Forging

[Caro]

The trainer that I met with on Thursday had me do the few steps, then treat (boiled then baked hot dog bits) mentioned and during the trail walk does lots of the turns to get them back in step. As they mature and get better, she stops, has the dog alone do the turn to return to position, but that is WAY off in the future for us.

Brodie is horrible with forging, chokes himself throughout the whole walk and man does my arm ache when we walk. Kooper will always start out forging but settle quickly, not Brodie! We have a long way to go with obedience before I can start doing training with him that I want to.

Just a suggestion - for dogs that are really bad at pulling forward, I suggest people only give treats from the side of their leg (that's all treats and food). That way it gives being next to your leg higher value than being in front of you. Also, I remember quite a few people on SF use a wooden spoon with PB on it to get their dog to stay next to their leg. Atm that seems to be all I'm teaching in classes, how not to pull.

Also - is Brodie doing this at training or when walking alone? Some dogs will 'status seek' on walks, esp less confident or younger dogs, by trying to stay ahead of another dog but when there's no competition will settle back. Tully is like this. That's why the changing direction a lot also helps with two dogs - because being in front isn't actually the best place to be if you aren't always going forward.

 

[Caro]

I think we figured it out today...I need to increase my stride (length of my step) but keep the same pace. It seemed to help at class today, kept him focused (other way I was too slow and he bored easily) and in step with me. If I increase my pace he does the same lol.

That's funny, because I found I had to do that with Deska. I'd been criticised several times about my slow pace with Deska, which annoyed me because he was a plodder (arthritis) and I walked at his pace. If I went faster, he'd get over-excited and sometimes try to chew the lead or nip my ankles. So I found it generally fooled the judges if I took longer looking strides but maintained the same pace so Mr D wasn't excited. When I was trialling Tully I had to run around the damn course, she was high drive and obstinate, so would only perform commands if she was going at speed. Didn't help when both dogs were in the same levels.

 

[Piper's mom]

Just a suggestion - for dogs that are really bad at pulling forward, I suggest people only give treats from the side of their leg (that's all treats and food). That way it gives being next to your leg higher value than being in front of you. Also, I remember quite a few people on SF use a wooden spoon with PB on it to get their dog to stay next to their leg. Atm that seems to be all I'm teaching in classes, how not to pull.

Also - is Brodie doing this at training or when walking alone? Some dogs will 'status seek' on walks, esp less confident or younger dogs, by trying to stay ahead of another dog but when there's no competition will settle back. Tully is like this. That's why the changing direction a lot also helps with two dogs - because being in front isn't actually the best place to be if you aren't always going forward.

Finnie wants to be the front dog on a walk too lol. I have one Flexi leash, I usually let Finnie go on it first as he's a puller and I know I can get Piper to walk at heel beside me. After a while I'll switch dogs and let Piper go on the Flexi (he wants to run and sniff) and it's a constant pulling by Finnie then. He's getting better, less pulling but when Piper's ahead of us he figures he should be running with him! Lol
Of course if I switch direction on Finnie then Piper turns into a cheeky monkey (that's what I call him when he barks at me and spins and runs circles around me lol), his way of telling me off for trying to sneak away I guess.

 

[GlennR]

What Willow and I are doing is probably not useful for a competition or training ring but it works a treat for walking together. When we go for our long walks we train in snippets. Heeling time varies from a few seconds to a minute or two at a time. We make it a game where I try to get her to fail and she tries to beat me for the treat by staying in the correct position. I go fast, then slow or super slow. I turn lots, then we go medium, then fast. She thinks it's a hoot and will sit the minute I stop for her prize.

I am shameless with illegal signaling while she's learning. I scrape a foot to signal to slow, tap a thigh for hurry up and generally do things not allowed in the ring. However, I use less and less of the cues as Willow learns to watch more closely.

Even on the long lead and not heeling officially, she'll come and heel to try to extort a treat (or two) out of me. The other thing I noticed is she will start to walk for a distance heeling all by herself with no signal from me when we're headed home. As she tires she falls into position walking beside me. Regardless of what else is happening if she is on a long lead I call her back frequently for a treat and check in. I like to keep her focus on me. It's useful that she's a chow hound.

Now lest anyone think she's perfect, if another dog or person comes by, she abandons all heeling and lunges to see them. She will sit for me as they pass but heeling by them would be totally impossible at this point. That's okay, we'll get there.

 

[Sandy in CT]

Also - is Brodie doing this at training or when walking alone? Some dogs will 'status seek' on walks, esp less confident or younger dogs, by trying to stay ahead of another dog but when there's no competition will settle back.

Brodie does this on any walk, worse with other dogs but he doesn't settle even if he gets out front, a bit better but still forges. We are trying to vary speed, use treats at my side - would be easier with a taller dog - as the trail trainer said, it's back breaking training right now. Might try the peanut butter on a wooden spoon though. He actually does really good in obedience class but more because he watches the other dogs so closely and mimics how they are doing. Trail trainer had us do weaves last week so he is moving at different speeds in and around other dogs, never really in the front and never really in the back.

 

[2GoodDogs]

When Flyer forges, I am likely to immediately turn left and cut him off: freeze in place and chide him for being out in front - all alone; immediately walk backward and give my invisible dog an invisible treat at the seam of my pants. LOL... it all works, but it hasn't had lasting value, he needs a lot of reminders~sometimes.

My bugaboo is the transition to slow, he has such a quick sit (and I want to keep that!) but want to lose his moment of tucking as to sit as I use a braking step forward into a slow. I'm really working on the three step transition into a slow but not sure where to look. When I halt, my eyes go down to my toes. How is your transition into a slow? Smooth and your dog won't try to sit?

 

[GlennR]

Forging, you worry about forging? Ha, Willow laughs at forging. Here's my little maniac letting loose on the walk. She leaps through the grass, runs circles around me and then comes in to try and undo my shoelaces play-growling the whole time. The camera work is really bad, it's nearly impossible to keep speedy-girl in the frame when I'm holding the lead and phone but you'll get the idea.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/Willow/i-V2Fr4Zb/0/081ca8e6/640/2019053110232143-IMG_1689-640.mp4

https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/Willow/i-RCKPfcP/0/dc3f2d9a/640/2019053110183777-IMG_1693-640.mp4

 

[Piper's mom]

When Flyer forges, I am likely to immediately turn left and cut him off: freeze in place and chide him for being out in front - all alone; immediately walk backward and give my invisible dog an invisible treat at the seam of my pants. LOL... it all works, but it hasn't had lasting value, he needs a lot of reminders~sometimes.

My bugaboo is the transition to slow, he has such a quick sit (and I want to keep that!) but want to lose his moment of tucking as to sit as I use a braking step forward into a slow. I'm really working on the three step transition into a slow but not sure where to look. When I halt, my eyes go down to my toes. How is your transition into a slow? Smooth and your dog won't try to sit?

I was told at the last trial that my transition from normal to slow was too abrupt and that's why Piper forged. For some reason I have it in my head that as soon as judge says slow I almost stop (I was told by judge a year earlier that my slow wasn't slow enough lol)...I am trying to break myself of this and be smoother so I don't get a forge. On plus side Piper doesn't sit (he's always had a slow sit).