I have decided it is time to get up off the couch and really dive into our hunting training. We have a lot of obedience work to do before we're ready for actual field work, but that is no reason to put off getting our formal retrieve down. We started our formal retrieve in hunt class, but we have picked up some bad habits. Bernie mouths the bumper, carries it on its end or by the string and Oliver doesn't hold or bring the bumper back. So to sum up, we have almost no elements of the formal retrieve. All we have is a very solid "Out".
I'm not interested in using a force-fetch method as my dog training philosophy ties in with LIMA principle – Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive. I do not see why a solid retrieve cannot be established using positive methods, so here I am - taking on the challenge of a positively taught hunting retrieve! I am using the following as a training program: http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/retrieve.html. I had already started doing something similar as I had watched some videos Denise Fenzi had posted on her site about clicker training a formal retrieve (I believe obedience was the end goal in mind though). As of right now we are probably around Step 9 - "Hold the dumbbell out and click for the only thing in ring seven: mouthing/gripping the dumbbell." I want to repeat this step multiple times in training though because both dogs tend to gravitate towards the end of the bumper when its placed in front of them. I won't be moving on until we consistently have mouth grabs in the center. Right now I have been using a bumper for the training, but I really need to get some dumbbells. It is clear that the dumbbell is a key tool in teaching the dog to grab for the middle of the object. I'm also in the process of really building value for the bumper and taking objects. Bernie has no issue with getting excited for the bumper, the minute it is pulled out he is bouncing off the walls - excited. Oliver, on the other hand, had no interest at first. If I wiggled the bumper around he would get excited and chase it for a short time, but he got bored with it very quickly. I am hoping that doing multiple Click/Treat (C/T) training sessions will build value for the bumper. I believe this is something referred to as the pre-mack principle. Oliver is more of a food-driven dog than a toy/play-driven dog, so every time we train with the bumper and he is getting treated for correctly grabbing it, it is my hope that some of that value he has for food will be transferred to the bumper. It seems to be working. When we first started training with the bumper Oliver was so disinterested I could barely get him to look at it. He knew what he had to do, but he had this look of disgust on his face. Now, today, we are at the point where he enthusiastically grabs for the bumper, no hesitation, no look of disgust. It is going to be a slow process, as we are all very new to this, but I am excited!
To-Do List:
1. Continue with Step 9 of C/T formal retrieve
2. Build Tug-Drive with both boys, especially Oliver
3. Play Susan Garett Recall games on a daily basis - nothing's more important than a solid recall in field work!
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