• ODT Gun Show & Swap Meet - May 4, 2024! - Click here for info

When to train...??

Burdy

Default rank 5000+ posts
ODT Co-Founder
Forum Owner
259   0
Joined
May 16, 2010
Messages
9,523
Reaction score
6,096
Location
Calhoun
Today I took Hank out to do some retrieving, but I did something different than usual, though not on purpose. Usually I come home, change clothes and work with him. Well, my wife stays home most of the time so he runs free all day chasing everything in sight. Alot of times he does well, but you can tell he is worn out, tired and not really "feeling it". Today I came home, put him in his crate so I could go weed eat down by the road (I dont like to take him anywhere near the edges of the property) He was in the crate about 2-3 hours. I let him out when I was finished and we went to train immediately. Now, I dont know what he did in the crate, Im assuming he slept/rested but wow was his training different. He was spot on with everything. He casted perfectly, he held all the bumpers and the Dokken perfectly, he stayed till released, blew out at the bumper, came straight back sat down and held until "give". He did this every single time the exact same way for about 15 minutes and I shut it down. Im definitely going to try to mimic this scenario in the future.
 
I had heard it was better to tire the dog a bit to get the energy out so they could focus. I normally go out and throw a bumper for about 10-15 mins before beginning training. Maybe I will try different from now on and see how it goes...Interesting find regardless.
 
You were right Burdy. Lately I have been training when he is fresh, and man he is right on! When he is tired he is a lot more sluggish but when I train him right after work he is much more responsive.
 
Working on hold and perfecting heel. He heels well but he has a hard time stopping when I stop and I think its due to poor eye contact. He is not watching me when we walk so when I turn or stop he doesnt realize it until he has already taken two more steps.

Also working on steadiness. He knows sit and come very well. The version of sit that I teach is a combination of sit and whoa (sit until I give release command). So I will lather the dummy up with bird scent and get him all riled up, tell him sit, throw the dummy, and not let him chase til I release. Retrieving is also worked on now and then. He likes to play keep away (and I like it too b/c its less work for me to keep him wore out :)) but I know this is an awful habit so slowly I am making him bring the dummy back to me after he runs and fetches it.

He has come very far lately. I have started collar conditioning and he is really responding well. We have only been training formally for a few weeks so I am proud how quickly he is catching on for how little time we have been training.

I know Hank is still gonna embarrass him when we get them together though! lol
 
Nah, looks like we've concentrated on different things. I haven't worked heel much at all. I use sit-stay the way you use sit. I wish I would have used your way, but he does stay well. I have worked him in almost a week, cause I can't get him off the chicken coop. I'm thinking he has got to give up at some point.
 
LOL well the only thing you cant teach your dog is prey drive, so be happy he has that naturally. I just finished building my pigeon trap so hopefully I will be able to trap a few and bnring them up your way. If you have any pigeons on your property let me know because the pigeons population doesnt seem to be very healthy down here in my neck of the woods. If you have a lot up there I will put some traps out on your property to see if its productive.
 
I trained Hank while he was dead tired today. Instead of bringing it back, sitting and holding, he brought it back and layed down at my feet, lol. I guess its better than some of the alternatives.
 
Back
Top Bottom