How do you get a dog to shake?

[blacky]

How do you train you're dog to shake am sure there is a way but cant remember how to do it. Ie when coming out of water giving you the dummy then shaking do you rub their ear?

[al4x]

tickle mine under the chin

[apache]

Walk in freezer?

[cracker]

Quite easily done if you're consistent. Position yourself up close to the water's edge as the dog returns. Take the dummy (or duck) from the dog at your side, not in front of you. (Getting the dog to heel into the sit position at your side with a retrieve is also pretty easily come by - if trained.)

 

As soon as the dummy or duck's delivered, command "Shake!" - because the dog will have an inclination to do that anyhow. For another "signal," you can also simultaneously give the dog a wiggle of your hand that's not received the dummy or duck - a twitching like a senorita does with flamenco fan. Again, do this at the same time you're saying "shake!"

 

What's of import is getting the dummy off the dog before it has a chance to shake on its own after exiting the water - that's why you want, initially, to be almost up to the water's edge in teaching this. Soon, you can move back from the water and the dog will deliver and wait for the "Shake!" command or the twitch of your hand before unloading the water in its coat.

 

I can tell you it's very quickly kenned by a dog with your help and consistency in getting the dummy or duck from it before giving the command. If the dog beats you to it by shaking before you give the command, keep at it and give the dog another water retrieve. Doesn't have to be long, just wet - you're not practicing retrieving, you're working on building a habit.

 

What makes it much easier to accomplish, of course, is having a dog that goes for multiple marks - as in US field trials. The dog has to shake after delivering the first, second and sometimes third bird before it gets sent for the next bird - and as it's often going 300-400 yards, you don't want it stopping en route to shake or carrying a load of water in its coat over those distances.

 

MG

[WGD]

Fair play cracker, I was the first to criticise a previous post of yours but I am not too proud to ackowledge good advice

[blacky]

r

[cracker]

Probably shouldn't be too proud on this end to say I may have made it sound overly complicated. It's not. It's all in the timing - and the repetition. And you can have the dog shake in front of you too - thing is, doing that might give your face a good backwash. Best thing about the side sit is you can lean over, take the dummy or bird and return to upright posture before giving the "Shake!" command - and come away (almost) dry as a bone.

 

You will be surprised how quickly a dog "gets it" - and how impressive it appears to bystanders (and to you, the shake "commander," as well).

 

MG

[darren m]

will have to give this a try my dog as just started the habit of dropping the dummy at the waters edge before she gets out of the water and having a shake

 

i tried calling her in and jogging backwards to get her to come straight to me , but never thought of getting right up close to the water

 

cheers

[Billy.]

I kept saying 'shake' every time he did and he has learned it.

 

Try wobbling him to stimulate a shake and say the word when he begins to.

[blacky]

Cheers Billy will say that every time he shakes.