Obedience tasks

Box training

Freya has been working on her open class tasks for while. Our biggest trouble has been the box work. She has mixed markers of the box with the big marker object that you use in a jumping retrieve in the higher class. We have done now few box training with a toy in the box. My goal has been to remind her to go to the back of the box and not to go around a marker object on the front. I tried to shape the right position at first but this didn’t work from a long distance. I hope this works and she starts to do her box work as good as she used to.

Scent discrimination

Freya has been a little wild when she does her scent discrimination work.  She goes with fast gallop and does the smelling work wonderfully. Our problem has been that she even if she picks up the right one, she has to make checking round before she brings the right one for me. I need still built her confidence to make her bring the right stick right away to me. Her return speed has been always super but her work on sticks needs some adjusting. She has done this task in many places. It has been very interesting to see that it has been the hardest on a sand field. Freya has done her best work on grass. I have wondered if the moist in grass makes the scents even stronger and this way easier for the dog. At least with Freya it seems work like this.

Jumping retrieve with mark object

This new task in the highest class has so much fun. It has so many little parts that you need train with your dog. First you need teach the dog to go around a big marker object. Then the dog needs to learn to do sit-down- stand 2 meters after it. Next to learn how to do this between two jumps and dumbbells. Then learn to take right or left side on retrieve when asked. So lots of little things the dog learns to master.

My both girls have a little different background to start this work. Pixie has done very hard jumping retrieves and has had a very hard time to give the up the jumps. On the other hand she has trained positions by going around a tree so this part came together pretty easy. Pixie had also problems of going around the mark object and coming back because she has been thought to stop at the mark object. Freya has started everything from scratch so it has been much easier for her to learn the new concepts of the task.

At this point Pixie has done the whole task. Her only problem is the sit position. This seems to be the hardest from a top speed. Right and left commands came together pretty easy and she had no problem of going forward with same cue as in controlled retrieve. Freya has done only position and retrieves but so far so good. She has also some work with position but we are getting there. I hope to get more speed and accuracy to her work. Also we need to start tackling the jumps. All together this has been a super fun task to train and really learn to.

All for now!

MPF