I finally got Nick his pages last night on how to teach blinds. He had one correction as I had accidently changed a sentence in what he was saying.
He teaches 6 blinds all in one session. This is what I made a mistake in editing. I thought he taught 4 to IPO 2. I fixed it. He teaches all 6 blinds in one session. Trains for IPO 3. Not IPO 2. All the other steps are done before as outlined in his article. But when the time comes for the dog to run the blinds, he teaches it in one step. It is an excellent article. He took pictures so people can see the fence he describes, the rope pegged out on the field on how he teaches dogs to run close.
He is also like Ismael. Sometimes the reward is helper. Sometimes him. Ball.
I particularly like one thing he said. He never asks for a return on blind #5. He just asks for acknowledgement but not a front when he said heir. His article says the dog must understand blind #5 is a "free" blind if it gets to #5, then it gets a bite in #6 as #6 is ALWAYS live.
The first person who taught me when I was brand new to schutzhund told me the Rottweiler must always believe #6 is alive. And if you make a correction at blind #6, you have just created a big problem.
Nick explains this in words I think both handler and helper will understand. I have asked him to write his articles so that someone could print them off. Both handler and helper will understand exactly what they are supposed to try and do with the dog.
Nick's article is something handler should print off and give to helper. Tell them this is what we need to do. Nick explains the why but he is just writing from the handler's point of view. He has not touched on what the helper must do to make a successful session. The English is not smooth but editing had to be slight as it is just too easy to accidently change a meaning with translation. We need to correct, at least with competition dogs you do. If correction is given in the blind. The dog could get a "bad feeling".
Nick says in his article the dog must always have a 'good feeling'. My translation was the dog should never have a 'bad feeling'.
This information Nick gives in his article is just so incredibly important. Never can the dog have a "bad feeling" as conflict has just entered the picture if that happens.
The helper is always outside of the blind in the learning stages, not inside the blind. Then a correction can be made without conflict being created in the blind.
Thank you so much Nick for taking the time to write for the magazine and to share your knowledge. It is excellent. It took a long time to make as I had to discuss every sentence with my husband when I was making Nick's pages as my husband is my main helper and the article I asked him to write on is something I am working on right now is blinds with my 2 1/2 year old female.
Nick asked today for a suggestion for the summer article. This is easy. I want to read about things what to do with my 2 1/2 female. I asked him to write about how to teach the back transport and to go into detail what handler and helper should be doing and when exactly the bite should come and what to look for before a click is given.
I hope one day I am lucky enough to train with Nick at a workshop. He is coming to Canada in 2010 but it is in Ontario.....4,000 miles east of me. Too far
I am sending Nick 3 extra magazines to give to the owners of the dogs in his demonstration pictures plus 1 for his club
Ivo Aerts - Ero van het Puntshofke, IPO 3
Geluykens Gunther - Emiel van het Puntshofke, IPO 3
Thank you Ivo and Geluykens for helping with the demonstration pictures for Nick's article.
Jane
