Hanks chicken craziness has (Thank God) finally subsided and we back to training. Now I have been drilling retrieving pretty hard as I feel like that is the least natural command he knows, but he is becoming quite the lab. Im feeling very good that he will be sound at retrieving.
Over the last two days I have done something that has helped tremendously. I am doing most of his retrieving from what most people would call my back "porch". Now my porch is designed to just house firewood that can be put into the house thru a small wood door that comes out beside my fireplace. There is no "real" back door. There is no railing on the porch and it stands about 4 feet high with one set of steps.
If you are viewing the porch from above, the house is on the South side and the retrieving area would be North, the steps are leading up on the east. This is important, because I am standing at the far North East corner (or top right corner). When I stand there the steps are behind me and to my right. In front AND to the right of me is a 4 foot drop. Hank sits on my left, he cannot sit in front of me 1 inch, or the drop off is there, like wise he cannot come to my right side. I throw the bumper and give the command which is his name. He leaps off the porch retrieves the bumper and is FORCED by design to go up the steps on my right hand side, behind me and sit next to me at the only available place...to my left and lined up perfectly side by side. I make him hold for a few seconds and then "give". As I have moved from the porch to the ground, he is now making that little loop around my back and sitting directly to my left like he has to when on the porch. If I didnt have this porch, and knew what I know now, I would build a platform for the same purpose. It works very well.
Over the last two days I have done something that has helped tremendously. I am doing most of his retrieving from what most people would call my back "porch". Now my porch is designed to just house firewood that can be put into the house thru a small wood door that comes out beside my fireplace. There is no "real" back door. There is no railing on the porch and it stands about 4 feet high with one set of steps.
If you are viewing the porch from above, the house is on the South side and the retrieving area would be North, the steps are leading up on the east. This is important, because I am standing at the far North East corner (or top right corner). When I stand there the steps are behind me and to my right. In front AND to the right of me is a 4 foot drop. Hank sits on my left, he cannot sit in front of me 1 inch, or the drop off is there, like wise he cannot come to my right side. I throw the bumper and give the command which is his name. He leaps off the porch retrieves the bumper and is FORCED by design to go up the steps on my right hand side, behind me and sit next to me at the only available place...to my left and lined up perfectly side by side. I make him hold for a few seconds and then "give". As I have moved from the porch to the ground, he is now making that little loop around my back and sitting directly to my left like he has to when on the porch. If I didnt have this porch, and knew what I know now, I would build a platform for the same purpose. It works very well.