Rio and I entered our 1st Hoopers show to day run by DATA at Wrexon, it was a day of almost clear ! We both throughly enjoyed it. Lots to work on , mainly me !
Tracking
Rio Tracking
Rios tracking is going well, today we had a couple of firsts.
1st 4 leg track and 1st with added time, 20mins. Bit of a wind issue on the 2nd leg hence her head is popping up a bit. Rio is now locating the start herself, I’ve completely removed the treats placing a ball at the end, if it we’re even possible this has increased her drive to get to the end. I’m pleased she is also identifying the L/R turns well. I will be going back to straight legs as I need to slow her down a bit so that I can hopefully improve the accuracy, I have a plan for this which I’m confident will work. Early days and lots to work on.
This is a short clip of Rio tracking a straight leg, it was completely blind for her so when I returned to the van to get her it was about 10 minutes old , a taster for all attending the Tracking Workshop at the weekend. A culmination of 7 days, 15 minutes a day . I introduced control at the start but next week I will be tasking Rio to find the start herself , putting more length on the track and looking to slowly introduce a turn. I’m not one for doing tricks with my Malinois , she’s a high drive working breed and I’m a big believer that if you teach or train others you should at the very least be able to demonstrate your own skills and that of your dog. Being from a professional background I see things differently and although there will be benefits to teaching tricks , stimulation, helpful in some areas of training It would be good to see some of the trainers advertising courses on FB actually showing their dogs tracking, obedience , agility , scent . I have met several trainers who’s dogs are really good at tricks and I’ve also seen them working their dogs to a high standard in various disciplines, these are the trainers you should be going too !
Just arrived in , 90% sun shade sheeting , 3mtr x 4mtr, 6mtr x4mtr and 8mtr 4mtr , from £45 . Shown here on the van is 4 x 3 mtr
Will be taking them to Caerphilly!!!.
Rio and I have been learning hoopers at Data for several weeks now. It is starting to come together with a lot more work needed , mostly me understanding what I’m meant to be doing ! This clip shows our very first almost complete run, wrong side of the last barrel which was my fault but I’m so pleased with her.
All set up at the Motorhome and camper van show at West Point Exeter, opens at 10am Fri/Sat/Sun. Mention this video and get an extra 10% off sale prices.
From this Friday for 3 days we are exhibiting at the Camping & Caravan and motor home show at West Point Exeter, amongst our electronic products are our new range of fans from hand help up to 10 inch . On the lowest setting they will run for 15 hours. Light weight and very portable, get yours in good time before the rush next summer . Great for keeping your dogs or horses cool.
Rio just loves this !! If you were ever looking for a working dog ( Not a pet) and want a dog that has it all then this is it !! I can’t stress enough that unless you are going to work this breed and offer more than the average stimulation then Don’t get one !!! You will regret it and end up putting it in rescue!!
Today I have been looking at distance control in the down position after having charged out for the toy.,here you will see a down at quite a distance then closer in. Dog owners will often say to me that their dog is so highly driven that it never listens to commands!! They don’t come much more highly driven than a Mally and Rio is no exception. Notice I’m not shouting at the top of my voice , just calm and clear commands. For those that maybe thinking , can she do that in a live environment the answer is yes !! We took small steps and gradually built the distance, as long as Rio can hear my command she will down at any distance!
I haven’t put any video of Rio on recently so I thought I would put these. I regularly get asked about how to stop a high drive dog charging out for the toy , marking the correct behaviour at the very start of training is key. Here is one clip showing the ball going out quite near by and one at distance. Rio , although desperate to run out understands that until she gets her release command nothing happens . This is the same of all the training that we do which is included in any search training !
Good training session today at Wrexon, really pleased with Rio, it’s coming together.
Regular Scent Training .
I have been asked by a few people if I would consider regular scent classes . Taking green dogs and teaching them with their owners to just have fun or prepare for competitions. New teams who haven’t imprinted their dog yet can learn how to get the indication first then introduce the target scent . So it could be a bit like agility classes, have different classes for different levels.
We can even put you through a dummy trial so you can feel what it’s like.
If competition is your aim then we can work alongside you and get you up to speed so that you have more confidence going into it.
We have our own venue in Plymouth so can accommodate all weather conditions. Maybe you want to train others !! So we could run classes for those interested in the training side ! It matters not who you are affiliated to the training is the same . If you are very competitive then we can help get you to then highest level you and your dog can achieve.
So from the very start to the experienced if you are interested please let us know . Numbers will be limited per session at the present time which will mean you get more training !!! Shane & Rio
Popped in to see Aida again today in the new virtual re homing room , she was a star , Aimee has got her more interested in a toy now and she will leave for a treat , she’s still very much a puppy but doing so well !!!
We did a bit of proof training today for 2 reasons , firstly to make sure 100% Rio has identified the target scent and secondly to make sure she is not indicating on training articles to get a quicker reward as they will try at times !! Once you are satisfied that only the article with the target scent is indicated time after time then hide all the articles out of sight . In these clips it shows Rio doing exactly as I had hoped. The target article was moved around and placed in different positions. Rio can be seen making her own decisions !!
Today was search the chairs !! Along with the gun oil I had someone place out some various sticky tapes as a distraction, you can see Rio shows interest in a particular chair , a distraction scent . Makes the decision to carry on, watch her as she passes the last chair !! Caught the target scent on the wind , her body language says it all !!!
Again we started the search into the wind .
There are times when I will use a lead which gives me more control over the area and other times a free search . With a free search if your dog goes out of sight there is a chance they may locate a hide but the handler is not there to see it, commonly handlers will recall the dog which if a hide was found out of sight it could have a negative impact!
