Ragnars sagas

27/12/2024

✅Today Ragnar sat behind the gun line in the picking up line for one drive.

He won’t be a picking up dog as I hope to trial him. However as with all mine I like to expose them to all disciplines of the shooting scene.

✅However not until I have control, so I would not do this if he was not steady and could not stay in a sit. I also would not do the steady part of we had not unlocked the drive!

Just like I won’t take a dog beating until I can heel it on and off lead for the most part. I like to have control before I release the drive, but again not before I have the drive or you can flatten the drive out of a dog. Thankfully all our dogs are extremely well driven.

✅All parts of training are inter linked and have a knock on effect to each other.

02/10/2024

✅little Ragnar is coming along nicely.
We now have:-
Basic sit stay
Basic hunting
Basic retrieve
Intro to heel
Verbal recall
Whistle recall intro
Intro to whistle sit
Intro to stop to shot
A solid ahhh ahhh

✅Train the dog in front of you!
Not all dogs are ready for this and you can quickly ruin a dog…

Because Ragnar is quite chilled and takes everything in his stride I decided to expose him more closely to gunshot and a flag flapping around.

Making the shot at distant almost irrelevant! Yes I want a sit to shot but I also want the gunshot not to be ether scary at this point that he becomes gunshy or so exciting that he whines!He did a great job and took it all in his stride.

✅He has been around the bustle of people on shoots and dogs. At times he has been petrified of strange dogs but we have just ignored him and he has learnt that because I’m not reacting there is no need for him to react.

I’m sure there will more times again when he is unsure of things but hopefully through my strong leadership he will follow my lead!

🏆Lead your dog to success by being a strong level headed leader!

15/09/2024

Ragnar practicing sit means sit and don’t move or shuffle. 💪🏼

12/09/2024

Ragnars first bit of Heelwork, previously he had been on a slip a couple of times but not walking just getting used to it. At first he freaked out but I persevered.

❌No choking and pulling on a slip
❌No pulling
❌No restrictive harness
❌No injury from harness
❌No need for food
❌No fears of hurting my dog

🏆A slip
🏆A good “no” word established
🏆A good relationship between us
🏆An understanding between us

🌍www.southdownsdogservices.co.uk
📧[email protected]
📱WhatsApp txt 07886576433

09/09/2024

Little Ragnar is still in basic training.
Soon I will be ramping it up with him. I have mostly spent my time hunting a small area, few retrieves and basic recall so far. Allowing his drive to kick in and nurturing it. Never more than a few metres away from me unless on a short retrieve 💪🏼

22/08/2024

Little Ragna moving up to a full size dummy 💪🏼

20/08/2024

Little Ragnar is such a pleasure to train.
His basic obedience is coming along nicely.

Sit with hand up when on move!
Recall to sit and don’t move until told!
Sit and don’t move whilst I move around!

Installing basics early on 💪🏼

🌍www.southdownsdogservices.co.uk
📧[email protected]
📱WhatsApp txt 07886576433

16/08/2024

⚠️The Power of Praise and Corrections in Dog Training ⚠️

✅When it comes to training your dog, how you communicate is just as important as what you’re teaching. At Southdowns Dog Services, we believe in the balanced use of praise and corrections, but the real secret lies in your tone of voice.

✅Why Tone Matters
Dogs are incredibly intuitive creatures, especially when it comes to picking up on the nuances in your voice. A warm, upbeat tone can make praise more effective, helping your dog understand they’ve done something right. On the flip side, a calm, firm tone during corrections can convey seriousness without instilling fear.

💡 **Tips for Effective Training:**
1. **Consistency is Key:** Always use the same tone for praise and a different, consistent tone for corrections.

2. **Match Your Tone to the Message:** Happy, high-pitched tones for praise; low, firm tones for corrections.

3. **Immediate Feedback:** Praise or correct immediately after the behavior so your dog can link your tone with their action.

Remember, your dog looks to you for guidance. By mastering your tone of voice, you can create a clear and positive communication channel, making training a more rewarding experience for both of you!

🏆Getting a decent negative marker as well as the good boy we all have is key to all your training journey. 💪🏼

🏆Here is Ragnar 4.5 month old having a go at a dead partridge which was predated!

✅All controlled by tone of voice 🙂

06/08/2024

✅Little Ragnar hasn’t had to much formal training so far.

✅So at just over 4months I have started to teach sit means sit and done move until another command or a release is given.

✅This is important as it’s the start of the stop whistle later on. It gives me freedom to sit and walk and place a dummy.

✅So many things can come from a basic steady sit.

✅Also incorporating a mini recall as well.

✅Then a release noise/word

✅All in a few minutes training.

04/08/2024

Today we were out having a few cold game retrieves with the adults. We decided to see how Ragnar did.

He was curious and took some encouragement but he was soon retrieving a partridge.

We let him have a few and ended it as it is still early on in his retrieve training. I don’t want to install bad habits on game.

Please that he wasn’t silly with it and he brought it back though.

31/07/2024

31/07/2024

Little Ragnar back to his training today after a week off whilst we were at the Gamefair doing a demo with his Cousin Stiora.

Love this little dog, he is going to have his challenges but with consistency we can over come them and hopefully mold him into an amazing dog 🐶