getting bit in heeling?? - Page 1

not so bad in this clip but i got nailed in the neck, how/when would you correct?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh7mbU6GhIk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUJzlbxvvCyyxmA--2OSWIyg

Dang.. I'm just impressed your dog can catch all those sticks!!  I've got those "soft" dogs, if I throw a stick, he looks at me like, "and what do you want me to do with that?" ..  LoL..  Ugh

Smashing dogs, I'd be wary of playing with sticks myself, but if you hold the stick along the back of your arm instead of in sight, I think you would get the same attitude without the bruises.

Here's an early stage video of Damian using this method with a bite bar.  You have to steel yourself not to flinch when the dog gets in your face as it just promotes the jumping up.
 


Margaret N-J

The Dog is keen enough to want to work and to help it and yourself, I would put a collar and leash on it and work that way to get him heeling then you have control. the Dog free as it is does not excatly know what you want of it and therefore will pick up bad habits, But the choice is yours, you do not need to hold anything up so high it is teaching the dog to jump up that is not the idea in heeling
Steve1

Excellent advice Steve. I dont understand why people work their dogs without a leash on when they first start training.  The dog needs guidance and you need to train in a more controlled environment. Remember that whatever you train or allow that dog to learn at first, will always be remembered and the dog will fall back on THAT behavior when stressed or not know what to do, as wrong as that behavior may be.
Control the dog and control the environment, remember that when you first train a behavior, the dog has no options other then to do THAT behavior, everything else is discouraged until the dog learns it properly and does it every time you want, then you add the verbal cue.
 

I don't show in IPO, AKC OB so this may not be valuable information for this dog although it's pretty much a no brainer........ Never let a dog make a mistake in the first place.

See Hired Dog and Steve et al's advice for the rest of the story.

I control the environment, but I often start training with no leash or collar for obedience.  I wouldn't do it any other way.  It's simple, they figure out what gets rewarded and they have no other options.  There aren't a million things to go check out, because i've limited that.  If they disengage or want to quit, they go away, so does the chance at having any rewards, fun or food.  It doesn't take long to get total commitment and focus.  

The leash and collars if used are just dragging there and not used for anything.  Those come into play much later.  I'm not doing this in an open field where the puppy or dog can just run off and do their own thing either.  I am controlling the environment.  If I can't, drag lines are always used to limit their options, but when I'm teaching, they're figuring it out as much on their own as I can allow.

thanks for all comments and tips, steve1 makes sense re holding the ball too high.

cheers

It does not matter what breed of dog a person is training at heeling, it is all the same to me. There is nothing worse than to see a owner being pulled from here to there by the dog on the end of the leash asking fido to slow down, there is basicaly no excuse for it to happen if the Owner handler starts off right and if it is from a puppy then it is easy, an older dog not knowing any better or trained it is of course harder but fairly simply done just slow and patient on the handlers part. Now regards precision heeling as in IPO over here 90% of the people i know come onto the work field with there dog on a leash, and that leash stays on for most of the Heeling and Obedience work, only on the last bit does the handlers heel the dogs off leash for a few minutes IT is better to be able to stop a mistake than after it has happened remember they are only training the dog. Even on Protection most heel behind the Helper with the dog on the leash this being just a short leash that you can hold with a couple of fingers a light touch but that is all that is needed to correct a mistake in the position of the dog at heel along with a verbal command, the same leash is used on obedience heeling not a long leash. Really the only time a Dog is completly free is in a competition
The point is this; Never try to be clever by not using a leash and never take the dog for granted? They and us humans make many mistakes no matter how good we think the dog is or we are
Steve1