# Beginning with hand signals



## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

My 1.5 year old lab is doing well. Benelli is force fetched, is steady and consistent with all her basic obedience commands, will retrieve doubles, will retrieve with a distraction bird being thrown, overall I think she is doing quite well (thanks Steve!).
I'd like to start her with hand signals. I know every trainer has their own techniques and I've read a few, what have you experienced guys done that works the best? I've started having her sit 20 yards in front of me with a pile of bumpers to the left of her and give her the left arm signal and she'll go to that pile, same with the bumpers on the right. I haven't combined them yet. Do I combine them or add one at second base and teach her that? Any help is greatly appreciated.


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## Steve Shaver (Mar 9, 2008)

Greenhead_Slayer said:


> My 1.5 year old lab is doing well. Benelli is force fetched, is steady and consistent with all her basic obedience commands, will retrieve doubles, will retrieve with a distraction bird being thrown, overall I think she is doing quite well (thanks Steve!).
> I'd like to start her with hand signals. I know every trainer has their own techniques and I've read a few, what have you experienced guys done that works the best? I've started having her sit 20 yards in front of me with a pile of bumpers to the left of her and give her the left arm signal and she'll go to that pile, same with the bumpers on the right. I haven't combined them yet. Do I combine them or add one at second base and teach her that? Any help is greatly appreciated.


Teach each pile seperately starting with the back pile. Best thing to do is come over on a Saturday and I'll show you. A lot better than tryng to explain it here.


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## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

Doesn't get much easier than that! Thanks Steve.


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## Donttreadonme (Sep 11, 2007)

Take Steve up on his offer. He is a huge help. Let me know if you ever want to get together for a training session as well. I am more than happy to show you some of what I am doing with my dog, who is just a little ahead of yours, running blinds now. I am always looking for people to go throw bumpers with.


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2012)

_I always had great success with Wolters version of baseball_


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## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

QuillGordon said:


> _I always had great success with Wolters version of baseball_


You're alive Quill! When do we get some of your awesome pictures back up? Good to hear from you.


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2012)

_Thanks man. I know Wolters is purdy much dated material but it was easy to follow. Been working with my GSP on hand signals, he's a little slower than a Labrador but he is picking it up with repetition and takin the pace a wee bit slower. He's just not as crazy as a Labrador when concerned with bumpers. Pop a bird and he is all over it. The best way to describe is more bird crazy than bumper crazy._


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## Sprig Kennels (Jan 13, 2009)

this should help. Avery Sporting Dog has a good video out with Chris Akin on teaching a dog to handle. It's a pretty good DVD on the subject. http://www.trainingyourretriever.com/av ... cs-II-dvd/


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## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

Sprig Kennels said:


> this should help. Avery Sporting Dog has a good video out with Chris Akin on teaching a dog to handle. It's a pretty good DVD on the subject. http://www.trainingyourretriever.com/av ... cs-II-dvd/


Thanks Sprig. I bought his first DVD and followed it real close, I didn't know he had released a 2nd one yet. I was impressed with his first DVD.

Just for a quick update she has done pretty well I think. I focused on just the back pile for the first week after hearing that is the hardest pile to cast her to consistently. She'll cast to every pile (home, 1, 2, and 3.) consistently. At first she really hated it. She'd do it but she would walk to each pile and walk back to me, I was a little worried at her lack of excitement. She'll go full bore now though, not sure what clicked but something did. I'm starting to add distance, she's out to about 30 yards from me then about 40 yards to each of the piles. I don't know if she needs to go much farther than that or not? She casted over water for the first time yesterday and she seemed to transition just fine. This next week I'll probably add the "shortstop positions" and see if she can handle those.


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## Sprig Kennels (Jan 13, 2009)

sounds like your making progress. 8) When a dog goes slow at first and then picks up the pace it is usually just confusion and being unsure of something new but practice, patience and repetition will usually get the dog through it so it sounds like your dog has gotten the hang of it if the drive has come back. I wouldnt worry about doing much more distance at the time being if she is going over 40 yards to a pile. that is plenty far for now and I would spend the time getting the dog to really learn the casts, i.e. toss one on one pile and one on another before you send the dog to make the dog think and really learn casting. just by doing one bumper before the cast the dog is just reacting but by tossing a couple at different piles and then having the dog really watch your arm casts is what takes the dog to the next level on casting. I didnt know Avery had a 2nd DVD out either until recently so i quickly added them to my web site www.trainingyourretriever.com and have them in stock now. I just watched it the other day and its pretty good, much like duck dog basics I. 8)


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## birdboy (Sep 11, 2007)

I would do two things.... First take Steve up on his offer! 2nd I would spend $40.00 on the Danny Farmer/ Judy Ay**** Basics DVD. 

Then next winter/ spring come out to some of the dog club training days...


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## Greenhead_Slayer (Oct 16, 2007)

birdboy said:


> I would do two things.... First take Steve up on his offer! 2nd I would spend $40.00 on the Danny Farmer/ Judy Ay**** Basics DVD.
> 
> Then next winter/ spring come out to some of the dog club training days...


I took Steve up on his offer on Saturday. He is the man when it comes to helping someone out. Seems like that is pretty hard to find anymore!

What/where for the dog club?


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