How Retrieving Works - Syllabus

← Go Back

How Retrieving Works: Enriching Your Walks with Positive Reinforcement and Welfare-Centred Dummy Training

Syllabus

Week 1: Building the Environment

• Antecedent arrangements to set your dog up for success.
• How to use your environment as training aides.

Week 2: Various Ways to Teach Retrieving – Part 1

• Shaping the retrieve. Introduction of various games to teach your dog to retrieve reliably.
• Planning for generalization.

Week 3: Various Ways to Teach Retrieving – Part 2

• Backward chaining. Development of a task analysis for backward chaining the retrieve.
• Forward chaining. Development of a task analysis for forward chaining the retrieve.

Week 4: The Whistle Cues

• Introduction to whistle recall and the foundation to building a solid recall.
• Introduction to the stop whistle and the foundation to building a reliable stopping response.

Week 5: The Four Basic Retrieves – Part 1

• Memories. The first basic retrieve is explained in detail and several exercises are demonstrated.
• Markings. The second basic retrieve is explained in detail and several exercises are demonstrated.
• The recall whistle is introduced into retrieving work.

Week 6: The Four Basic Retrieves – Part 2

• Broken Markings. The third basic retrieve is explained in detail. This retrieve lays the foundation for combined exercises (e.g., double markings).
• Search. The last of the four basic retrieves introduces set ups for controlled “hunting”/”foraging” work.

Week 7: Handling in the Distance

• How to build reliable responding to directional cues (i.e., left, right, and back).
• Introduction of the stop whistle again.

Week 8: Putting It All Together

• Applying the four basic retrieves on your daily walks.
• Introduction of combined exercises (e.g., double markings, memories, and distractions).
• Introduction of stopping and handling exercises.
• Summary