Training with the pups
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 12:37 PM
Well as you all know the dogs and I haven't been able to do any training but I have now started to do small amounts with Ellie and Tinks
Ellie has had clicker training these past two days to teach her to except treatment to her eyes without moving her head. Since we cleared up the infection she had in the eye at just over a week old she has needed no treatment to that eye, thankfully. However we want to make sure that if she ever does need treatment she excepts it willingly and within just two days she has got to the stage where she no longer objects to her eye being parted and the tube being placed above her eye.
This little Girl has the waggiest bottom in the world :) and is a right little cuddle monster. I have promised Gary to train her up as his peg dog and that training will commence as soon as my knee allows it.
and because they love it :)
Clicker training is a fabulous tool for this sort of thing and the lady of clicker training is Mary Ray. We spent some wonderful afternoons with her in 3-4 hour one-to-one sessions before we got into gun dog training and had so much fun we also learnt so much about the dogs mind. We don't use clicker training for the working dogs as we do not use treats when training them and clicker training is treat based, we just use praise and voice as does David Lisett the winner of the Irish and English Championships. Though we will use it on them (if needed) for teaching them to except veterinary care etc and we happily use it on Alfie & Bella who are retired, to keep their minds active
Tinks is wonderful with her retrieval work, she has had so little but she just excels at it. In fact Tinks is a little version of her older sister Jay Jay in so many ways, which really pleases me.
She flies out for her tennis ball on retrieves and brings it all the way in, only every once in a blue moon having a muck around just off in front of me. She likes the tennis ball so much if she can smell the ball in the kitchen she will leave her food to find it.
She also has Jay Jay training manner as well, an honest girl who wants to please, with the courage and drive already visible in her.
I so wish this knee would hurry up and heal :(
The gang are being superb whilst being confined with me, thankfully the good weather helps. I couldn't be more proud at how stable and quiet our gang are even though they haven't been for a walk (apart from Bella) for such a long time.
They have even ignored our next doors neighbours screaming manic children when they were throwing objects at our gang. Horrible children with parents who obviously don't want their children to grow up caring and respecting animals. Why are dogs so much better behaved then some children.
http://www.maryray.co.uk/index.html