These clips with Chaos show a little bit of the problems of working with a toy vs food. I have a hard time getting much correct to reward. I only heel in right circles to try and keep him in position and even though he's obsessed with the toy, he actually loses a little speed, probably from from losing focus and concentration.

Chaos clip 1

Chaos clip 2

Chaos clip 3

Everybody loses concentration with a Corona

Yeah, theres a, uh, uh, wait a minute. What??

Just a question....why are you asking him to platz almost every time before giving him an aus command? I would think that it might cause some problems down the road?

Will he stay with your leg if you back up or step to the side so that he has to reposition himself?

For what ever it's worth....I would also slow down when you ask for the front positon...give him a second to think about where he is & fix himself (with a no 'marker' )before backing up & asking for the position again. I found with my male if I gave him the chance to fix himself he would stay calmer & not get hectic & crazy for the ball(reward) & loose his focus. If I would keep backing up quickly he would get very hectic. Maybe that is just him. I didn't have the issue with my female on this. He has rarely come in wrong after I had started doing this. I would also turn in different directions & ask for the front. He would have to think more about where he was placing his body to be rewarded & not just push up to the front of me. Just what worked with my knucklehead male.

He is such a nice looking boy.

I actually taught my dogs the 'heir' command right after the sit when they were babies. That made it easier for me to add it outside on the field later on.

Outing him when he's in a platz is more for me to just try and keep from outing him directly in front. With both Shepherds, I found them not wanting to bring the toy into a straight front. They will return a toy to my hands when I hold them out to signal it, but they both stop back away a little, like in a formal retrieve. I thought I may have gotten carried away outing them in front.

What problems do you think I may cause with it Anne?

I was trying to reward him in front quickly because that was part of my plan for bringing him in straight at the end of his recall. From throwing the ball to the side, he was coming in crooked. So separate of the actual recall, which I don't want to lose any speed on, I've been doing that little drill from the platz.

The backing up, that may be another mistake in itself. I never did that before. I always made Andy fix himself, usually with a knee or two. I could be making a mistake trying not to be so rough this time around.

And thanks for any tips. I appreciate them. The videos will show that what I think is happening doesnt always match whats really going on.

Nice dog Steve!

I was thinking about something else. You are not going to have a platz with a retreive in SchH.

I can see where rewarding off to the side will have the dog thinking getting in that direction to get the reward faster. I didn't use my knee to correct the front, I just let him sit with a negative marker, which told him something was wrong & he figured it out as I would praise when he would move to change his position & I'd reward the change. It only took a few times for him to figure it out. I have also used hot dogs & droped them from my mouth to the dog in a front to keep their focus on me when woking with them as pups to get the front straight from the get go.

My male has taught me to really think outside of the box as he is a very different dog from the other males that I have had & totally different from my female. I have never had to break things down as much with her as I have with him & the other males. She is very smart & a hard dog which can beget other issues. He is a softer dog & learns much differently. Some of it has been a challenge. But once he gets it...he gets it. His OB is excellent, very fast & clean. Her's is not as fast & clean all the time.

I understand your reason for the platz & aus now. Sometimes it is hard to understand the logic behind what someone is doing just from a video. Thanks for explaining & sharing. It helps me to learn to know how others are teaching things.

I never had a video camera so I was never able to reap the benifits one can get from seeing what you are doing. It is really helpful.

Good luck with the pups, they look great.

Thanks Sarah. I like him alot.

Lol, 90 percent of my obedience is all food Anne. I usually have so many pieces of hot dog stuffed in my mouth I look like Popeye. I'm one of those food spitters too. With My other Shepherd Billy, I've started using the toy a little more because he's a lot more under control and correct.
The only things I'm using toys primarily with are The recall and retrieve. Oh, and burying his bad cuz on a track.

Its funny too, hard and high drive= Chaos. Handler soft, sensitive=Billy. Your right, whole different issues.

Good videos.

Looks like he is coming along nicely.
He is a good looking boy too.