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Question - how can I improve his focus on me?

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Cob-Web:
I think this is an obedience question, and probably relates to all forms of training or work, but at present, I know that Molo's focus on me is not good enough to allow him to wait off-lead at the beginning of an agility run - and I'm not confident that he would remain focused all the way around  ::)

How can I work on this with him between classes? I can get him to focus on me and heel off-lead when we are out walking (after he has had an off lead romp, not before) - but there are not as many dogs to distract him as there are in agility class......I'd really like some tips on how I can work towards the (almost embarassing) level of devotion shown by collies  :005:

Penel:
Firstly - forget ever even considering that a spaniel will have anything like that kind of "devotion" that a collie has.  I prefer to call it obsession but that's just me  :lol:
Then you need to work on keeping Molo's head off the ground.......... :005:  food is what I would suggest - something really high value, roast chicken, lamb, rabbit, cheese, sausage.... works for my spaniels  ;)

Danni n Betty:
Sausage..Practise...Sausage....Practise...and more Sausage!
Bettys getting pretty good at this now, although she does have her moments when I've put her in a stay, gone to run in to position, and there she is behind me :lol:
So I have to remember to keep saying 'sit' or what ever command you use while walking away, along with the hand signal.
I try and have a little practise when out on our walks, preferably in an empty field with no distractions. So I start with walking to heal off lead with a bit of sausage , and then I'll put in some sit and stays, while I walk away, a bit further and for longer each time.
Also, Im working on when I throw the ball for her but making her stay until I tell het to fetch

CraftySam:

--- Quote from: Penel on November 27, 2006, 10:12:42 PM ---Firstly - forget ever even considering that a spaniel will have anything like that kind of "devotion" that a collie has.  I prefer to call it obsession but that's just me  :lol:
Then you need to work on keeping Molo's head off the ground.......... :005:  food is what I would suggest - something really high value, roast chicken, lamb, rabbit, cheese, sausage.... works for my spaniels  ;)

--- End quote ---

Penel I was going to say the very same thing!  :005:

I think dogs that have the same "devotion/obsession" as Collies are very few and far between. So I'd give up aiming for that.  ;)

Something to try to help with getting Molo to stay and wait at the start of the course is to do things like getting him to sit and wait while you go through a doorway, I've found the best one to use is one leading to outside, they desperately want to go out so it really tests their self control. Then call him to you, and get him to sit in front of you.

I've used food too, something high value as Penel suggested. I've seen people using the dogs favourite toy and running round with it in their left hand, when the dog has completed the course they throw the toy to the dog and have a quick game with it as a reward.
You already use clicker training and you could use that. I've seen people use clickers and click after each obsticle so the dog knows something good is coming at the end.

I've done agility with all of mine as part of their normal training classes. Obviously I'm not the best person to do it with them, as they'll never get the most of it with me doing it with them. Max has always seemed to love agility so we took him to Agility Club, with OH to handle him.  Quite frankly it was a disaster.  ph34r
Max would either run off and round the course doing the things he wanted, paying no attention to OH, or he'd run off to me and just sit in front of me and refuse to move.  ::)  Couldn't work that one out. OH was losing it, which didn't help as Max is very sensitive so didn't want to do anything with him. I left the arena to try and get Max to forget about me and work with OH but that didn't work. Jen, the trainer, said he was taking the p*ss   ::) In the end the trainer did it with him and he did it reasonably but not as well as I knew he could.
After everyone went I decided to have a go with him to see what he did. He was great. He waited at the start while I got past the first jump, I told him "over" and he did, he followed all of my directions and he even waited for me to catch up with him if he'd finished something before I got past it.

So my point is, I do all the training here (OH keeps meaning to apparently  ::) ) That training isn't agility, its obedience, trick training etc and because I do this with them they have a bond with me, and a respect, that they don't have for my OH. To them OH is a play object.  ::) If you continue to do all the training with Molo that you are already doing, he will have that bond with you that will help at agility, IYSWIM.  ;)

*jean*:
I think dogs can get really worked up and excited waiting for their turn  either in scurries or suchlike (agility?) and they can start whining and get restless, my advice would be take your dog away to a quiet area to calm down and focus on you, in the gundog world the last thing you want is a noisy spaniel so you dont want him sitting by others who may be getting wound up and start whining one starts another kicks off its contagious and a bad habit to break. get some one to come and get you when its your turn. if you watch gundogs at work they are totally focused on their handlers as they equate the handlers with work, same with the working collie i'm the access to the sheep so the collie follows me .

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