10-31-22 Lesson 5 Day 2

Testing on 12" retrieves. No issue, no EC Intro to 12" retrieves against an object. Ruth struggles with this concept. Several EC's I shorten the distance and make it easier for her to understand and succeed. Intro to 12 retrieves several hours later. Ruth is grasping the concept. No EC's.

Lesson 5 Fall RC

 I watched the lesson 5 videos then took Molly to a park in Burbank near my son’s house. There were quite a few dogs going for walks and squirrels in the trees. Fascinating to Molly, disease carriers to me 😂 

Anyway, this is how it went. 

Lesson 5 is uploaded.

Here you are, today's Lesson 5

Lu ex 4 retrieve

       High distraction.  Lu has never been in the chicken coop before. I do believe she thought this was a little bit of a setup. lol 

Fran w4 and ducks!

 https://youtu.be/V7wh0pYOW04

Week 5 high distractions

Week 4 Exam, Mary & Molly

We’re in California this weekend. It’s been a rush fitting in visits with family. Molly spent some time with my mom who had a stroke several weeks ago. It was sweet to see them together.

Then we met up with Mike’s family to go for a walk in the Redwoods. Yes, there is a redwood forest in SoCal at Carbon Canyon park in Brea. It’s amazing!

Then a late lunch at Lazy Dog Cafe. The dogs were a bit tired. 

We finally landed at our son’s house in Burbank this evening. We’re exhausted! Anyway, I wanted to get a test posted so we just did it in their backyard. Their new little puppy, Rosie, was quite the distraction as well as my granddaughter, Stella. Molly loves Stella and wanted to play with her and Rosie but it was work time!

This is Molly and Rosie at the end of the day.

We’re ready to crash, too.

Rebekah & Mimosa Week 4 Exam

Lesson 4 EXAM is uploaded

 Link to Lesson 4 EXAM

Wednesday 10-26-22 Piglet Distraction Training

Again, will update this later, but wanted these videos uploaded now for all to see.

10-24-22 Distraction training for Ruth, Kara and Shadow

 

More photos later to update this page, but this video is a good start. This was AFTER the wild turkey distraction retrieves.

In n Out

On our drive to California today, we stopped at In n Out for lunch. Whenever we eat there, we send pictures to our family. It’s just a weird thing we do. This was the picture I sent from our stop today. 

I wanted to share this because after I took this picture, it hit me that because of the Foundation Course this was possible. Molly held her sit/stay as people were walking by, pigeons were fluttering around looking for crumbs AND the biggest distraction? The hamburger in that bag in front of my soda. I have shared before that Molly loves food and that’s putting it mildly. So, to see her hold a sit/stay to pose is a big deal. A very big deal!! 

Fall RC W4 test

Fall Retrieve, Week 4

So here we are, week 4 in the retrieve course being introduced to the 6” fetch in the middle of a snow covered field on a snowy morning! It just doesn’t  get better than that!

Notice the distractions in the background? Molly did.

Later in the afternoon, we had our official week 4 training 

Monday (day 1) we went to the produce stand on Main Street. We pulled down the tailgate on our truck and did some fetches. There were people walking around  and a dog in the truck parked next to us that served as nice distractions. 

There are so many little steps to remember and timing is so important. It’s another challenging week. We have our work cut out for us.

10-24-22 RC Lesson 4 , Day 2 Ruth goes to Bar 86 and works there

 

Ruth's injury...can you see it?

This video is SloMo so mute the sound as what you hear sounds like monsters!

What is off? What is normal?

Fran w3 one inch with the CAT!

 https://youtu.be/784QKIhN0fE

Lu exam 3

 

Updates, reality, and encouragement

 Class,

So you know, as I've stated already, EVERY dog will have its Point of Contention (where it refuses to do the retrieve work) and EVERY student will hit their own, "This isn't worth the effort, I quit!" point. Happens in every Retrieve Class. I remember wanting to quit with Sugar at Lesson 2 when he WOULD NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH. Margot corrected him, in a way I refuse to do with ANY dog, and he opened his mouth. We got through Lesson 2 as that was Sugar's Point of Contention.  When we got to the "Hold" part of the retrieve training process, I was the one that wanted to quit as it was WAY harder than I thought it should be.  

All of this is being shared with you so each of you recognize the process to train an inexperienced handler with their FC trained dog is a journey, not a destination. It is what happens between the handler and their dog that makes this training process so time consuming as well as mentally stressful. It is also this training PROCESS (meaning NOT automatic nor easy nor simple), that creates the handler and their dog into a working team. 

Rarely is this retrieve training process linear, predictable 

and ever upward.

Instead, it often looks and feels like this:

As long as you hang WITH me, there is always a way for a handler and their dog to succeed, just it doesn't look like the same journey for any team. So, Alice/Mabel - breathe and know we'll get the two of you through where you are stuck right now. And Chris/Sarah - breathe and know that I'll get the two of you through where you are stuck right now, get you working on Sarah's right side, and experience success.  I've never had a single Retrieve Class were all the teams got through each lesson at the same time, not one time. Each team, handler and their dog, work at their own level of understanding and newly acquired skills and we build on that with each EXAM.

So, you may be feeling like this#$#!

Or you may be feeling like this.

However you are feeling, I understand as I've been there too, got the t-shirts to prove it, and went on to success. The best is yet to come, I promise. Breathe. 

Roxanne

Mary

 Mary, 

Good effort and you are far more conscious of the 1" retrieve. 

Pointers 

1) Keep your visual marker on the ground where your right hand needs to lock over. This marker is off, to close to Molly.

2) Cease rolling DB into her mouth. That rolling is causing you to move the DB back into Molly's mouth. Just lock your right arm over a correctly placed visual ground marker and hold it steady, apply EC pressure once you present DB at mouth "Fetch" when Molly fails to immediately get her mouth on DB.

4) LOVE the distractions!!!

5) Great thinking on using a backfield as a safety measure. 

6) And requiring Molly to keep DB in mouth, instead of barking, is EXACTLY the right thing to do in that moment. 

7) How many EC'S. 

Today, Saturday, I fo believe you can set up another session and pass the Lesson 3 EXAM. 

Week 3 Exam Run Through

 This has been a rough week mostly because my timing is off on the ear corrections. Here’s a try at the Exam. We had some issues and I should have done a few more ear corrections or “outs”. The distractions may not look like a lot but for Molly they are pure torture. Food is her first love!!! Anyway, here’s our attempt just to see what we still need to work on. 

Lesson 3 EXAM - 10 consecutive retrieves in HIGH distractions.

Link to Lesson 3 EXAM 

Lesson 3 reminder to up the ante on distractions.

Link to brand new location and distractions

I am sure you've been working your dogs against NEW distractions very HIGH distractions and in NEW locations.

================================================

You will need for your dog to believe 100% that you "Meant what you said 'Fetch = now' and said what you meant." That belief within the dog's mind is 95% of the retrieve training.

So, what new locations and distractions have you used this week to help your dog understand you, "Meant what you said 'Fetch = now' and said what you meant."?

This week is a tough EXAM and will be uploaded very early tomorrow morning.

10-19-22 Lesson 3, Day 4 in VERY HIGH DISTRACTIONS

The Warm-Up

Lesson 3, Day 4 in HIGH distractions. Ruth 

Link to the Double Chickens Training-:)

W3 EC Fran practice

 https://youtu.be/1-LPevimAdw

Lesson 3

 Lesson 3 is uploaded. Photo's, video's, class videos are all up including Lesson 3 Heeling Stick, the Right Turn. Also, Conversations Worth Hearing Lesson 3  is uploaded.

Don't be shy or hesitant on upping the ante on your training distractions this week. Make them count. 

Roxanne

Lesson 2 EXAM is uploaded

Link to Lesson 2 EXAM 

RTP Fall Retrieve 2022 TDC

10-13-2022 RC Ruth and Molly. HIGH distractions as Kara is in FULL standing heat. Lesson 2, Day 5

10-12-2022 RC Ruth and Molly and Kara too! Lesson 2, Day 4

Kim & Kara titling a dog practice

This was very helpful. Jessie reminded me of things we can and cannot do in the ring. Just practicing made me feel calmer.

10-11-22 Lesson 2, Day 3 with Ruth

Fall Retrieve class, Lesson 2

 Here we go with Lesson 2. Collar high and snug, fold over, thumb on ear, square up, fetch!

10-10-22 Lesson 2, Day 2 with Ruth, Open on Command with medium new distractions

 

Monday morning fetch on command.Practice run

 https://youtu.be/JZJpkXhqQRM

Practice run

Lesson 2: Open on Command

 Lesson 2 is uploaded. Class videos coming soon.

Lesson 1 EXAM

Link to Lesson 1 Instructor EXAM 

10-5-2022 Ruth's Leson 1, Day 4. Increasing distractions.

Link to Ruth's Lesson 1, Day 4 warmup with distractions 

Place in area of VERY HIGH DISTRACTIONS Retrieves in HIGH Distractions (take 2) Retrieves in new HIGH Distractions (take 3). Ruth ONLY resisted in 1 retrieve, when the critter was literally, in her face.

Day 3 Mild distraction

 https://youtu.be/BFwJGTo6Kik

Dowel placement

 https://youtu.be/LIi0lUhFToM

Ruth RC Day 2

Ruth, RC Day 2 

Week 1 Fall into Retrieve '22 - Rebekah & Mimosa Class Work

Fall 2022 Retrieve Class, Lesson 1

 Retrieve class began today! Roxanne started with an overview and stressed the importance of doing ONLY what we’re taught, nothing more, nothing less. There is a process that involves exact steps for specific reasons.  I want Molly to be successful so my plan follow the plan!! Besides, I don’t want to lose any stickers 😂 

Here’s Molly and me doing the fetch for the first time.

We have to do 30 a day. I c add me home and did 3 more sets of 5. Molly did a great job.