Checked out a field trial this weekend.

Nice folks! Very low-key and businesslike, but willing to answer any question at all. Very tough stuff, but the more I look at it and read and work w/ the pup, the more I think I could do well enough to at least be involved in some way. I'm checking out hunt tests in a couple of weeks. Joining the local club when a paycheck comes around again.

Question: Most handlers seemed to have the dog heel on the right. Was I seeing this for real? Did I just see an unusual bunch?

This seems very awkward to me. Wouldn't you want your gun on your right if you were hunting? I'm not that coordinated with long heavy objects as it is--I can't imagine tromping through a swamp w/ a gun on my left. Is this b/c it's a trial situation and they want to give a line w/ their "best" hand? If so, these folks don't actually SWITCH heeling sides if they actually go hunting, do they? Heel is hard enough!!! Or, maybe they are just that phenomenally good they could really do that?

I've been heeling dogs on my left since I was a kid. Atticus is finally getting pretty good at it (unless another dog walks by...ugh)--he's almost 6 months and a fast learner, but I was slow to start on heel b/c I think the whole process turned into a battle of wills w/ my first dog... and he was winning for a while b/c I didn't really start off firmly. I want everything to be successful this time, even if it's a little slow.

Is there any clear benefit at all for me and dog in terms of trying to change at this point? Like I said, I'd think it would be really awkward for me, at least, to relearn.

I have trained my pup to heel on the left or right. Depending on which direction the bird is going to land on I want him on the side which will allow him to see and mark the fall the easiest. On the other hand there are plenty of folks who have their dogs’ heel only on one side. They can make good cases for either left or right side only heeling. It is one of those things that really depend on what you are comfortable with and what your dog will handle.

do you find any particular challenges to teaching heel on either side? do you do it simultaneously, just switching, or do you teach one side then the other, and mix it up last?

I'm very surprised that you saw predominantly right heeling. In fact heel at the left side is "usual" because more people are right handed than left and therefore most dawg are asked to heel on the left of a right handed shooter to keep the gun on the side opposite the dawg.

There are reasons and times when one might want their dawg to heel right if they are right handed, or heel left if the are left handed. That's why most competition folks like JJ and me teach two-sided heeling.

I taught Barney to heal to the left side first. Once he had it down then I taught him to heal to the right side. Now whichever leg I tap he will heal to that side.

AH--got it.

I was thinking to myself, good grief, how does the dog know which side to heel on and what is a command to make them know which I want...

but of course--I slap my leg, and that's how he knows to heel on the left anyway, so on the right shouldn't be such a big deal.

Silly, how I didn't get that. I'm making this more complicated than it really is.

Thanks!

Okay--one more question. OK--two. I'm a bit of a detail person.

As I put him through his paces at heel, dog always crosses in back?

And, even if he's not at heel, do I insist he cross in back, or does that habit create other probs. and instead if he's not at heel I just make sure he knows not to trip me up?

Any other heel details/tricks and tips/etiquette I should know before I get involved w/ starting to really train? It's the last obedience thing he doesn't have down pat.

Ah--one more, while I've got you. On come, I noticed most dogs delivered to hand while they were still standing and in front of the handler; others sat in front of the handler; some even returned to heel before the handler had the bird. Which is preferable, does it matter, and at what point should I care?

We're doing dummy work in the yard only at this point, or sometimes we play dummy hide and seek in the house, but I still have to hide behind a tree or run backwards some days to get him to come all the way and deliver to hand.

If yours was an upland bird hunter then you might wish to have the dawg deliver to hand in front and facing you ... not because that position is superior in any manner (it isn't) ... but because that's the way most bird dawgs folks teach their pups from the beginning.

A retriever should deliver to heel at the side designated by you, the handler, and facing forward. Why? Simple, you want the dawg's eyes focused forward for the next retrieve whether it's the 2nd of a double mark, a blind following a mark, or just simply to make sure that pup is always looking forward and up for new arrivals.

The frontal delivery promotes a "close enough" thinking attitude in a dawg's mind (IMO) and I just plain wouldn't accept that. Keep in mind that we teach not only by correction, we also inadvertantly do so by tolerating less than acceptable work product which is not teaching ... it's rewarding poor performance.


This is about as far away from heel as I will allow Cappy to make delivery to hand. Generally, I want HIS right thigh tucked up tightly to the outside of my left leg, and him holding the bird in mouth while looking straight forward until I take it from him by saying "give" or "drop".

This is another example of "close enough" being tolerated where it shouldn't be. Seems like I let Cappy "get away" with more during actual hunts than I do during training sessions when I'm more alert to the fundamentals.

Super pictures! Thanks for the info. Now I know what I'm going for, at least, and what I'm trying to avoid.

I have to admit, I have bigger problems with my creature at the moment. He's really screwing around and driving me nuts. Think I'll post a new question based on recent events...

At six months of age, pup has much to experience and learn. Part of your role is to make that learning experience a pleasant one in order to create and maintain the bond between that dawg and you for its lifetime.

Here are a couple of training hints for you with a "teenage" dawg ... which is what your's is now:

Be consistant with pup ... everytime ... all the time.

End all training sessions on a success, even if you have to repeat a very simple drill.

If you feel yourself getting exasperated or angry, quit what you're doing and do not continue the training until you can do so under control.

You are much better off doing three 10 minute sessions than one of 30 minutes.

Pick you battles ... I can't stress this to you enough. You are NOT perfect ... neither is pup. Expect mistakes and do NOT find it neccessary to correct every single one ... pick your battles and work on the truly important ones. As an example, if pup is now breaking, doesn't heel well and sometimes dawdles when given the here command ... decide which one is truly most important to overcome and concentrate your efforts on that one.

By the way, I looked through more pics last night and was somewhat embarassed to find that virtually every one we have of Cappy at heel-deliver with me has him a little off of his proper positioning like this one where he's not even seated. Guesss I can blame it on picture taking? :p:

Keep in mind that I'm a hunter, not a Test/Trial participant. So then why is it important to me that Cappy do it "right"? Because he's capable of doing so ... no other reason. However, I have apparently not picked that as an important battle to fight.
:brow:

Originally posted by gottaluvalab

but of course--I slap my leg, and that's how he knows to heel on the left anyway, so on the right shouldn't be such a big deal.

Silly, how I didn't get that. I'm making this more complicated than it really is.

Thanks!

I used to try to use my powers of telepathy, but those only work with sea creatures! :floor

Telepathy seemed to work with Strider...

He knew EXACTLY the moment I was thinking I might KILL him, and then he decided to... stop rolling in the mud/get out of the lake/stop rolling in dead animal/stop running across the county with part of a deer carcass in his mouth/finally come and heel... but I did love him. I was too young and busy to pursue actually training him, anyhow.

Atticus is much more logical (or at least methodical...) and low-key. I have to keep reminding myself of that, keep my temper, and find the logical solution to our dilemmas.

Thanks for all the help, guys.

Great pics, Jim. Thanks!

From what I gather.....Through reading books,a nd working with a pro trainer....

Sitting and delivering at Heel is all for style. According to a book on Field Trial retreiver trainig by Lamb. There is no stipulation for point awarding or deducting for having a retriever sitting before delivering to hand.

However, it seems that convention/tradition has dictated that sitting to deliver is a part of retriever ettique that puts the icing on the cake so to speak.

Just my :2cents: