I will write about the force fetch as we go along. I have already put the first day on the blog and now I will just write about each day kind of like a log book.
Sally holding a bumper.
Sally with a bumper.
Sally walking down the bench.
March 30, 2018 The over night temperature had been well below freezing so I waited until about 10:30 am to work her. Working her on the retrieving bench is easier than working them on birds. I just have to take an e-collar and piggin’ string to the kennel. She jumps onto her house and I put the e-collar on and lead her out with the piggin’ string.
Along with the force fetch we work on her heeling. I heel her for a few feet with the piggin’ string then whoa her and take the piggin’ string off. I slap my leg and tell her to heel. Most times she does it pretty well. After a few feet of heeling off lead I whoa her then tap her head to let her run. I go to the retrieving bench and wait for her to come to me. I pet her then tell her “up”. She jumps onto the retrieving bench.
I walk her back and forth on the bench, stopping her and I pet her. I have the pulley system on my bench tied where it will not move. I snap her collar to it. I put the string around her leg above the tarsal joint and then around two toes with a half hitch. I made some bumpers out of 1 1/2 inch schedule 40 plumbing pipe. I just cut 10 inch pieces and wrapped duct tape around them to make them easier to hold.
I petted her for a few minutes then held the bumper in front of her and said, “fetch”. She didn’t reach for it so I pulled on the string. The first time I had to put a little pressure on toes but after the first time she took the bumper as soon as the string got tight. I let her hold the bumper for quite a while, maybe 45 seconds, as I groomed her ears and tapped on the bumper. She held it really well the first few times then she got lazy.
She took the bumper, instead of in the middle, she was toward the end. Then she acted like the bumper was really heavy and it turned her head sideways. When her head got sideways the bumper slid out. I pulled on the string and slowly bent over and picked up the bumper. I held pressure on the string until she took the bumper. As soon as she took it I let off the pressure. That was the only time that the bumper was heavy enough to turn her head sideways. Dogs will try to beat you any way they can.
I set her on the ground and let her run for a few minutes. When she came close to the retrieving bench I had her jump onto it, again. This time I just walked her back and for the petting her. I took her back to the kennel.
About 2:00 pm I put her back on the bench, after letting her run for a few minutes. After hooking her to the pulley system and putting the toe hitch on I held the bumper in front of her and said, “fetch”. She didn’t even try until I pulled on the string. As soon as the string got tight she reached for the bumper. She’s still not moving very fast for the bumper.
After the first time she, usually, will take the bumper without me pulling on the string. I want her to grab the bumper so I started pulling on the string then saying, “fetch”. I had her hold it for a very short time then took it from her. I pulled on the string again and said, “fetch”. We did this over and over. She started getting faster.
I’m going to do a lot of repetitions of this to get her to grab the bumper. She is doing really well for this only being the second day of the force part of force fetch. I rode the 4-wheeler while she ran around the yard. After a few minutes I put her back in the kennel.
Sally
3/31/18
I was going to work Sally three times yesterday but life got in the way. I only got to work her twice but she’s coming along real well.
This morning when we got to the bench, before I could say, “up”, she jumped onto the bench with so much exuberance that she slid off the other side. She came back under the bench and jumped on top. The instant she got to the top she looked over the side. A squirrel took off from under the bench and she jumped off the bench and was right behind the squirrel. I called her and she came back. I said, “up” and she jumped back on the bench. She was still excited and watched where the squirrel had disappeared. I petted her until she settled down.
Sally doesn’t look on this force fetch the way a person would. She is ready to get back on the bench. In fact she loves the attention or she wouldn’t be so ready to jump onto the bench. I do a lot of petting and I tell her what a good dog she is over and over.
Sally
I walked her back and forth on the bench then hooked her to the pulley system. I want her to reach quicker for the bumper so I’m pulling on the string, gently. That is kind of hard to explain but she knows if she takes the bumper the pain goes away. Now I’m not pulling hard enough for her to feel pain as long as she reaches for the bumper. She is also still trying to figure out what she can get by with. One time this morning she wanted to try to refuse the bumper. As I tightened the string she decided that wasn’t the best choice.
This morning I had her reach for the bumper. She didn’t reach far but I held the bumper above her head and sometimes below her nose a few inches. It seems like she does better above her head right now. She will get better on both. I had her holding and giving before I started the force fetch. That has really paid off. She very seldom drops the bumper.
She, also, is going after the bumper quicker. I will continue to tighten the string before I say fetch for a while.
Sally
When I finished I set her on the ground, tapped her and said, “okay”. She went right where the squirrel had gone. She was really moving but the squirrel was gone. I let her run for a while then since she wasn’t in sight I hit the tone on the e-collar and called her. As I walked back toward the kennel she passed me. Before we got to the kennel she went across the fence to the north. I knelt down, hit the tone button on the e-collar and called her. She came right to me in a dead run. I put her in the kennel after petting her for a few seconds.
I came back out in the afternoon. I had left my piggin’ string in the house so I led her from the kennel with a leash. We have been working on the heel command off lead. I hooked the leash to her collar and heeled her out of the kennel. I whoaed her and hooked the leash around flanks. I slapped my leg and told her to heel. She walked along side of me better with the leash than she had when I took the piggin’ string off. I released her but decided to take the leash off so I called her back. I removed the leash and let her run until I got to the retrieving bench. When she came to me I said, “up” and she jumped onto the bench.
I walked her back and forth on the bench. I stopped her and petted her every few feet. I attached her collar to the pulley system where she couldn’t move. I put the string around her toes. I held the bumper in front of her mouth, pulled the string and said, “fetch”. The first time she is slow and I have to put a little pressure on the string but she reaches for the bumper. I took the bumper from her then held it above her eyes where she would have to reach up. She took the bumper with no problem.
Luke pointing quail.
As she holds the bumper I caress her ears, tap on her muzzle, tap on both ends of the bumper and tap her chin. I tell her to “hold” as I tap on her. One time she took the bumper by the end. I knew what was coming. I tapped on the bumper and it slid out of her mouth. I pulled on the string and slowly picked up the bumper. When I put it in front of her she grabbed it. I tapped on both ends of the bumper and it didn’t move.
Another time she spit the bumper out. Again, I pulled on the string and reached slowly for the bumper. When I put it in front of her she grabbed it. I let off the pressure on the string.
Most of the time she held the bumper great. She is trying different things to see what she can get by with. I had her take the bumper 20 or 25 times then put her on the ground to run around for a few minutes. I put her back in the kennel.
Dogs do things, to see what they can get by with, just like we did to our parents or our kids did to us. Earlier I couldn’t get by with this but maybe I can this time. Training dogs is not too much different from training kids.
Sally on point.
Tur Bo
Tur Bo on a pigeon.