Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Rainy Day Reading


Eenie meenie minie mo
which one should I take to the show?

Gotta brush up on tracking & jumping
But, ooh, I'd like to come home to some dumplings! 

4 comments:

  1. Do you recommend clicker gun dog book for field training?

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    Replies
    1. Hey Sherryanne,

      Short answer: "Clicker Gundog" may be useful for someone with prior field experience (and, of course, good clicker skills). It is a very interesting read.

      Long answer: Knowing that HPR events are quite different from our hunt/field events, I purchased both of the British books because both authors compete with Vizslas. Since last year was such a whirlwind of activities, I didn't have the time to thoughtfully go through the book and extract the skills that would apply to our specific needs.

      From the beginning, Bodi has been concurrently building his obedience, rally, and agility skills. Since I was a green handler and field is vastly different from the other sports, I chose to do all of our field training completely free of food rewards. I relied on Bodi's extensive foundation skills (clicker-based learning) and when I did mark a behaviour (with praise) I rewarded with play (and, of course, the opportunity to find another bird). Unlike some others, I don't use play as a reward when I use a clicker.

      Now that I have some field experience, I will be going through the book again with a better understanding of what skills I will be working on in the future.

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