Riiseli
Posted : 12/21/2010 10:12:35 PM
This is what our highest class looks like (it's missing the stays ie. down stay and sit stay):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBH0LYp7irU
We have four levels of classes and the highest shares the rules with FCI international obedience class. That pair, Elina & bc Sina, took home the world championship in June, they've finished second in 2008. Finns actually took places one through four this summer, but had a slight off day in the team competition and finished with silver.
And since you have retrievers you may appreciate this showing by a Norwegian pair:
http://www.vimeo.com/8572167
They finished with silver in 2009.
jennie_c_d
One day, we'll do retrieves, LOL, and I'm glad I saw that. I never would have thought of restrained retrieves.
Also a good exercise is to have an assistant holding the dog with the dumbbell or even both the dog and the dumbbell in front of it or a bunch of other variations. You might run or just verbally get the dog eager to come to you and then ask the dog to retrieve. Then the assistant releases the dog, which will bring the dumbbell to you at full speed.
As I haven't had an assistant I've gone about teaching my dog, Hiili, that sitting with the dumbbell in front of me is the best thing ever. She has received her daily chow from it countless times. It has worked ie. even if we've done specific speed retrieve exercises only a couple of times she'll go at full tilt most times and will have at least decent speed every time (false pregnancies get her a bit disinterested).
This is Hiili and what she understands retrieve to be:
You may be able to tell that she's wagging her tail like crazy as it is a bit fuzzy in the picture.