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Here I waffle randomly about what I'm doing with puppies in this age range. It doesn't really involve much gundog-specific stuff, because it's about helping pups to feel safe in the world.

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I talk here about the advantages of picking up, especially for HPR breeds (spaniels would also benefit for similar reasons) - and also offer some thoughts about docking after our experiences with our recent litter of Weim pups.

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I talk about prioritising your enjoyment of the actual activity of working your dog in the field, separate to any achievements, goals or objectives. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. 

I also talk about the importance of splitting your training and structuring your work with blinds. Be a lumper and not a splitter. 

Finally, we've moved our breeding from Roche (Weim) forwards and everything is a leetle beet manic, chez nous.... 

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Here are the sources I mention in this episode:

• Housing and exercise-related risk factors - Krontveit et al, 2012
• Avidog - How much exercise do puppies need?
• Puppy Culture - Puppy Fitness that Fits the Puppy

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Two listener questions... 

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Here is a link to the video from Fanny Gott where a dog learns to work around a female in season.

Or: http://www.fannygott.com/epic-learning-a-big-lesson?fbclid=IwAR1FStZ8xbccKrNItRB7tI7H2RcPTVA7_4WRn2rYfZ4-Z05ojcJUisyOWHk 

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I ponder the options available when we are disappointed by a dog which fails to live up to our expectations in some way.

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Today I answer questions about biting puppies and recall problems in hunting dogs. I also describe another great lining drill, the 3-in-a-row drill.

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In this episode, I describe a 4-spoked and 8-spoked wagonwheel lining drill - which requires very little space to train, so can be done in your yard or garden.  

I also answer a listener's question about settling her dog down in various different settings.

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I ponder the implications of the recent 'lockdown' in the UK:  Can you drive a short distance to exercise your dog in a remote area, or do you have to exercise in a crowded place where everyone else is?  

And how do we socialise puppies so they grow up to be well-adjusted, despite all these restrictions on daily life?

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Let's keep the economy going and help small businesses that have had to move online :) 

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Today, I talk about the most important qualities for training a blind retrieve:

• Run or confidence
• Maintaining a straight line

And which types of blind retrieve we can use, to ensure we really isolate those components of our chain and work on them - without muddying the waters by ending up handling and casting and stop whistling the dog... 

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In this episode, I chat with Hannah Branigan about:

1. food motivation - and how to work with dogs which lack it (especially in the field or in high arousal situations) and
2. the importance of planning our training sessions

You can find out more about Hannah herself via her own website.  But she also has her own dog sports podcast, called Drinking From the Toilet - which you most definitely want to check out and subscribe to.

Hannah has two competition obedience DVDs available - Obedience FUNdamentals and Beyond FUNdamentals - and the easiest way I've found to access these from the UK, is to subscribe to the TawzerDog streaming service for a month and binge-watch them(!).

Hannah also has a super book on competition obedience, published last year - called Awesome Obedience.  It's available from Amazon UK and probably worldwide(!). 

Hannah is on the faculty for the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and frequently instructs online courses there, if you'd like to learn more with her.

In the podcast, I mentioned a free planner which Hannah has created - and which you can download from her website.  If you go to this page of her site here, and look in the small box on the right of the screen (on a computer), you will see where it says 'Need help planning your training sessions?'.  Here, you can input your email address to subscribe - and in return get her free planner and video on how to use it :) 

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In this episode I waffle in response to a listener's question about using bird launchers and control at the flush of game.

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In this episode, I talk with Ellen Nauman - programme director of OBATs - the Official BAT School. 

We discuss BAT, developed by Grisha Stewart - and how BAT helps dogs to remain under-threshold in the presence of triggers which would previously have put them over-threshold.  These triggers are conventionally other people or other dogs, but can also be game - or anything else animate. 

If you'd like more information about training as a BAT instructor, check out the link above to the Official BAT School.  If you'd like more general info about BAT, see Grisha's website.

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In this episode:

• I do the draw to find out who is going to win the one remaining proof of my book!
• I have a mini-rant about COIs and people disregarding them.
• And (mostly) I talk about blind retrieves, and the difference between a 'hunt everywhere' type of blind retrieve and one where straight lines are expected and upheld.  Where have these differences come from?

The article by Dr Carol Beuchat on COIs can be found here.

If you haven't been lucky enough to win a copy of my book in the draw, you can pick one up from Amazon - or put it on your Xmas list!  Search for Force-Free Gundog Training:  The Fundamentals for Success by Jo Laurens

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This episode covers Phase 7 & 8 of the clicker retrieve process and is the final instalment in this process. 

Do look back at earlier episodes of this podcast to follow the process from the beginning.

You can also check out my book - Force Free Gundog Training:  The Fundamentals for Success, available from Amazon - for full illustrated details of the process.

And, if that's not enough, you can sign up for my online clicker retrieve course - wherever you are in the world!  It's a 5 week course, costing £35.  You can start it any time.  Email me at galody@mac.com for more information.

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In this episode I answer questions about:

• Why is the clicker retrieve trained in the way it is?
• Should or could we teach dogs to quarter between visible targets like white posts or buckets?
• What is the connection between breeding/genetics and training methods - what are the implications of training dogs using positive reinforcement if they have been bred to be trained using aversives...? 

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In this episode, I talk about what I'm getting up to with Fyr - in terms of both socialisation and training.

And I answer listener questions :)

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In this episode, I answer a question about training the Remote Sit.  And I cover Phase 7 of the clicker retrieve - putting the hand target and pick-up together.

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My book, Force-Free Gundog Training:  The Fundamentals for Success, is now available on Amazon (world-wide!).  If you do pick up a copy, please do leave an Amazon review to give me some click and treats and make it more likely that I will be motivated to get to work on the next book!! 

I have a proof left over - a copy of the book which is exactly the same as those sold, except it says 'Not for resale' across the front.  I'm going to draw a name from a hat for it!  If you'd like to enter the draw, please email me your training question(s) at jo@dogworks.org.uk

The article on variable reinforcement referred to in the podcast, is Doesn't Intermittent Reinforcement Create a Stronger Behaviour? by Eileen and the dogs.  

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In this episode, I chat with Anne Taguchi from Touchstone Weimaraners in Los Angeles.

Anne is a seasoned and accomplished field trial competitor and breeder of working Weimaraners for the field and for hunting purposes. 

Anne also runs a popular website called Just Weimaraners - which is about everything-Weimaraner.

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In this episode, I talk about why it's important to plan your training sessions.

I also mention a great free template you can download for planning your training, which is available from Hannah Branigan's super website. 

You can listen to Hannah talking about planning training sessions on her own podcast (Drinking from the Toilet) here.  It's episode 21, 'Why Bother with Training Plans?'.

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In this episode, I look at Phase 6 of the clicker retrieve process:  Proofing the hold against food.  

If your dog can master this step, you will have an extremely reliable retrieve.  Your dog will be unlikely to drop in the presence of distractions and you will be able to use this when your dog exits water to achieve a reliable hold and to avoid the dog dropping when wet to shake.  

This step also prevents rolling or mouthing of the dummy or retrieve item, in the dog's mouth - since the mouth will still when the dog is focussed on the dummy.

If you would like to follow a 5 week online clicker retrieve course, please email me at jo@dogworks.org.uk

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This episode is an assortment of amazingly interesting things. It's like a box of Quality Street, only with a lot of The Purple Ones. 

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In this episode, I chat with Dr Gayle Watkins about what Avidog has to offer us as breeders, puppy owners and handlers.  If you'd like more information about Avidog, please email info@avidog.com

Gayle is based in the US and she has been a breeder for over 40 years.  She breeds multipurpose golden retrievers under the Gaylans affix.  Her dogs have been super-successful in numerous hunt test and working certificate tests and field trials - and in a wide variety of dog sports.  She has Qualified All-Age and Master Hunter golden retrievers - amongst huge success in many other dog sports with dogs she has bred and handled.

Gayle is the co-founder of Avidog and it's best to listen to the interview to get a sense of what Avidog is! 

Here are some freebies from Gayle and Avidog:

Discount code for Hold the Line listeners (thanks very much Gayle!) is HTL10

Early Scent Introduction (free video and form)

97 Ways to Raise Great Puppies (free ebook)

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In this episode, I attempt to cover several heelwork exercises at breakneck speed.  

I also answer a question from Ally about over-arousal during heelwork.

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In this episode, I discuss the difference between heelwork and loose-lead walking.  I conceptualise heelwork and what it is (a moving stay, with a beginning and an end - and duration in between).  And I discuss one huge consideration for training specifically retriever heelwork, when using positive reinforcement:  How do we prevent the dog staring up at us, and missing marks?

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In this episode, I talk with Nick Benger about two completely different subjects:  Training dogs to focus on their handlers in distracting environments (otherwise known as 'engagement' training), which is a special interest of his - and we also talk about how (and why) to have conversations with trainers who use aversives.

Nick himself has a podcast - called Dog Talk With Nick Benger - which I highly recommend that you subscribe to, because it's one of my favourite podcasts.

Nick has a degree in Canine Behaviour and Training from the University of Hull and he is a positive reinforcement pet dog trainer, running Bark Play Teach in Bristol, UK.  He is currently writing a book on engagement but, whilst we all wait for that to appear, you can download his free 'engagement guide' from his website here.

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In this episode, I talk about Phase 4 and 5 of the clicker retrieve.  Phase 4 is the Hand Target and Phase 5 is Introducing Slight Distance and a Mini-Hold.

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for some free videos giving an overview of the clicker retrieve process.

If you'd like to join us on the 5 week online clicker retrieve course (costing £35 and accessible worldwide), please email me for more info at jo@dogworks.org.uk 

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I cover Phase 1 (just a touch) and Phase 2 (pick-ups) of the clicker retrieve process.

We now have lots of people, the world over, taking a 5 week clicker retrieve course which follows these methods.  If you'd like to join us, please email me at galody@mac.com for more information.  

The clicker retrieve is the force-free alternative to force-fetch.  

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In this episode, I chat with force-free gundog trainer, Jules Morgan.  Jules is a full APDT (UK) member and an accredited trainer and assessor for the Gundog Club. 

Jules' training organisation is called Dog Training Naturally and she's been a professional dog trainer for about 25 years.  She is entirely force-free and she is also a crossover trainer, so she really understands the journey that is made when people move from using aversives to being force-free. 

Along with Helen Phillips, Jules has set up the Gundog Trainers' Academy - to train trainers(!) how to work with gundogs in a force-free way. 

Jules herself owns and works both cockers and labradors and has experience working on many different types of shoots.  She has judged gundog working tests and organised KC Working Gundog Certificate days and she is a co-founder of the Leconfield Working Spaniel Club.

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In this episode, I cover Phase 1 of the clicker retrieve.  There are eight phases and I'll be covering these at various points in upcoming podcasts.

The clicker retrieve is the force-free equivalent to force-fetch.  If you have any problems following these steps or you have any questions, feel free to email me for help and I will cover the issue on a future podcast!

If you'd like more detail on the clicker retrieve, I offer a 5 week online clicker retrieve course.  You are emailed videos, information and a handout sheet each week of the course and you also have access to a Facebook group where you can post videos of your training and get feedback from me (and others!).  

Email me at jo@dogworks.org.uk for more information.

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After a question from a listener, I talk about the clicker retrieve and how to get things set up to begin a clicker retrieve session.  The plan is to continue, in future episodes, to talk listeners through how to train the clicker retrieve(!).  There are eight 'phases' to the clicker retrieve process I use.  This episode is the first in the series on the clicker retrieve.

I do offer an online clicker retrieve course, which you can take - wherever you are, in the world.  You will receive videos, handout sheets and emailed info each week for 5 weeks.  You will have access to a Facebook group where you can post videos and get my feedback.  The course is £35.  If you'd like to enrol, email me at jo@dogworks.org.uk or galody@mac.com

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In this episode, I interview Leanne Smith.  Leanne is a force-free gundog trainer and handler, based in Devon UK.  She is a full member of the APDT (UK), holds a diploma from COAPE, and is a Gundog Club trainer and instructor.  Leanne owns and works three cocker spaniels.  Leanne's training organisation is called Dogs R Dogs and, via Dogs R Dogs, she also organises the biannual Positive Gundog Training Conference.  

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A quah episode (question and answer)  about a dog who is under good control in training scenarios - but out of control, in trials. 

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I talk about the Really Bad Thing that just happened with the book I've written and the manner in which what's happened reflects the conflict between mainstream training and force-free training.

Then I talk about 'arousal levels' and frustration-based behaviours - and what we can do, to help gundogs with these.

For more information on the 'Superman pose' research, check out that link.  And, to find out more about Control Unleashed, take a look at Leslie McDevitt's website.

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I talk about harnesses:  Back-fastening harnesses and front-fastening harnesses.  Harnesses which have a Y-front, versus those which barricade the chest.  Fit.  And gape-age (I made that word up!) at the shoulder, as something to avoid.

I discuss the recent history of harnesses - and how the force-free dog training scene has been transformed by the appearance of the front-attachment point.

I talk especially about using a harness when it comes to gundog training and some of the conflict (internal and external) there - including when to use a harness and when to use a slip-lead.

And then I review the new super-duper DOGCopenhagen Comfort Walk Air harness, which is my current fav harness.

During the episode, I mention Emily Larlham's great article 'Is it harmful to attach a leash to your dog's neck?'.  

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In this episode, I talk with Dr Claire Brand.  Claire works springer spaniels and is a trustee of the Gundog Club.  The Gundog Club is a UK-based organisation which offers a graded testing scheme for gundogs.  It is a force-free organisation, with all Gundog Club instructors and assessors being committed to force-free gundog training.  You can find out more about the Gundog Club from the website:  www.thegundogclub.co.uk

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In this episode, I talk about how to train the Sit (or Stand) to Flush, using force-free methods.  (You may also want to listen to Episode 2 - my interview with Elsa and Lena - for more on this subject.)

At the end of the podcast, I talk about how to get started with training the Back casts - Back-Left and Back-Right.

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In this episode, I talk to UK retriever trainer, Collette May.  We talked in some depth about UK retriever working tests, in a bid to encourage more people to dip their toes into mainstream competition. 

Collette competes with her three black labs in UK tests and trials, as well as picking up on shoots.  She is a full member of the IMDT and an accredited Gundog Club instructor and assessor.  Her training organisation is called 'Lead and Listen' and you can check out what she offers, here:  www.leadandlisten.co.uk

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In this episode, I talk about marking.  What is good marking and why do we need it?  How can we establish good marking habits?  Why should the dog not look away from the location of fall unless cued to?  And a few other bits and pieces.

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In this episode, I interview Swedish force-free gundog trainers Elsa Blomster and Lena Gunnarsson.  They are the authors of the book 'Retrieving for All Occasions' - which is available from their website retrievingforalloccasions.com They also offer online gundog training courses, which we discuss in the podcast.  Their organisation is called Klickerförlaget Göteborg AB.  Which I cannot pronounce.  But I can write it(!).

If you want to watch the video clips of Lena training her spaniel to Sit to Flush, you can see these here:  

• https://www.retrievingforalloccasions.com/quling-goes-to-flush-school-part-1/
• https://www.retrievingforalloccasions.com/quling-goes-to-flush-school-part-2/ 

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Hello to you all!  This is just a quick intro to let you know what the podcast is about and what you can look forward to hearing, in future.

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In this episode, I talk about the skill and concept which is 'lining'. I introduce my new course (creatively called 'Lining') - which you can get a discount on using code Lining30 

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Why we need to ensure a split doesn't develop (hopefully this intrigues you enough to listen to more!)

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This episode is not necessarily going to provide the structure some of you really want - because I don't think that's helpful, for puppies. But it will give you some broad pointers... 

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This is a slightly jam-packed episode which leaps around various different subjects!

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In this episode, I respond to an email from a listener about a dog which became worried about specific (unknown) elements of competition.

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In this episode, I talk about feeding raw on a budget. And about the ethics and implications of selecting for dogs which experience verbal aversives as strong aversives. (Thereby circumventing the banning of certain 'tools'.)