Episode 144 - marking vs steadiness, revisited

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃In this episode, I talk about a certain subgroup of gundogs which are very motivated by environmental exploration/reinforcers. They require a different training approach. These dogs might find it much easier to work at a distance (with behaviours like the remote stop and the recall) and much harder to offer sustained focus up-close (as with heelwork). 

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃The best marking is most likely if we send the dog immediately the retrieve falls. However, this also erodes steadiness. What to do? 

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃I just wanted to drill down (pun intended) on this particular issue, because it's such a great one for improving focus and attention when you're battling environmental distractions. 

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃I talk here about a few ways to help dogs which are struggling to offer us focus and attention. Do check out my Focus and Attention course, for more info. 

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃This is a random collection of thoughts directed towards helping people become better trainers by addressing things other than the usual 'how to train stuff'. From personality traits of effective trainers to gaps in knowledge and misassumptions. 

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃This sequence can be really confusing for people at first, leading to people often trying to train this in the actual order it actually happens. 

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃This episode is a little bit of everything. It is a buffet of an episode. Not sure if it's all you can eat, but it is a heck of a lot. 

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃Here I waffle randomly about what I'm doing with puppies in this age range. It doesn't really involve much gundog-specific stuff, because it's about helping pups to feel safe in the world.

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃I talk here about the advantages of picking up, especially for HPR breeds (spaniels would also benefit for similar reasons) - and also offer some thoughts about docking after our experiences with our recent litter of Weim pups.

🙃 Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line 🙃Yes, finally, it's here. The long-awaited sequel to *The Fundamentals*, the new book is called *Force-Free Gundog Training: Precision and Progression" and it's available in Amazons everywhere. Whoop whoop!