Went and did some training in the woods on Sunday. Me and partner biz worked on all forest aspects of training. We did searching and obedience. On the down-stay and drive hunt Hess still whines a little bit. Not sure how much he can if at all during the test. If anyone has any insight or tips please advise. What I was impressed with most was the fox drag and bloodtracking. I had Biz drag a fox through the thick timber for a ¼ mile, let it sit for about 20 minutes and then put Hess on the track and off he went. After a few minutes of silence I heard something coming through the trees, it was Hess fox and all. It is a 13 lb fox so I was impressed that he brought it that far. Barely able to hold is head up he brought it back over a long distance. Awesome. Time for the blood track and it is starting to rain. By the time we were done with the blood track it became a torrential downpour! Started well on track with me and Biz right behind. Hess is starting to slow down a lot more, focusing on the track well. We got off track a couple times but no more than 30 feet or so each time. I could not believe how well he was tracking with the rain coming down so hard. Finally we reached the end of our ¼ mile blood track in the rain. Even though I was soaking wet I could care less after such an awesome performance. Really glad I got into this breed. Everything I see from them impresses me more. Especially when I see it in my own dog. Hope all is going well for others, and any tips you might have on the whining please feel free to comment. Again the pics are from my phone and Biz’s camera so they are the best I could get
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I would take the whining pretty serious. The VGPO states; "The dog must remain at his place until the handler picks him up. If he leaves the place, whines or barks, the performance must be assessed with "insufficient". The dog may raise his head and he may temporarily sit up. Moving not more than 5 m is not considered as leaving the place, but it lowers the predicate.
ReplyDeleteMike
How can i fix it? any ideas?
ReplyDeleteA dog cannot passed if he barks or whines to the degree it would 'interfer with the hunt'. The idea behind the drive hunt is beaters push game toward the shooters. If the dogs at the shooters end are noisy, little chance for game to come their way. Usually a dog can get away with a little soft whining but barking will not fly. If the closest judge can hear and determines that it would be a disruption to the hunt, you won't pass. You should be able to correct this with a little time.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would consider is making him not just lay down but "platz", head on the ground between his front legs. This really puts you in control and the dog knows it. With or without the platz, I would simply 'up' the correction until he realizes it won't be tolerated. I dont train with a e-collar but this might be usefully with a whiner.???
Our drive hunts in the tests around here are actually too easy. In alot of VGP tests they actually push deer, antelope, rabbits, ect out towards the dogs. With no game to worry about it should be very simple to get the dog to remain calm. After repeated excersises, even a difficult dog should realize their is not too much to get worked up about.
You'll get it with a little time and creativeness. Put him in other situations even around home that you think might make him whiney and work on it there as well. Its the lesson more than the place. That way you won't have to feel like you need to run to the 'woods' to work on this.
This is exactly why VGP is so important in the breeding selection. We have dogs being bred that are tested thru HZP only that are so amped up they couldn't keep their mouth shut during a drive hunt to save their life. The VGP is a test of the brain as much as anything.
Good luck, Cal
Shane told me to place my hat by the dog as part of the "stay" command. Then upon return picking up your hat as part of the "release" command. I watched Otto through a window and he would stand take a step and then look at the hat and lay on it. The hat acts like a little reminder that you will come back... ????? helped me... but who knows!
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