Water work

[charliebear]

I was wondering who here does water work with their newfs? I am not sure exactly how to train bear, is there a good book to read or a site to go to? I have read all the things they have to do, but I am not sure in what order to the different exercises or the right way to train him. He does great at retrieval with bumpers and ropes, and everytime one of the kids go out in a boat or even on a raft he seems to want to get them. Now what do I do ? I really want to get this right.
Thanks
Sherri

 

[brady]

Judy Adler has a book called "Water Work, Water Play".

 

[sarnewfie]

Hi there,
there is a great video tape you can buy, at
http://www.dogworks.com
i bought it and loved it.
i work mine in water, drove to ill. to train, but.....need a more reliable vehicle to make those long trips, so have not trained for a year with club members but do it on my own here, the water test unfortunatly is in indiana, kinda stinks for those of us in wisconsin.
besides the long drive there is a cluster show in my town i cant afford to miss, scheduled the same weekend.
have fun, it is amazing how natural most of the excersises come to them.

 

[Jeannie]

First thing you have to remember is you don't need water to train for water work. If you newf won't do it on land, forget about doing it in the water. Teach them to hold, give, go out, and go get. You can also train them to pull the boat, but having them drag a jug of water--adding a bit of water at a time so it is not too heavy at first. There is lots of training on land that can be done first.....

 

[charliebear]

Thank you for the tips. The water jug was a great idea, that's the kind of stuff I need to know. I never would have figured that out. Still working on the give, but I think he has most of the commands down pretty good. Thanks
Sherri