Split Retrieve and 'Out' command

I haven't practised split retrieves with Olive in ages, so wanted to have another go and see if I can start progressing to teaching her directions when doing a retrieve. I haven't done directional work with her at all so this is something completely new. To begin with I just want her to concentrate on going in the direction she has been sent by my hand.

I started off with some VERY basic split retrieves...

2 dummies and going to the last one thrown first (in the books it says this is the easiest option for puppies) http://www.youtube.com/watchv=TCE_84FkG8U&feature=youtube_gdata_player

2 dummies and going to the first one thrown (I told her to leave the one I didn't want her to go back too, not sure if this worth doing or not?!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2UltuFVyqk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

3 dummies and going to the first one thrown. Happy with this as she is always following where I am directing her. Put a rabbit dummy in there to make it a bit more tempting as she loves that dummy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRuHG0DkPNM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I was happy with this so thought I would try facing her and starting a left and right direction to see if she would get it. I used the command 'out' for both sides with an exaggerated hand gesture in each direction. I am not entirely sure if this is right as I haven't been to a group class in so long, I am just training her from books at the min!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2S_DTN8qy8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I left it at that as it had been a good session and wanted to end on a high note.

From here I think I will try stopping her to whistle. Throwing a dummy left/right and directing her 'out'.

Went to the beach this weekend so mostly concentrated on having fun!

Taking it up a notch

I am trying to really push Olive and perfect everything now, as we are planning to do Working Test next month. Had a great session with her today doing different types of retrieves, trying to incorprate stay, sit to whistle, recall away from dummy, back command, into the the retrieves so we are perpared for whatever comes up in a test. She is doing well, if she's hot and tired she will concentrate a little less but generally I am so pleased with her retrieving at the mo.

Today I tried setting her off running, and then dropping the dummy down when she wasnt looking. I would then continue walking for a while, stopp her to whistle, recall her and send her back. She was super at knowing she is meant to be going off to look for something, and really eager. She found the dummy everytime and good delivery too. Very pleased :) :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aClhg2JA2Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I am hoping this is the start of her learning blind retrieves.

I also tried putting her in a stay, walking off and putting dummy down in woods, returning to her and sending her. Again she did super. I was really impressed as I tried this when she was a little younger and she struggled to concentrate on using her nose to find the dummy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3LLRG0X79w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Next water retrieves!!

Break through

I bought some new dummies at the CLA game fair at the weekend. I nice light puppy dummy and a rabbit one. I played about with Olive in the house with the puppy dummy, getting her excited about it and holding it, and then following me holding it. This worked really well and when I was throwing it out for her to get she was bringing it back presenting :)

YAY

So I took her out on the field later and practised a proper retrieve with her and when she was on the way back with the dummy I started running away and calling her and playing as we were doing in the house, i then asked her to sit and she did a nice present.

Think it's all starting to come together!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldJzehIaCT0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Vizsla Fun

Today Olive had a fun day out walking with her brother, our friend's Vizsla, Ruby, and a Vizsla they are looking after for the weekend called Chester. Chester is related to Olive and Wiley and comes from the same breeder. I also had a Yorkie called Dolly staying for the weekend, so she came too.

We went to the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge in Epping Forest. They dogs had a great time running around together, hunting, and playing. We practised a few stop whistles, which went well, and did lots of 'stay' for photos.

Update

We've had a break from training for a bit as I have been busy working a lot recently.
I managed to get Olive out to do some today, need to get back into practising every day to sharpen her up again. She is still delivering to hand 80% of the time but I am not worrying about catching the dummy off her anymore as I am continuing to teach the 'hold' and plan to incorporate this into the retrieve.

I did a long retrieve with her http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4tO95cRA-o&feature=youtube_gdata_player which was good she is still eager to run off and get dummy and return.
Good back retrieve http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ93AQkITns&feature=youtube_gdata_player
And hold still looking good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP-kXK6fmDk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

So Olive is still coming along ok, and I know we are going to eventually get there with a solid delivery to hand and present. Need to work on hunting and water retrieves still though when I can find time!

Hold progress already!

Really pleased Olive has made progress so fast with this... and just in one day !

We started off at this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mWEDQD5H78&feature=youtube_gdata_player

which I was chuffed with!

and then added a heel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-K93a-BnM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

really pleased she got this, as heel and hold bit confusing for her at the same time, when I am saying two commands!

and then this (trying to mimic a present) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjueWmALDgs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
again she is slow with the recall but this was the first time I tried it, and I could see she wasnt sure what to do, as she wasn't concentrating on holding.

Teaching 'Hold'

I wasn't planning on teaching Olive the 'Hold' command, but we have been having a bad week with the delivery to hand so I thought I might try going down a different route to get there. Olive's delivery to hand has always been fairly good, but it is more a case of me catching the dummy off her in time, rather than her actually understanding that she is holding on to the dummy until I ask her to give it to me. I want to improve her pick up of the dummy aswell, which is messy (she is still very young so I haven't been too bothered about this), she tends to grab the dummy, and dangle it from one end bringing it back to me, or sometimes she will drop it and re-pick it up. She needs to eventually pick it straight up, get a good hold, and bring it straight back.

So yesterday I started by putting the dummy in her mouth, which she wasn't too keen on, I sort of expected her to be reluctant to hold it to begin with. Then I stroked under her chin praising her to stop her from dropping it. When her grip loosens and she goes to drop it I say 'ah ah' and she will keep a hold which is good. I was able to move my hands away and she kept holding the dummy. I gave lots of praise and repeating of the word hold. I found when I praised her she would get excited and go to drop it, bless her. I will try doing the hold with her later and building it up until I can walk around her and she holds it.

The big goal here is for her to be bringing the dummy back to me on a retrieve, and for me to say 'hold' and she will keep hold of it and 'present' the dummy to me.

Here she is holding the dummy...