We have now moved off the table with the trained retrieve. Dale is learning to hold the object while on the ground. This is a difficult transition for some dogs.
Dale has fully adapted to kennel life...eating 4 cups of feed in the evening....enjoys his "happy time" twice daily with 6 other dogs in the exercise yard....and is becoming very intense with his bird work!
I did give him the rope toy....He has not caught up with the other dogs in training because he hasn't been here but one week.....He seems to be very intelligent and is a quick study. I feel he will be a very nice hunting companion.
Take care,
Phil & Jane
And in an email from last week....
I collar conditioned Dale today using the Dogtra 1200 NCP. I have developed a technique in which I use the vibrating pager for reinforcement of the learned command instead of low level stimulation. This method causes Absolutely No Discomfort to the dog. Dale showed an understanding of the situation and was able to turn off “vibration” by obeying the command.
Take care,
Phil & Jane
Basically....many hunters use electric shock collars to control their dogs while out in the field. This trainer doesn't. He uses a "vibrating pager" setting. Many people are familiar with the feeling of a pager or cell phone vibrating. That's the feeling that Dale will get when he's off leash and doesn't follow a command. It's a "Hey, I can still touch you even though you're 50 ft away and think that I can't..." type reminder.
And that's one thing we had really been struggling with Dale with. We'd take him to the dog park and he'd start chasing robins. We'd call him in using his commands, he'd take one look at us, then keep running, ignoring us and able to stay outside of reach...which isn't a good thing in the field.
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