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Step
4.
Teaching the Over and the Exit
Finally,
we get to the Swim-by part of the drill. This should only
start after 1. good lining straight across, 2. good responses
of compulsion to being forced en route, and 3. ability to turn
on the whistle and tread water. After the usual freebie start,
whistle stop your dog half-way and give a right-over cast.
After your dog turns, toss a bumper to the right in the middle
of the pond (location A, Fig. 3).
Try to avoid being seen but
don’t worry if that doesn’t work. Your dog is likely to
turn back with your over since that is what he has been doing
until now. Simply repeat the sit and cast or toss the bumper
and repeat the sit and cast over. As soon as your dog heads
for the bumper, run down the opposite shore to exit L so that
when your dog turns he sees you there. Your job now is to get
him to swim down the middle of the pond and exit EXACTLY at L.
Do whatever you have to with body language, casts, whistles
and heres to accomplish this first exit. When he gets there,
act like he just won the lottery with lots of ‘okay, good
dog’ and excitement.
Return
to the line and give a freebie across.
Again
send across, stop in the middle, cast over, throw a bumper to
A and repeat the swim to the L and that exit.
Repeat
the entire sequence again, but this time start walking down
the shore as the dog swims the exit line, using your left over
cast and verbals to guide your dog. View this as if you are
herding your dog down the exit line. Perhaps you’ll need a
little toot-toot if he cuts back to the far shore or a back
cast or 45° over if he cuts in. Ideally, your dog has had
disciplined casting in the Double-T (casting over and back
with a bumper in the mouth) so this step should not be too
problematic. I have enticed a dog into doing the Swim-by
before his Double-T disciplined casting was done and although
it was possible, it is a lot easier if you’ve done your
earlier homework.
On
the next day put a right over pile on shore. After lining
across, cast to the right and then try to get the dog to swim
the L exit line while you stay stationary. Keep your arm down
only putting it up to give the left over. By the end of this
session you can start to introduce the collar with a nick. For
the dog that drives back, give a sit-whistle, nick, whistle
and repeat the over. When a dog swims in and looks at you,
often a quick over-nick will straighten that out. This is no
time for heavy corrections, just a few gentle momentary nicks
to get the dog to give you some attention and compulsion to
try.
Once
you have perfected the right cast and the left over
(“Swim-by”) exit, it is usually a simple matter to do the
reverse Swim-by. Establish a left over pile and after stopping
at the mid-point, cast left and then help your dog to get the
right Swim-by by walking along and casting over. For the first
time be sure to get the exit at the correct location (R).
You
should be able to establish this Swim-by quite quickly.
If
you were forced to use an open ended channel pond (Fig. 2),
you will have to move across to the other side and cast to the
left and then right swim-by. Unfortunately, the dog is really
exiting at the same spot so he has not generalized the
response very much.
With
a left and right swim-by possible while you remain stationary,
you have finished not only the Swim-by but the BASICS portion
of the program. I like to do 2 final steps before declaring
this significant milestone. First is to go to a place where
there are 2 or more Swim-by ponds in a row and establish an
extended Swim-by (Fig. 5).
If you can’t find this, at least
go to another Swim-by pond or water channel and do a Swim-by.
You may find some confusion the first time but help and teach
before you apply pressure
. . . The application of the new skills by your dog
should come soon.
continued>
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