Each year the Calgary Pointing Dog Club sponsors a training or information session for members and non-members. In 2007 we were honoured to have Dan Hoke of Cheney, Washington join us for a 2-day hand's on training seminar.
Thanks to Howard Coneybeare for writing about the seminar but an extended "thank you" to Dan for coming up here and spending a very valuable 2 days with us.
Dan Hoke Workshop
"Don't Get in the Way of Natural Ability"
On the weekend of June 23 & 24, the Calgary Pointing Dog Club hosted a field training workshop by Dan Hoke from Cheney, WA. Dan has helped a number of people in the Calgary area train their dogs over the years. In fact he did a seminar back in 1988 at Silver Willow. Dan's seminar this weekend, enjoyed by about 25 people, was instructive for everyone at all levels of experience. And we had good weather as well!
Dan describes dog training as “A study of reaction”. He trains dogs every day, he anticipates what the dog might do and knows what he will do in response. Not only that, but he does it with lightening speed – Kim and “Jay” can attest to that!
Here are a few points Dan made that I found noteworthy, either as new training techniques and concepts or as a reminder to sharpen skills that have become lax.
1. You've got to have a plan to be successful. Choose a training plan and stick with it. Don't jump around from one technique to the next ("flavour of the week" approach doesn't make for good dog training)
2. The first experience in a given situation (training or otherwise) will have the strongest impact on a dog's behaviour. So if it's good, you will be able to move ahead in your training. If it's bad or wrong, you can face an up-hill battle "un-doing" this in the dog's memory.
3. "Collar-wise" dogs respect the collar, but not the handler (This was a sober realization for me and problems I've had with Prize over the years!)
4. Dogs anticipating the flush and competing with the handler to get the bird in the air: When you focus on the bird flushing, you are distracted from training your dog. Throw the bird down (or release the tether) and let it flush when it is ready, stay focused on the dog, stroking the top of its shoulders. This will build "tension" since neither you nor the dog knows when the bird will leave.
5. There is only one level of perfection! (Think about it)
6. Dan described the 4 'T's for a successful dog trainer:
'T'ouch = having a “feel” for the appropriate level of force or correction required
'T'iming = automatic reaction to the dog’s action whether that is to correct or praise (as immediate as possible – Dan says you have about 300 milliseconds to react)
'T'alent = this is the ability of the trainer and is both an intuitive and a learned response to a training situation (but don’t despair, Dan says perseverance may beat brilliance!)
'T'ension = the focused attention that builds as a relationship develops between the handler and dog
7. Dan uses the pinch collar as one of his main training aids. He begins using one with sharp points, then switches to one with dull points and finally to one with no points. But for the trained dog, the weight, ‘feel’ and sound of the roller moving on the collar is ample reinforcement, and his response by then is automatic (or should be).
8. Dan does his yard work or drills with the dog on a short line with the pinch collar. His movements are brisk and unpredictable, turning, walking, running, and stopping – almost a ‘dance’ in which he clearly is the one leading. The dog must watch him and respond promptly, stopping when he halts, moving when and where he moves (to keep the pinch collar loose and avoid correction). Dan says nothing to the dog to indicate his next move, but uses the collar, and "kicks" his foot against the ground when he stops. (So later when you are flushing the bird, kicking the ground actually re-enforces the "whoa" command – who would have thought!)
9. Later, when Dan introduces birds into the routine, the dog is still on the line and pinch collar and beside the handler. The bird is thrown down and the dog's required response is to stop immediately,
By now, you have planted in the dog’s mind several situations that all mean he should stop and stand. Dan refers to these as ‘simple equations’ that the dog now knows how to solve:
Collar tightens = Stand
Handler stops moving and turns toward dog = Stand
Handler kicks the ground = Stand
Bird flushes = Stand!
The dog has learned all this math with no verbal commands!
10. When a training session has gone well, and the dog has behaved properly when the bird flushed etc, Dan picks the dog up and carries it away from the spot rather than heeling it. (After a successful experience working the bird, he doesn’t want any corrections to undermine the positive training experience just achieved.)
11. Introducing the shot ... has nothing to do with birds flushing/flying. The shot is a noise that can happen at any time, while the dog is running, standing still, pointing a bird, or when the bird is flushed. So it isn't contributing to the excitement and anticipation of the bird flushing.
12. When Dan is introducing young dogs to birds, working them on a check cord and buckle collar, the bird is "flushed" from a trap or thrown down while the handler remains beside the dog. He doesn't go in front to flush he allows the bird to fly away in its own time thus avoiding setting up a competition between handler and dog (back to point #2). Likewise, for young dogs, he prefers to introduce them to birds individually rather than with competition of other pups/dogs (again point #2, look into the future when you are training the dog to be steady when its brace-mate may not behave while your dog is on point)
I don't pretend that this is a thorough review of everything Dan shared with us during the 2 days. Rather these are points that I made some notes on (and was able to decipher later) I do hope that they provide a sense of his training approach. Certainly his ideas made me review some of the things I've done in the past (and reflect on some of problems I've had) and will influence my approaches in the future. And I would certainly urge anyone who missed this opportunity, to be sure to attend one of Dan's seminars when they have a chance in the future.
- Howard Coneybeare
For more information contact Dan through his website at dunfur.com |
