Force breaking Rock on the bench

HighCotton
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Force breaking Rock on the bench Jun 30, 2012 20:24:19 GMT -5

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Post by HighCotton on Jun 30, 2012 20:24:19 GMT -5

I thought I would toss a few pics up here of my last force break session with Rock. For those that don't have a dog, but enjoy a good upland hunt with a guide and his dogs, this is what we do in the off-season.

Since it's been so hot lately, I tend to spend more time with my dogs on the bench. They love the attention (most of the time) and "force breaking" is so valuable once afield. I spend most of my time with Rock as he is young, shows keen intensity, and I love the bond that grows between us. Right now, I simply reinforce Whoa, Come, Fetch, and Hold. Here are a few shots from this morning when it was a bit cooler.

Here, I let Rock get comfortable walking back and forth on the bench and then in an instant, give a one word, firm "Whoa!" He knows to stop instantly, in any position, and stay locked until I command "Come!" Check out his eyes. He's watching me because I will sometimes give a hand signal to come instead of the verbal command:

Now I spend some time getting Rock to hold the dummy. Again, one word command, "Hold!" This is a good pic on a successful training session. They don't always go so smooth on this command, though! But he is still young, I love and praise him, and just have a ton of patience:

"The pleasures and companionship of roving the fields and woodlots with a well-trained dog is an experience no man should miss nor boy be deprived" Robert G. Wehle (Founder and Breeder of the Elhew English Pointer)

esshup
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Cal and Dottie (R.I.P.)

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Force breaking Rock on the bench Jun 30, 2012 22:33:35 GMT -5

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Post by esshup on Jun 30, 2012 22:33:35 GMT -5

HCG, if the dog tends to pick up the bird (real bird, not dummy) by a head, wind or leg, what do you do to get the dog to grab and hold the body?

This last Springer is my problem child. Of the 5 that I have had, she's the only one that isn't driven to retrieve, and had to be force fetched. All the other ones would go thru hell and high water to bring back a dead bird, and the matriarch would grab then pin down a wounded bird so she could roll it around and grab it by it's back to keep from getting spurred.

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HighCotton
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Posts: 5,820

Force breaking Rock on the bench Jul 1, 2012 9:47:59 GMT -5

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Post by HighCotton on Jul 1, 2012 9:47:59 GMT -5

Jun 30, 2012 22:33:35 GMT -5 esshup said:

HCG, if the dog tends to pick up the bird (real bird, not dummy) by a head, wind or leg, what do you do to get the dog to grab and hold the body?

This last Springer is my problem child. Of the 5 that I have had, she's the only one that isn't driven to retrieve, and had to be force fetched. All the other ones would go thru hell and high water to bring back a dead bird, and the matriarch would grab then pin down a wounded bird so she could roll it around and grab it by it's back to keep from getting spurred.

Good question. And you know (since you've forced) that it isn't always easy. And every dog is different. And it takes a ton of patience!

I'm certainly no expert. However, I do have a few thoughts. Some years ago, I was working with GSP. This was the fellas first dog. He was great with a dummy, but ran from a crippled, clipped, or live bird. The scenario may not be identical to your case, but I tried a few things that worked well with this dog.

First, I kept the fetch to short sessions, using a "mostly" thawed quail. At first, the dog would not retrieve the bird. But, he loved sitting and mouthing and playing with the bird. I let him do this on a few sessions. The mostly thawed seems to give good scent and the dog liked it.

Second, I moved to working with another trainer who helped me. He recommended an old school trick he learned from his Dad. We used pigeons and quail stuffed down an old nylon stocking. The bird was live, but apparently did not pose as much of a threat to the dog. This turned out to be the key transition to live birds.

As you know, nothing is a guarantee. Those are just some quick thoughts that come to mind from previous experience.

"The pleasures and companionship of roving the fields and woodlots with a well-trained dog is an experience no man should miss nor boy be deprived" Robert G. Wehle (Founder and Breeder of the Elhew English Pointer)

esshup
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Cal and Dottie (R.I.P.)

Posts: 13,282

Force breaking Rock on the bench Jul 1, 2012 13:14:54 GMT -5

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Post by esshup on Jul 1, 2012 13:14:54 GMT -5

Good suggestion on the nylon sock. Retrieving isn't the problem now, she's retrieving on my terms now not hers. Working with pigeons, she wants the bird, but just has to realize that it's O.K. to grab the whole bird. She's definately strong enough.

Like you said, every dog is different and she's "different"!

www.hoosierpondpros.com