New general training class

[HAH]

After a few false starts, we've started a new chapter of training and had our first session yesterday evening. It blew my mind!
[First, a small digression - I didn't realise that Devon Dogs is the home of Lauren offov Absolute Dogs and run by her mum Carole. I haven't met her yet so am hoping I don't go too fangirl if she appears...]
We had an hour of 121 with Michelle - Kipper, me and OH. We covered 4 main things;
Middle
Two Up (putting front paws on things)
Cone, and
collar/harness (a bit of a diversion, to address reaction to both at the moment).
Cone was pretty much muzzle training, but with a cone that had big open sections you can hold a treat into - the difference being you reward the pup putting their nose near to, then into, then further into the cone rather than starting with the treat (e.g. peanut butter) already in there. And in between, we practised a settled lie-down on the lead, where the aim was for treats to 'appear' on the floor rather than having Kipper watch my hand constantly (which had been the case). This was simply by dropping a treat when he was looking away - there were good opportunities when a dog in a car barked, or he got a whiff of pheasants over the hedges. This worked very quickly and really seemed to reduce arousal levels.

What was so lovely was that I had the vocabulary and understanding from you all here to really click with the ideas; so we talked about the stress bucket, and turning everything into games, and keeping things incredibly simple, etc. etc. And OH could see the things I've been awkwardly whittering about in action, and hear from a professional what the ideas are behind different techniques. We've got a group session tomorrow as part of their Life Skills Foundation, and it's likely we'll sign up for membership - so I'll keep you posted...

 

[snowbunny]

Oh, how lovely! Are you local to Bowerlands, then?

 

[HAH]

Yes, pretty much - 30/40 mins drive.

 

[MellowYellow]

Great, look forward to your updates!

 

[edzbird]

the difference being you reward the pup putting their nose near to, then into, then further into the cone rather than starting with the treat (e.g. peanut butter) already in there

This is how I did my muzzle training after mulling it over - reward for putting his snoot near the muzzle, then in, then for longer periods in.

You're super-lucky to be training with Devon Dogs, look forward to hearing ll about it.

 

[HAH]

This is how I did my muzzle training after mulling it over

This is one of the things I really admire - the more experience you have, the more you think creatively about different ideas and how you might tailor it to suit what you're looking for.
I am very lucky! I'll try to make the most of it.

 

[Atemas]

And OH could see the things I've been awkwardly whittering about in action,

That’s just brill. You must be feeling really happy. It was only after DH saw me properly ‘in action’ with Red that he started to come on board

 

[Beanwood]

Wow! Sounds brilliant! Glad you enjoyed it and everything is clicking into place! (No pun intended...)

 

[edzbird]

This is one of the things I really admire - the more experience you have, the more you think creatively about different ideas and how you might tailor it to suit what you're looking for.

I admit - It was after a post from Fiona.

 

[snowbunny]

I admit - It was after a post from Fiona.

And I got it from elsewhere. It doesn't matter, the point is that we're presented with lots of methods of how to do something and if we can filter them to work out what suits us and our dogs best, that's a large part of the puzzle

 

[HAH]

if we can filter them to work out what suits us and our dogs best, that's a large part of the puzzle

Exactly! To begin with, I thought it was all about having this huge list of games and training ideas in your toolbag. What I'm slowly realising is that this is great, but the value is massively increased and given meaning if you can work with the dog in front of you [1 house point!] and tailor whatever the training is for what you want/need to be doing. A very simple point, but I'm glad I'm slowly cottoning on

 

[SwampDonkey]

What I've always liked about everyone on here is the encouragement to try new stuff. I been given so many good ideas and different ways to approach things Its lovely really. For me it's been great finding an approach which suits my dogs and me. Finding training is hard and sometimes it's hard for me to get there and to stay for any length of time so having this kind of information is amazing. It's a generous thing. I sometimes wish I could do more training go to classes or training holidays, but I just can't physically manage it anymore, but the sharing and enthusiasm I found here helps a little bit.

 

[HAH]

So, day 1 training was yesterday evening. Kipper had had a fairly inactive day so was keen and fresh, and we'd missed his 2pm meal so he was also pretty hungry
There were 3 other people in the class, a husband and wife with 2 young bedlington terriers who took one human each, and a 7 month old Collie with her owner. We were the new bugs, as the others knew each other from having been to several classes already. We decided I'd do the training and OH would stand at the side and watch, which was phenomenally useful as I didn't have much focus on anything but Kipper!

The training was in a very large open shed (like a horse manege) and we were all spaced out in a large circle at one end with a raised bed each and foam blocks for 'Up'. The trainer noticed that Kipper looked a bit unsettled (tail down) when we entered, so said to just take it easy. He perked up once we were in our space, and apart from distractions he returned to focus pretty quickly, even at the end when he was tired.

To begin, we took it in turns to have 10 seconds play and then back on the bed to learn to come back down to focus after a period of arousal (high energy play). The underlying principal was to help recall from sheep, which the Bedlingtons were working on. Two dogs would have 10 s play, and the other dogs would stay on their bed. Then the 2 playing dogs would return to their bed and the other 2 dogs would have a go. Kipper was ace at the play, came up to high energy very quickly and settled again well - but he was then sick, poor lamb I think this was just the amount going on, and he was trying very hard - so we went for a little walk outside while OH cleared it up (bless him!) and Kipper seemed to bounce back and was hungry for treats so we carried on, but using 'Up' rather than play.

The next exercise was Middle, which we'd been practicing. Kipper was on lead all the time, so I found the handling awkward - but Kipper accommodated this and is coming on really well on both sides. I haven't introduced a verbal cue yet (we only started on Monday) but he's definitely got the idea. The other dogs were really impressive - very quick on command, and from some distance at times.

We then did Wrapping (I think that's the right term) round a cone. This was completely new to us. I stood very close to the cone, then asked Kipper to step one side and then then other in a half moon shape, giving him treats both sides (took some dexterity which wasn't always successful!) and a Yes! marker when he completed a semicircle. We swopped starting sides and practised this a lot.

Finally, we did Bowling where you bowl a treat away from you across your body, with right arm bowling to your left side (and right leg stepping forward) and vice versa on the right side. This is apparently a starter for agility training, and took me a while to get coordinated! Especially with the lead. But again, this is going to be a great one to practise in the small space of our garden - and the trainer said it's great for on-lead play too.

This all took an hour and 20 mins, so then we put the dogs back in the cars and had a final 10 mins summing up. The trainer also showed us a 'Stop' command at a distance with her Jack Russell, using a game throwing (large visible) food out in opposite directions for the dog to chase and then holding the hand with treat in up high above head so as the dog is returning they see it and then stop to see where it'll be thrown next. This will develop into a hand signal. The chasing was clearly more important than the food for this dog, so it worked v well and she said is a great game for strengthening recall.

I did feel a bit flat after the class, because I had been very fumbly with handling lead and treats and hadn't really heard all of the trainer's comments (which OH filled me in on afterwards: she said Kipper's Middle was really impressive given how recently we'd learnt it). I also think it was far more tiring than I realised, for both Kipper and me - although he was still pretty awake and playful in the evening, he was more focused and slightly 'easier'. Writing all this down, I've realised it was a lot in one session and Kipper did brilliantly. I just need to up my stamina and dexterity, which will come over time!
Sorry for the essay - as much for my defragmenting as anything else

 

[snowbunny]

It's a great write-up, definitely helps to defrag and to revisit later on when you can't quite remember what you did or why

The trainer noticed that Kipper looked a bit unsettled

This gave me big warm fuzzies. What a great start. Sounds like this lady is on the ball, taking into account the individual dog's emotional capacity.

Finally, we did Bowling where you bowl a treat away from you across your body, with right arm bowling to your left side (and right leg stepping forward) and vice versa on the right side. This is apparently a starter for agility training,

It's also great for recall training, although you'd normally be doing this off-lead. You'd introduce your recall cue as the dog is running towards you and then gradually move the cue back to the moment just after he's eaten the food, so you get that whiplash turn on the cue

It doesn't sound as if you should be feeling flat at all - you covered a lot and the handling skills you need will come with practice, that's all. You don't expect Kipper to get everything absolutely perfect from the get-go, so why should you expect it from yourself? Sounds like you did brilliantly

Is this a weekly class?

 

[HAH]

Thanks @snowbunny - you're absolutely right, too self-critical; we did do well actually, as a unit. Onwards and upwards!

It is a weekly class; we get 4 sessions as part of our introductory package, then can sign up for long term membership which I think we'll do.

 

[HAH]

Sounds like this lady is on the ball, taking into account the individual dog's emotional capacity

Absolutely - her name's Michell Ingham, and she seems very keyed in to each dog's thresholds and general demeanour. During the first play sessions she noted that the terriers weren't really getting to high energy, so said we'll work on that more next time.

 

[Joy]

It sounds like a really good class. Would you be allowed to leave the lead trailing for middle, if you find it a bit tricky to co-ordinate?
I like that method of training a stop. I was shown it on the IMDT course I went on and think it's better than the method I used to train Molly, which was to use a placeboard.

 

[HAH]

Would you be allowed to leave the lead trailing for middle, if you find it a bit tricky to co-ordinate?

This is a super idea Joy, I also thought I can get better at standing on the lead for close games so I have two hands free. I like that stop too - yet to try it, one for the weekend

 

[UncleBob]

Well done you. And thank you for sharing your experience with the rest of us

 

[HAH]

Thank you @UncleBob!