Teaching Directions

Lexy88

Lexy88

Well-Known Member
Today's training for Blade is teaching him directions and improving our 'send away'. We didnt quite grasp send away when we were learning it at club lessons [and we havent been to club for probably a month - my fault, I lost motivation to go out on cold winter evenings], but it was targeting by shaping? I think - where we would stand back and click and reward the dog for going to the marker and then lying down by it - everyone in our class achieved it within a couple weeks, me and Blade never did, Blade just doesnt have the attention span or interest for trying to work out what I want him to do, he will just wander off after a min or two [and we were first introduced to send away in Janurary].

So I decided to do it my way lol. I made up some markers with what I could find in the kitchen - cut up a blue ice cream container into four big blue squares and sellotaped a plastic knife to each so I could stick them in the ground and make them quite visible. Out on the lawn I stuck them in the ground, one about 8 paces directly out in front, another about 5 paces to its left, another to the right and the fourth about 5 paces behind the first one. I made Blade sit and stay.

To begin with, I would walk out and put some treats in front of the first marker. Go back to Blade and point to it and say 'away!'. Since he had seen me go, he knew there was something there, ran out, got his treat and then came back. Yay! I did that a few times. Then tried off to the right. 'Away right!' And off he went. Same with left and 'away back!'. Then I mixed it up a bit and would visit two or three markers but only leave a treat by one of them. And I would point to the one I did treat and say 'away ***!' and off he went and had to come back without visiting the others that I did, but didnt leave a treat. Then I would leave treats by a couple, and direct him to the other markers after he had visited the first I had sent him to.

So after just one session, he is following pointing directions and verbal directions! Yuss!!!

But, am I doing it right? If I was then to move onto hiding things about the lawn/garden without markers and without him seeing me do it [obviously one step at a time], would he be able to follow my physical and verbal directions? Or am I going about things the wrong way?? Advice appreciated :)
 
Dodge

Dodge

Well-Known Member
:)wow,well I would say whatever works for you and Blade,is obviously the right way of doing it,you have achieved in one session what he couldnt quite graps in months of doing it somebody elses way,well done to you! But thats just my humble opinion,giggle:LOL:
 
mewzard

mewzard

Experienced Member
mmmm We haven't done /away/ so not sure i have any advice. I must say that that is quick learning though...some times the trick is to find the way that works for your dog.

With your great description i might have a go with Oka.:)
 
fickla

fickla

Experienced Member
I don't have much advice to give you since we don't have this exercise in the U.S.

Our "go outs" are to the back of the ring so most trainers do a touch based go out and then tell the dog to sit before they have the opportunity to touch. Others have had success with doing a retrieve based go out with the retrieval item hidden until the dog gets real close (and again sit the dog before they get there). It is very difficult to teach a plain run out until I tell you to stop going in that direction. Even field trained dogs know that there is always a target (Bird, bumper) out there waiting for them. In the U.S. the reason I like the touch based go out vs to a target or retrieval item is that we always have a physical barrier the dog is going to in a real trial and I can even have the dog do that in the ring if I'm willing to take the lost points.

Your exercise is much harder than ours! Here is a link to a piece Fanny Gott wrote on it:
http://www.fannygott.com/go-outs
 
Lexy88

Lexy88

Well-Known Member
I am testing Blade's direction following today by making him stay out of sight while I put some treats down at markers,- so he doesnt know which markers I have 'treated'. I am also going to change the lay out of the four markers, putting them further away and at irregular angles, rather than a T shape. Will keep ya'll posted :)
 
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