Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005
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Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Quote: Isabelle Schmelz
...can anyone comment on the relative merit of the use of the touchpad versus a gradually faded visual cue (as in Patterson's book training the behaviour) for teaching the send away?
I may be over simplifying it but the touch pad is still a visual that has to be faded away.
One merit of the touch pad is that it can be used in training various other behaviors.
Chris Collins Webboard User Reg: 04-25-2011
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Loc: Whangaparaoa, NZ
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How about doing a method that i've seen in action - getting a ball or toy and a helper. Handler holds dog. Helper indicates to dog the toy. Drops toy on floor. Handler sends dog to get the toy (note not a retrieve).
Repeat with helper putting toy in a bucket.
Repeat with helper putting toy in a hole in the ground.
Will Rambeau Moderator Reg: 01-25-2003
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Loc: Idaho
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Quote: connie sutherland
Quote: isabelle schmelz
...can anyone comment on the relative merit of the use of the touchpad versus a gradually faded visual cue (as in Patterson's book training the behaviour) for teaching the send away?
I use the "gradually faded visual clue" as taught by Bernhard Flinks, it goes like this:
First off, you need a dog with ball drive -
Hang ball on a string to a clip attached to a thin but strudy metal hanger ( I use a garden pot holder placed sideways, it's black and blends in well )
Send dog from just a few feet away with whatever "go out" command that you use and the dog rewards itself by pulling the ball free.
Slowly increase the distance until your dog will do a 50 yard run-out to get the ball.
Periodically send the dog out when there's no ball on the hanger and reward the dog with the ball that you have stashed in your pocket.
With the right type of dog, they will tear down the field in hopes of getting that ball, and by the time ya'll are at 50 yards, he can't see a thing, it's all trust.
I do something similar to Will. I would put a tug (or a treat if the dog is not toy motivated) on a small metal food dish turned upside down at the end of the field and let the dog know that it is there.
Dog tears down the field to get it. Repeat as necessary for the dog to get it. I than remove the dish and have the treat/toy in the grass. Depending on the grass height, a lot of times this means even a toy is invisible. I have the dog with me when I drop the toy/treat in the grass and than heel down the field and send them. Repeat as necessary.
Eventually I have someone else put the reward at the end of the field and my dog has to do it on faith. Once he gets that, I vary the amount of times the toy is at the end of the field. Sometimes the reward comes from me after the dog completes the exercise.
I essentially do the same thing when I teach the go out in utility and it seems to work for my guys.
We teach it with a ball, everything goes pretty well as expected when you are only doing the send-aways. We double the distance every day in the initial stages and put the ball out without the dog seeing you do it.
With some dogs the problems start to appear when you run the OB routines in order (long down, heeling routine, motion exercises, retrieves, flat, jump, wall) and THEN heel to the starting point for the send-away. The drive has to he high enough for the dog at this point to leave the handler even after there is some stress during the OB/retrieves, not to mention the added down command during the send-away. Here is where the difference in dogs and training techniques become visible.
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teaching the send-away
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