A new cue

[kateincornwall]

I have been working hard on the Stop , without success in certain places . Reuben has pretty good recall but every so often he shows the tell tale signs that he is going to charge off , never for more than a minute or two . This morning we set off , and within minutes I could see his senses heightened and by the time I had realised this, he was running ahead full speed . I shouted Ball , and blow me , he turned instantly stopped in his tracks and came back to me , good lad . Alright, its not a conventional cue but if the shout Ball brings him to a halt , so be it

 

[snowbunny]

Dogs constantly learn cues that we don't intentionally teach. "Dinner", "walkies" etc etc. Although I don't say either of those things myself, but you get the idea

The strength of these cues comes from the fact that they basically have a 100% association rate with a jackpot of some description. You wouldn't say "dinner" if you weren't about to feed them, for example.

I think this is a good reminder when our trained cues fail that we simply haven't paid enough into them!

 

[kateincornwall]

For me , the Stop has proved to be the hardest of all to teach , for Reuben anyway . Recall has been relatively easy , walking close without a lead has been relatively easy, both rewarded with praise and treats, but not always the latter . Stop I find hard because I then recall him and reward for coming to me , but he associates this with coming to me , not actually stopping in his tracks as he did this morning . Whatever works is good for me , I love that he checks in every few minutes , likes to keep me in sight , he is a good boy most of the time x

 

[Atemas]

Whatever works is good for me

Yes, I get the same reaction if I shout ‘ball’

 

[snowbunny]

Stop I find hard because I then recall him and reward for coming to me , but he associates this with coming to me , not actually stopping in his tracks as he did this morning

Have you tried either going up to him to reward him, or else throwing the ball over his head and past behind him? Then he won't anticipate the reinforcer being with you. I rarely recall from a stop, except in emergency situations, so they get used to staying "out there".

By recalling him after the stop and reinforcing with you, he's actually getting the main reinforcer for the recall rather than the stop. And when you consider that we use "new cue > old cue" to transfer an existing behaviour onto the new cue, you can see how "stop cue > recall cue" means that the recall behaviour will transfer to your stop cue

 

[Selina27]

he is a good boy most of the time

Well who wants to be good all the time !!

It's interesting Kate, if it works it's fine isn't it?

I have trouble with Cass wanting to run off to other dogs, not that she won't recall once she's there, she does, but I cannot prevent her going in the first place. I had a trainer come out and he taught me emergency Stop, as taught by Steve Mann of IMDT.
We've already done gundog stop whistle, so this is a verbal cue which does mean stop what you are doing right now. It involves her jackpot treat landing behind her backside, so everytime she hears it it means sossidge is right behind the bottom!!

It does seem to be working well, better than recall in those instances when she is dead set on going the opposite way to me!
I try to practice frequently, I don't what to spoil it though cos it's very useful. Sometime I recall her to me and make a game of her arrival.

 

[Selina27]

Have you tried either going up to him to reward him, or else throwing the ball over his head and past behind him?

That's what the trainer got me doing, with sossidge for Cassie as ball's don't float her boat. So that in the first place, she looks round for the reinforcer, and gradually increase distance and go to give her the reward.

 

[kateincornwall]

Isnt it interesting though, how different and diverse their interests ? If we are retrieving , Reuben ignores other dogs 100% , just watches me all the time in anticipation of a throw of the ball or dummy . Thinking about it , I wonder if I should not concentrate too much on the Stop , just keep reinforcing his recall which is pretty good ( most of the time ! ) I took them both to the beach a couple of days ago , no inclination to run to other dogs, good as gold , maybe I expect too much from such a young lad x

 

[Selina27]

Isnt it interesting though, how different and diverse their interests ?

Yes it is. For Cassie, the highest interest is hunting. Nothing, but nothing, will detract her from searching for pheasants or rabbits, no other dog, no food, if we are in that setting. When we went shooting, she was no bother with other dogs at all, just accepted everything and did the job she's born to do. She doesn't focus on dummies in the same way.
I understand this about her now, and have learned to work at managing things in other places!

What's great for me is that I can take her to environments where I know that she can do this, that she knows where I am and is not going to abscond, just have that absolute satisfaction and no harm done

 

[Shaz82]

The Stop works for me from the front when I can use a hand signal but not if I am behind Maisy, she doesn't associate the word alone with the action, yet anyway, it's a work in progress.

I found she reacted with certain words I had not taught too, so I used those as the cues instead of the ones that were not working.

 

[Selina27]

not if I am behind Maisy

The trainer sent me a video link from IMDT, would you like me to see if I can send it? Or perhaps you have it already?

 

[Stacia]

I have been working hard on the Stop , without success in certain places . Reuben has pretty good recall but every so often he shows the tell tale signs that he is going to charge off , never for more than a minute or two . This morning we set off , and within minutes I could see his senses heightened and by the time I had realised this, he was running ahead full speed . I shouted Ball , and blow me , he turned instantly stopped in his tracks and came back to me , good lad . Alright, its not a conventional cue but if the shout Ball brings him to a halt , so be it

Works on Rourke as well, except I shout "ballie"

 

[Shaz82]

The trainer sent me a video link from IMDT, would you like me to see if I can send it? Or perhaps you have it already?

Yes please, can you message it?