SchH Question/Phase I - Page 1

I figured I would get serious for a second and find out what kinda methods you people use for training the articles of a track.

Most people I have trained with always start off the track. Never teach on the track.  I have a weird method and even Ivan thought it was weird, but said if it works don't fix it.  I take around ten articles and put my dog in a down.  I fling them around the perimeter with around 8-10 ft. between them.  I give the search command and they are off.  Whichever one they find is fine. I tell them to down, pick up the article and give em a reward( Food-I don't like to reward with a toy.  It takes them off the track, mentally and physically.)  After about three of them every dog I have had starts to do an automatic down.  After a consistancy, I move it to the track.  I try to stay near the dog until they have mastered articles and corners.  If your dog misses and you miss, you gotta big problem.  That's why marking the articles and corners is such a big deal.  I think it is very important to know what lies ahead.

Don

What I do is run short tracks with a lot of articles. Lots of rewards! 

Great topic!  I hear your really hot too!

Give 'em some time Don.  They're trying to figure out how to turn that question into an argument!   Hey...post some nudie pics...maybe that it'll get it started!

Sounds like it works   keep it up   write a book and maybe it will be the new training method of teaching the down on the article    which is very important and the hardest.....they can find the article its the automatic down that is harder.....good job   teach others how to do it....did you just make this up or did someone else give you the idea ......

I really like Preston Hellers' Schutzhund Tracking website & used this method to teach my current dog articles, although I waited to teach articles until my dog was over a year old:  http://www.schutzhundtracking.com/Articles.html

When I started I was the type that wanted to figure things out on my own.  This was the only thing to come to mind and it worked.

That was my multiple personalty disorder kicking in.  I wasn't being impatient.

I must have the same personality disorder as you Don. My last three dogs were taught articles like this with the only twist being the food is placed on the article. After the pup {7-10 months} shows that he understand what to do I would bring him back to his home tracking field and lay the aricles out about 6-8 paces apart. Slowly start removing the articles untill a few are left and then start streching the track out. When 200-250 paces are secure along with aricles I will start to bring jackpots (hand full of food) to the track to reward problems that are worked out. Worked  for me with the disorder every time with little conflict as track and articles were kept seperate until the dog was clear with each. Last thought , good thread 

I started one pup with the circle of articles , no food and down on each article in a circle for a week or two   only training like two days in a week...My pup in Alvin Texas was started this way,,,,,,then go to the regular pad , now using a rectangle, stomped down real well , plenty of food , pointed in the direction and many articles without food.....on the tract  first leg until advance to stetching the track.....I only have done , lately the dog my webmaster left to me, that died and she was in her  6th month of tracking with Adrian Ledda and thats where she stopped...I have her for sale to someone , only, who will get her back into the sport....she is an excellent tracker,starting at 4mos old...and then had to stop///// 

I used to train the articles always off the track first so the dog would have some idea what to do when he came across them. Now, I have gotten lazy with the last two and just started imprinting the article on the track itself. Creates more stress that way I think, but articles normally do at some point. I like lots of food jackpots at the articles though one dog I rewarded with his ball because it took his mind off the track., and because he liked it much better than food. (I had obviously created too much stress on the track itself for this dog) I like the dog to think of tracking as hunting to find the articles so it is very valid what association you first make with the articles. Good question!

Changer

Maybe I am reading your post wrong, but  are you trying to put a little stress on your dog?  I agree with you, that at some point, articles do create a bit of stress.  Think about it. If you are intensely working towards something and you are forced to stop, it can add stress to a dog.  Not all dogs are the same.  You will have a spectrum, ranging from 0 to very high stress.  That is why it is very crucial to find that reward that makes it pleasurable to the dog.  I've seen people use anything, including sardines.  That is why I don't criticize anyone for using the toy.  If that motivates, then go for it.  I just prefer to keep the dog on the track.

The one problem that I have created before, is too great of a reward.  The dog knows that the article/reward is ahead and is rushing through the track to get there.  Even before I taught the articles with one dog, she would race to the finish to get at that jackpot.  This was a very young pup.  I used to laugh because she would always want to go back through the track.  She knew she passed over some hotdog to get the jackpot.