d - Page 2

Not knowing your dog or you or your training methods, I have to ask this question. Why are you automatically thinking compulsion? That she failed because she didn't want to do it or wanted to embarass you? Does she do it perfectly in practice every time and if so, what was different about this day? Were you nervous, said your commands different, different field, more cars and people, etc....? Any number of different things happen on trial day. Maybe you have accidently trained the presence of food or a toy into the "command" for heel and she thinks its a different command when there is no motivational toy.  Maybe you haven't taught her to work through YOUR stress. Did you make any mistakes out there? Peeing on the field is a handler mistake, not a dog mistake. Could you at least evaluate your training methods and make sure she is willfully disobeying before making sure she understands compulsion tomorrow morning?

remember it all about having fun with you and your dog good luck

Wuzzup
At least SitasMom waa honest in what happened on the field she could have said it in a different way but was honest as what went on which was nice to here,
Talking about the BH how is your training going on since the last time well i hope, and are you going to have another go at it in the near furure
Steve

Do yourself a favor and read Changer's post a few times before you go ahead with your training plans. The first thing you should be looking at is yourself! The handlers create these problems because they forget or haven't realized that it is a team effort out there. You can't expect your dog to be perfect when you are a nervous wreck, maybe are doing all the exercises totally different than what you do in training and are so distracted yourself, you are barely noticing your dog. Everything you listed can be adjusted without compulsion. Do I use compulsion? Yes, but very sparingly and never with the idea in my head that the dog is flipping me the bird. That attitude is a PEOPLE attitude, dogs don't think that way. You will also have to consider that once you chose the compulsion route, if you do that wrong, you are pretty much done. Very, very few people know how to work a dog using compulsion correctly and based on what you wrote, I am confident that you don't.

Look at yourself first when something goes wrong because I can assure you , it is ALWAYS the people making the majority of the mistakes and then blaming their dog.
The dogs want to please us and do what we ask but most people do not know how to communicate what they want to the dog clearly. They create stress and confusion and expect the dog to figure everything out. . Doing it wrong 'harder', is not the answer but is unfortunately, the route that many people take and it is a road you cannot make a U turn on.

The best trainers are always advocates for the dog because in order to be a great trainer you have to have that empathy, which allows you to see things that others don't.

That's too bad, but make sure you keep trying, it sounds like my muffinhead Theo, we have only 1 leg to go for a CD,
no telling if he'll be a zombie on the heeling pattern, boy they sure do things perfect at home.......

I had a white GSD that pee'd in the ring many years back when I was first learning, it scared me away from the OB ring

for some time after that, but now if I fail, it gives me more motivation to get the job done, keep moving forward!!!!!

And good luck in the future!

         Paula

sorry to hear that ! My Bh is scheduled for end of sept. I look at it this way! Not the dog failing but me! My new trainer has showed me all the things I was doing wrong with Halo ! It is starting to make sense now! Not alot I can say for advice just hang in there and do not get discouraged!I can only trian halo correctly when I ( big dummy) am correctly trained!

Don't worry about it. I have falied plenty of times, all levels, including the BH. Somedays its just not your and your dogs' day. Just get on back out there and keep up the good work and look forward to next time. :-))
What trial were you in? Who was the judge? Just curious...

I will be looking for another trial soon, for Portia. I need to put her SchH1 on her in the next 4 weeks. She's ready I think. It won't be a stellar performance, being on the road so much can't be easy on any of the dogs, but she isn't the sensitive type really as females go. Hopefully we'll do well enough to pass.

Its been awesome working here at Hauptstadt. I really need a good coach all the time. Forgot half of what I knew over the last few years. :-O
SS

Wuzzup and UberLand:  if a dog leaves the field but returns to the handler when called, the dog can continue with the BH routine and still pass.  The BH is merely a temperment test/traffic safety with basic ob.   If you are talking about a dog being "run off the field" it doesn't happen in a BH because there is no helper to "run" the dog.  To suggest "top" trainers can't manage to train their dogs to pass a BH without a wink and nod from the judge is just silly.

SitasMom:  Changer is right.  I have a feeling you know that, and were just upset about the whole thing when you said you were now going to introduce compulsion.  You will do fine next time, I am sure.  Now you know what you need to proof,  onward and upward as they say. 

I was very upset when she pissed on the field, she knew it and her performance was greatly improved after she knew I was mad. Sita will be fine, she knows what to do, I need to let her understand that its not an option!

the judge was Mike West, trial was in Dayton Tx.

What's not an option?