Send Away (Target?) and Hand Signals

[Shara]

Okay so I have been working on target...with a red foam ball on a base that wobbles...I have taught Shara "go touch" and she goes and puts her nose on the target. (she has this down VERY well)
For send away, you send your dog out to a point, and they lay down...
So I ask my trainer how you get your dog to do that?
Shes like you hide the target behind the railing holders things...the ummm braces...they are usually blue or white from what i see, they look like an A frame...anyways...
She says you just hide it there, eventually the dog learns to go to the A frame...I dont think this is the correct way of doing this?
So Im like...you teach your dog to go to the A frame...man what on earth?
I am totally confused on this.

I also screwed up my hand signals. I had been teaching Shara with hand signals this whole time, and last night was our "class" on them. I had been doing them all wrong, because from a distance you cant really see them because they are too close to my body or infront and you cant really read them. So now I have to start over on that...ugg...this dog will never be a champion...She also showed me her hand signals and I am not comfortable with hers, she does some palm things...and I rather point. (and expecially how super nervous I am I would freak out and forget "her" handsignals because I am very comfortable with mine...i flat out told her I wasnt going to change mine because I was not comfortable with palms) (I might have been wrong with this but I wouldnt be able to remember/relearn what I been doing for how many months...UGGG)I used to point DOWN infront of me for down...and raise my hand up(from that position infront of me) for sit...Now I point out and away and down from my body for down, and use a sweeping motion up for sit up. She has the down okay, because it didnt change much, but the sweeping up motition I dont think she will ever get that down good.

We also worked on drops, walking then making the dog drop down...Shara was good at this because she has down so well. I can also drop her on a recall. Sometimes she wants to do her army crawl towards me though, that still cracks me up...LOL...But momma I wanna come to you! Is what she is thinking! LOL.

So if anyone knows any sites or advice on SEND AWAY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know..I dont think her way of teaching is right...IT MIGHT BE but I dont think teaching the dog to run to the A frame...which there are plenty of them in a ring....they could get confused? Anyways....please let me know...I even said...Do I need to get her an A frame at home to train on, she tells me no because I havent gotten my Novice title yet...OMG....Thats in 2 months Im going to cry...
Please comment on hand signals because maybe she is right on using palms, I just dont think I can switch, Shara has a strong down with pointing, just need to work on sit...
I am tryin to get on the learning curve, I think she will be open obedience material even though she needs Noive title, I want her to be ahead of the competition not right at or behind...

[dobetaztic]

i train my send away like this.

1. place mat on floor
2. take dog to mat.
3. let dog sniff mat.
4. (i use clicker but can just reward) as soon as dog touches mat.
5. take one step back.
6. send dog to mat.
7. reward for touching on mat
keep going one step back from mat and do stages. Once going and touching mat when sent you can then move the mat to different places and ten stard reducing size of mat and then eventually i then put the down command in i also put markers/ cones around the mat which makes it look like the box that you would send them to in a competition so eventually you just have marker no the mat. hope this helps.

[Shara]

Wow this makes WAY more sense than what she was teaching me...maybe I should email her this and see what she will respond. I dont understand how teaching your dog to go to the A frame worked at all...And especially with my doxie she needs something more "soild" than linking touching the toucher and then switching to aiming to the frame...

Thank you sooooooooo much Dobtaztic!!!

Do you have any advice for hand signals? I need SHARP and JERK-like motions for Shara, the only thing I have down solid is down, which is a fast point down and away from my side.
And help with stand and recall (come) ?I thought I could use 2 hands but you cant so my come hand signal is outta the loop.

[Corinthian]

When it comes to hand signal you have to remember 1)silhouette, 2)contrast, 3)movement and 4)uniqueness. Most of the signals are fairly standard but there is no reason you can't adopt your own. I always signal DOWN and COME with the right and SIT and STAND with the Left.

Remember that dogs don't have our colour, high definition eyes; movement and contrast is what gets their attention.


1) Your silhouette must change appreciably
2) Dont blend into the background - choose your colours wisely.
3) Make it obvious that you've changed positions.
4) Make each signal distinct from the others (the left/right helps here)

[dobetaztic]

well i do agree using full hand is better for the dogs vision but here are some idead when i do my recal bring my hand rapidly to my chin with my finger on my lips as if making a hush sighn my dogs read this to come in real close and sit. it happened by accident but worked with every one of mine when i call mine in i always brought my hand like a fist up to my chest then as they approached i would wiggle my finger as in a come to me closer way and when the were nice and close and standing straight i rested my finger on my lips for the sit.

for the sit i wave my hand across infron of nose so from a distance the hand goes rapidly from the centre of my stomack and hip hieght out to the side so you could do it as if your pointing to the left making sure your hand goes out and not down or you will confuse shara. gosh this is hard i wish i could just come down there and show you i would get you both doing it great in 10 mins.

for the stand i use the hand flip like you would do to a child to tell them to stannd, melbows are tucked to my side and i bring arm up as if to poke my finger in my ear.

hope these tips are some help

[Shara]

I am sooooooo confused by these discriptions....
Make a Video or drawings for me ahhahahaha...even if they are stick drawings ....

[dobetaztic]

i will take some photos and post tomorrow for you

[Shara]

Im upset my trainer hasnt replyed to my email to her, explaining the target idea. I think her idea is retarded. Linking 'send away' to going to the A-frame in a ring...

[Shara]

I am going to start training on her send out, with the mat and cones and target. I dont understand my trainers logic on this, because it doesnt make sense...she will have to learn too much crap to get it straight. Why not teach her the right thing the right way first off not what she is trying to teach me...
I have Shara's sit and down signals picked out and done...she gets that well. I was confused on the part where if I ever needed her to stand from a distance I was trying to make one up for that...I guess you DONT need a long distance stand hand command. Silly me. I dont know anything about comptitions really LOL!
Anyways...I will start trying to get her to stand with a waving motion infront of her, since shes so low to the ground its hard to do some things with her.

Tigger has sit down and stand down on hand signals alone...SO I dont have to worry about that.
I showed my trainer my dog doing just handsignals (Tigger) and she was like...ya...well you aint treating him for it... I was like....he has it down solid I didnt know I had to act like he was doing it for the first time and treat him. Thats one thing about it, you cant over treat a dog for doing something simple..
She didnt seem too impressed. I thought she would be like "wow you are really working with him very well!"

=\

[Shara]

I was just wondering this, with this training will a dog eventually learn if you send them away without the cones, target or pad to go out that far and to stop when you tell them to stop?

That would be neat...But I dont know if thats how this works.

[dobetaztic]

it worked for me i reduced the target and mat till i could send out with nothing and just do the down comand and they will drop any where but in competition they always have a marked area to go out to