Training schedules

[Kerry Webster]

Good idea Prue.......rather like my habit of writing down each dog's performance at trials, and the results. Shows me any patterns developing etc.

Just off the training schedule topic, and switching to trials. I can't believe that you guys are starting your trials already.

Actually Im amazed. Don't you have snakes over there ????

We don't start our trials till Easter, mainly because of the heat but also because of the risk of snakebite. Mind you it still happens (snakebite that is). They are there all year round.
The heat is the real killer of trials though. Even in April it can be in the 30's.
I envy you all the extra trials, especially spread over almost a whole year. Our trials are jammed into 5 months, making every weekend a trip to either a N & R or A/A trial. It's too bad if you do obedience, agility etc.

Kerry

[Kate Eltringham]

Hi Kerry,

We do indeed have snakes but it's one of the occupational hazards of trialing as we've also seen them in the middle of winter!!!

Although our trialing season is starting this weekend we do have two months June/July where we don't have trials. Having come from SA I find this odd as to me, winter is the prime time to be trialing weather wise for the dogs rather than summer where last year at Shepparton the temperatures we 48C!!! But as many people say it's our choice when and where we run our dogs.

Cheers

Kate

[Gareth Tawton]

Hi everyone,

Part of the difficulty in dog training is knowing how and when to alter your training program to suit your dog. The ability to "read" a dog is so important. A concept that a dog finds difficult to grasp may require your sole attention for several days. Sometimes the dog may require a day or two break to get over the mental pressure and then everthing falls into place when you revisit the concept later on.( sometimes it doesn't!!)
On the other hand, easier concepts may be able to be learnt two or three at a time.
Either way, each concept needs to be taught, tested and retaught if required. Your dog should be able to perform the task/concept in at least 3 different locations before you should consider that he/she has mastered the task.
I have a heap of various training programs and am part way thru writing a new "australian" version that I am going to follow for my new pup. I will talk to Jason about getting it up on the website once I figure out how to transfer my scrawled hand writing into pretty pictures on the computer. Might take a little while!!!

Gareth

[Robert Tawton]

Hi All,

I believe Gareth has hit the nail on the head when he wrote,"Part of the difficulty in dog training is knowing how and when to alter your training program to suit your dog. The ability to read a dog is important." The only alterations I would make is to substitute the word "difficulty" with the word "skill" and change "important" to "of paramount importance".

In developing a program to suit your dog you must firstly gain a clear vision of the goals you are seeking to achieve. In general terms, the goals of the programs should be to:
Instill and maintain obedience
Develop and maintain control
Maintain momentum
Develop marking ability
Improve memory
Improve hunting ability
Teach lining and casting
Teach the dog how to handle adverse factors such as cross winds, side hills, heavy cover, angle entries into water and diversions, which come in many forms including Two Birds, Double Falls, marks before blinds and No-No birds.

With these goals in mind, the time you have available to work with your dog, its level of maturity, the training facilities you have at your disposal and the necessary resources, helpers, throwers etc will all need to be taken into consideration.

In an overall sense, a teaching program for young dogs might look something like this;

7 weeks to 3 months
crate training
socialization
play retrieves
"come" and "sit" and "wait" at meal time

3 to 7 months
bonding with the handler through walks and play
further obedience training on "sit", come", "heel" (single and double sided), learning "kennel" and "truck" commands
casting games
simple single and double retrieves

7 to 12 months
Force-Fetch (once adult teeth are in place)
three handed casting exercises
whistle conditioning
force to pile
single "T", double "T", modified double "T" and Run by
Swim by
Steady to shot
more difficult "non-cheating" retrieves and simple triples

12 months and over
lining and casting drills
cheating singles
cold blinds
retrieves involving placement concepts, tight angles, remote entry into water, pyramid and indented triples etc
blinds with diversions
return to basic training as needed and for re-inforcement
begin all age training.

Trial dogs should stay in regular and consistent training while ever they remain in active competition. This is in order to gain and maintain the consistency and "polish" necessary to be successful. At all times one should strive for a balanced program with an emphasis on maintaining momentum. By this I mean that for every long mark you should do a mid-distance and a short mark; for every land mark you should do a water mark; for every land blind you should do water blind and this applies to both "taught" or "hot" blinds as well as "cold" blinds.

The following program is designed for advanced dogs worked daily over a 30 day period, after which the cycle is repeated. The program provides the regular training on control, marking, hunting, memory, lining, casting and blind retrieves necessary to underpin success. The amount of training that can be accomplished in any one day depends on the time available, the eagerness of the dog and the availability of resources and/or help.The schedule is designed for someone who can train before and/or after work and on weekends. On some days it may be possible to do only one exercise while on others two or more. Nevertheless, the variety and rotation should be maintained in order to cover all the important aspects of training. In addition, the principle of maintaining flexibility should not be overlooked and constant adjustments may needed if your dog is to gain the maximum benefit. At times there may be a need for greater emphasis on blinds and at other times the emphasis may shift to marks and in some cases to improving control if heeling, creeping or moving in the hide become an issue.
Day 1 - single marks at varying distances
Day 2 - three-pile lining drill on land
Day 3 - multiple marks in water which may include Double Rises, Double Falls and/or Two Bird retrieves.
Day 4 - casting drills on land
Day 5 - multiple marks on land, doubles, triples, Double Rises etc
Day 6 - lining drills for angle entry into water
Day 7 - single marks into water at varying distances
Day 8 - Cold blinds on land with and without diversions
Day 9 - single marks on land at varying distances
Day 10 - cold blinds in water with an emphasis on angle entries
Day 11 - mulitple marks on land
Day 12 - "ABC" drill - single marks where subsequent marks are pinched to the previous fall and/or launch point
Day 13 - three-pile lining drill in water
Day 14 - multiple marks in water
Day 15 - depth perception marking drill using large white bumpers thrown as singles with casts angled toward and away from the Firing Point
Day 16 - lining drills with diversions, lines under the ark of a fall , past a fall and/or launch area (look for tight lines)
Day 17 - multiple marks on land
Day 18 - multiple marks in water
Day 19 - three-pile lining drill on land
Day 20 - multiple marks on land
Day 21 - single marks on land at varying distances
Day 22 - cold blinds on land
Day 23 - single marks into water at varying distances
Day 24 - cold blinds into water
Day 25 - three-pile lining drill in water
Day 26 - multiple marks on land
Day 27 - heeling patterns, "come in" and "sit, stay and come" drill
Day 28 - single marks in water at varying distances
Day 29 - mulitple marks in water
Day 30 - depth perception drills in water - marks thrown directly toward or away from the Firing Point - use white bumpers if necessary.

I hope that, in part, the above answers the original question posed by Teresa. In closing, I cannot stress enough the importance of developing a program and recording, on a daily basis, your analysis of how the dog performed the "task/s" for that day!!! On this point, Prue is at least half way there, well done!!!

BFN, RWT

[Jason Ferris]

Thanks Bob and Gareth. Very useful stuff.

Cheers, Jason.

[Mark Sewell]

That is a fantastic training outline Robert. It's interesting that you use the Modified Double T in your basics training progression. I am almost ready to teach it to my dog now after completing all of the other basic drills, as well as wagon wheel lining and the three-pile lining drill at increasingly acute angles. I have found that he needed these additional skills in order to consistently accept "the line" and not switch piles. I did attempt the Modified Double T immediately after completing the traditional Double T but I felt as though it was asking a little too much of him at that stage in his training. Anyhow, I believe it to be a very powerful drill and can definately see the advantage of teaching such a pattern.
Thankyou for providing the information that you have Robert and I did read with interest your description of how to train the Double Rise retrieve. That was most appreciated.

Reagrds

Mark

[Robert Tawton]

Hi Teresa,

I have given more thought to your original question, so let me share with you this additional information. In my experience there are two facets to the overall teaching regime. On one hand there is the yard work, with its main focus on drills and teaching basic concepts. On the other hand there is the field work which exposes the dog to all the factors that affect a dogs performance like gullies, side hills, cover, water, wind etc. The transition phase is all about taking and further developing skills taught in the yard and applying them to real life experiences in the field and/or in trials.

In my view a dog has completed its basic yard training when it has reached and completed "Swim by" and in the field it can successfully complete easy land triples, easy water doubles and long non-cheating water marks, delivers to hand and it is steady to shot (off lead).

Again in my view, the transition Phase has four parallel streams, three of which are directed towards further developing yard skills. The focus of the fourth stream is on field work where the enhanced yard skills are starting to be applied in differing and real situations. Stream No 1 consists of wagon wheel lining drills followed by 8 handed casting drills. Stream No 2 includes Land Pattern blinds followed in turn by Blind drills, taught land blinds and cold land blinds. Stream No 3 consists of water cheating single marks, taught water blinds and cold water blinds. Stream No 4 includes lots of therapy marks (easy land and/or water marks designed to maintain momentum and to offset any pressure that may surface as you progress through Streams Nos 1 through 3). Handling in the field is introduced as dogs are taught to hold their lines in the face of factors such as side hills, wind etc. Marking concepts like depth perception exercises, Double Rises, Double Falls, Two Birds, pyramid and indent triples are introduced.

As I have said before, the need to maintain a level of balance in your training and to continually foster momentum should never be overlooked.

Teresa I hope this all helps and I am more than willing to take questions.

BFN , RWT

[Jason Ferris]

Bob

Would you be able to elaborate on what you mean by "casting games" for young dogs?

Thanks, Jason.

[Robert Tawton]

Good morning Jason,

Casting games are how I first introduce a dog to the concept of looking at me and following a hand signal. These games do not follow the formal structure of pattern work as in three handed and eight handed casting drills. Nevertheless, for the purpose of explaining my approach I will use some of the terms often used to describe those formal structures.

For example, with the dog on a rope (for control) and sitting on the pitcher's plate facing me at a distance of only 1 to 3m, I will throw a single dummy 3 to 4m in a direction towards 1st base immediately commanding "fetch" and at the same time giving the "over" hand signal. Over time, the "fetch" is replaced with "over" and the delay between my throw and "over" command is increased, as is my separation from the dog and the length of the throw. Again, over time the concept of "back" and "over" to the right are introduced. The basic difference between this approach and say 3 handed casting drills, is that every retrieve is in a slightly different place and there is only one dummy to be retrieved. When the dog is proficient and you have advanced to the stage where the control rope is no longer required, you can attempt "Walking Baseball".

Walking Baseball is an exercise that most dogs really enjoy! It is difficult to describe in words without the aid of diagrams, but I will try and give it a go. Start in the middle of a football field (Position P1) and with your dog beside you throw two dummies (A & B) in directions that are at right angles to each other. Leave your dog at P1 and walk in a such a direction that to retrieve Dummy A would be a straight "back" command - retrieve Dummy A. You are now at Position P2. Now throw Dummy A in a direction that is 180 degrees from the line from where you are standing (P2) and Dummy B. Leave your dog at P2 and walk in such a direction that the command to retrieve Dummy B would be a right hand "over" - retrieve Dummy B. You are now at Position P3. Throw Dummy B in a direction that is at right angles to the line from where you are now standing (P3) and the line from P3 to Dummy A. Leave your dog at P3 and walk in such a direction the the command to retrieve Dummy A would be a straight "back" - retrieve Dummy A. You are now at Position P4 and the process is repeated over and over. I hope I have given you sufficient detail to grasp the concept, which is to progressively move around the field by doing an alternating series of "backs" and "overs" working with just two dummies.

BFN, RWT

[Teresa Parkinson]

Thanks to everyone for their input to date. What a lot of great ideas to sift through.

I keep a daily diary of all the training I do (thanks to someone whose name I won't mention but starts with 'W' and ends in 'e'!). Prue's idea about setting out a monthly plan certainly has great merit in my opinion. Although long-term goals need to be clear, short-term ones are just as important, as much for maintaining trainer momentum as anything else.

Bob, thanks for your detailed response. When my dog is finally at an Advanced level, your 30-day Maintenance Program will come in handy no doubt. I concur fully with you on the need to maintain balance, momentum and focus in training. Bill Eckett made that abundantly clear at his seminar last year and it remains the single, most useful training tip for me.

Gareth, I for one, would love to see your 'Australian' training program when you finally get it up and running.

On an unrelated matter. As I work towards Restricted and AA with Jock I don't mind saying that I don't relish the thought of standing at those pegs for the first time (in a long time) trying to be as good a handler as I can be for him. I know it's unlikely to be pretty! Do any of you more seasoned triallers help less experienced handlers learn how to handle their dogs better during training sessions?

Something that impressed me about Bill Eckett was his ability to quickly analyse the dog work and help handlers out. To my way of thinking, this was an invaluable training tool and one which is certainly not available to a lot of triallers. I also saw a similar thing many years ago at a training weekend where some very competent and well-respected AA handlers helped some up-and-coming traillers handle their dogs at the pegs.

Of course nothing teaches like experience but by the same token, every little bit helps.

Teresap

[Julie Cramond]

Teresa,

Bill is going to spend some time training the trainers to handle ie deflection casting. Hope he is not standing behind us with his big stick, not for the dog but for the handlers butt. I will not need a softening cushion, but you being so slim might.

[Teresa Parkinson]

Great news Julie. Can't wait. I don't suppose we could convince Bill and Becky to move Down Under permanently?

Teresap

[Brian McMillan]

Robert;

I read with great interest your daily program for maintaining an advanced dog. I was wondering how how to fit a trial into the schedule. And do you do anything diferent, training wise, the days leading up to a trial?

Brian

[Vivienne Jones]

Bob,
Great information. I wish I had information like this when
I started retrieving.
Many thanks.
Regards,
Vivienne

[Robert Tawton]

Hi Brian,

Before I respond to your question, let me provide you with a brief insight into my background and situation so that you are better able to place in context my comments and observations. I come from a hunting background and commenced trialling my first GSP in 1968. Apart from the period November 1976 through September 1980 when the Tawton family lived in the US (Maine and Virginia), I have been constantly involved in the Australian scene as a competitor, an administrator and a Judge. In addition to the 4 year period spent in the US, I have been lucky enough to make many return visits. Over time, I have had the good fortune to meet and received first hand advice from a number of your top trainers such as Jim Gonia, Jim Swan, Mike Lardy, Dennis Voight, Jim Dobbs and more recently Bill Eckett. This list is not all inclusive!

I live in Canberra which has an abundance of training sites all less than 20 minutes from home. We also have a small band of very dedicated trainers who meet most weekends (that is when we are not away competing) for group training and to exchange ideas. Furthermore, I retired from the workforce in 1998 and so am in the enviable position of being able to train seven days a week all year round.

I purchased the first of my four Labrador dogs, a yellow, in 1988. Currently I own three black males: Justcallme Mac who retired at the end of 2003, rising 12 years of age; King of Kanbera aged 61/2 years and Tanks Aheap, aged 15 months. My dogs are in continuous training, except perhaps for about three weeks immediately after the Nationals, by which time the handler is mentally exhausted and needs his batteries re-charged!

I have often use the term “teaching” rather than “training” and often compare teaching dogs to ironing a huge tablecloth. This tablecloth is so huge that as you focus on one corner and start ironing out the wrinkles you invariably stand on some other portion, thus creating wrinkles in an area that you have previously ironed. It appears to me, that in seeking perfection, one spends an inordinate amount of time going round and round trying to make the wrinkles smaller and smaller. Bill Eckett at the seminar he presented in Australia in January last year said, “To be an effective dog trainer you must firstly be a teacher; you must be flexible; you must be thorough; you must always seek focus and balance; if you experience difficulties then simplify; you must always seek advancement and most importantly, you must strive for a positive attitude in your dog.” The program included in a previous post is underpinned by the ideas and concepts listed above.

I also endeavour to develop a well rounded and balanced dog and do not systematically train to suit certain Trial grounds and particular Judges. That is not to say that if I know a certain Trial ground has water on it suited to a channel swim, that I would not do a channel swim in the days or weeks leading up to the trial. Certainly I would do channel swims, but only as a part of an overall water training package.

For any athlete to perform at his or her best (and make no mistake our dogs are athletes) they must be physically fit, be well prepared, they must be mentally sharp and well rested.
I therefore probably train harder, in a physical and mental sense, during the off season, as I seek to iron out the big wrinkles and develop the dog’s complete understanding of all the various concepts. Training on the Monday and Tuesday before a big trial is noticeably more demanding than on Wednesday and even less so on Thursday. Friday is usually set aside as a rest day, especially if I have to travel for long periods to get to the Trial Site. A couple of hand thrown dummies on the morning of a Trial is useful to clear the cobwebs out.

I trust that the foregoing has answered your question. Nevertheless, if you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me, privately if necessary.

Regards, RWT