Need Some Tips

[Gary Coulburn]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

We have raced Esther at the Northern for just over a year,she is over two years old.When we first started trialing her she looked quite good and took to it straight away,she passed her trials no bother.But since then she has been hit and miss mainly miss.Some weeks she will come out of the trap and run ok.Then sometimes she will come out and stop half way down the track.She never runs to her full potential and we have tried differant things with her training.Can a dog like that be made more focased and hungry for the lure?if so i would like some ideas.Has anybody had success with just changing the dogs training or routine,or is it a lost cause?

 

[Joanna]

I was told that putting some meat on the lure would regain the interest. Don't know if it works, but it might be worth a try. Good luck :luck:

 

[*Lesley*]

Hope you get plenty of advice Gary, :thumbsup: Esther is born to race :wub:

 

[wild whippies]

Hiya Gary and Cheryl! Hope the experts offer some good advice! :thumbsup: All I was thinking though was maybe she's not 100% since having that virus especially as it was quite serious. The only thing I could think of was maybe a bit of coursing, but then again my dumb blonde whippet will only run proper for a rabbit and still hasn't brought his head down whilst running on the track! :wacko:

Hope she improves for you as she's a brilliant dog :wub:

Jac

 

[Scott Frodsham]

I was told that putting some meat on the lure would regain the interest. Don't know if it works, but it might be worth a try. Good luck :luck:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

This is good advice! :thumbsup:

I put raw liver in an onion sack with Diesel to try and make him concentrate on the lure rather than the other dogs.

 

[Vicky]

Also it might be an idea to start soloing her again, so that she's winning the lure just to try & build up her confidence. You say she's stopped running in some races - was she losing at this point? Some of them just get fed up of losing.

The other suggestions sound good too, maybe put a rabbit skin on the lure too.

When you start racing her again i'd set her up with a slower dog so that she can win.

Good Luck Gary, i'm sure she'll get sorted!

 

[IanGerman]

Anything you can think of is worth trying, although personally I have yet to see the "meat-in-a-sock" method have any real results. It can be very frustrating being a whippet trainer sometimes!

The biggest goal is to make her believe she is having FUN. If she is enjoying herself, everything else will fall into place. A back to basics approach may work ... hand slipping, not running full distance, being "ragged" by someone she knows etc.

Good luck, I really hope she turns things around

 

[BeeJay]

Also it might be an idea to start soloing her again, so that she's winning the lure just to try & build up her confidence.  You say she's stopped running in some races - was she losing at this point?  Some of them just get fed up of losing.The other suggestions sound good too, maybe put a rabbit skin on the lure too.

When you start racing her again i'd set her up with a slower dog so that she can win.

Good Luck Gary, i'm sure she'll get sorted!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

My Woody started stopping because of this. As a result I won't race him against racing bred dogs. I'll only race him if he stands a chance of not being slaughtered ie with other show breds. Because he's so slow and harmless he's used a fair bit with pups when they start off and the last thing that they need is a stopping dog out there.

I was a bit miffed to say the least last week at racing when the people owning the other dogs in the race decided to not put Woody in the right trap but to change it. As a result my dog had his veteran and club allowance removed from him and he started behind an open class dog. Needless to say my lad was slaughtered. I hope that it made the other owners feel good because it was totally unnecessary. All that it meant was that my dog got beaten yet again but by even further. Luckily he kept running. :wub:

Sorry got carried away then.

Gary basically sounds like you need a dog like my Woody. Shame that we are at other ends of the country. On the topic of lures what about using a predator lure. One that squeaks as if goes down the track. Someone I know has a real fur lure with squeaker in it. My dogs love that lure. Other people use the dogs fav toys on the lure.

 

[Barry Jepson]

Hi Gary

You could use blinkers for a few week to see if that helps.Acouple off people at the club have used them on there dogs to get them to focus on the lure :thumbsup:

 

[Scott Frodsham]

Also it might be an idea to start soloing her again, so that she's winning the lure just to try & build up her confidence.  You say she's stopped running in some races - was she losing at this point?  Some of them just get fed up of losing.The other suggestions sound good too, maybe put a rabbit skin on the lure too.

When you start racing her again i'd set her up with a slower dog so that she can win.

Good Luck Gary, i'm sure she'll get sorted!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

My Woody started stopping because of this. As a result I won't race him against racing bred dogs. I'll only race him if he stands a chance of not being slaughtered ie with other show breds. Because he's so slow and harmless he's used a fair bit with pups when they start off and the last thing that they need is a stopping dog out there.

I was a bit miffed to say the least last week at racing when the people owning the other dogs in the race decided to not put Woody in the right trap but to change it. As a result my dog had his veteran and club allowance removed from him and he started behind an open class dog. Needless to say my lad was slaughtered. I hope that it made the other owners feel good because it was totally unnecessary. All that it meant was that my dog got beaten yet again but by even further. Luckily he kept running. :wub:

Sorry got carried away then.

Gary basically sounds like you need a dog like my Woody. Shame that we are at other ends of the country. On the topic of lures what about using a predator lure. One that squeaks as if goes down the track. Someone I know has a real fur lure with squeaker in it. My dogs love that lure. Other people use the dogs fav toys on the lure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Thing is she's not getting slaughtered! :b

If she's up for it she's in the thick of things! :b

 

[Vicky]

Also it might be an idea to start soloing her again, so that she's winning the lure just to try & build up her confidence.  You say she's stopped running in some races - was she losing at this point?  Some of them just get fed up of losing.The other suggestions sound good too, maybe put a rabbit skin on the lure too.

When you start racing her again i'd set her up with a slower dog so that she can win.

Good Luck Gary, i'm sure she'll get sorted!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

My Woody started stopping because of this. As a result I won't race him against racing bred dogs. I'll only race him if he stands a chance of not being slaughtered ie with other show breds. Because he's so slow and harmless he's used a fair bit with pups when they start off and the last thing that they need is a stopping dog out there.

I was a bit miffed to say the least last week at racing when the people owning the other dogs in the race decided to not put Woody in the right trap but to change it. As a result my dog had his veteran and club allowance removed from him and he started behind an open class dog. Needless to say my lad was slaughtered. I hope that it made the other owners feel good because it was totally unnecessary. All that it meant was that my dog got beaten yet again but by even further. Luckily he kept running. :wub:

Sorry got carried away then.

Gary basically sounds like you need a dog like my Woody. Shame that we are at other ends of the country. On the topic of lures what about using a predator lure. One that squeaks as if goes down the track. Someone I know has a real fur lure with squeaker in it. My dogs love that lure. Other people use the dogs fav toys on the lure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Thing is she's not getting slaughtered! :b

If she's up for it she's in the thick of things! :b

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

So she's stopping when she's in front too?

 

[Scott Frodsham]

Also it might be an idea to start soloing her again, so that she's winning the lure just to try & build up her confidence.  You say she's stopped running in some races - was she losing at this point?  Some of them just get fed up of losing.The other suggestions sound good too, maybe put a rabbit skin on the lure too.

When you start racing her again i'd set her up with a slower dog so that she can win.

Good Luck Gary, i'm sure she'll get sorted!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

My Woody started stopping because of this. As a result I won't race him against racing bred dogs. I'll only race him if he stands a chance of not being slaughtered ie with other show breds. Because he's so slow and harmless he's used a fair bit with pups when they start off and the last thing that they need is a stopping dog out there.

I was a bit miffed to say the least last week at racing when the people owning the other dogs in the race decided to not put Woody in the right trap but to change it. As a result my dog had his veteran and club allowance removed from him and he started behind an open class dog. Needless to say my lad was slaughtered. I hope that it made the other owners feel good because it was totally unnecessary. All that it meant was that my dog got beaten yet again but by even further. Luckily he kept running. :wub:

Sorry got carried away then.

Gary basically sounds like you need a dog like my Woody. Shame that we are at other ends of the country. On the topic of lures what about using a predator lure. One that squeaks as if goes down the track. Someone I know has a real fur lure with squeaker in it. My dogs love that lure. Other people use the dogs fav toys on the lure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Thing is she's not getting slaughtered! :b

If she's up for it she's in the thick of things! :b

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

So she's stopping when she's in front too?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

No not in front but not far behind the leader!

 

[Esthermax]

Thats a good idea Barry :thumbsup: i think we might try the blinkers, what do you think Scott?

 

[Vicky]

Thats a good idea Barry :thumbsup:   i think we might try the blinkers, what do you think Scott?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Just my opinion but i would only use blinkers as a last resort on a dog that is tackling, i can't really see how blinkers are going to make her more keen on the lure (if she was MAD keen on the lure surely she wouldn't be stopping) - first off i'd make sure she won a good few races against slow dogs she knows she can pass to build her confidence. My dog after a hand full of loses you can tell his heart isn't in it and he wont go in for the lure at the end, but if i set him up with a dog i know he can pass & let him "win" the lure, he's a different dog & quite fiesty at the end! Worth a try surely?

 

[Esthermax]

Ye your right, we really have tried all ways, she has us at a loss :wacko: She can be like a wild thing in one race & the next she just trots along then stops. You cant tell when she will do this as she is so up for every race, she has even run back & gone back in the trap . Thanks for all your comments by the way :thumbsup:

 

[Strike Whippets]

Thats a good idea Barry :thumbsup:   i think we might try the blinkers, what do you think Scott?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Just my opinion but i would only use blinkers as a last resort on a dog that is tackling, i can't really see how blinkers are going to make her more keen on the lure (if she was MAD keen on the lure surely she wouldn't be stopping) - first off i'd make sure she won a good few races against slow dogs she knows she can pass to build her confidence. My dog after a hand full of loses you can tell his heart isn't in it and he wont go in for the lure at the end, but if i set him up with a dog i know he can pass & let him "win" the lure, he's a different dog & quite fiesty at the end! Worth a try surely?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Have to agree with Vicky here .......Blinker's are normally only used for fighter's ......We had this problem with Inca, even though she's very fast if she missed her trap or was in with a faster dog then she'd pull up ......Being a Mummy's girl I started getting other people to trap her then let her watch me run down the side of the track, then I'd stand on the track but at the very end, so if she did stop I could call her and I was visable to her (hence when she is racing I wear a bright yellow T-shirt :x )......Must say this was starting to work then I decided to breed from her at 2 1/2 (early for a racing bich) but I was alway's going to breed from her and thought this might help mature her .......Well OMG it worked (w00t) .....The pup's were all :wub: , the 2 I kept are fab and Inca just want's to chase anything that move's .........But as BeeJay, Vicky and other's have said, build her confidence with dog's that she can beat etc ........ :luck: :luck:

 

[Barry Jepson]

As I always understood it blinkers are used to focus a dog on the lure and not the other dogs, it seems to me sometimes Esther gets spooked by the other dogs but as with a fighter she would still know the other dogs were there but still be focused more on the lure than the dogs which sometimes appears to me to be the problem. Just thought it would be worth a try after knowing Gary and Cheryl have tried near enough everything everyone has advised.

Just my opinion!

Barry

 

[conway]

i had the same trouble with abbie (conway flyer) and went back to basics, it took a while to bring her back but she is fine now. it helps if you can run your dog with the right type to give her a wins. try and pick dogs for her to beat for a few runs. :thumbsup:

 

[wild whippies]

If you need a consistently steady dog that won't turn her head and will be easy for Esther to pass, then your welcome to race her with our Buffy. Other dogs have, in order to improve their racing skills and I'm sure people would vouch for her being of good character.

Good Luck with Esther whatever you decide. :luck: :luck:

Jac

 

[Gary Coulburn]

Thanks everybody.I will keep trying and wont give in.Its not a case of wanting to win i just want to see Esther run to the finish and enjoy it.One theory I have is she dosent like the netting,we have taken her to the Gin Pit on two or three occasions wre they use cones instead and she's run brilliant.Could this be the reason?