Rational Retriever Training

In this podcast, I list ten mistakes I often see newbies make while trying to train their first puppy.  These mistakes include:

1. Repeating Commands
2. Giving The Wrong Command
3. Cheerleading Pup
4. Ignoring A Problem
5. Creating A Gunshy Retriever
6. Not Teaching Pinpoint Marking
7. Pup Trains The Trainer
8. Trainer Not Accepting Responsibility For Pups Behavior
9. Trainer Gets Frustrated With Pup
10. Not Building Pup

In this podcast, we discuss bumpers...canvas or plastic, orange or white or

black & white, and the use of birds for training retrievers.

Todays podcast is about the retriever trainer getting frustrated and mad at a retriever. Dogs are not resentful creatures, their behavior is often what in there nature.  The best trainers never get mad or frustrated, they have learned "walk in the dogs shoes" and try to understand retriever behavior from the dog's perspective.

In this podcast we cover 7 checks for good line manners from your truck to the line:

1.  Opening Your Kennel
2. Waiting in the Holding Blind
3. Response to Judges/Marshall Talking/Yelling
4. Leaving The Holding Blind
5. Will Your Retriever Work With You?
6. Walking Towards The LIne: Backwards Heeling
7. Silent Auto-Sit Halfway and Just Behind The Line

In this podcast, we outline a checklist of initial line concepts you can teach your dog while training.  Concepts such as barriers, no-seeum blinds, remote sends, targeting, and diversions from the line.  These concepts are important in running bind retrieves at Master Hunter level and in waterfowl hunting.

There are 3 phases to teach your retriever to master cross-wind water blinds:

1. Lining into the wind
2. Casting into the wind
3. Succeeding in a gradient of cross-wind water blinds

Sometimes the human or trainer's perspective may differ from the dog's perspective.

This can result in problems.  In this podcast, we give five examples where the retriever's perspective was very different than the trainer's perspective. 

As you get better and better as a trainer you will think more and more from your dog's perspective...

A tune-up drill is a series of land or water blinds run on successive days.

Tune-up drills can be useful for at least 4 reasons:

1. They get your retriever comfortable with multiple blinds 
2. They teach your retriever go straight in a blind corridor.
3. They are useful to teach your retriever advanced blind concepts.
4. They help you develop as the handler to be proactive and reactive to keep your dog in a tight blind corridor.

In this podcast, we discuss training drills for working on lining with confidence.

As a handler you need to "spot bowl" with your retriever's spine, eyes, and nose perfectly focused on a spot in line with the distant blind destination.

Barriers and no-see-um blinds are setups that your retriever should be exposed to in advanced lining.

Diversions are required at Senior or Master AKC Hunt Tests.

In this podcast, we discuss how diversions can be easy or 

difficult from your retriever's perspective.

In this podcast, we look at why contrasting marks can be difficult to untrained retrievers.

A contrasting mark is conceptually very different than a previous mark.  Contrasting marks could be back to back singles in a Junior hunt test, or a memory mark in Senior or Master hunt tests. 

Sometimes a hunt test setup looks like it will be easy.  Yet it turns out to be difficult to inexperienced retrievers due to contrasting marks.

In this podcast we discuss how you can improve your pup's memory for multiple marks such as doubles, triples, and quads.  

Here is an example of a simple yard application where the retriever has 6 hand-thrown marks to retrieve from 6 new locations:  Marking Mechanics: 6 Marks

In this podcast, we discuss advantages of training your retriever alone, just you and your dog and training with a group of other trainers.  There are advantages of training alone and there are advantages of training with a group.  Ideally you should balance training alone with group training.

Double marks and the Senior Hunt Test are a big step from single marks and the Junior Hunt test.  No longer do you "turn him loose and see what happens".  Now you as the at-the line handler you need to develop a marking routine that 1) prevents head-swinging, 2) prevents switching, and 3) help pup focus on each mark and properly align and cue pup on that memory mark.

Heeling is an important part of retriever hunt tests.  It is also important for everyday dog walks, and some hunting applications like jump shooting.  In this podcast, we discuss training your pup 3 aspects of heeling:  Silent Heeling, Backwards Heeling, 2-Sided Heeling.

In this podcast we discuss how the use of the whistle in terms of timing, loudness, duration, environmental conditions, and your dog's expectations. These  whistle factors can be important in training and handling retrievers for hunt test blinds.

In this podcast, we discuss 4 reasons why some retrievers go into "hunt mode" while running a blind retrieve.  These include 1) Training  blind distance and canine expectations, 2) Scent down the line to the planted blinds, 3) Come-in whistle conditioning "hunt-mode" near the end of the blind, 4) Lack of training exposure to sudden bird scent at the middle of a blind .

Timing is a key aspect of retriever training that is sometimes under-appreciated.  

In this podcast we discuss why timing can be important for all levels of retrievers ranging from effective timing teaching a puppy sit to effective timing for sending a dog on a memory mark to effective timing for a critical cast, or for a good initial line in blind retrieves.

In this podcast we go over a dozen tips to teach and maintain good marking in retrievers for AKC hunt tests, ranging from puppy tips to advanced retriever marking tips.