Advice on training a stop whistle

[Londongirl]

I don't have the same sequence of sit-down-stand as in the video, partly because Henry likes to curl his front paw under him and lie a bit sideways when he lies down so doesn't glue his paws as she likes, and also he HATES lying down on command. But yes, I started with reinforcing the sit and down (I didn't bother with the stand bit), rewarding only the really quick ones. It's had the added benefit of really improving his sit, which he'd started doing in his own good time...

[bizzylizzy]

OK - sounds the same as Humph' - I'll give a go!! THanks!

[Londongirl]

They are like two very naughty peas in a pod, our boys!

[bizzylizzy]

Ha ha!    long distant soul mates!! 

[lescef]

I'm just skimming all the comments quickly but would add that sometimes things are taught backwards. I think its called back chaining. (Not necessarily the stop though)
We started getting a sit at a distance by throwing a sticky treat over the head. It is tricky but to begin with it doesn't matter. I think the book said do it with a wall or skirting board behind the dog so the treat doesn't go too far.
The dog automatically looks up and sits. Start close then get some distance. You then go on to use the hand signal and whistle. Hope that helps.

Teaching a left or right move I think we did by -as the dog comes towards you throw a treat with which ever arm/direction you want them to go, eventually adding a cue. You can use a clicker for all this too.
Folks who do agility must  teach their dogs somehow!

I tried to teach mine a lot of this years ago but life just got in the way.

[Londongirl]

Thanks, lescef and all who've commented. I've got the sit at distance already, as long as he can either hear me or see me. I want to add the whistle so he stops when further away and not looking! I want to do that without messing up the reasonable stop/sit I've already got, I'm very good at messing up training! I think as advised already I'll go back to basics and add the whistle to a simple sit/stop while we are at home and get it solid then add outdoors. As usual, I was tempted to go too fast with it.

[Ang-Bob]

The easiest way to add a cue or change the cue is - new cue - old cue = behaviour.
So you would whistle cue - hand/voice cue = sit/stop. Like you said add in the new cue at home where it's easiest for your dog to get the behaviour correct. Once you're confident he's got it at home you can then practice fading out the old cue still at home & then generalise the new cue in other environments. Hope that helps 
Love your training ethos, your dog is a lucky lad 

[Pearly]

You might want to do some placeboard training or find a Gundog trainer close by.  Do not compromise with the stop - it has to be first time, every time! 

Start close by and indoors, progress to outside and # blow the whistle /give the verbal command as you are walking him on a lead.  Reward each time he sits and stops still......build up to the same routine but you carry on walking - if he stays still you can then drop the lead and walk ahead say two paces.  Build this up until you are up to 20 ft away.

Find a space that has little or no distraction and start to introduce the whistle/command/hand signal when he is off lead when he is close to you.  Or heading towards you say 10ft away......if he doesn't stop/sit, take him back to where he was when the command was given and repeat the command so he starts to understand what you mean.

Then move on to stop (whistle/command/hand signal) when he is moving away from you. 

When you know he stops 100% of the time, find an area with some distraction and start again from #

It's a very long and frustrating process but sooooo rewarding when they sit /stop on the command and more so when they just do it without being instructed after a bird is flushed or something moves that they know to stop for!

Good luck

Jayne
X

[bizzylizzy]

You might want to do some placeboard training or find a Gundog trainer close by.  Do not compromise with the stop - it has to be first time, every time! 

Start close by and indoors, progress to outside and # blow the whistle /give the verbal command as you are walking him on a lead.  Reward each time he sits and stops still......build up to the same routine but you carry on walking - if he stays still you can then drop the lead and walk ahead say two paces.  Build this up until you are up to 20 ft away.

Find a space that has little or no distraction and start to introduce the whistle/command/hand signal when he is off lead when he is close to you.  Or heading towards you say 10ft away......if he doesn't stop/sit, take him back to where he was when the command was given and repeat the command so he starts to understand what you mean.

Then move on to stop (whistle/command/hand signal) when he is moving away from you. 

When you know he stops 100% of the time, find an area with some distraction and start again from #

It's a very long and frustrating process but sooooo rewarding when they sit /stop on the command and more so when they just do it without being instructed after a bird is flushed or something moves that they know to stop for!

Good luck

Jayne
X

At stage one,  would you walk back to the dog to reward and release or call the dog to you? (and does it matter?) Also what signal do you give? I use a sort of wolf whistle for a recall so opted for one short blast to stop and then the hand signal to sit. Do you have a signal to stop and another to sit (to eventually replace the hand signal) or is stop and sit the same (Humphrey tends to just stop and look until he get the hand signal but presumably that's because I've been going too fast ? - again!   
Those instructions were great by  the way, - thankyou!

[Emilyoliver]

I reward the dog by going to it or throwing a ball as reward. If you keep calling the dog to you you run the risk of it predicting the recall and stopping quickly then coming straight back if that makes sense. You need to reward the stop as an action on its own. The stop whistle, verbal sit and hand signal all mean the same to my dogs and can be used interchangeably. Sit/stop means sit where you are until I tell you to do something else.

[bizzylizzy]

I reward the dog by going to it or throwing a ball as reward. If you keep calling the dog to you you run the risk of it predicting the recall and stopping quickly then coming straight back if that makes sense. You need to reward the stop as an action on its own. The stop whistle, verbal sit and hand signal all mean the same to my dogs and can be used interchangeably. Sit/stop means sit where you are until I tell you to do something else.

Great, - that makes perfect sense, thankyou!!

[Pearly]

I reward the dog by going to it or throwing a ball as reward. If you keep calling the dog to you you run the risk of it predicting the recall and stopping quickly then coming straight back if that makes sense. You need to reward the stop as an action on its own. The stop whistle, verbal sit and hand signal all mean the same to my dogs and can be used interchangeably. Sit/stop means sit where you are until I tell you to do something else.

Good advice - mix it up all the time, walk back and reward, call to you and reward, send on to hunt (which is reward for Coral) throw a ball or preferred toy to keep him guessing and making it fun and exciting!

[bizzylizzy]

Thanks!! 👍