Retrieve and Reflect..

Retrieve and Reflect...

Ivy's success depends as much on me as it does on her. The breed and her working line allows her to do many things naturally within the gun dog  environment. This is not the case for the handler! Following Sunday's training session with Corbinsbere at Bloxworth  I reflected on the various exercises and realised that I need to spend as much time learning how to be a great handler as I do learning to apply the principles of effective and positive gun dog training.

Relaxing or reflecting after a training session!

What constitutes being a 'great handler'? Without years of gun dog experience and knowledge I can't offer a definitive answer but I'm keen to explore this area.  I am constantly evaluating what I'm doing and when I am doing it whilst training. When I start a training exercise I occasionally modify what I am doing depending on the response I get from Ivy. When something untoward does happen during an exercise I try to reflect on what's going on in the midst of the exercise itself. The result is known as 'reflection-in-action' Schön (1983)  - I'm thinking and reflecting about what I'm doing as a handler during the exercise and this helps me as I complete the task. Reflection-in-action focuses on practising critically.

A perfect example of this process occurred on Sunday as our experienced trainer led a group of four retrievers and handlers through a double retrieve. During the exercise the trainer is making decisions about the suitability of this particular task, which exercise to do next by assessing the success of each exercise at the same time as we are conducting the task.  The trainer also observes the handler's actions and behaviour and offers guidance during and following  the exercise.  This reflective process is vital and so beneficial in working towards becoming a 'great handler'.  

As I work on my double retrieves this week with Ivy I will try to focus on my reflect-in-action as part of the learning process and find out what is different and how I can change my thinking during the exercise.

Reference

Schön, D. A. (1987).  Teaching artistry through reflection-in-action.  In Educating the reflective practitioner (pp. 22-40).  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. 

 

Spring Training!

Training Sunday 9th March 2014 10am

As I walked down to Stape Hill fields this morning I didn't have to look far for Mother Nature's first clues that Spring is on the way. I was surrounded by clusters of bright yellow daffodils, bluebells blooming, the odd queen bee buzzing and brimstone butterflies fluttering around the green fields. The sun was shining  and the sky was blissful... beautiful, clear and blue... A perfect day for training!

Ivy and I focused on a long distance retrieve exercise today with a ditch at the far end of the retrieve. The dummy was thrown over the ditch and I sent Ivy out using her name for the command. As she approached the ditch I gave the command 'over'. The trainer asked me to remain quiet and just use the whistle to call her back once she found  the dummy.

As the sun was shining we decided to do a water retrieve and walked over to the large pond which was filled around the edges with masses of jelly-like frog spawn.  My challenge with a water retrieve is striving for a neat delivery of the dummy to hand without Ivy dropping the dummy as she gets out of the water and shaking before giving the command 'shake'.

Today I made sure I was close to the water's edge as Ivy came out of the water so that i could calmly take the dummy from her and then give the command 'shake'. Gradually I want to ease back from the water's edge so that she has the opportunity to get out of the water holding the dummy and deliver to me and then shake.

The key lesson I learnt today focuses on consistency with my commands. I should be staying with the same command and not changing it half way through a retrieve. For example I sometimes change my 'get on' command to 'back' when I should be using 'back' consistently for a retrieve exercise. My aim this week is to be aware of what word  I am using for each command and aim to be consistent with them so that I do not confuse the dog.

 

Training Wednesday 12th March 7am.

I managed to nip out this morning for an hour and catch the end of the dawn chorus whilst training. One of nature's most beautiful sounds. We found a long gravel  track in our local woods and set up several long distance retrieves using the track to keep Ivy straight as she went out for each retrieve.

There is something special about walking early in the morning in Spring time. Everything is growing and bursting into life. This morning our walk energized my body, mind and soul.  I'm sure my dogs picks up on my state of mind. Creating a truly strong bond with Ivy and Jack is not just about caring for the dog but spending time together on a one to one basis and working together as a team. What a wonderful way to start the day!

 

Training at Corbinsbere on Sunday 2nd March.

Photo taken by Sarah Smith - www.purbeckpaws.co.uk

The lab retriever training session with Tracy Corbin today focused on marked and memory retrieves. Ivy was keen today,  despite the cold wind and constant drizzle which steadily got worse as the morning progressed. Our first seen retrieve was a shot and dummy thrown over a bank of bracken. Ivy went out straight following my instruction and flew over the bank to retrieve the dummy to hand. This  A  basic exercise is a valuable reminder of the importance of these key commands – Sit and stay.  The group were asked to command their dogs to sit and stay, walk out 30 yards. Turn and face your dog and wait for a minute. The trainer  then asked all handlers to start walking in a large circle around all dogs. This exercise is simple and so effective. Especially when you are in group training. If one dog moves, it could encourage another dog to move so I never assume my dog is rock steady. I always keep one eye on  her and occasionally give her a hand signal to stay. Putting in the ground work to establish the basics will pay off later on.  Our group had a new and challenging exercise today. I was positioned at the entry of a wooded cover area, told Ivy to sit and throw the dummy behind so she could mark it. I then had to turn and walk the dog at heel through the wood until we came out the other side. I then turned Ivy, gave her the command to sit, and sent her out straight, heading back through the wood to retrieve the memory mark. The aim of this exercise was to push the dog through the whole cover of the wood and out the other side so they do not think they are restricted to the wood, there are no barriers. She is also experiencing various types of ground to retrieve the dummy. Ivy achieved this well and we will continue to use the exercise this week as I feel it develops the dog’s confidence.                             

I've noticed today Ivy is eager to watch me and ready to catch the next command. I can see her brown eyes intent on my every move, just watching and waiting for a command. I see this as a sign of focus and loyalty.

Thanks to Tracy for a challenging and enjoyable training session.

Ivy's First

The Purbeck Gun Dog School held their annual working tests on Sunday 23rd February at Staple Hill Abbey Estate. The judges were Neil Varney and  Richard Caines for the Labrador retriever tests.  The organisers for the event were Chris Walton and Sandra Blake.
The day started with refreshments in the car park. The backdrop of the Abbey and a sense of Stape Hill's peace and tranquillity was the perfect way to start the  day.  After a quick briefing by Sandra all entrants moved off in convoy to the main fields for the first puppy Labrador and Spaniel working test.  
My first test was in the Novice Labrador class with my 17 month old black Labrador, Ivy. The test involved a walk up off lead, dropping the dummy so the dog can see it and continue to walk 20 yards with the dog at a heel. The judge then asked me to sit the dog up, stay and walk 30 yards away, turn and face the dog.  I was then instructed to walk back to the dog and turn the dog to face the dummy and send her out  to retrieve the dummy. This test aimed to test the steadiness of the dog, heel work and retrieve to hand. Our test ran smoothly. Ivy's eyes were fixed on me and I was very pleased with her steadiness, response to the whistle and a clean retrieve to hand. I'm aware that silence is a virtue and in the past one of my faults has been  'noisy or inappropriate' handling so I was very relieved to complete the test with minimal voice and whistle commands.  The final test was a long  distance retrieve  which again ran smoothly with a clean retrieve to hand. 

The Open Labrador Retriever Test was enjoyable but very challenging for myself and 8 year old Labrador Jack.  The first test involved two seen long distance retrieves. The dog marked the first retrieve in the open field and then I had to turn the dog on a heel and he marked the second retrieve which was in cover  with a large ditch to cross. Jack marked the 2nd retrieve and went out straight, over the ditch and came back with the dummy to hand. The 1st retrieve which was in the open field was much more challenging. Due to handler error i sent him out slightly to the right of the dummy and he then headed for the edge of the field, hunting up and down the line.

This is where my noisy handling sprung into action and the peace and tranquillity of Stape Hill vanished. I realize this is an indication of poor control and it's usually a sign the handler is struggling, which I was! Thankfully the judges were extremely supportive and patient and offered sound advice which enabled me to complete the test with Jack.  Once I had recovered from the increased heart rate, tense facial muscle ache and shallow breathing I was able to enter the final test which was a double seen and double blind in pairs. We were requested to pick up specific dummies in turn. This was an enjoyable test with an appropriate combination of voice and whistle and the test ran smoothly for all dogs. Relieved...yes!

Although the day started overcast with a strong breeze it was clearly a great day on ground which  was superb  for both spaniels and labradors.  As the day progressed the skies  brightened up with no rain, gales, sleet or snow. What a difference a dry day makes...

Reflecting on the day my key lesson learnt is that verbal commands have a key role to play, especially in the steadiness development of the dog but I feel it's vital to maintain a balance between voice and whistle commands without increasing either to the realms of noisy handling.

Overall I was extremely pleased with the result as Ivy came 1st in the Novice Retriever Test. It's a great feeling to know the hours of training with Corbinsbere is starting to pay off. Thank you Tracy! We are fairly new to this sport and so far it's been an exciting, rewarding and challenging journey.

My aim is to have calm companions in the house and in the field. The four basic behaviours I am continually developing are control, steadiness, calm behaviour and retrieving. I will continue to blog my training/test adventures with my dogs this year as we are all on a huge learning curve and enjoying every minute!

Photos taken by Sarah Smith - www.purbeckpaws.co.uk