How to get a better heel/fuss/Au pied - Page 6

GARD - If you only knew 1/2 of what you THINK you know, you still wouldn't know sh*t!

"Shit I only trained the dog for the last year, and saw what mistakes were made in the OB, hell what do I know?" You trained the dog for the last year? That explains A LOT!  You can see problems and mistakes, but you don't know how to fix them. That's why you aren't and never will be a good trainer. 

 "My friends who have recently won two national championships the past two years seem comfortable with me working their dogs." But, you did not train them to the championships... so, somebody trusts you enough to let you catch their dog? So what? That's what you are doing; catching! That makes you a decoy, not a trainer!

"The fact that a dog I trained has just become available and people are jumping at the bit to get to him, must mean I am not too bad."  That makes you a salesman, not a trainer! ANYBODY can sell a dog!

Just stop training to pretend you are some master dog trainer, when in reality, you are simply a decoy; and not a very good one at that!

4pack, Willy's idea of using a board walk does work well for teaching a straight sit and it can help teach the dog to not crowd the handler or to range.  Won't do much for forging though. I've used that method when training for AKC OB where multiple points are deducted for those things. I've also seen that method used at handling classes and it does work well for most dogs.

All sorts of options here.

Teach the dog to heel backwards along a fence. If he forges, pop his paws with a short dressage whip. At the end of this heeling pattern, pivot backwards, spin, and give him a reward (tug from your left hand--do not throw it) while still moving.

Keep the reward in the pouch of a Gappay vest behind your back. Only reward when the dog is focusing on your face in the basic position while moving.

If the dog sits crooked, make him straighten up his sit by saying "fuss" and heeling backwards. Even in protection training, work on a "pick-up" after a transport or a courage test by asking your dog to heel a step or two backwards rather than forward.

Even practice heeling with the tug in your left hand swinging to the left side of the dog. He must learn to focus only your face from the correct basic position while moving or stationary.

When teaching your dog to focus on your face, it is initially easier to get him to focus on your face when he is sitting on a place board--either in front of you or to your side--by spitting food (I prefer string cheese) at him. You may also incorport clicker training into this routine.

For that matter, you may ask the dog to heel by his reward with the tug otherwise fully visible on the ground or sitting in a chair. The dog quickly learns that focus, precision, and obedience brings him the reward--not his anticipation and pushiness.

I've found that the best toy reward for correct heeling is never to use a ball as a reward--makes them too damned hectic with anticipation. Later, the habit created by munching on a ball may carry over to munchiness on the dumbbell or the sleeve.

Hell, you may even teach the dog to focus on the face of the helper by your going into the blind and assuming the position of the helper and sending the dog in for a H&B. Here, you simultaneously teach the dog to "giblaut" and to focus on the face with a reward of spitting food. Later, you may reward him for this behavior with a tug or a bite pillow.