Giving up on Sendaway?

I`ve been trying to teach Daisy Sendaway for over 6 months now. Every couple of days I do a bit of scent-training which she loves, then I attempt once again the Sendaway. I put her in a down, or tie her up, waggle favourite Ballie at her, walk to a point, pat point (pretend to leave Ballie there), return to dog. On command she whizzes off and drops happily at designated point. After a few goes I only walk half way and try again. Daisy stares at me , puzzled, or goes to the spot I last stood on. I`m getting increasingly frustrated and Daisy`s getting more and more perplexed.
I`ve tried the method that worked with my previous shorthair (he learned it in a week!) - hiding ball in bush and sending dog to it. Same result. She KNOWS the toy isn`t there.
Shall I admit defeat?

are you using a send away marker, like cones to make a box, or are you talking more trials type send away?

Is this an obedience sendaway or trials sendaway?
Never do sent and sendaway in the same training sessoin, or in the same area

Do you clicker train??
I dont really know about obedience training or anything so dont know 100% what behaiviour you really want but I accidently trained Ben to run away to a marker and lie down on it no matter where I am just with my 1st ever trial at 101 things to do with a box type game

I wouldnt give up - just think of new ways to teach it
or mibby you are trying to go to fast, if she is perfect with you in one point and havng trouble when you move 1/2 way between what happens if you just move an inch at a time?? baby steps so she does not really notice

good luck - some things they just get and some things you have to work on

I used to do trials sendaway but my club does obedience sendaway. I can`t take a cone round with me so I`m using trials methods. My shorthair `got it` with the same method, but Daisy doesn`t. No we don`t use the clicker as she is toy-oriented and not bothered at all about food treats when `working`.

Okay I might be talking complete rubbish but here goes..

I taught Jaz my using a coaster! I put it down, then put some treats on it, then she ran to it and I told her the command 'down' and she laid down on it. Then I progressed because she thought her treats would be on it, so went straight there. Also after a while she went into a down without being told because I asked for it every time.

I'm probably not making any sense, and describing completely the wrong thing but you can't say I didn't warn you..

no that`s not rubbish - it`s basically what we`ve done. How did you then get her to go to a spot without first putting the coaster down?

I used to take my marker in Polly's case it eas a ball that I would attach to a perimeter then go off for a walk or play this toy was always associated with sendaway,and the only time she never actually got the ball was at a trial. as it was always followed by a recall.on returning fom the walk/play I would excite her by saying sendaway,i would then line her up, wind her up and let her go. Dont foget this is one of the hardest excercises to teach a dog as the last thing a dog wants to do is leave you,it really wants to be with you.
I have used the carpet method with food,but my new pup is totally food orientated so she will have food put in a pouch attached to a hook on a broomshank.
Sendaway can take a very long time to train,especially if you have a clingy dog.
Going back to Polly the time factor was not introduced until I had a good 50yd fast sendaway,then I had to run like hell to get to the toy to play with her was a lot fitter and a lot younger

Have you tried to go right back to the begining and reverse chain it.

Choose your marker, get her to lie down, click and treat. Do this several times, so that every time you get the marker out she lies down and you click and treat. Then put your comand in - then build up the distance she has to travel to get to the marker to lie and get clicked and treated.

If she knows that the command means "lie on that marker" the distance travelled should be imeterial (sp?) to her.

When you first start to build up the distance it has to be really short distances - e.g. one foot. Don't move on until she is doing that distance reliably.

As she has had trouble with this i would change the marker and (once she is lying on the marker reliably) use a different command.

Tonks is learning send away to a piece of a4 paper.

Arrgh
I had done a reply but the puter decided to sleep

Basicaly a dog does not have to be a foody to clicker train
The idea is its click reward, does not matter what the reward is it can be a chuck of a special ball or a wee tuggy
also sometimes a non foody dog can kinda get into food for training
Ben is not food or toy motivated (how difficult is that??) but I got him one day when he was in a learning mood and a bit hungry charging the clicker with extra yummy chicken
Now he is v excited when I bring out the clicker he loves to learn but sometimes spits out the food to get to learn the next bit!!
I have even found a better than clicker training method, the intermediate bridge, but I have lost the website!! will post when I find it

But basicaly with the sendaway 1st I was just playing with the clicker and a target and rewarded him for any interaction with the target
in one 5 min training sesh he learnt to run at high speed and smack a paw on the target
then months later for agility I thought I would see if I could reshape that to him running up and lieing on the target
took 2 5 min training sesh's
and I know nothing about clicker - I just searched you tube for 101 things to do with a box and went from there

I find the few things we have learnt 'free shaping' he does much quicker and happier than things I teach other methods
hopefully if we work it will get even better )once I start learning properly how to do it