AJ earned his CDX

[obbanner]

AJ earned his Companion Dog Excellent title. May was a good month for him and AJ earned three AKC titles - Companion Dog Excellent, Rally Novice and Canine Good Citizen. He earned his CDX with a 195 first place Doberman.

I do Rally when my dogs aren't ready for their Obedience level. He had two Rally Novice legs already, so he titled in Novice the next day and got a leg in Advanced. My eleven year old is failing and I spend a lot of time walking her the past two weeks. I found a place where we can easily do 3 miles with her off lead. Instead of preparing for Rally, I spent my free time walking her, so we went into the Advanced ring stone cold. As soon as the judge put out the maps, I was writing down the signs I had to know and looking them up in the rule book. The one thing with which we had problems was calling to FRONT from HEEL position without me moving my feet. We were outside practicing that and poor AJ's brain got fried. We Q'd with the next to worst qualifying score, but a Q is a Q in the record books! He's at least six months away from being ready for Utility, so we'll be doing a lot of Rally until then.

 

[lady Dobie]

AJ earned his Companion Dog Excellent title. May was a good month for him and AJ earned three AKC titles - Companion Dog Excellent, Rally Novice and Canine Good Citizen. He earned his CDX with a 195 first place Doberman.

I do Rally when my dogs aren't ready for their Obedience level. He had two Rally Novice legs already, so he titled in Novice the next day and got a leg in Advanced. My eleven year old is failing and I spend a lot of time walking her the past two weeks. I found a place where we can easily do 3 miles with her off lead. Instead of preparing for Rally, I spent my free time walking her, so we went into the Advanced ring stone cold. As soon as the judge put out the maps, I was writing down the signs I had to know and looking them up in the rule book. The one thing with which we had problems was calling to FRONT from HEEL position without me moving my feet. We were outside practicing that and poor AJ's brain got fried. We Q'd with the next to worst qualifying score, but a Q is a Q in the record books! He's at least six months away from being ready for Utility, so we'll be doing a lot of Rally until then.

View attachment 126287

congratulations .. beautiful photo of a great looking dobie..

 

[obbanner]

A friend video'd AJ in his title run for his CDX.

The exercises are -

1 Heel Free and Figure 8
2 Command Discrimination (Stand dog, leave dog, down dog, leave dog further away, sit dog, return to dog)
3 Drop on Recall (Call dog to FRONT, drop dog on judge's signal, again call dog to FRONT)
4 Retrieve on Flat (Throw dumbbell, send dog on judge's command, dog retrieves dumbbell and comes to FRONT)
5 Retrieve over High Jump (Throw dumbbell, send dog on judge's command, dog retrieves dumbbell and comes to FRONT)
6 Broad Jump (Sit dog, leave on judge's command and stand two feet from broad jump, send dog over jump who then comes to FRONT)
7 Stand dog, leave ring, pick up lead, return to dog on judge's command.

 

[Ravenbird]

Great work, @obbanner!

 

[Rits]

A friend video'd AJ in his title run for his CDX.

The exercises are -

1 Heel Free and Figure 8
2 Command Discrimination (Stand dog, leave dog, down dog, leave dog further away, sit dog, return to dog)
3 Drop on Recall (Call dog to FRONT, drop dog on judge's signal, again call dog to FRONT)
4 Retrieve on Flat (Throw dumbbell, send dog on judge's command, dog retrieves dumbbell and comes to FRONT)
5 Retrieve over High Jump (Throw dumbbell, send dog on judge's command, dog retrieves dumbbell and comes to FRONT)
6 Broad Jump (Sit dog, leave on judge's command and stand two feet from broad jump, send dog over jump who then comes to FRONT)
7 Stand dog, leave ring, pick up lead, return to dog on judge's command.

Do you mind if I move your huge accomplishment into the performance/obedience section?

 

[Ravenbird]

Do you mind if I move your huge accomplishment into the performance/obedience section?

You aren't asking me, but I thought it would be great to banter around some training that has to go into a CDX! I was thinking about starting a new thread for AKC CD trialing, but maybe it'll get started with the accomplished Team AJ!

 

[obbanner]

Do you mind if I move your huge accomplishment into the performance/obedience section?

You aren't asking me, but I thought it would be great to banter around some training that has to go into a CDX! I was thinking about starting a new thread for AKC CD trialing, but maybe it'll get started with the accomplished Team AJ!

Thank you! I'm a believer of working with your dogs and want to show anything is possible and posted in a more public area. I hope someone sees this and thinks, "I can do that!" I'll make a new post in the Performance / Obedience section.

Positive thoughts drive big accomplishments. I was watching a herding trial on a course that looked very intimidating. Then I looked at all the individual things that the team needed to do and thought, "I can do that!" And we did and beat the Border Collies for the high score on the course.

@Ravenbird Please put it in Obedience Chat or start a thread on the CD. I'm more than happy to participate.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

That's awesome! Congratulations!!

 

[Ravenbird]

@obbanner it seems like you've talked about the dumbbell training before on here, and honestly I haven't taken the time to look for it, but I've been working on a shaped hold for over a month and am finding that this is Ashas least favorite thing to do in the whole friggin world. I'm trying to put off a forced hold, so curious how you developed that nice hold & retrieve with AJ? I keep thinking it will get better when we start "moving" as that's Ashas favorite thing to do (Moving, DO anything but be still), but until I can get a quiet hold with a front, I'm not moving forward. Do you have a short story of training Hold and Retrieve?

A CDX is something to be proud of, it's a future goal of mine.

 

[obbanner]

@obbanner it seems like you've talked about the dumbbell training before on here, and honestly I haven't taken the time to look for it, but I've been working on a shaped hold for over a month and am finding that this is Ashas least favorite thing to do in the whole friggin world. I'm trying to put off a forced hold, so curious how you developed that nice hold & retrieve with AJ? I keep thinking it will get better when we start "moving" as that's Ashas favorite thing to do (Moving, DO anything but be still), but until I can get a quiet hold with a front, I'm not moving forward. Do you have a short story of training Hold and Retrieve?

A CDX is something to be proud of, it's a future goal of mine.

Below is a video I made many years ago showing how I train my dogs with the dumbbell (I was shocked to see how many views it has!). It's a process of slowly increasing the distance. Sometimes when you get to the last step, they won't pick it up off the ground when your hand is off it, so then I place it on the ground and they pick it up when I send them to it from a very short distance. You have to be flexible in your thinking, which is one of the things that I enjoy about dog training.

It takes about a month for a Doberman to learn the forced retrieve and it took my Sheltie five months because she has zero retrieve instinct. Have patience! Now it's a treat for my Sheltie when I play throw the dumbbell.

I recommend getting moving even before they can retrieve. Dogs like motion. I do dumbbell games to get them used to it in the beginning. We heel short distances with it in the mouth. We pass the dumbbell while heeling and he picks it up.

I was never successful in teaching a dog to consistently pick it up on the way out. It's a deduction if they pass it, turn and pick it up on the way back. I compensate by throwing it close to the gate so they can't get behind it.

I use an underhand toss while holding one end of the dumbbell. It spins and tends to go somewhat straight when it hits the ground.

My trainer emphasizes that we have to teach the dogs the forced retrieve even if they have a natural retrieve. They must stick to business when you're in the ring.

AJ mouthed the dumbbell for a long time, then stopped. I think he mouthed because he was unsure of himself, then stopped when he had confidence he was doing the right thing.

The Open A exercises begin with boring things for the dog - heeling, then Command Discrimination. The dog can zone out by the time these are over! They perk up when you do the Drop On Recall and really come alive when it's dumbbell time. Some people go for their CDX in Open B instead of A because the order of the exercises are shuffled and the dog can begin with an exercise that gets the juices flowing. Anyway, my point is that the dumbbell should be fun for the dog. The Utility scent articles are like dumbbells and I sometimes reward my dog after a successful find by throwing the article and letting him retrieve it like the dumbbell.

I hope I gave you some ideas.

Good luck!

 

[Doberman Gang]

Congratulations, that’s awesome

 

[Kswoodssue]

A friend video'd AJ in his title run for his CDX.

The exercises are -

1 Heel Free and Figure 8
2 Command Discrimination (Stand dog, leave dog, down dog, leave dog further away, sit dog, return to dog)
3 Drop on Recall (Call dog to FRONT, drop dog on judge's signal, again call dog to FRONT)
4 Retrieve on Flat (Throw dumbbell, send dog on judge's command, dog retrieves dumbbell and comes to FRONT)
5 Retrieve over High Jump (Throw dumbbell, send dog on judge's command, dog retrieves dumbbell and comes to FRONT)
6 Broad Jump (Sit dog, leave on judge's command and stand two feet from broad jump, send dog over jump who then comes to FRONT)
7 Stand dog, leave ring, pick up lead, return to dog on judge's command.

Very cool!

 

[Ravenbird]

how I train my dogs with the dumbbell

Thanks for the lengthy explain!

I've started with a 1" PVC pipe (about 12" long), as I was told to teach her to hold calmly and come front with no chewing before moving to the dumbbell. Working on duration of the hold, then hold at front position, now trying to get her to move from taking it in her mouth to front position, but as soon as I say front or if she moves a leg, she drops it. like she can't do two things at once. Of course she can do this a thousand times with a ball or tug, but not with a piece of plastic. I'm assuming starting with the PVC is so the chewiness and mistakes would not ever be associated with the "official" object. This is shaped work, meaning lots of repetitions with clicker marking the perfect hold & food reward after the click. I thought Asha would do better at the shaped training a.) because she will do ANYthing for food or ball and b.) she really dislikes being forced to do something, and I've seen forced holds where you had to hold their mouth shut to keep the dumbbell in it?

So thanks for the video and explaining - I'll keep working on it.

 

[Macha]

Below is a video I made many years ago showing how I train my dogs with the dumbbell (I was shocked to see how many views it has!). It's a process of slowly increasing the distance. Sometimes when you get to the last step, they won't pick it up off the ground when your hand is off it, so then I place it on the ground and they pick it up when I send them to it from a very short distance. You have to be flexible in your thinking, which is one of the things that I enjoy about dog training.

It takes about a month for a Doberman to learn the forced retrieve and it took my Sheltie five months because she has zero retrieve instinct. Have patience! Now it's a treat for my Sheltie when I play throw the dumbbell.

I recommend getting moving even before they can retrieve. Dogs like motion. I do dumbbell games to get them used to it in the beginning. We heel short distances with it in the mouth. We pass the dumbbell while heeling and he picks it up.

I was never successful in teaching a dog to consistently pick it up on the way out. It's a deduction if they pass it, turn and pick it up on the way back. I compensate by throwing it close to the gate so they can't get behind it.

I use an underhand toss while holding one end of the dumbbell. It spins and tends to go somewhat straight when it hits the ground.

My trainer emphasizes that we have to teach the dogs the forced retrieve even if they have a natural retrieve. They must stick to business when you're in the ring.

AJ mouthed the dumbbell for a long time, then stopped. I think he mouthed because he was unsure of himself, then stopped when he had confidence he was doing the right thing.

The Open A exercises begin with boring things for the dog - heeling, then Command Discrimination. The dog can zone out by the time these are over! They perk up when you do the Drop On Recall and really come alive when it's dumbbell time. Some people go for their CDX in Open B instead of A because the order of the exercises are shuffled and the dog can begin with an exercise that gets the juices flowing. Anyway, my point is that the dumbbell should be fun for the dog. The Utility scent articles are like dumbbells and I sometimes reward my dog after a successful find by throwing the article and letting him retrieve it like the dumbbell.

I hope I gave you some ideas.

Good luck!

 

[Macha]

Congs.clever way:generally I throw a stick to retrieving but sometimes behaves unwillingly,sometimes brings but not give and I dont insist.Not be hurry about that training.he is 10 months old.I know that is wrong but,is there a deadline for retrieving training?

 

[obbanner]

,is there a deadline for retrieving training?

The earlier you begin training, the easier and more enthusiastically they learn. I begin training for Obedience when they're over four months. Before then, I work on habits - guiding them to walk on the left side when they're on lead out for a walk, for instance, so the left side always looks like the correct side for them.

 

[obbanner]

Thanks for the lengthy explain!

I've started with a 1" PVC pipe (about 12" long), as I was told to teach her to hold calmly and come front with no chewing before moving to the dumbbell. Working on duration of the hold, then hold at front position, now trying to get her to move from taking it in her mouth to front position, but as soon as I say front or if she moves a leg, she drops it. like she can't do two things at once. Of course she can do this a thousand times with a ball or tug, but not with a piece of plastic. I'm assuming starting with the PVC is so the chewiness and mistakes would not ever be associated with the "official" object. This is shaped work, meaning lots of repetitions with clicker marking the perfect hold & food reward after the click. I thought Asha would do better at the shaped training a.) because she will do ANYthing for food or ball and b.) she really dislikes being forced to do something, and I've seen forced holds where you had to hold their mouth shut to keep the dumbbell in it?

So thanks for the video and explaining - I'll keep working on it.

Early in the process, I tap them on the chin or use my fingers to clamp their mouths shut if they chew or look like they're about to drop the dumbbell.

Is using the pipe a retriever training thing? I haven't heard of it. I have plastic dumbbells and don't use them, preferring the wooden ones.

Dumbbell exercises are, in my opinion, the most fun exercises in Obedience for dogs, so I try to make it fun teaching them. When I first teach the concept of coming to FRONT, I do it while heeling in fun mode with the dumbbell in mouth, taking a step back, calling to FRONT and praising them while taking the dumbbell. I toss the dumbbell as I would a toy periodically so they can have fun getting it and I move my body when they come to FRONT so if they don't do a good FRONT, there's nothing to correct.

AJ likes the dumbbell exercises - he often leans forward and vibrates after I throw it waiting for the "Get it!" or "Jump!" commands. Now that we're in Utility, I'll keep practicing the dumbbell commands as a reward for him even though there's no dumbbell in Utility (see comment on scent articles above).

 

[Rits]

now trying to get her to move from taking it in her mouth to front position, but as soon as I say front or if she moves a leg, she drops it.

Ripley does the exact same thing so if you find an "ah-hah" to this bit, let me know

 

[obbanner]

Ripley does the exact same thing so if you find an "ah-hah" to this bit, let me know

I use a chin tap and "NO!" when they look like they're about to drop it.

 

[Ravenbird]

Ripley does the exact same thing so if you find an "ah-hah" to this bit, let me know

Glad to know I'm not alone! You are doing shaped w/click & food? PVC or Dumbbell?

I use a chin tap and "NO!" when they look like they're about to drop it.

Using shaped hold is totally force-free with no commands or negative markers. You know I'm not a Pure Positive trainer & am more willing to correct than most, but I watched both video series (Shaped and Forced) on Dave Kroyer and it looked like the shaped version would work best with her personality. Fooled again, LOL. I'm about a month into it and trying to stick with the program as it's written. Mixing commands will negate the whole thing, as it's basically just a tradeoff that they do X and get reward, then just keep adding duration and distance. I'll get a video pretty soon of where we are on this. Thanks for the input!

I throw a stick to retrieving but sometimes behaves unwillingly,sometimes brings but not give and I dont insist.Not be hurry about that training.he is 10 months old.I know that is wrong but,is there a deadline for retrieving training?

As said, earlier is always better. Retrieving balls and sticks are fun & games and a great way to bond with your puppy. The dumbbells for competition are a little different in that they have to be retrieved and presented in a precise way, not to be treated like playing ball. That's why we go about "training" it even though these dogs will bring a stick or tug or ball all day long. When playing with your pup, you might keep another stick in your hand and when he brings back one sometimes they will give it so you will throw the other until he learns to always give when you ask.