Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:47 pm Post subject: Advice needed desperately before Sunday! Please!
Blasted 'stop' whistle!
I've got till Sunday to crack this. Zorro has always been taught to stop on the whistle, but I've always done it for distance control rather than heelwork. My own fault for not practicing it to heel, but I thought that because he did it reliably when out in front of me, it would be easily translated to heelwork 'stops'. Not so! And I don;t know where I'm going wrong but he just isn't getting it. He'll stop in the stand position when I blow a stop when off lead and heeling, but apparently he has to sit. I've been practicing it this week loads, but unless I say 'sit', or pause in my stride, he continues to drift alongside me a few more paces, looking very uncertain, whereas what he has to do for the test is stop and sit, and I musn't break my stride as I continue on.
Any 'quick fix' tips? I feel totally incompetent becasue it 'should' have been straight forward and I just feel I'm confusing the poor chap!
I have no advice other than start at the beginning, heelwork on the lead, and give the command the same time you stop, if he doesn't sit, then enforce with voice, rinse and repeat, then take away the lead, rinse and repeat... then you should be able to give the stop whistle, you carry on walking, and he should sit... (eventually) Not sure if its 'crackable' by Sunday... but he sounds like a quick learner from all your other gundog training posts, so I am sure you can do it!
At the beginning, I was also using a stay hand signal as I walked off...
I, same as you, got the stop whistle at a distance sorted, but never to heel... had to start over again
Are you doing a test on Sunday?????
The more you do it, he should start to think, 'hang on, mum always 'tells' me to sit at this point as well as stop, so I will do it without her asking'.... (with any luck)
Last edited by _Suzy_ on Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:58 pm; edited 1 time in total
Becs as you heel along, blow the stop whistle and at the same time or within a second hiss 'sssssss' at him. Its the 'ssssss' most dogs listen to to sit on anyway. If you find thats not enough, blow - say sit within a second, then slowly draw out the 'sssss' until your blow and your ssss are pretty much at the same instant. It ISSSSSS possible to hiss and blow at the same time because close at your side the stop whistle (that he should sit on)should just be a fairly quiet 'peep' not a huge long blast like he is three fields away... all things in moderation
It really usually does not take long for the gap to close between the peep and the ssss until they are sitting just on the peep because they so EXPECT the sssss to follow.
Also double treble check he needs to sit on that stop whistle. After all it IS a stop whistle. Are you sure they have to sit, not just halt forward motion? I can understand we usually DO teach a dog to sit at our sides on the stop whistle, but so close to the test day, ideally if you don't have to introduce something new you shouldn't try to....
Di
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The boys!
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Becs I *think* the grade 1 test for a discontinued sit doesn't have to be a whistle ie you can just give the verbal command to 'sit'
Maybe check because then you can focus your efforts on that and add the whistle in as per Dis post after sunday?
I also taught the whistle stop as a stand and stop and went backwards to the sit whistle for heelwork. A few repetitions of sit with the whistle at your side and they figure it out
It's definantly a sit for Grade 2 test. I thought I could get away with a nice, smart 'stand', but I've been told it's not enough!
I have been trying to blow, say sit and use a hand-signal all at the same time, but will concentrate on a good hissssssss for a ssssssssit! It just seems such a stupid thing to be getting so very wrong! When I think of what Zorro and I HAVE learnt in the past 8 weeks, I feel such a twit to be making such a pig's ear of such a piddly thing!
I was hoping not to do much practicing this week so Zorro would be nice and fresh on Sunday, but I think we'll just have to slog away at this and hope that we get it sorted by then.
The other teensy little problem is that, in the test, it says the dog should be heeled on the left. Well, Zorro has always been handled on the right as he had to be on that side when he worked as an assistance dog. So I thought I'd say that I'm left handed and therefore always carry my gun on the left! ( ) That'll be fine, won't it?!! It would really muck things up to change sides now.
Thank-you all for your suggestions and advice. I appreciate it! (Jeez- I'm so nervous already!)
Would it be acceptable in the test for you to use the whistle to act as a "Stop" and also give a hand signal for a "Sit" at the same time.
After my dogs have a reliable "Sit" , I introduce a hand signal for the same command. So I ask for a "Sit" and at the same time I also use my hand, palm facing the dog's face, fingers outstretched and slowly move my palm upwards. As the dog already knows the voice command, he knows what I want and follows my hand upwards as he sits at the same time. When he has learnt this I can stop voice command and use only the hand signal. (And I give the hand signal at the speed the dog can reliably cope with).
You may feel there is not enough time before the test to teach Zorro a "Sit" plus a handsignal. But it may be worth trying as then you could use the whistle, and give him a discreet hand signal whilst continuing on your stride. It's like a visual prompt for him.
I was told you can stick the whistle in the corner of your lips, sssss out of the other and use your hand! So if its the quick fix you are after... just do that!
edit to add... I was told this by the gundog club trainer, so it must be acceptable!
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Hi Sue,
I'm using the handsignal (as you described) along with the whistle for stop (I think a hand signal would be ok in the test) and Zorro does stop, only he doesn't sit. If I pause for him to sit, then he will, but I have to kind of rock back on my heels and give him 'a look' at the same time, which then doesn't constitute walking without breaking my stride.
I wonder if I could walk v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y on the test!!!!
I wonder how many points they'd knock off for a 'stand' instead of a sit? Maybe I need to settle for less than perfection, and more for 'sort of adequate'! The last thing I want is for Zorro (and me!) to get hung-up on this.
If he stops but doesn't sit then it would only be a couple of marks surely.
I can't remember... but are you not allowed to stop too, all be it briefly? The main point is that he stays ... you walk away... and then return to him?
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And I don;t know where I'm going wrong but he just isn't getting it. He'll stop in the stand position when I blow a stop when off lead and heeling, but apparently he has to sit. I've been practicing it this week loads, but unless I say 'sit', or pause in my stride, he continues to drift alongside me a few more paces, looking very uncertain, whereas what he has to do for the test is stop and sit, and I musn't break my stride as I continue on.
(eventually) Not sure if its 'crackable' by Sunday... but he sounds like a quick learner from all your other gundog training posts, so I am sure you can do it! 
) That'll be fine, won't it?!! It would really muck things up to change sides now.
