RETRIEVING AUSTRALIA FORUM

I would be interested in hearing how people go about teaching their dogs to leave a No No bird.

Whilst I have heard several handlers say to their dogs "poison" or "leave", and have seen it often enough in the field, my interest is in teaching the young dog the meaning of this instruction.

Is it taught during parkwork? At what age do handlers generally include this as part of their dogs education ? What distances are normal for its introduction ?

I have the experience with my young dog of the instruction to "leave it", complied with at a short distance, but not understood at lengthier retrieves.

Can anyone assist here ???

Kerry

Hi: My procedure for teaching 'poison' birds is:
1. Establish a sight blind.
2. Cue the dog on "dead bird", run the sight blind.
3. Run the blind again.
4. Run the blind with a gunner standing in the field.
5. Have the gunner fire a shot, run the blind.
6. Have the gunner shoot and throw a mark, pick up the mark, then run
the blind.
7. Have the gunner shoot and throw a mark, cue the dog with 'heel; dead bird" ignore the mark and run the blind.

Basic format usually taught in one 10 minute session, repeat later making the poison bird closer to the line to the blind. The dog soon learns that the cues "heel, dead bird" means run a blind and ignore the mark. I don't say "no" or "Leave it", as at times it may be necessary to pick up the mark after running the blind, and you don't want the dog to remember that he has been "no'ed" off it!
Hope this helps...
Doug

Hi Kerry,

I teach my dogs the “Poison” command primarily as a lifesaving command should they ever be attracted to a 1080 bait etc or to carry and/or eat any other unwanted material. The command means both to spit out anything the dog has in its mouth or alternatively do not to touch the object it was about to pick-up. It is initially taught as a food refusal exercise starting when they are 10 to 12 weeks of age. The command is useful in a Trial situation should a dog stray too close to a “poison” bird. Given the constraints of the new In Line Rule and the Rule covering use of Diversionary Game, handlers with a semblance of control should not experience any real difficulties.

Drills that are useful include establishing two concentric circles with large white dummies, pigeons and/or rabbits forming the inner circle and orange dummies (partially invisible to a dog) as the objects forming the outer circle. For the purpose of explanation; white dummies, pigeons and/or rabbits are placed at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 and 9 o’clock. Orange dummies are placed at 1.30, 4.30, 7.30 and 10.30. The object of the Drill is to be able to line your dog to the orange dummies and to have the dog ignore the objects forming the inner circle. After picking up all the orange dummies I regularly then pick up the objects forming the inner circle so as to teach the dog that it should only retrieve objects for which it is sent.

A second and more advanced Drill involves using both a thrower and the wind. Imagine a clock face with the wind blowing from 9.00 to 3.00. With the handler and dog located at 6.00. Now locate the thrower at 10.00 throwing towards 2.00 and at a distance of 75 metres. Establish three blinds each at a distance of 120 metres and on lines passing through 9.00 (Blind A – left of the line to the thrower), 12.00 (Blind B – under the arc of the throw) and 3.00 (Blind C – right of the land point for the throw).

As a set of three;
1. Run Blind A
2. Run Blind B and
3. Run Blind C.

Now as a set of four:
1. Throw the Mark and pick it up.
2. Throw the Mark – I use a soft verbal cue “NOBIRD” –meaning not for the moment. Like Doug I do not care for the “Leave It” command. Realign the dog, cue “Dead Bird”, Run Blind A, and then pick up the Mark.
3. Throw the Mark, cue “NOBIRD”, realign the dog, cue “Dead Bird”, Run Blind B and then pick up the Mark.
4. Throw the Mark, cue “NOBIRD”, realign the dog, cue “Dead Bird”, Run Blind C and then pick up the Mark.

Best of luck, regards, RWT