# What are you working on right now? (SchH Training)



## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

_I am going through Schutzhund Post withdrawal. So, here is a “chat topic” to help chase away the winter blues._









<span style="color: #000099">*What are you working on in training right now?*</span>


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## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

Bison- 4 years old, 5-6 months into training

*Tracking-*
Reducing the amount of food on the track and adding length. Just incorporated corners and doing well.

*Obedience-*
Cleaning up heel, improving focus, and calm handler.

*Protection-*
Hold and Bark without leash pressure.


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## gsdlove212 (Feb 3, 2006)

Gianna~11 months old 

Obedience~ we are working on her focus, we had to back up to focus work to get it solid.

Tracking~ still doing simple tracks about 20 paces.

Protection~ still on a tug, jsut added in a little defense work to get her to focus more on the helper and less on the tug.

We are going slow with her to build a very good solid foundation.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Karlo, 11 mos
*Obedience*~focus, proper sit position, platz(he is now finally getting that), downstays are getting longer, about turns- my handling skills are a slooow work in progress







!
I use food and two handled-tugs, the _string _on the ball is his target, not the ball, so we play with it at home, but not at the club.
*Tracking*~on hold til the snowpack melts







We will do 3 short tracks when we begin again, using food every step. 
*Protection*~Hold and Bark, gaining confidence in the blind(2 sessions of this, the blind is flimsy as we are indoors) He has a strong solid bark, and knows the game. Harness only, not running 2 lines. He does enjoy the escape bites, not sure the helper does.
Because he is so large, it was hard for me to be a post, and the TD felt he was confident enough to start the H&B.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Nikon...

Tracking - Not tracking b/c of weather, was just thinking I should start working on the article indication (our club trains it separately). When we start again, we'll just be back at reducing food (right now it's like 1 treat every 9 steps or so) and working different types of cover.

Obedience - Mostly retrieves, rear end awareness, and waiting for the weather to break so we can find a trial for the BH.

Protection - Bark and hold with some escape bites and long bites thrown in. We're working indoors right now b/c our field is not lit, so we're in limbo a little bit until we can get back outside with more space and more equipment.


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## Heidifarm (Sep 20, 2006)

Heidi, 3 years old, 5 or 6 months into training...

Tracking - ARTICLES! Off the track she does great with them, but on the track it hasn't clicked with her yet.

OB - Focus work, moving attention, and I'm starting to learn about different ways to work on the retrieve. Trying to teach her to just hold the dumbbell calmly.

Protection - Working on the sleeve, back up bites, will be getting into the hold and bark soon. Been working on a good foundation slowly.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Raven

Tracking
Only tracking once a week at club, not during the week like I do the rest of the year. Taking advantage of the snow to work on accuracy and problem solving: checking every footstep, odd corners, serpentines, step offs, etc... That's my usual winter tracking regimen, since I like to take advantage of the purer scent and me being able to see the footsteps (and thus I can't get lost!) to do those sorts of things.

Obedience
Mostly doing non-SchH stuff since we decided to dabble in AKC and UKC rally and obedience over the winter. So teaching her the left finish and laterals, and mainly working on ME handling different and her learning slightly different cues. We started taking a competition prep class this week, and after the first lesson our instructor commented "Your dogs could go get CDs tomorrow. You on the other hand need some work!" So lots of homework for me, sans dog, learning new ways to move and handle, different footwork, etc...

Protection
She's helping train new helpers. Mostly back tie work so they can practice proper H&B position, proper bite presentation, proper drives and escapes, and also work on learning to read the dog better and respond appropriately when the dog fights back.


Heidi (17wo pup)

Tracking
Haven't started.







I should be doing scent boxes, but with it being dark by the time I get home from work I haven't. Once she's over getting carsick I'll start bringing her out to club tracking and start scent boxes, but want to get the puking up any tracking bait on the ride home out of the way first. 
Might go ahead and start teaching the articles with clicker/shaping since we can do that in the house.

Obedience
Lots of stuff! She already knows focus, sit, down, stand, front and basic. Now we're working on extending focus from different positions and amidst different distractions and extending stays by gradually increasing distance, time and distraction. Restrained recalls. Imprinting the send out. Lots of lure and target work. She has a great hand target, so now going to transition to a target stick. Started perch work and going to start place board and wobble board work soon. Imprinting a frame and dog walk, more for developing body awareness and control than anything else. Will start heeling once we can work outside more. Just not enough room in the house as I need to be able to walk more than 5 paces in any given direction before having to turn. Main focus though, moreso than teaching her commands, is keeping it FUN so she grows up feeling that learning, training, and working with me are the mostest funnest things in the whole wide world. Also taking a puppy kindergarten class with her and sister, Hannah, for socialization and distraction work.

Protection
Haven't started, and won't for a long while. She'll probably have a few sessions at club here and there on occasion, but don't plan to really start her for a year or so. Of course we do a lot of play with tugs and in doing so work on targeting, grip and encouraging proper fighting behavior and that foundation will pay off later. But I don't plan to put her on a helper for a year or so.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: onyx'girlHe does enjoy the escape bites, not sure the helper does.


Wait until Karlo moves on to the long bite with 30-40 yards head start!


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

This may be a long one...

*ARGOS*-
Tracking-Not doing it nearly often enough. Everything is dead after the freeze. Working on increasing difficulty and motivation and consistency, different articles. Length, different terrain, etc.

Obedience- Reworking the hold for the retrieve. He likes to chew, going back and working on his rear end awareness to straighten up his heeling. Working on being released to a reward and the vorous. 

Protection- The blind search, running 4-6 blinds, control in the guard work, not thrashing. 


*ANKA-*Getting ready for her SchH1 in the spring, so a lot of little things.

Tracking- Polishing, lots of corners, proofing articles, increasing distance from handler on the line. 

Obedience- Polishing her heeling, she has a tendency to forge and crowd. Getting her to not take the A frame like a courage test. Proofing motions.

Protection- Obedience for bites. Getting her to calm down a little and not bark the whole routine. Switched from a silent guard to an active guard and working that. 

*CADE-*
Tracking- I really need to get going on this...short well marked tracks at present. 

Obedience- extensions on focus, free-heeling, rear-end exercises, quicker sits and downs, patience (mine and his). Ongoing socialization. We're taking it kind of slow with this one.

Protection- He's a rockstar, I'm really proud of this puppy. Bark and Hold. His drive is increasing, so now we need to make an active effort for calmness. And he is starting obedience in protection now as well.

*IKE-*
Tracking- Well mostly just getting him back into the habit and for fun. He has his FH for pete's sake...

Obedience-Bond building, playing, general touchups. 

Protection- Doesn't need much work, he knows all the exercises and is a strong dog that does them well. Running blinds for conditioning, transports. Getting him not to anticipate a correction. You can tell he's been hammered for obedience in certain places. We're reworking it.


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## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

..nothing...









Taking some time off, which worked out kind of nice since the weather is not cooperating at all.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

*Vala * 

Tracking: not tracking right now. Will be starting again in March.

Obedience: At this point I am mostly just fine tuning. Getting a faster lock up on the stand, calmer sit when I throw the DB, faster down on the send out. I am also working on getting her to be more aware of the jump during the retrieve. She is a kamikaze jumper. 

Protection: Controlling all of her drive and power. 

*Donovan * 

Obedience: all of the foundation work I do with young dogs. Plus I am letting him grow up.

*Deja * 

Same as Donovan except that she and I are also learning to work together in agility.

I train a lot. LOL


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## Northern GSDs (Oct 30, 2008)

What are we not working on is what I am thinking!!

TR

On hold until spring







as there is simply too much snow. With any luck there will be some grass visible on the road dividers in town if we get enough warm weather soon without any more snow!!

OB

Continuing to work on perfecting & fine tuning most elements. OB is our strongest area but I can still see areas that could use some extra work as always - so we are primarily working on solid performance and upholding expectations during work admist incredible distractions in the indoor training facility. This has been great because it is pretty close quarters and when we are all working at once, it can get pretty intense in there!! One area of focus is a complete lock up with "steh" with increased forward presented distractions.

Protection

This is where the most work is needed. We only work once a week in the winter so it's a bit challenging to progress forward. That said, my goals for the winter were to improve the side transport (we trialled having only done it a few times, so it wasn't very pretty!), introduce the back transport (not yet there), continue to work on a quiet "sitz" after the guarding phase, and increase fuss position in setting up for the escape. Lots more but much will wait until spring when we get back onto out club grounds. I'm hoping to get a trip in down south before winter is officially over to visit a couple mentors for suggestions and work in this area!

I'm also trying to get more involved with learning helper work, as this is an area that I would really like to see members get involved in and I think it may afford alot of great opportunity for myself as a handler in the protection phase as I continue on in the sport.

Good stuff and what fun!!


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## GSD4LIFE21 (Mar 8, 2007)

Tracking : Quest-Took food off the track completely and he is now article tracking. 
Cati- Working on Length and reducing food on track

Obedience: Quest- Working on distractions, does wonderfull when no one else is around, as soon as other dogs are working and or someone is doing retrieves he gets distracted and jealous  Also started working on retrieves.
Cati - Working on faster recalls and getting the positions correct a little more nicely.

Protection; Quest - Working on control and building the length of his bark and hold.
Cati - Nothing at this time.


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

We are doing Obedience for bites now, it has really helped bring his focus up to me and I am gaining control during bitework. We have been working on the retrieve over hurdle and then proper presentation of the dumbbell. His protection work is doing well, working on hold and barks and using it to improve control on the field as well as his OB. He has a ton of drive for protection work so putting it together with the OB on the field is proving to be just what he needed. His tracking is going fairly well, working on decreasing food and article indications. 

Also, hopefully he'll finish his RN the first weekend in May. 

Courtney


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