Knowing Taffey and Dusty’s intelligence, temperament, personality and how they handled pressure was very
useful in dealing with Daisy. A “wild child’ makes for some “interesting” training, and Daisy has proven to be
very interesting.
We spent quite a bit of time working on hold because she is a very busy pup. It took her a few days to accept
my gloved fingers, and the plan was to spend time each day for three or four weeks working on hold and
proofing it extensively. As we went through the game of “hold” her mouth habits became really quit nice. She
picks up and handles fresh ducks and pheasants like a much older and experienced dog. Still, I was concerned
about starting too early with her because she was just so active. At times, all the wonderful things around her
were just too much to deal with in a calm manner. So we waited until she was about seven months old to start
the second phase. It should be noted, she is still not what you would call “laid back”.
When we began the pinch phase, Daisy took quite a bit of pressure before opening up for that first fetch. There
were few avoidance tactics other then just taking it, getting a little glassy eyed and looking up with a “is that all
you got look”. But it wasn’t long before she decided it was not fun, and she started to make decisions about
now to respond. After the first day, her bright mind almost “pulled the wool over my eyes”. Her apparent force
compliance was just too easy and we were getting “perfect” responses.
From the beginning she has been a compulsive, natural retriever and loves to hold things in her mouth. But up
until then, it had been on her terms. During the first few days of FF we had to work at getting situations where it
wasn’t her choice and cause her to become non-compliant. Then we made real progress. During the whole
process there was never an instant where Daisy seemed anything but up beat. She is tough and resilient.
Her OB is very good off leash. Daisy’s mind is going a mile a minute. Early on she was so much aware of what
was going on around her that is was difficult at times for her to focus. However, distractions are not so much of
a “big deal” anymore. There were no real surprises in her force fetch. Her transition to the ground was uneventful
with an excellent understanding of the expectations. Walking fetch had her diving on bumpers and her delight
about training is a true joy.
As Daisy approached eight months of age, collar conditioning was incorporated into her program. The early
introduction to a bark collar and her adjustment to turning off pressure during FF indicates she is a quick study.
She adapted quickly to CC on here, sit, heel (two-sided), fetch, restrained fetch and walking fetch.
Her attitude during each phase of pressure conditioning has been phenomenal. Excellent eye contact with “tail
wagging” continue to be a steady reaction during and after all training sessions. In fact, her exuberance for
every minute of the day is outstanding.
Focusing her unending energy will continue to be an exciting challenge. What a neat pup!
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