Down and Recall Exercises

DOWN AND RECALL EXERCISES

CHAPTER IV

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(a) GENERAL

In the down and recall the capacity of the dog to learn is reinforced by his submissive and pack instincts. The submissive instinct is of assistance in performing the actions of lying down and staying in that posture, while the pack instinct helps in the recall. On the trainer abandoning the animal after it has lain down, the latter, thus left alone, begins to feel the impulse to rejoin its human pack-fellow. This impulse can advantageously be used to contrive a rapid and willing recall by relieving the dog, with a call, of its loneliness. In this process the following consideration is to be borne in mind. The long down consists of lying down and remaining in that posture. A distinction should be made between lying down and remaining in that posture with strong distractions and remaining in the position in isolation. For example, the presumed culprit cornered by the dog may make an attempt to get away, or a hare may start up in front of the dog, the trainer in both cases being nearby. If the dog is then compelled by a call to lie down, the animal is not being left alone, for the trainer is close by. It would only begin to feel deserted if the trainer were distant at the time.

If the object of the training is to compel the dog, by calling from a distance, to lie down despite the presence of strong distractions, the lesson can only be learnt by the animal as the result of strict compulsion, as described in the following pages. It will be of additional assistance in this connection if no further exciting events as, for instance, a struggle with the presumed culprit, are allowed to occur after the down.

An isolated dog is assisted in maintaining his prostrate posture if he finds that after remaining down he is not called away but is fetched from the place where he is lying by the trainer. By this procedure the powerful recall impulse is prevented from arising, as is the tension, which endangers the prostrate posture if the dog is regularly called away after being left. The procedure may vary according to the object of the training. If no special importance is attached to a reliable maintenance of the prostrate posture, or if the down is being employed as a means of obtaining rapid and willing recall, the animal may be called from the place in which he is lying. If the dog is already accustomed to this procedure and it is desired, as a primary object, to obtain reliable maintenance of the prostrate posture, calling away after the down is dispensed with, and the prostrate animal is regularly fetched from the place where he has been left.

In serious work, of course, procedure must depend on circumstances. If the correct inducements are used for the down and recall, the trainer obtains complete mastery over the dog. In the presence of powerful distractions it is easier to compel the animal, by uttering the word 'Down', to drop to the ground, than to bring him to one's side by uttering the word 'Here'. This is due to the ease with which strict compulsion can be exercised in teaching the down, such compulsion being less effective, as we shall see, in recall training.

(b) TEACHING THE DOWN

Auditory signal: 'Down.'

Service requirement: The dog, wherever he may be at the moment, whether standing, walking or running, has to throw himself to the ground, with lightning speed, at the word 'Down'. He has to remain prostrate, with his head up and mobile, until called away.

Since compulsion has to be employed without delay in this exercise, its effect is at first intimidating. But this effect is eliminated as soon as the dog has learnt that nothing disagreeable happens to him after he has lain down and while he remains in that posture. Until he has become accustomed to drop of his own accord on receipt of the secondary inducement, training should only take place on the lead. Otherwise the instinct of flight comes into play. The dog tries to escape the compulsion by flight, a reaction which must, under all circumstances, be prevented from the outset.

The use of the encouraging and intimidating sounds requires special consideration. The moment the dog begins to go down the trainer will probably feel impelled to praise him, in other words to employ the sound of encouragement. But to do so may cause the dog to rise from the uncongenial posture he has assumed. If it is felt that the prostrate dog should be encouraged, possibly on account of excessive timidity, care must be taken to be in a position to force the animal down again instantly, if and when it rises. The following inducements should, then, be offered. The dog takes up the lying position. The trainer says, 'There's a good boy'. The animal shows a wish to rise. It is at once again forced to the ground by the word 'Down' (not 'Bahl'), succeeded by a further sound of encouragement, accompanied by a touch of the hand. It is of particular importance for the dog to learn not to rise at the word of encouragement. It is more advantageous, after training has reached an advanced stage, not to put an end to compulsion during the down. In this case the intimidation entailed, and not withdrawn, assists the maintenance of the prostrate posture.

Whenever the dog makes any attempt to rise prematurely, the usual sound of intimidation is not uttered, but only the word 'Down', which also has an intimidating effect, and thus, when accompanied by the primary inducement of downward pressure, compels the animal to lie down.

First Inducements.

One begins with a mild form of compulsion. The dog is gently pressed to the ground and held in that position. The manner in which he then lies at this stage does not matter. As soon as pressure commences the secondary inducement 'Down' is uttered in an admonitory tone. If it is also desired that the dog should obey a visual signal, the latter, for example a swift raising of the arm, accompanies the auditory signal from the start. The action being incomprehensible to the animal, he will at first wish to get up again, but is kept in position by continued repetition of the word 'Down'.

To enable the dog to learn the behaviour required it is given the opportunity to repeat the behaviour which is not required. For this purpose the trainer's hands are raised a little. The moment the animal shows any sign of rising counter pressure is renewed and the word 'Down' again pronounced. In this way the dog finds standing up less congenial than lying down. The preliminary practice should only last a few minutes. If the undesirable behaviour is repeated, the trainer should resort to the primary inducement. He should not make the mistake of being tempted to substitute emphatic shouting for the downward pressure.

To avoid undue frightening, timid dogs may be allowed to rise of their own accord when the preliminary inducements are applied; the view taken here being that they should at first be familiarized only with the downward pressure.

Standing Up and Recalling.

As a primary inducement to stand up a jerk at the lead would suffice, but the recall which always immediately follows requires retreat by the trainer who, while jerking at the lead, quickly runs a few steps, then stoops with his face turned back towards the dog. Jerking at the lead and the backward movement are accompanied by the sound 'Here', always spoken in a high-pitched and caressing tone. When the dog reaches the trainer it should invariably be received with fondling and the phrase 'There's a good boy' (see Chapter V).

In down and recall training a constant switching is required from the disagreeable experience of lying down to the agreeable one of running to the handler. The more evident this alternation is made the more rapid and precise the progress of the animal will be.

Inducement to stand up is never applied until the dog is holding the prostrate posture of its own accord, without being touched by the trainer. At first it need maintain this position for only a few moments. On the other hand, every time the dog stands up of its own accord this movement must at once be countered again by downward pressure and the word 'Down'.

When the dog is reliable in lying down in the near neighbourhood of the trainer, attention should be paid to the following:

The primary inducement to stand up was provided by jerking the lead, and that to come by the trainer's rapid retreat. When these primary inducements to stand up and approach produce the results desired, it is possible and appropriate to resort to the secondary inducement 'Here' alone, in order to initiate standing up and approaching the handler. The dog then concentrates only on the auditory signal 'Here'. As training proceeds, response to this type of inducement must be such that the dog pays no attention, on being put down, to any movement, however remarkable, on the part of the trainer, even if the latter runs or throws himself on the ground. The object is to render effective the word 'Here', as a signal to stand up and come to the trainer. But whenever the recall itself takes place hesitantly and with insufficient speed, the trainer may also resort to swift walking or running back in a stooping attitude as a primary inducement, always accompanying his actions with a caressingly pronounced 'Here'. It is necessary to get rid altogether of the idea that 'Here' is a command. It never becomes one. It is true that as training goes on it comes to have the same effect as a command, but we have not yet reached that stage.

The originally hesitant approach will, if the procedure here described is carefully followed, soon become an extremely rapid and willing one, especially as the distances to be covered grow longer. All other important aspects of the recall are dealt with in the following chapter.

Prevention of formation of an undesirable association.

Reference must now be made to an undesirable association which may easily arise. In the case of a novice dog, the down should never be undertaken while the dog is being called up or immediately after such action, otherwise, since the down involves strict compulsion, the dog will become shy in his recall, through expecting a threatening cry of 'Down!' In teaching the recall after the down the dog must, for this reason, always be treated with particular tenderness and an interval, with a change of location, should elapse before beginning a fresh inducement to down or any other act requiring compulsion.

Standing up of the dog's own accord must be rendered uncongenial. In carrying out further exercises the following is of importance. One should always resort, so far as possible, to downward pressure and the word 'Down' at the very moment the dog shows signs of rising. It is the act of standing up that has to be rendered uncongenial to the animal. The trainer's eye must, therefore, always remain riveted to the dog.

Intensification of exercises.

Exercises are intensified by increased compulsion being applied to the tone of the word 'Down' and to the downward pressure. The animal is pressed downwards with a stronger and swifter movement.

The period of remaining prostrate is then gradually prolonged and the trainer begins to walk round the dog in wider and wider circles, even stepping over him, and finally retreating beyond the range of his scent and vision.

In intensifying exercises in this way the inexperienced trainer is recommended to make use of a long lead. To begin with this will enable him to keep the animal always under control. The end of the lead can be tied to a support, thus enabling the trainer to apply inducement from a distance by a jerk at the lead and the word 'Down', or to let the lead run through his hand while he dashes to the prematurely risen dog and presses him down again firmly.

The dog stands up Prematurely when off the lead.

At the start of training without the lead special attention has to be paid to the tendency of the dog to stand up prematurely. If the animal is near, one makes a dash for him and presses him down again, uttering the word 'Down'. If this procedure is impossible, one merely calls out sharply, 'Down', without approaching the dog, for if one did so he would be inclined, instead of obeying the call, to evade it by taking to flight. If he does run away, the trainer must instantly change his tactics. He should walk rapidly or, preferably, run backwards and call out 'Here' in a caressing tone, encouraging the dog to come with frequent repetitions of 'There's a good boy' and receiving him in the usual friendly manner; stroking and fondling him as if nothing had happened.

To the anthropomorphic mind such behaviour may seem unreasonable. But one has to 'reason' as a dog does. If one were to punish the dog or show hostility to him for not retaining the prostrate position thereby causing him, as he approaches or after he has arrived, a disagreeable experience, he would not associate the punishment with the act of standing up, but with that of the recall and the word 'Here'. After a number of repetitions this association would become embedded in his memory and he would turn hand-shy.

Therefore, should the trainer be unable to intervene at once when premature rising takes place, he must effect a recall in the friendly manner described.

Similarly, one should not, as already mentioned, attempt to force the dog, with a perhaps even stricter form of compulsion, to perform the down immediately after the recall, since any association of the latter exercise with a subsequent disagreeable experience must be avoided. We must wait for a while, and fondle the dog, before bringing into operation the inducements described below.

The trainer runs with the dog, now attached to the long lead, which is, however, held within a few feet of the collar, and encouraging the animal by 'There's a good boy', to the place where the latter has been lying and there presses it to the ground, uttering the word 'Down' in a commanding manner. He may also, but not until a rather late stage of training, administer, not as a punishment but as a stricter form of compulsion, a flick with the switch on the dog's back before he lies down, as soon as the spot where he has been lying is reached. This action must be performed suddenly, with a flick of the wrist. The moment the switch touches the animal's back the word 'Down' must be uttered. It is of great importance for these measures to coincide. If the blow comes only a second later than the sound, the dog would try to avoid the blow on a future occasion. The sound 'Down' must come to have the meaning of a blow. It would not be advisable for an inexperienced trainer to apply this method of causing the dog to lie down unless the latter is on the lead. We need not worry about the cut with the switch causing the dog to develop shyness of the hand. This will occur only if the cut is given immediately after the recall. The sound 'Down' is intended to intimidate the dog.

The dog learns to stay down at any distance from the trainer.

Hitherto inducement to lie down has only been applied while the dog is near the trainer. When the habit has been so ingrained that the dog throws itself to the ground at the mere word 'Down', without any attempt at flight, we may proceed to dropping the dog when he is standing, walking or running at a distance from the trainer.

In this exercise the secondary inducement 'Down' alone is employed, as before, occasionally accompanied by a gesture from the trainer.

The difficulties presented to the animal by distance and the presence of distractions are only very gradually increased. If the dog, instead of dropping on the word 'Down', runs away, it is not yet ready for these exercises. In these circumstances the trainer must at once change his tactics and call the dog in.

If, at the word 'Down' the dog is at a considerable distance from the trainer and in the face of very strong distractions, it is necessary, as stated earlier on and for reasons to be given presently, to resort to a strict form of compulsion, involving the instigation of alarm.

This measure may be affected without any interference with the animal's enjoyment of its work and without entailing the slightest risk of the dog becoming hand-shy. The strict form of compulsion should at first only be applied with the dog on the short lead. The object is to ensure that the only way the animal can avoid the disagreeable experience of a flick with the switch is by quickly throwing itself on the ground. This instantaneous movement should not have the character of an exhibition. It is rendered necessary in order that powerful distractions may be neutralized by still more powerful inducements.

The unsuspecting dog is held at the trainer's side by a lead which is kept quite short. He is unexpectedly struck by a sudden, very swift cut with the switch, effected by a flick of the wrist. This cut must be administered dexterously enough to prevent the dog noticing any preliminary movement of the trainer's body. The moment the switch touches the animal's back, neither earlier nor later, the word 'Down' must be given. A single cut only is required. It must be applied in a grazing fashion, so that the dog, as it drops, perceives that the weight of the blow has already diminished; that he can escape it entirely by instantaneous prostration and that he is immune as soon as he lies down. One cut only, therefore! When the dog lies down the trainer walks round him, without giving him any encouragement, to make sure that he retains the posture. If he does so, he may be released from the lead. The trainer then walks a dozen paces away and starts running backwards while calling 'Here' in a caressing tone. In this exercise it is advisable to use the long lead to begin with. The force of the cut depends on the character of the individual dog. The important point is dropping quickly. It is not expedient to repeat this exercise immediately. It should be practiced at intervals in different places and invariably as a surprise, in order to avoid the formation of undesirable associations.

Even with the trained. animal there must be resort, at intervals, to simultaneous employment of the cut and the word 'Down', otherwise the faculty of rapid prostration, and with it complete mastery of the dog, will be lost.

The dog should never be struck when it is already lying down. If it has not lain down quickly enough on any occasion when the word' Down' is used alone, a cut may be applied, at the next training, on the down, but not before. Once the dog is lying down it must feel itself secure from any disagreeable experience at the hands of the trainer.

(c) DROPPING ON COMMAND AND STAYING DOWN

When a dog has learnt to stay down, care must be taken never to allow him to get up before he is called, or fetched. Many owners are in the habit of using the word 'Down' when they are not concerned with making the dog really lie down. Even when he is down, the performance must be strictly supervised. If he is frequently allowed to stand up before being called or fetched, his unconditional retention of the prostrate posture will obviously be prejudiced. Indoors, when we only wish to keep the dog out of our way if he is being a nuisance, the word 'Down' should not, therefore, be used, for it would imply that for some reason or other we wish to make him stay down. But if all we desire is that the dog should go to the place where he usually lies, or lie down elsewhere in the room, a different inducement must be employed. We may, for example, say, with a threatening movement, 'Lie down'. The animal will then go to his usual place and there is no need for anything more.

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