First I have a brag. Jake (Linamia Thanks for the Memories CD RE MH AWC) finished his CDX title this past weekend Yay! Now I'm thinking of going on to utility and have some questions. I have had several CDX dogs before Jake but have never gone on to the UD.

1. In the signal exercise, I'm assuming I can't use the usual signal of raising the hand straight up for the drop because that is already used in the field. Other people have suggested moving the hand out to the side and sweeping it toward me. Has anyone used anything else successfully in this situation? Has anyone used the raised arm successfully for both situations? They are quite distinct - can a dog respond specifically to the situation? I know it is a good idea to use alternate hands for the down, sit, and come. I expect this to be our most difficult exercise to master.

2. For scent articles, I have been warned that the traditional use of a board, tying all the articles down except the scented one, results in a dog that tugs at each article to find the one that isn't tied down, which doesn't get the intended lesson across. Has this been your experience as well? One person suggested playing hide and seek with a scented dumbbell to begin. Any other good ideas on that and perhaps how to proceed afterwards? This may also be difficult for Jake.

3. For the moving stand, Jake does not get this. He managed to get his RE without ever doing that exercise correctly. Any good ideas on teaching the moving stand? The rest of the exercise should not be a problem, as he's been shown in conformation and is used to going directly to heel in the field.

I don't anticipate that the gloves will be a problem. Any pitfalls I may have overlooked? He seems to be catching on to the directed jump, too. Although the first couple times I sent him on a go-out, he was looking for something to retrieve, by the second session he was OK with doing a jump instead. However, if anyone has wonderful suggestions, I am open to hearing them. Remember, this dog is already able to take a line, stop and sit on a whistle at a distance and take straight backs, angle backs and straight overs.

Have you found either the new RE exercises or the graduate open exercises useful in preparing for Utility? I have not used the optional titling classes yet. I do use Rally and find it helpful, but Jake got his title before they added all those new exercises.

TIA

I have not had any issues going from field signals to obedience signals – the dogs tend to “get” what game they are playing and adapt. That said, there is no reason you cannot use a different signal for drop.

For the moving stand, I have always used the command “stand” with a stay hand signal. My dogs understand “stand”.

I use the tie down method to train articles and have never had a dog that kept tugging. At first the articles are tied down firmly with zip ties (the loose one being the scented one), but later I move to clear fish wire and they are tied down loosely. At first, I might get some pulling to figure it out but once they get it (and they seem to get it pretty quickly), the issue resolves itself. I have found this exercise to be one that they really enjoy. Later I start proofing with cookies under the boards, toys around the boards, etc. Then the articles come off the boards.

I do not really do rally so don’t know if those exercises are helpful or not.

Peggy,
I'm at the same stage having done several CDXs and taking a few toward utility now. For the drop, I'm raising my right arm only as high as my shoulder and doing a sweeping forward motion toward the dog and down. For articles I found the Janice Demello (sp?) around the clock to work better for mine who have done field work since it starts w/ just a couple articles & spray cheese, and it teaches them to work the pile vs just p/u one and bring it back as they tend to do once forced to pile. I'm still working on my coordination for the Moving stand but think I'll swing my left arm (normally at my waist for heeling) straight out above teh dogs's head w/ feet a step apart, then give a stay signal and move off w/ the right foot (theoretically w/o falling on my face, lol).
I was thinking I liked the looks of the Open grad class this fall when I was watching.

First off Congrats on your CDX!!
Same as the "Obedience" poster...my dogs got the difference between using my hand for the "back" and the "drop"..this was not a problem.
For the jumps..I used the word "jump" not "over".
Have not used the "tie" down method for articles...liked the "round the clock" they caught on really fast. Cheese Cheese and more cheese..what's not to love!!
Good luck..keep us updated on your progress...
Going to try for a CD/CDX with Hildi!

Excellent approach for scent discriminations.


http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1121



I teach "stand" as a movement from one
position to another (e.g., sit to stand).

I teach "stop" to indicate stopping movement and
"wait" to indicate staying in place after stopping.

"Stop" is a really useful concept for
a dog, and I train it at a distance as well as up close.

Congratulations on your CDX!

I second the Around The Clock method of teaching articles. I think it is a six or seven week program, but works very very well. I am going to start Journey and Flint on it this winter.

For signals, I use a right hand sweep in front of the dog's face for the initial stand. Then for the down, I raise my hand, palm down to waist level (slightly in front of me, at my right side), and then "slap" downward with the hand ending back at my right side. Kind of as though you were smacking the dog's head. The sit signal is also with my right hand and with the palm of my right hand facing forward, I "push" the dog into a sit. The come signal is a sweeping motion again with my right hand/arm out and around in front of me. Kind of like you would motion for kids to come to you. Several people I know bring their hand and arm straight from their side with their hand ending up in front of their face. That version however has the signal arm always in front of your body, so dog has to pay attention.

In the moving stand, you can use both a verbal and a signal, so I give a "slap" palm backward toward the dog's face (stand signal for moving stand) and a verbal "Stay!"

I reserve the arm straight up for the UKC Utility Glove exercise where part two has you stop the dog mid ring, dog faces you and you send to a glove that the judge determines. Glove #2 is directly behind the dog, and Gloves #'s 1and 3 are on either side of the dog (different than AKC, but much more similar to a field retrieve).

In the AKC glove exercise, make sure you practice your pivots to precision. The gloves are A LOT closer than a bird in the field, and a slightly off pivot and your dog could focus on the wrong glove. It helps, if you can to have your dog focus on YOU as you pivot, and then take direction with your arm signal. As opposed to the dog focusing on the gloves during the pivot.


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Karen and

UAG1 SHR UCDX GRCH Tracker Belle of Bedford RAE JH CDX TT WC WCX CGC

U-OCH SHR URO2 GRCH BIMBS BBI Belles Kodiak Dreamweaver OM3 UDX3 JH RAE ASCA-CD TT WC CGC

URO2 SHR UUD GRCH BBI Ponderosa's Big Blond Guy UD JH RE ASCA-CD TT WC CGC

UCH SHR BBI Redford from Bedford CGC

BBI Kodi's Journey To Anotch (Journey)

BBI Kodi's Blackpowder Striker (Flint)

I haven't trained obedience in almost 20 years and I know a LOT has changed. But, I still tell people my greatest accomplishment in dogs was that I put a UD on a Chesapeake :)

I trained both a Chessie and a Shelite for scent articles with the tie down method and had no problem. Both caught on very quickly. I would use this method again if I went back to obedience.

Good luck!

These posts are so inspiring. It humbles me! You should all be really proud of what you are trying to accomplish and have accomplished.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I'll let you know how we make out.

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!

The cookie factory is still going strong. Not a cookie fan, myself, so I don't know what kinds they make. But there are days when you can't miss the aroma!