By far my biggest headache is Ethan who has bags and bags of drive and enthusiasm; the muscle, power and speed to pull his handlers arms out the sockets(!!) and get him down to the box very quickly but a complete lack of focus on the runback which results in an amble back down the hurdles while having a nosey at what's going on in the other lane!! (Grrrrrrr)...I'm wondering whether it's possible to buy one of those head blinkers they use on racehorses but designed for dogs instead?? Surely they have something similar for Greyhound racing? Not that Eth's head resembles a greyhounds' head in any way, shape or form!! lol Might scare the opposition too!! lol
I need to seriously get my thinking cap on for something that will draw his attention back to his handler and motivate him to get there as fast as his fat hairy legs will carry him! lol Unfortunately a bevvy of 'in-season' beauties is totally out of the question
I think we'll take the training chute and a couple of jumps to Anglesey with us and hopefully we'll have the time (and weather) to do some additional training while we're there.
3 comments:
What I think for slow returners is to devise a next stage to the game and REALLY work on it. This next stage happens down at the start end and they are expected to return the ball all the way back down in order to be able to take part in this next stage. What the next stage entails would depend on the dog and this is where we need to get creative.
Perhaps another box down at the beginning during training to get them back down faster...introduce one of those cones just in front of it or something and start putting the ball under that instead...then take the box away.
Keep doing exercises where the dog gets the ball from under the cone. The only reason they build up such a drive for the box is through repetition and that ball. In the end, only the ball counts really, not the box itself. Put a ball under a cone and do the same and you'll get drive for a cone too....then they have something to come back for. For the time being, do more cone work than box work...you want them to be obsessed with the cone. Perhaps even put the cone with ball under it in place of the box sometimes in training down at the bottom end. You can deny them the cone at the start end if they spit the ball from the box too early and ask them to go get it.
If the dog likes tug games, spend more time on those and use a tug toy instead. To prevent spitting, include the clicker and sound it once the dog reaches you with the ball still in it's mouth then let them take the tug toy. If they spit, no click and no tug...they have to go get the ball first. This teaches the dog it has to keep hold of the ball all the way back until it reaches you.
In the end, the game down at the beginning should ideally be taught as most important to the dog from right at the beginning of training. The box down at the other end should be of secondary importance...to the dog... but is required in order for them to take part in the most important. This will make them rush down faster and come back faster to play the best bit. Slow returns are due to dogs feeling like the game is done once they have the ball from the box and can even extend to problems such as spinning back round to do the box again.
Pups who will be used in flyball should be gotten tug orientated from being puppies and, ideally, the tug game should be worked on more than the ball so the dog has an even stronger tug drive than ball drive.
Yep, thanks for all that Toni, these are the very techniques we implement in training but my problem with Ethan is that we just cannot come up with a reward on the runback that he gives a monkies about! We've tried all the usual things but he's just not interested! He absolutely loves playing tuggy but just isn't interested at flyball. All our other team dogs are taregtted back to another tennis ball or ragger but Eth just couldn't care less. I'm not giving up, I WILL think of something!! lol
Kath has the same issue with Monty who also likes to mouth the ball whilst he saunters back in his own time too.
She told me she has currently taken away all balls and is only playing tug games with them at the moment. Like Eth, he'll play tug only away from flyball. Maybe the solution is to increase the tug drive and the only way to do that is to keep playing tug...all the time.
I might have to also think of something for sleet. She doesn't seem to bad on her returns. I'm fortunate that wren just races back anyway but her box work is pants...LOL. Sleets much better on the box.
we'll have to keep each other posted on whatever we think of..especially if it seems to work.
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