Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    CT
    Posts
    2,598
    Thanked: 3967

    "Right Stuff and Right Start"

    Aye Mates,
    So I started the early training of a young British Labrador yellow female pup named ALLIE MAE yesterday morn. ALLIE is currently 3 moths old and was sired by me black (yellow factored) British Labrador HR TTF CRAIGHORN KIFFIN TRAD SH and a yellow female British Labrador TTF BIRCH BRANCH MAGGIE. Wee ALLIE has demonstrated precocious leanings and those are a direct result of the "RIGHT STUFF" that being hardwired into her DNA.

    To date, ALLIE has been continuously socialized and exposed to a wide variety of environmental conditions. ALLIE has traveled well, is crate trained, house broken, and socialized with other dogs. She has shown zero aversion to loud noises. ALLIE has also been introduced early to water with her entire litter and has been introduced to bird wings, frozen birds, and a live clipped wing pigeon for which she exhibited tenacious drive and a natural retrieve thereof. ALL said, ALLIE has been given the "RIGHT START" to date.

    So back to her training, we are currently doing 2 to 3 short sessions per day with well planned success based strategies designed to engage, motivate, and stimulate this wee pup both physically and mentally. Sessions are purposely kept shorter and frequent with little to no real training pressure exerted other than the slip lead. High value edible rewards are delivered and high frequency for desired behaviors exhibited. During the sessions ALLIE is being worked on SIT, PLACE, and RECALL (HERE). Concurrently, ALLIE is learning to love learning, becoming increasingly self confident, is developing obedience skills that will be critical to her foundation for further training as a gun dog. All retrieving will now cease until after ALLIE'S adult teeth come in. We will shift to both HOLD and FORCE FETCH conditioning at that point and will subsequently move onward to work to bird work with frozen, freshly killed, and live birds. Proper mechanics of the retrieve and delivery to hand will subsequently be refined and we will also focus on gunfire conditioning incrementally.

    This wee Lass is truly something very special and one to keep a close eye on. I will report on her gains made as her training progresses.


    Today's session started with ALLIE being exposed to several field shell Canada goose decoys. Inquisitive, ALLIE had to sniff each decoy and soon was ignoring them as just another part of her immediate landscape as we weaved in and out of the spread with ALLLIE on an amazingly loose slip lead (no pulling on the lead and no charging ahead). Good habits are designed early on and maintained with consistency.


    Visual focus of the pup on the trainer / handler was maintained and encouraged throughout the session with ALLIE being a highly cooperative recruit in that regard.


    ALLIE is being properly introduced to the "PLACE BOARD" early on. "PLACE" has been introduced as a verbal command and ALLIE is readily responding by jumping up on the platform immediately sitting and visually focusing on me upon issue of that verbal command. High value edible rewards are delivered and timed to coincide with the behavior I seek to evoke in the pup.


    The verbal command to SIT is layered over with both gestural cues and a single peep of the whistle. All of the retrievers I train are taught to respond to three domains of communication inclusive of; (1). Verbal commands. (2). Gestural cues. (3). Whistle signals. All three forms of communication are invaluable in conveying messages we want to send to our dogs. Here, ALLIE demonstrates a nice SIT on verbal command. All three forms of communication are randomly used throughout the session to elicit the desired behavior and are promptly rewarded with a high value edible protein treat. Though edible reward is currently delivered at very high frequency, it will gradually be reduced to intermittent delivery and eventually faded out. Edible reward will then be replaced with verbal praise, physical contact, and "the retrieve" will become the ultimate reward.

    During the session we also work a drill on RECALL (HERE) again using all three forms of communication to elicit the desired response. We have also introduced the REMOTE STAY and in this photo ALLIE remains on the PLACE platform the verbal command "STAY" and the associated gestural cue are simultaneously delivered to convey our desired behavior for her. NOTE the visual focus of ALLIE on the Ol' Dog Whistler, I purposely use delay as a technique to elongate her visual focus on me and she is rewarded for doing so. A bond of trust and confidence betwixt K9 and trainer / handler is being cultivated with every session.


    A schedule of properly timed delivery of reward will evolve with the needs of ALLIE as her training continues. We are in the very infancy of her training and our current objective is to set her up for success as her journey as a gun dog in training continues. If ALLIE follows in the paw prints of her sire TRAD, we can expect grand things in her future. Given what I have seen from her thus far, I would say t'is a real safe bet that ALLIE will make her Daddy proud.

    Cheers Mates,
    THE DOG WHISTLER
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails -p1050209resized-jpg   -p1050216resized-jpg   -p1050214resized-jpg   -p1050215resized-jpg   -p1050219resized-jpg  

    TEAM TRAD PRO STAFF
    DUBLIN DUCK DYNASTY

    Joanie Madden, Mary Bergin, Adrea Coor, and Nuala Kennedy, each an Irish whistle goddess in her own right.

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to IRISHWISTLER For This Useful Post:

    barry581 (08-03-2017)

  3. #2
    Moderator
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Greenwood, Delaware
    Posts
    7,348
    Thanked: 7148
    Sounds like she's off to a great start!!! Very much looking forward to watching her progress!

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to barry581 For This Useful Post:

    IRISHWISTLER (08-03-2017)

  5. #3
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Eastern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    3,336
    Thanked: 2070
    what a cutey Amazing what they can do so young!

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Tanya For This Useful Post:

    IRISHWISTLER (08-03-2017)

  7. #4
    Senior Dog JackK's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Southeastern MA
    Posts
    1,045
    Thanked: 733
    She is doing spectacular. Cool to see her that focused at such a young age.

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to JackK For This Useful Post:

    IRISHWISTLER (08-03-2017)

  9. #5
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    2,366
    Thanked: 1096
    Ah, that last picture is a real keeper. Wow, such a bright little gal.

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to TuMicks For This Useful Post:

    IRISHWISTLER (08-03-2017)

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •