Carrying and holding

We have spoken alot about Luna holding things and carrying things..

Thought I would let you see this.... So you can see she will hold and walk with things.. AND do a sit/hold.... Its just the dummy she doesnt like very much

I posted the video clip under the picture's section, but thought that it did have a bit to do with training Luna.

Might take a wee while to load.... so be patient

So here you are:

http://www.zippyvideos.com/69734246985585/lunaogsnor/

How did you teach her to carry things?!
She looks so cute!

Well Heather, she picks things up herself, I then tell her to "hold" and then after a few seconds I say "let go" in danish and praise her

You could try with things in your hand, and the second Teagan takes it.. say "Take it" and praise..

But I'm sure there are poeple here, who are much better at it than me.. Luna simply loves to carry things.. so its a natural build up (she just doesnt do it with the dummy .... yet...)

Thats an interesting video J.

Luna is walking well, and most importantly she's keeping an eye on you.

Its difficult to comment too much from a video, but what comes across to me is that Luna is doing the exercise because she thinks thats what you want and not really doing it because she enjoys it, of course she should do it because you want her to, but she should also be doing it because she wants to.

I'm not quite sure how to approach this, but I think the quickest route would be to really go back to basics, this could mean only playing with Luna for a few weeks and not giving her any commands at all, this won't give you a blank canvas, but I would hope it will make it a little easier for Luna to understand what you want her to do, I'm thinking maybe there's a clash between the Obediance and the new training.

I don't know anything about obediance but I would assume that the handler does the thinking for the dog, I don't mean that to sound they way it probably does, I mean the handler gives the dog a command which the dog knows involves it doing a certain thing and the dog goes and does that thing, gundog training is slightly different in that you are using the qualities that have been bred in to the dog, ie retrieving in labradors, and quartering in spaniels which you then develop through the training, and essentially the dog knows through breeding what it needs to do, but with training you shape its behaviour to the way you want it all to happen and where you want it to happen. As we can see from the video, Luna is already displlaying one of those qualities as a retiever which is carrying an item in her mouth, the trick now is to shape that in to carrying anything you ask her to do, the dummy in this case.

What you really need to do in the first instance is to get Luna focused on retrieving, tennisballs or what ever, the way to do this is as AMTS has already said, to make it a fantastic game with you being as silly as you can, get down to Luna's level, no commands, just play, do it indoors if your not comfortable with being seen doing it, teasing Luna with a toy, not quite letting her get it is a good way of getting her wanting something, then let her have it and you try to get it off her with out quite managing to get it off her.

Once you've got Luna wanting an item then you can start wrestling it off her playfully and throwing it away, she'll start chasing after it and bringing it back to you to carry on the game, then the training can really start.

I'm not going to say what the next stage is, I think its important we get Luna playing with you, and you happy with playing with Luna.

It might be that what I've said is irrelevant or not applicable, if so ignore me and I'll go back to my corner

As a postnote I would be a little concerned that you are actually trying too hard with the retrieves and giving her too many, so she could become bored with it, I'm actually training a 10 month old springer at the moment and brushing up on the training of a 3 year old who's gone a little rusty, my fault as AMTS has already pointed out to me, (something about no bad dogs just bad handlers point taken )

To give you an idea of of the way I train retrieves with the 10 month old springer, I have a peg which I push in to the ground, I put the dog on the slip lead with the lead attached to the peg, I then stand on the lead so there is a little pressure, the lead is barely taut, I then throw the dummy talking to the dog all the time and reminding her what a good girl she is sitting there, I then steady her for a second or two before walking out and getting the dummy my self, get back to her put the dummy away out of sight and give her loads of fuss and kisses cos' she's so clever sitting and waiting for me to come back.
I do this may be 6 or 7 times then 3rd or 4th time I slip the lead of so she hardly knows I've done it, give her loads of fuss talking to all the time again, then I say "find it" and off she goes like lightening for the retrieve and straight back to me but I only ever let her retreive once maybe twice if the first was a good retrieve.

As you can see the dog doesn't do much retrieving, the idea is to make the dog hungry for the retrieve, and loose a bit of weight my self with all that retrieving give them to many retrieves and they get full up on it and can't be bothered.

When I walk the older springer we'll be out for an hour or two and I'll give her a blind retreive over a hedge in to a field and then I'll drop the dummy in the long grass a couple of times walk on and send her back, and thats it.

Probably a load of nonsense, but maybe it will help in some small way.

Hi

I've printed your post out so I can read it properly...

Just wanted to say, that Luna actually takes this herself.. The handle I mean.. And for carrying foodpackages home from the supermarket.. she wants that herself too.. I cant carry a thing in my hand without her trying to take it and carry it... I dont ever "force" or order her to take this..

Right, will read this post you've made and get back to you

And thank you very much for taking your time to help me

J

Interesting post Lolli I agree on most of it
Nah just kidding. It was good.

J, if I can butt in a bit? (try stop me ) I know Luna wants to carry items by herself but maybe the trick is either not to allow her at first as its your amazing, interesting and very precious item?
Its simply something you feel so good about that you just cant give it to her just like that. Maybe that will get her worked up a bit? She wants it too you know Imagine how exciting it would be if she had to share with you maybe you´ll even take turn in carrying it OMG eh?

Or maybe let her have it and be silly as suggested earlier? When she takes the handle to carry, get excited, get silly, get 5 years old . Its playtime, funday, call it what you want , but man its fun when she does that and my god is she the most clever girl out there

Just on the top of my head and as suggested earlier

AM - without any corner to go back to

Thank you both

I've just read the post from you Lolli, and it makes sense...

Before I read the post, I took Luna for a walk.. I brought the dummy... And when we got to the corner of a football field, I went in to it, down on my knees and kinda pushed the dummy in front of her not letting her catch it.. When she was alert and really wanting it, I threw it, and she went for it and came back to me with it.. I gave her lots of praises and high voice and woohoos....

She did it 3 times in a row, and then we stopped.

I doubt we are doing the retrieves too much I would actually say the other way.. Not enough. I havent done it every day...

But I should for the next few weeks simply stop giving her commands.. bringing a ball and a knotted t-shirt and play with her instead...?

And then AM, when I walk home from Netto, I shouldnt let her carry the thing? But keep it for myself acting like its the most precious thing in the world?

Right I think I can do this.. We do have obedience training on sundays and agility on mondays.. But I could skip the retrieves at training on sundays, if that's better?

A really really good post Lolli, and please dont crawl back in your corner

J

I would carry on with what your doing J, but don't concentrate on the retieves so much and make much more of the playing with Luna

Thank you. I will keep trying