a method that uses cheese like the Around the Clock, but also kept the articles rubber-banded to a board. The cheese taught her to sniff, the rubber-bands corrected errors, and the leash on the dog (not a flexi) made sure she returned as soon as the right article was in her mouth--no shopping. She also got a big helping of squeeze cheese on the return.
Like Gerrie said, I say jump instead of over. I also say trot with my young girl instead of heel for her heads up heeling.
The thing that surprised me most was how much we have to realize that a go-out is not a mini blind. They really need to be taught the geography of the ring and learn to mark the stanchion and run a path between the jumps. Connie Cleveland is very clear about making that point to dogs that do both field and obedience. Janice Gunn teaches her dogs to mark the stanchion too.
Janice and Connie both have video clips you can watch. Janice has a little library you can pay to use for a couple of weeks. They are both very nice women who would likely answer emails if you emailed them--they have done that for me.
Have fun!
