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Subject: Training "Pics" at Swim-by DTA

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KwickLabs
Roscoe, IL

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05/30/2006 1:48 PM	Alert
Here's a link to several thumbnails (left click on them to full view) showing various aspects of using a very nice swim-by pond training area that is within three minutes of my house. http://www.kwicklabs.com/trainingatswimbyDTA.htm As for my "view" of swim-by there are several concepts that I want to teach a pup. 1) Water is still good "stuff". 2) Getting in on command, staying in with directions and getting out with permission is the standard. 3) Working as a team is normal. Don't expect Double T and handling skills learned on land to translate to water (nice if they do, but don't count on it). Plan on doing water T first. There are other aspects of swim-by readiness that must be considered. Does the pup like water? How does he handle pressure? What was he like on double T? Does he handle bumpers well when exiting water? Has he been forced to water? Is he a team player yet and want to please? Is he ready? I have had the good fortune to see first hand the two extremes of swim-by instruction. Learning from negatives is not all........that bad. Taffey was absolutely the easiest dog to teach anything. Kooly's swim-by was absolutely the worst training experience I ever had. Therefore, Daisy has had the benefit of my now knowing what to do right, how to work through things when they don't go as expected and what to avoid. There is nothing like experience to help a teacher learn how, and yet some pups are just easier to teach than others. Since I took quite a bit of time doing single & double T plus additional diversion drills, Daisy was at ease with hand signals. Additionally, she has been a "water bug" from day one and is manic for bumpers. All of which make teaching "stuff" soooo much easier, but we still delayed some of these drills for awhile to let her mature a bit more. Mental maturity is difficult to judge in a precocious pup. The actual steps in swim-by can be learned very quickly. The hard parts are 1) judging if the pup is ready and 2) adjusting to the pups learning curve. What do you do when the "book" says this is what is supposed to happen and it doesn't? It won't take long for a pup with good feelings for water to reverse that mentality. It won't take long for a pup that isn't into pleasing you regularly to figure out in the water he is more in control (out of reach), and when you "reach" him with the collar expecting proper responses not known.......the handler will be the one "dead in the water" so to speak. I use Evan Graham's approach and terminolgy to teach swim-by. The identification of piles with the "no/here" exit re-entry "instruction" and the simple OK for permission to leave the water give clear messages to the pup about what is expected. You don't move to the next step until the pup can do the one before correctly. There is no rush. Daisy had some momentary confusion at times which were handled by taking a step back and/or adjusting, occasionally simplifying and sometimes just plain insisting. She was through swim-by in six lessons and proofed on a more difficult pond the next day. The fact that we had a few issues was good because she was allowed to work her way through them. The important thing to measure is to never give the pup more than they can deal with while challenging regularly. I will talk to my pups when then take the right cast and the words no and good are teaching tools. I try to get then to react to "no" by feeling "Oops, sorry" and "good" by an animate "Oh boy,I did that right." Body language can say those things. The pup should drive to the back pile without hesitating at the apex, stop and tread water facing you when "asked" (whistle sit), take an over cast, exit and pick up a bumper, turn and enter the water on command heading for the opposite side (cast) , swim past you and exit at the other over pile. At first you might have to "walk her over" meaning stay on a parallel course along the shoreline casting back off the shore and keeping the pup on the correct path. I will ask my pups to make an additional pass back at the end of swim-by from both sides and proof it in another pond. When finished we immediately start on de-cheating.

Jim Boyer www.kwicklabs.com Home of: MPR UH HRCH Kwick Taffey of Joemac's MH Kwick Kooly Dew It Allstar SH Kwick Daisy's Spirit Keeper SH Kwick Draw McGraw ("Dustbucket" II) ---------------------------------- "Excellence is Expected"

bubulkaj Moderator
Blue Springs, Missouri

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05/30/2006 9:24 PM	Alert
Jim, that has to be the best explanation I have ever gotten on Swim By. Sounds like what I accomplished with Brady was not that far off the mark. I can still remember the look of confusion in his eyes as he and I worked through this. It was very frustrating to me as a beginner trainer to see that I was confusing the heck out of him. This was one of those times when I had to take a step back and re evaluate what I was trying to get across to him. Thanks for your thoughts on this. It help clarify a few things with me and I am sure will help our new trainers a ton. Joe

KwickLabs
Roscoe, IL

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05/31/2006 10:23 AM	Alert
Thanks Joe, Having just completed swim-by with Daisy, my thoughts are fairly well organized. Yet it is difficult to convey the timing of what is done at each moment in the drill. So much depends on saying or asking for the right response at just the right time. You can only ask the pup to do things that are closely related to what has already been taught. With people you can simply say "Stop! Don't do that." The "big one" is when they head for you instead of going over, how do you react? They should respond to a sit whistle and "sit". They should be able to take a back cast (into the water and away from the shore). They should be able to listen, work with you and if necessary respond correctly to fairly applied pressure. All of the "they should be ables" depend on what has been done to prepare them for this inevitable event. Simply put.........if they don't get back out into the water without a big fight or a blow-up (or worse yet not at all).........they were not prepared..........and who's fault is that?

Jim Boyer www.kwicklabs.com Home of: MPR UH HRCH Kwick Taffey of Joemac's MH Kwick Kooly Dew It Allstar SH Kwick Daisy's Spirit Keeper SH Kwick Draw McGraw ("Dustbucket" II) ---------------------------------- "Excellence is Expected"

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