Daisy Heel

Comment by Sue and Cash on September 19, 2011 at 8:45am

What is in your hand?  Daisy is into it big time.  Great job with her Fran.  Daisy looks terrific.

Comment by Fran Griffin on September 22, 2011 at 3:39am

Believe it or not Sue....... nothing !!!  In the other video tightening the right turns I did have some liver cake just to help me pull her in tighter.  In the early days I started off training her with liver and garlic cake, but then I had to get her to stage where she can do this with nothing in hand. She was easier to get off the treats than the red coats who just said "well if there isn't a treat then we stand still LOL". In fact Barkley still wont do it unless there is a treat simply because all this isn't his bag at all. He cannot see the point in it, therefore I haven't carried itforward with him.  He would rather be off hunting and that's what he is actually good at.  Tally enjoys heelwork but she isn't one for getting in tight to me like Daisy. Personally I think this should only be done with dogs who really wants to do it, because I personally feel this is isn't natural.  For some reason - best known to her, Daisy thinks it is one of the most wonderful mumma times apart from her agility.

Comment by Cornelia on September 22, 2011 at 4:28am

Another great video, Fran! I'm glad you put them up here - it's great to watch you and Daisy! Joy does also manage without a treat - however not as close as Daisy - she's really extraordinary - for a Setter that is :-)). What I would like to know is: How do you get from nothing-in-hand to letting-your-hand-hanging-down and moving it naturally, the way you would do normally in walking? Wouldn't that be the goal in heel work?

Comment by Susan Stone on September 22, 2011 at 4:50am

Just butting in here... sorry:-) Enjoyed your vidoe, Fran!

The hand position is actually quite typical when you watch Obedience at Crufts... and accepted for those competitions. In Switzerland for competiotion work we would want to see the left hand swinging freely by the side. This can be reached by teaching the dog to look up at your face and find his position for heel from there. This means we do not 'target train' to the hand quite as much, maybe just at the very beginning to lure the dog into position but drop that pretty quick. With the dog sitting in the heel position and being 'clicked & rewarded' for looking up at you, we then start to freely move the left arm whilst continuing to 'click & reward' the dog for looking at the handler... difficult to explain, need a video...

Comment by Fran Griffin on September 22, 2011 at 6:24pm

Hi Cornelia. I did it first of all with the smell of the treat on my hand, and clicking when she maintained the head up postition, and then producing the treat from out of my pocket.  She accepted that quite readily, whereas Tallulah very quickly realized when I had no treat in my hand, and dropped her head quickly. What I did with her was reduce the size of the treat in hand til I got down to nothing. As you say Daisy is quite exceptional for a Setter, and feels much like a collie when she is going along as I can feel the contact between her shoulder and my leg. I now use that feeling to know whether or not she is in the correct position.  I am now clicking  and rewarding her for the correct position and over the past few days I have had some really neat right turns from her.  I will continue using treats on those right turns until I feel certain that she is following my leg. Onwards and upwards. We have been training with Domini Allday who competes with her collies and am hoping to do a few more sessions with her soon. No doubt I will be told that I am doing something wrong LOL

Comment by Fran Griffin on September 22, 2011 at 6:27pm

Out of interest Susan, are you expected to have the dog looking up like that and as close in as you are expected to drop the left hand.  I would have thought by dropping the left hand it would push the dog out a bit? It is only over the past 20 years or there abouts that this tightness has become the norm in this country.

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