Steadiness at home

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Vikingoo168
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Steadiness at home

Post by Vikingoo168 » Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:55 am

This might be a newbie question but I see a lot of talk about steadiness in the field, but rarely see talk but steadiness at home. I realize that these are two different in nature but how do you promote a calm steady dog at the house that transfers over to the field. I guess what I am looking for here is ways that you have helped your pups mature in and out of the field. My dog seems to be steadier in the field than at home where there is actually a more structured environment.

I guess steadiness at home should really be obedience at home...

shags
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Re: Steadiness at home

Post by shags » Tue Aug 19, 2014 9:11 am

Keep 'em really tired :lol:

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Bluesky2012
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Steadiness at home

Post by Bluesky2012 » Tue Aug 19, 2014 9:55 am

Vikingoo168 wrote:This might be a newbie question but I see a lot of talk about steadiness in the field, but rarely see talk but steadiness at home. I realize that these are two different in nature but how do you promote a calm steady dog at the house that transfers over to the field. I guess what I am looking for here is ways that you have helped your pups mature in and out of the field. My dog seems to be steadier in the field than at home where there is actually a more structured environment.

I guess steadiness at home should really be obedience at home...
Steadiness is obedience no matter the location.
"it shot a many shell over the top of an old bird dog"

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birddog1968
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Post by birddog1968 » Tue Aug 19, 2014 10:48 am

Put a leash on the dog in the house when u sit and read or watch TV in the evenings, make them lay by your feet...put the leash under or around your foot.....when they do well give them a bone or pigs ear or whatever they like that keeps them occupied and tell them gooood......

Soon you have a calmer dog that lays patiently by your feet.
The second kick from a mule is of very little educational value - from Wing and Shot.

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chrokeva
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Re: Steadiness at home

Post by chrokeva » Tue Aug 19, 2014 12:26 pm

birddog1968 wrote:Put a leash on the dog in the house when u sit and read or watch TV in the evenings, make them lay by your feet...put the leash under or around your foot.....when they do well give them a bone or pigs ear or whatever they like that keeps them occupied and tell them gooood......

Soon you have a calmer dog that lays patiently by your feet.
This actually sounds like it would work. The problem is not obedience as much as just teaching the dog to be calm in a small space (i.e. house). I have been using a crate to get some peace from my very active field bred english cocker but it is not teaching her to be calm outside her crate so I think this may be just the ticket to help make her more of a couch potato at home :)

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CDN_Cocker
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Re: Steadiness at home

Post by CDN_Cocker » Tue Aug 19, 2014 2:51 pm

chrokeva wrote:
birddog1968 wrote:Put a leash on the dog in the house when u sit and read or watch TV in the evenings, make them lay by your feet...put the leash under or around your foot.....when they do well give them a bone or pigs ear or whatever they like that keeps them occupied and tell them gooood......

Soon you have a calmer dog that lays patiently by your feet.
This actually sounds like it would work. The problem is not obedience as much as just teaching the dog to be calm in a small space (i.e. house). I have been using a crate to get some peace from my very active field bred english cocker but it is not teaching her to be calm outside her crate so I think this may be just the ticket to help make her more of a couch potato at home :)
You and me both - my cocker takes frequent time outs in his crate throughout the day to give me some peace. He doesn't know enough to lay down and relax so the crate is the only time he will do that. I will say though he is getting better with age. He's 19 months now, I have heard from a few folks I train with that they are a lot less "annoying" after the 2 year mark. I'm sure he won't slow much, but I wouldn't be against him laying down from time to time instead of doing the body wag at 90mph all the time hahaha.
Cass
"If you train a young dog for momentum, precision will arrive. If you train for precision, demanding perfection, momentum will depart." - Rex Carr

marysburg
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Re: Steadiness at home

Post by marysburg » Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:12 pm

Our yellow lab female spent much of her first 18 months taking time-outs on leash in the house. If she got too wired up, she went on the leash and it seemed to calm her down and 'ground' her somehow. I think when left to make her own decisions about what to do next, she would pick BAD STUFF. When I was directing her activities more, she was calmer and nicer to live with. I have never had to do this exercise with any of our other 5 gundogs, but this one needed more direction and help to be quiet and calm in the house. After age 2 she has been great, but left to her own devices, I don't know if she ever would have chosen calmness as a regular behaviour.

Minneguy
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Steadiness at home

Post by Minneguy » Wed Aug 20, 2014 7:46 am

Tired dogs are happy dogs. I run my dog so when we get home, he just wants a nap lol

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CDN_Cocker
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Re: Steadiness at home

Post by CDN_Cocker » Wed Aug 20, 2014 6:29 pm

I run mine too... he'll run behind the atv for 10 km and is still wound up for the day. Easier to tire him mentally than physically
Cass
"If you train a young dog for momentum, precision will arrive. If you train for precision, demanding perfection, momentum will depart." - Rex Carr

Minneguy
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Steadiness at home

Post by Minneguy » Thu Aug 21, 2014 10:11 pm

CDN_Cocker wrote:I run mine too... he'll run behind the atv for 10 km and is still wound up for the day. Easier to tire him mentally than physically
That's a post worth a billion dollars. That's why I do agility and tricks lol.

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