Post by jai on Feb 9, 2007 1:05:47 GMT 1
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"]Hi Everyone!
I want to share Falko's first "hunting lesson" yesterday with a hunter from the German Weim Club. We had just a fantastic day
and the little pup that left with me to go came back a more confident and eager guy!
Falko and I had met this man last week when we went to his house enquiring about how to become members of the club here in Germany. Mind you my German is not that great and so talking in person is so much easier than on the phone. Especially when you can use gestures and charades lol!!
Anyways, last week he said that he would help me and teach me and basically train Falko and me. So we agreed that Falko and I will go to his house weekly. At our first meeting, he gave me a special leather leash/lead that I wear around my shoulder and waist and that it is hooked to me and to him at the same time. I also have a collar that is orange reflective and about an inch thick.. This week I got a whistle to use with 2 different ends. One is a small thin whistle that I blow 2x for the dog to 'come". The other side is a bit thicker and I blow it once for him to laydown and I use a hand motion that is an open hand starting over my head and coming down to show a down position. I also have a 3 meter lead/rope that he gave me to do recall from stay with him. My first homework assignment last week was to teach him to heel and sit all the time! We worked 10 minutes 2x day for the past week.. Falko is getting the idea.
Today we started "training" we worked one of his dogs 2y/o female, with Falko. She is still also training and I can tell he takes great pride in working with hs dogs. She was a bigger dog and I was unsure how Falko would respond. He did see her and his other female last week while they were in their kennels and he was on the otherside, but he was a little aloof when they came too close to him. Today after they sniffed each other and were let off the leashes, they played well together and ran around a lot! Falko does not normally go to far from me, but today he ventured off and explored the fields, the streams and parts of the woods with Calli..
After this we went straight to heel work and reinforcing the importance of down. We worked on lead for a while and in different ground conditions; mud, water, gravel, dirt, grass and leaves. I was always getting pointers on how to control Falko and when Falko has control.. When to use my voice and when just to expect things from him. When Falko was trying to 'lead' me, I was given a piece of a stick to place in front of him when he started to get ahead. He got the point quickly and adjusted his speed. At one point Falko was being obstinate and he would not heel or pick his head up and I was tugging at him. When Wolfgang came to help me, he told me that the scent there at the time was that of a fox. So, Falko had picked up this scent and he was not going to leave it.
(Learn something new) I would watch Calli and Wolfgang as he worked her from a sit to a down and to a send and recall. (These things I will not do for a while I can imagine). After we did this for a while, we led the dogs to a field and then we let them run again for a while. Falko became more confident as he ran with Calli and he would follow her when she was called back.
Always I had to make him sit at my feet before we would transition to something new. For example, sit to get his leash on, sit for the leash off, sit before we heel, sit when we stop. Lots of treats and lots of pets!
Next we wet back on leed this time we tightened our special leashes to 1 metre, the dog is on the left in the heel position and we entered the trees. Falko and I followed Calli as she did her ground and tree work. I don't knowwhat it is called, but here is what we did.. Falko was on my left, 1 meter lead and as we would go to a tree, I would stop and he would go 3/4 way around the tree smelling and then come back to me. I only took one step forward to give him the lead he needed to do this, then we would go to another tree, or he would guide me to one and we would do it again. Wolfgang ad Calli did this for a short time, I think Calli was a bit bored with it, but Falko enjoyed it so much we did it several times, and during that time he did his best heel work ever 
!!
The lead is not unhooked and the dog will back track his steps to get back to you and then go to another tree. I was concentrating so hard that I did not realize until later that he did a Fantastic job! In fact, Wolfgang said the little dog learns very fast.... and the next time the older dog will go, she can teach him very many things he said. Well I have more homework, this time I have to work 3xday for 10 minutes on heel work and for 40 days straight!
I hope everyone enjoys reading this. I know several people are interested in how the Germans work their dogs, so here is what I have learned!
I am very proud of Falko, and I could tell that he really loved being out and doing all of that today! We were training and playing for 1.5 hours and I was so sure he would be totally exhausted.. he wasn't he was very rambunctous and quite the little trouble maker tonight.... I wonder why?
;D
Well I will close for now and attach a couple of pics.. if I can
I want to share Falko's first "hunting lesson" yesterday with a hunter from the German Weim Club. We had just a fantastic day
Falko and I had met this man last week when we went to his house enquiring about how to become members of the club here in Germany. Mind you my German is not that great and so talking in person is so much easier than on the phone. Especially when you can use gestures and charades lol!!
Anyways, last week he said that he would help me and teach me and basically train Falko and me. So we agreed that Falko and I will go to his house weekly. At our first meeting, he gave me a special leather leash/lead that I wear around my shoulder and waist and that it is hooked to me and to him at the same time. I also have a collar that is orange reflective and about an inch thick.. This week I got a whistle to use with 2 different ends. One is a small thin whistle that I blow 2x for the dog to 'come". The other side is a bit thicker and I blow it once for him to laydown and I use a hand motion that is an open hand starting over my head and coming down to show a down position. I also have a 3 meter lead/rope that he gave me to do recall from stay with him. My first homework assignment last week was to teach him to heel and sit all the time! We worked 10 minutes 2x day for the past week.. Falko is getting the idea.
Today we started "training" we worked one of his dogs 2y/o female, with Falko. She is still also training and I can tell he takes great pride in working with hs dogs. She was a bigger dog and I was unsure how Falko would respond. He did see her and his other female last week while they were in their kennels and he was on the otherside, but he was a little aloof when they came too close to him. Today after they sniffed each other and were let off the leashes, they played well together and ran around a lot! Falko does not normally go to far from me, but today he ventured off and explored the fields, the streams and parts of the woods with Calli..
After this we went straight to heel work and reinforcing the importance of down. We worked on lead for a while and in different ground conditions; mud, water, gravel, dirt, grass and leaves. I was always getting pointers on how to control Falko and when Falko has control.. When to use my voice and when just to expect things from him. When Falko was trying to 'lead' me, I was given a piece of a stick to place in front of him when he started to get ahead. He got the point quickly and adjusted his speed. At one point Falko was being obstinate and he would not heel or pick his head up and I was tugging at him. When Wolfgang came to help me, he told me that the scent there at the time was that of a fox. So, Falko had picked up this scent and he was not going to leave it.
Always I had to make him sit at my feet before we would transition to something new. For example, sit to get his leash on, sit for the leash off, sit before we heel, sit when we stop. Lots of treats and lots of pets!
Next we wet back on leed this time we tightened our special leashes to 1 metre, the dog is on the left in the heel position and we entered the trees. Falko and I followed Calli as she did her ground and tree work. I don't knowwhat it is called, but here is what we did.. Falko was on my left, 1 meter lead and as we would go to a tree, I would stop and he would go 3/4 way around the tree smelling and then come back to me. I only took one step forward to give him the lead he needed to do this, then we would go to another tree, or he would guide me to one and we would do it again. Wolfgang ad Calli did this for a short time, I think Calli was a bit bored with it, but Falko enjoyed it so much we did it several times, and during that time he did his best heel work ever
The lead is not unhooked and the dog will back track his steps to get back to you and then go to another tree. I was concentrating so hard that I did not realize until later that he did a Fantastic job! In fact, Wolfgang said the little dog learns very fast.... and the next time the older dog will go, she can teach him very many things he said. Well I have more homework, this time I have to work 3xday for 10 minutes on heel work and for 40 days straight!
I hope everyone enjoys reading this. I know several people are interested in how the Germans work their dogs, so here is what I have learned!
I am very proud of Falko, and I could tell that he really loved being out and doing all of that today! We were training and playing for 1.5 hours and I was so sure he would be totally exhausted.. he wasn't he was very rambunctous and quite the little trouble maker tonight.... I wonder why?
;D Well I will close for now and attach a couple of pics.. if I can
