Your Demeanour and Body Language Affect your Dog’s Performance

We all know that probably the major difference between dogs and humans is the ability of humans to communicate instructions and abstract thoughts and ideas verbally.  Because we are so good at doing this, we tend to rely less on the ability to read body language.  Dogs, who do not have a sophisticated verbal form of communication tend to be past masters at reading body language and even the most subtle expressions or smallest movements carry whole paragraphs of information.

So, why is it that the more the dog acts confused at instruction do we become louder and more verbose?  Our body language becomes more aggressive and our tone becomes more strident.  What messages are we sending our dogs who are behaving at this point as though they had never had any training whatsoever.  They are confused and many times this confusion is read as “stubborn” or “disobedient” which causes the human to escalate his or her unreasonable behaviour even more.  A vicious cycle where nobody wins.

Once we have come to terms with the fact that our behaviour has a direct effect on our dogs’ behaviour, everything changes.  Because we are being more careful with our tone of voice and the consistency of both our body language and our verbal cues, our dogs are more relaxed in the knowledge that their handler actually knows what he or she is doing!  Make sure that your demeanour and attitude is conducive to good communication between you and your dog.

Very often as I approach the line at the start of a Field Trial I am extremely nervous.  I know that my dog is picking up on all the subtle signals I am sending her, so I have taught myself to stand tall, walk slowly, breathe deeply and concentrate on being as positive as I can be so that my dog gets all the right messages and is in a place where she can also give her best.

The Retrieve as a Behaviour Chain

A marked retrieve is often considered something that a retriever does because that’s what retrievers do.  They go and fetch things and bring them back – sometimes….  In order to make this going and fetching things (birds or dummies) and bringing them back reliable and consistent we need to treat the retrieve not as a single behaviour, but as a complex behaviour chain consisting of a number of discrete behaviours linked together to form a continuous chain.

On the assumption that you are in line for a single marked retrieve, breaking down the entire behaviour into its component parts will probably look something like this:

• Walking into line on lead.
• Removing the lead
• Getting into position in the line
• Placing the dog in a sit (or stand) on your left (or right) hand side.
• Checking the position of the gun or guns
• Checking the position of the dog before indicating to the line judge that you are ready.
• Marking the fall – both you and your dog
• Sending the dog
• Locating the dummy and picking it up
• Returning to you with the dummy
• Delivering the dummy to hand
• Returning to heel if the delivery was made facing you.

Building the chain backward ensures that you are always moving toward reinforcement—the prize at the end of the chain—and that each part in the chain is strengthened, every time, by the cue for the next part.

Cues can be a number of things that tell the dog what comes next in the behaviour chain.  Cues can be verbal such as the cue “Sit”.  A cue can be a hand signal such as a hand extended to take delivery of the dummy.  A cue can be environmental – a bird or dummy lying on the ground which would cue the dog to pick it up.

It is important to note that a cue, if properly established, is a conditioned reinforcer.  Because the cue has been associated with a primary reinforcer many times, it becomes reinforcing by itself.  With the retrieve behaviour chain, therefore, the cues themselves reinforce the behaviour preceding them until the end of the chain where the big prize awaits – huge praise from the handler, a game of ball, or an extra special treat.

So, if you build the chain backward – starting with the last part of the chain, then the “return to heel” will reinforce the “delivery” will reinforce the “return to handler” etc. etc.

Back-chaining is useful for human tasks as well.  If you ever have to memorize a poem, a piece of music or a speech it is much easier to learn it in chunks starting with the chunk at the end and then learning the second to last chunk and so on.

Another important thing to understand about behaviour chains is that within a complex chain, such as the retrieve chain, you also have a number of “mini chains”.  Once you have taught the individual behaviours you can join a couple of them together as a mini-chain.  An example of a mini chain in the breakdown above would possibly be

• Returning to you with the dummy
• Delivering the dummy to hand
• Returning to heel

This particular mini-chain would hold no matter what kind of retrieve is desired – be it a blind retrieve, or one of a series of marked retrieves.  And, because this mini-chain has received stacks of reinforcement during training (if you “back chained”) it will automatically reinforce the preceding mini-chain which would probably be the send off, the location of the bird or dummy, and the pickup.

I have used the word “cue” instead of “command” in recognition of the fact that there are many, many signals (or cues) out there that trigger various behaviours and that the cue does not necessarily come from the handler.  Environmental cues are extremely important to everyday life – think of how your approach home in your motor car cues certain behaviours in your dog.  For a dog working in the field with its attendant smells and sensations environmental cues are everywhere.  Many of our interactions with our dogs are cues that the dogs respond to whether we are aware of them or not.

Preparing Your Canine Athlete For Competition

Whether you compete with your dog in field trials, agility, flyball or any other of the active dog sports you will need to start thinking of starting a conditioning programme after the long summer layoff with less exercise than he or she normally gets.

Your Agility and Flyball dog will need to build the muscles needed to cope with jumping and quick changes of direction, whereas your pointer will need to start working on those muscles that require longer distance running over a variety of terrain.

Bear in mind that running up hill uses different sets of muscles than running down hill.  Retrievers will need to work on shorter sprints but will also need to be supple enough to crawl through low fences and climb up steep embankments and jump across narrow gullies.  A retriever will also be required, often, to swim long distances.

When planning your conditioning programme start slow and build up to your optimum fitness goals.  Plan it so that your dog is peaking at the very first trial of the season.

Cranial Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Owners of sporting dogs know that a diagnosis of an injury to the knee is not good news. The most common stifle (knee) injury is to the cranial cruciate ligament, or the CCL.

There is no reliable way to prevent stifle damage in active dogs. The stifle (knee) joint in dogs is extremely vulnerable to injury because it has no interlocking bones to provide support or stability. A dog’s stifle joint depends upon ligaments for stability. The cranial cruciate ligament provides most of this support and, when torn or ruptured, causes the most common hindlimb lameness in companion and sporting dogs.

However, in humans, new research is investigating ways to prevent ACL injuries in an effort to avoid lost time from sports and competition.  The stability of the knee is dependent on different factors. The two most important are the static and the dynamic stabilizers of the knee.

• Static Stabilizers
  The static stabilizers are the four major ligaments of the knee: the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL).
• Dynamic Stabilizers
  The dynamic stabilizers of the knee are the muscles and tendons that surround the joint. These muscles and tendons are controlled by what’s known as neuromuscular input, the unconscious activation of these structures to control the position of the joint.

Neuromuscular training is used to teach the body better habits for knee stability. By training how your knee moves, especially when jumping, landing, and pivoting, you can maintain a more stable position of the knee joint. Several studies have shown that neuromuscular training programs can reduce the chance of an ACL injury.  One of the programmes was developed by the the Santa Monica Sports Medicine Research Foundation and can be downloaded from http://smsmf.org/files/PEP_Program_04122011.pdf.

I believe if one could develop a similar training programme for dogs it would minimize the risk of CCL injury, particularly in those sports that involve rapid changes in direction at speed, often combined with a jump.

Warm up and Cool Down

Any time you exercise your dog it is very important to warm him up and afterwards cool him down.  Don’t take your dog out of his crate or the back of your vehicle and walk to the start line without the warm up.  Get the blood flowing with a short walk or jog.  The warm-up stimulates the delivery of increased oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.  Also do some simple stretches to limber up the tendons and ligaments.  Teach your dog to do a play bow; have him sitting in front of you and get him to stretch sideways to get an offered treat first to the left and then to the right.

After you have finished your run, don’t just pop him back in his crate or the back of your car.  Cool him down first with a slow 5 minute walk with a couple of “sips” of water out of a bottle.  Check him over for any soreness in his joints and then let him rest.

Retriever Foundation Course

RETRIEVER FOUNDATIONS
Presented by Louise Welsford

This course which will kick off in December 2011 is designed for young retrievers or gundogs who have completed a puppy class and an obedience foundation class, and who are at least 5 months at the start of the course.
Our aim is to have a dog that can accurately mark the fall of the dummy or bird, is steady and calm in the presence of distractions, will retrieve out of water and on land and will deliver to hand with enthusiasm. The course also includes an introduction to basic handling skills.
The course consists of 9 sessions of approximately 2 hours duration, spaced two weeks apart, and will take place at venues either at Hillcrest or Eston.  The cost of the course is R1200.00. Payment options are:

•   R1200.00 on registration.

•   Two instalments of R650.00.

•   R150 per session.

An illustrated training manual is included in the cost.

Contact Louise on 084 828 7880 for more details.

Continuation of NGC Club Test

In spite of heavy clouds and continuing drizzle we decided to go ahead with our scheduled club test on the 8th May.

We managed to complete two of the three series we had planned in spite of the soaking rain.  But, at this stage even the most hardy of the competitors realized that it was just too uncomfortable to carry on and we called a halt.

However, we also decided to finish off the test another day, and after taking a vote, it was decided that the 16th of June would be the day.

The details, therefore, are as follows:

Venue:  The Duke’s Farm, Eston

Time:  Roll Call 7.30 a.m. to an 8.00 a.m. start

Judges:  Carolyn Baker and Hilary Wisdom

Classes Run:  Puppy, Junior, Maiden, Novice and Open.

If there are any queries, please contact Carolyn at carolynb@telkomsa.net

2nd Natal Gundog Club Working Test for Retrievers

NATAL GUNDOG CLUB  
Sunday 8 May

2nd Club Test

Venue:  Duke’s Farm at Eston
Time: Roll call at 07:30 for an 08:00-sharp start
Judges: Hilary and Carolyn

Stakes:  Puppy/Junior Maiden, Novice, Open
Entries:  R35 per dog

Send entries to Carolyn:  carolynb@telkomsa.net

Entries close Friday 6 May

Natal Gundog Club Working Test

Date: Sunday 27 March 2011
Venue: Duke’s Farm, Eston
Time: 7.00 a.m. at the entrance, or follow the signs.
Convenors: Louise Welsford And David Padbury
Cost: R35.00 Per Dog
We plan to run puppy/junior, maiden, novice and open.
REMEMBER TO BRING WATER AND SHADE FOR YOUR DOGS AND REFRESHMENTS FOR YOURSELVES.

Course Outline – Retriever Foundations

SESSION 1

Obedience:

• Focus
• Heeling
• Sit/Stay and Intro to Whistle Sit.

Field Work:

• Simple single marked retrieves.
• Return to Handler

SESSION 2

Obedience

• Swing Finish
• Recall to Front
• Sit/Stay at heel with distractions

Field Work

• Extend distance of marked single retrieves
• Hunt it up (UK method using tennis ball).
• Intro to water.

SESSION 3

Obedience

• Deliveries
• Heel off lead

Field Work

• Steadiness Intro to shot.
• Simple water retrieves.
• More challenging cover and easy obstacles.

SESSION 4

Obedience

• Sit/Stay with Handler moving away.
• Return to heel position from recall

Field Work

• Introduction to Doubles – Memory Drills
• Sight lines
• Trailing lines

SESSION 5

Obedience

• Heel with automatic sit.
• Sit/Stay at a distance with distractions

Field Work

• Split doubles
• Memory doubles.

SESSION 6

Obedience

• Heeling with Auto sit + honour
• Push-Pull (find heel position).

Field Work

• More challenging land memory doubles
• More challenging water/land doubles

SESSION 7

Obedience

• Walk ups
• Walk ups with honour

Field Work

Introduction to Blinds and Handling – Line to Pile.

SESSION 8

• Introduction to blinds and handling – taking direction.

• Return doubles (Intro do diversions)

SESSION 9

Putting it all together.  Mock trial/test.

 

Retriever Foundation Course

RETRIEVER FOUNDATIONS
Presented by Louise Welsford

This course is designed for young retrievers or gundogs who have completed a puppy class and an obedience foundation class, and who are at least 5 months at the start of the course.
Our aim is to have a dog that can accurately mark the fall of the dummy or bird, is steady and calm in the presence of distractions, will retrieve out of water and on land and will deliver to hand with enthusiasm. The course also includes an introduction to basic handling skills.
The course consists of 9 sessions of approximately 2 hours duration, spaced two weeks apart, and will take place at venues either at Hillcrest or Eston.  The cost of the course is R1200.00. Payment options are:
 R1200.00 on registration.
 Two instalments of R650.00.
 R150 per session.
Contact Louise on 084 828 7880 for more details.

EARLY TRAINING FOR YOUR RETRIEVER PUP

CRITICAL PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT

Seven or eight weeks is normally the age when pups are sent out to their new homes.  There are varying opinions as to the optimum age, but one thing most people are agreed on is that pups should stay with their littermates and mother until at least 7 weeks.  It is the time between 4 weeks when they are weaned and 7 or 8 weeks that the puppy will learn all the behaviours that make him a dog.  He will be able to practice body postures, facial expressions and vocalisations, and learn their effect on his siblings and mother and any other dog around.  He will learn how to bark and bite and what it sounds and feels like.  And most importantly, he will learn discipline from his mother. The breeder’s responsibility is to socialize the litter with other animals and people during this period.  Puppies that are removed from the litter too early tend to be nervous and to bark and bite and often cannot accept discipline.

When you get your pup at 7 weeks, therefore, he should already be well on his way to becoming a well-balanced dog.  From 7 weeks to 12 weeks is when most rapid learning occurs.   He has the brain waves of an adult, but not the ability to concentrate for long periods of time.  He also does not have the experience of an adult.  Any learning the pup does at this stage is permanent, whether the learned behaviour is desirable or not, and whether you have anything to do with it, or not.  This is the ideal time to start any obedience training of the basic behaviours with gentle, positive methods and lots of play.  It is also the best period to expose him to many different people, objects and noises and anything the breeder has not exposed him to.  This is the time to set boundaries and to work on your relationship with him.

You should also be aware that between 8 and 11 weeks, any painful, frightening or traumatic experience will have a more lasting effect on the puppy than at any other time.  New experiences should be as non-stressful as possible, but they shouldn’t be avoided because this fear period has a purpose and is linked to the pup’s survival instinct. He is naturally inquisitive at this age but to protect himself, he also has to be a little fearful of any new stuff so that he doesn’t barge in to a potentially dangerous situation.  So let him explore – just make sure that he isn’t getting into anything that could be traumatic.

Between 12 and 16 weeks the pup will have gained more confidence and will, possibly, not be as willing to follow instructions as he was in the beginning.  It is more important now than at any other time to establish your leadership and make quite sure that your pup knows that you are in control of resources.  Consistency is extremely important if the pup is to learn to respect you.  

This period is the time that formal obedience training should begin if the full potential of the puppy’s intelligence and companion ability is to be realized. Bearing in mind that the pup’s attention span is still short your training sessions should be very brief – not more than 10 or 15 minutes twice a day, with frequent “play” breaks.

Of particular interest to retriever trainers with regard to training and critical periods of development of the young retriever is that many canine skills, like retrieving, willingness to stay close during walks and coming when called appear to have especially sensitive periods for their introduction and training.

Scott and Fuller (1965) discovered that a dog’s willingness to fetch an object is definitely influenced by early exposure to retrieving games.  What they found was that pups exposed to retrieving games between the ages of 9 and 14 weeks became significantly more avid retrievers than those exposed later.  They also discovered that these puppies were easier to train than those who had been introduced to retrieving later (around 32 weeks).

Another area of interest to us as retriever trainers, as well as pet owners, is the dog’s willingness to follow and come when called.  Steven Lindsay says in his book “Handbook of Applied Dog Behaviour and Training”:

“An area of interest for average dog owners regards active following and coming when called.  Long walks consisting of occasional surprise manoeuvres, exciting changes of pace, unexpected chase and counter-chase episodes, hide-and-seek games, punctuated with occasional opportunities for ball play or stick fetching – all facilitate the learning of appropriate “staying close” skills in puppies.  Such interaction strongly stimulates leader-follower bonding and other social components conducive to obedience training.  If puppies are not exposed to such experiences during the socialization period, as adult dogs they are typically more difficult to train to come when called or to stay nearby on walks.  In contrast, puppies exposed to off-leash walks, playful recall training, and ball play, are invariably easier to instruct in the performance of related tasks as adults.”

Knowing all this you can now plan what to do with your pup and when.

8 Weeks to 12 weeks (Rapid learning and Relationship building)

• Establish boundaries – be consistent.
• Introduce retrieve as a game.
• Attention-paying, follow me and establishing sit as a default behaviour by feeding one meal out of your pocket whenever your pup does something you like.  At the same time start using your clicker.  Click for eye contact, click for following you, click for sitting.  Withhold rewards for undesirable behaviours such as jumping up and biting.
• Adventure walks with play recalls, play retrieves, and chase games.
• Desentisizing to the collar and lead, but, at this stage no formal heeling.  Pup should want to stay with you, so there is no danger of developing a “pulling” habit.
• Introduction to the water and swimming.  Remember that any negative experience will have a lasting effect on your pup during this period of his development, so be sure that his intro to water is as positive as possible.  Even if you have to wade in to encourage him in after you.  I wouldn’t advise using a retrieve to get him swimming, because if he associates a scary experience with the retrieve in water, this would not be a good thing.
• Introduction to permanent sleeping area and desensitization to being left alone for short periods.
• Introduction to riding in the car – pair the rides with pleasant experiences
• Out and about – shopping centres, traffic, motorbikes, bicycles, children of all ages, visits to the vet (do these before he is due for his second vaccination), enrol in a puppy class.
• Now is the time for crate training if you plan to use one.

12 to 20 weeks (Onset of Independence and Start of Formal Training)

At this stage your pup still has quite a short attention span, so make the lessons short.  The most important obedience skills for him to learn now are:

• Sit to whistle – near and at a distance.
• Recall to whistle
• Brief sit and stay
• Walk at heel with an automatic sit
• Swing finish
• Start formalizing the recall
• Retrieves should still be fun.  Steadying not that important, but he must be sitting calmly before being released.  So wait until that happens.

Always remember to stop before pup wants to stop.  He should be begging for more.  Limit the number of retrieves to 3 a day.  At this stage keep the retrieves relatively close and in very short grass.  Do not grab the dummy away from him, but rather let him hold on to it for as long as he likes before you take it.  Start introducing him to someone other than you throwing.