Learning to train my dogs

[Rocky]

My dad & I have a chocolate lab his name is Buddy & he's 11months old. My dogs name is Snickers, she is 9 months, & is a yellow lab. I've never trained a dog before until now. I told my dad that i want to train my pup becz she is mine & I want her to know that I am master & her friend. Snickers is a great dog I literally love her to death, shes part of the family. Snickers is really my baby girl I treat her as if I would have a kid. i couldn't imagine life with out her. i also told my dad that I wasnt him to train me so i can train snickers, i want to know what to do, how to do it, & if im doing things correctly or not. I understand that theres really no right or wrong way to train a dog. We now have a shock collar for both dogs which comes great because thats the main way she will listen to me. Snickers is pretty darn good at stay. I can go very far from her & she'll stay as long at every now & then I say "Stay" I like to hide from her at the park when my dad has the dogs attention I run into bushes, behhind trees, over logs, down paths, when Im ready I yell "snickers, Buddy Here" & blow the whisle a few times. i wait then blow the whisle again & yell "Here" & blow the whisle for the last time. All you hear is the rattling of their collars & their rrunning paws trying to find you. when they do they jump on me & lick me to death, I then have them start walking with me on heel & my dad then whisles & yells here, if the dogs are startled & not sure what they heard I yel to me dad do it again & he does the dogs start to book after him & get to him & we repeat that a few times. I just started walking with snickers on heel with the e collar my dad just yesterday taught [1.7.10] me what to do he shows me with my dog what to do so she knows this is whats happeneingg then he has me practice on buddy because hes less hyper & more into listening. i practice on him for a few to make sure im doing it correct & then i try with snickers. she did pretty good but needs more practice. Both of the dogs love the wat4er but the only problem with snickers is that she tries to breath under the water & that freaks her out & she stops trying to go deep. I wish it were summer becz I would swim out their with her to get the dummy. that what i did last time it was warm with our old dog Hemi I swam with him. I would not have a problem with it becz it makes her more comfortable knowing that im their with her to get her if something goes wrong. like the first time we took her to the ocean she wouldn't go out any farther unless I did. so i slowly went out farther & she followed. then she relaxed & we started to play. with snickers I am willing to get soaked by her from the water  as long as one way or another she brings the dummy back to me. at spanaway i walked into the water some to get her to get the dummy & be used to it. I am very prooud though of her. because she use to neveer want to play fetch at all & now she does, she brings the dummy back to me & the other day i was haveing her hold it afer she got it, i started running backwards making her hold it longer yelling hold hold and i stop & told her to drop. she did very well with this. tomorrow my dad & i are going to see cindy & bryant with our dogs to work with them on force fethch & more. I can't wait. I always have so much fun with my baby. our bond has gotten stronger & better, in the mornings for school she wont stop licking me and jumping on me until i get up then when i do she sits their on my bed waiting for me to get dressed for school when i start to she gets up in my room & walks around, when i open the door& walk around the house to do my things she follows me, watches me do whatever it is im doing, she will put her paws on the counter in the bathroom if im doing my makeup look at me & wait for me to pet her. if i sing to a ssong on the radio & shes in my room she will come sit next to me like shes listening to me. this girl means the world to me. her & I will have many many good experiences.

[Chessie_Guy]

Get involved with a training program, or a trainer.  It will benefit you and the dog.

[TEX-X]

I second that... depending on where you are get in with a trainer and learn as much as you possibly can!  reading books is also good...  there are alot of good books and DVDs around!  good luck!  if you have any questions let me know and i'll do my best to help you or point you in the right direction!

[Chessie_Guy]

Google 'Evan Graham' or 'Smartwork', if you are going to self-train.

[Rocky]

Well my dad & I are traing with someone, it's Cindy & Bryant Meyer with Rockin M Retrievers. We haven't been able to go out & see them becz we've been so busy. we went out their on saturday I'll post how it went after I type it up.

Training

This last Saturday my dad & I went over to Cindy & Bryant’s, our dog trainer. We brought both of our labs. My dog snickers did okay, I was a bit disappointed but it was basically her 1st time out there & we haven’t been able to work with both of the dogs with birds, The man my dad was suppose to get a bunch of birds from this man but he fell through so we haven’t been able to have live birds with them.

Snickers wasn’t interested in the bird at all, she would run to it but not bring it back. My dad was telling me it’s because she hasn’t had any bird in a while. When before I told him that she hasn’t had bird on months & she’s not going to do so good with it. We through a dead bird for her 1st but she ran to it & then went to smell around or was looking at the other dogs that’s in Bryant’s cage’s. So Bryant was teasing her with the dead bird, he got her excited & that was it. My dad told him to try a real bird but it has been months since she’s had even a real bird. Snickers would go after it sniff it & leave. With the force fetch she did much better. She pretty good at hold it, Now he wants me to practice walking while having her hold it & she did well with that.

My dads dog Buddy was next. But did a lot better with the bird, He went after it. Buddy would chase after that thing get it & bring it back. Once or twice he got distracted by the dogs I the cages but man he had a drive to get it! With force fetch he didn’t do so well though. He sometimes would take it, & sometimes not. When he did he dropped it when he wanted to instead of holding it like told. He would then cower down & Bryant still made him go after it, He had to use the ear pinch but it made Buddy go after it.

Today 1/12/09 I worked with both dogs on force fetch. Buddy was up first, I would tell him fetch & he would go for it but stop, I’d then go for his ear & then he would grab it. I used all different types of things for him to hold, For him to get use to all different things into hiss mouth. I had him take a fire hose dog toy, gloves, a brush from the garage, my deodorant, anything & just about everything. While I was doing this every about 5 times I’d give him a small treat, I’m trying not to give the dog’s treats every single time I do this because I don’t want them to thing they are always going to get treats. Because they wont, they’ll get my pride, lots of appreciation, & enjoyment.

While I was doing this with Buddy Snickers kept trying to jump up on the table & do force fetch. Snickers is more than willing to do force fetch. When it was her turn I put her up in the table & had her hold it for a few times then I took her off the table. I put her on the short leash & had her hold the fire hose while I walked her around the house. I made her hold it while cutting her off & doing sharp turns, made her jump up on the couch, chair, bed. I had her run up & down the stairs with me, go in circles turn around quickly, & jump up in the air. As I kept it up with her she was improving, the only thing was having her sit while holding it. She was able to do thins 3 times, not all the times I told her to sit but I am proud of her because she did very good. I had her stay when she did sit, I’d walk to the end of the room & yell “Here” & make sure to yell “Hold” at least once. Half way through I trusted her enough to do this off leash, so she did half on lesh & half off.

[Chessie_Guy]

With the force fetch she did much better. She pretty good at hold it, Now he wants me to practice walking while having her hold it & she did well with that.

With force fetch he didn’t do so well though. He sometimes would take it, & sometimes not. When he did he dropped it when he wanted to instead of holding it like told. He would then cower down & Bryant still made him go after it, He had to use the ear pinch but it made Buddy go after it.

Have these dogs been completely force fetched?  It sounds like you are just applying an ear pinch if they don't pick up the bird.  Force Fetch is a pretty formal program which takes weeks.  Once complete, a dog should pick up absolutely anything you tell it to, if it has been imprinted with that item previously.  If the dog is dropping birds/bumpers, Force Fetch should be revisited.  Additionally, it is usually not a good idea to associate too much pressure with actual birds, but that is a whole other conversation.

Here is a good narrative: Part Ihttp://www.oakhillkennel.com/library/force/force1.html & Part IIhttp://www.oakhillkennel.com/library/force/force2.html

[gasman]

They are both being worked on force fetch now.
It is our training regiment at this time.

[Chessie_Guy]

They are both being worked on force fetch now.
It is our training regiment at this time.

Cool.  Done right, it is the best thing ever.  I didn't FF my first dog, but did my second; the benefits are well worth the work.  I want to go back and FF my female, but she's almost six and I'm afraid she'd try to tear my face off (being a Chessy and all).

[TEX-X]

I posted a good how to on force fetching a few months ago... it's a good read if nothing else   

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,39745.0.html

and also you can tell your dad that he can get birds for cheap through B&M gamefarm for pretty cheap and they are shipped to your door...  I have a bunch of their couturnix quail and they work out great! just google them. good luck!

[gasman]

and also you can tell your dad that he can get birds for cheap through B&M gamefarm for pretty cheap and they are shipped to your door...  I have a bunch of their couturnix quail and they work out great! just google them. good luck!

I get my Chuckars from Old Dog and Quail from Bird Guy (both on the forum).
It is pigeons that i am haveing a hard time finding. Better to pay $3 a on a waste bird (pigion) and $6-9 on game bird Quial or Chuckar).

[TEX-X]

i paid 3 bucks (possibly 2.75) for the couturnix i bought through B&M

[Rocky]

Training 1/14/10
              Snickers I was working with her on force fetch before I went to karate & she doing even better than last time. She dropped it a few time when I told her not to, but not as much as last time. This time when I was working with her Snickers was actually sitting & holding like I’ve been wanting her to do, that made me very happy :] Then I kept having her walk around with me sometimes off leash, I’d have her sit/stay then call her to me. She did very well, then when I was almost done my dad called her. We had her go back & force to us once or twice holding it. Then last time I had her sit/hold longer. When I told her to drop I gave her love & appreciation & she tackled me down to the floor, pinned me down, & gave me very slobbery doggy kisses.
   I’m working with her on the bird because she’s not the interested into it. I have to tease her & put it in her mouth sometimes. When I would throw it for her she’d run to it sniff it lick it & then later on tried to eat it. Eventually I stopped because she was bout to eats it’s guts that were hanging out. She doesn’t want to pick it up but at least I’m getting her excited.