
Hold the Line
THE podcast for force-free gundog training! Hold the Line is committed to helping you to train your dog to an advanced level, using motivational methods and without the use of fear. Or pain. Or anything else nasty.
Episodes
128 episodes
Episode 128 - enjoying the journey and structuring your training on blinds
I talk about prioritising your enjoyment of the actual activity of working your dog in the field, separate to any achievements, goals or objectives. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. I also talk about the impor...
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Episode 128
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30:37

Episode 127 - using launchers and control at the flush
In this episode I waffle in response to a listener's question about using bird launchers and control at the flush of game.
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Episode 127
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44:23

Episode 126 - ticks, unfixable things and plans for the future
This episode is an assortment of amazingly interesting things. It's like a box of Quality Street, only with a lot of The Purple Ones.
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Episode 126
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32:25

Episode 125 - a dog which is under control in training, but not in trials?
A quah episode (question and answer) about a dog who is under good control in training scenarios - but out of control, in trials.
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28:28

Episode 124 - Lining
In this episode, I talk about the skill and concept which is 'lining'. I introduce my new course (creatively called 'Lining') - which you can get a discount on using code Lining30
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Episode 124
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41:41

Episode 123 - force-free gundog training isn't about training 'gundog skills'
Why we need to ensure a split doesn't develop (hopefully this intrigues you enough to listen to more!)
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Episode 123
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43:00

Episode 122 - What to train puppies to do - and when
This episode is not necessarily going to provide the structure some of you really want - because I don't think that's helpful, for puppies. But it will give you some broad pointers...
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Episode 122
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43:05

Episode 121 - canine brucellosis, recalls, steadiness to flush and more
This is a slightly jam-packed episode which leaps around various different subjects!
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Episode 121
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48:01

Episode 120 - my dog has developed a phobia around competing and around birds
In this episode, I respond to an email from a listener about a dog which became worried about specific (unknown) elements of competition.
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Episode 120
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34:45

Episode 119 - the implications of selecting for dogs which experience verbal aversives as strong aversives
In this episode, I talk about feeding raw on a budget. And about the ethics and implications of selecting for dogs which experience verbal aversives as strong aversives. (Thereby circumventing the banning of certain 'tools'.)
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Episode 119
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37:20

Episode 118 - (field) trials - and tribulations
In this episode, I waffle about trials as a form of assessment.
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Episode 118
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45:51

Episode 117 - what is going on with the cost of vet care and insurance?
Roche just cut her foreleg on (we think) barbed wire. The quote for sedation and stitching was astronomical. I ramble about what is going on, systemically, and about various societal factors from poverty to capitalism in a failed attempt to mak...
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Episode 117
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23:52

Episode 116 - help, my dog won't pick game!
In this episode, I talk about how to help dogs make the transition to picking up game.
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Episode 116
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34:41

Episode 115 - is your dog ready for a shoot?
How do you find a shoot? Is your dog ready to work on a shoot? What is required from them? What different kinds of shoots are there? What are the roles on a shoot? This is all things shoots 101.
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Episode 115
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33:52

Episode 114 - the recent 'chasing' research paper (e-collar vs food reinforcers)
In this episode, I look at a recent research paper called 'Comparison of the Efficacy and Welfare of Different Training Methods in Stopping Chasing Behavior in Dogs' by Johnson & Wynne https://d...
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Episode 114
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54:00

Episode 113 - the current dog training controversies and listener questions
In this episode, I talk about why the best way forwards is for us all to advance together - instead of fostering division and us/them splitting.
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Episode 113
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38:07

Episode 112 - mouthing or chomping the dummy
I talk about how to stop mouthing or rolling of the dummy (it's the clicker retrieve again, this time the part of it called 'proofing the hold against food').
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Episode 112
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31:07

Episode 111 - don't let shot get attached to retrieves!! (and listener questions...)
In this episode I answer a few listener questions and then waffle about why we need to keep shot unattached to a retrieve for as long as possible. Shot means 'sit'. Like the sit whistle means 'sit'.
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Episode 111
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43:20

Episode 110 - working with the AWOL dog
In this episode, I focus on how to weave yourself and the environment together - rather than thinking about yourself as being in 'opposition' to the environment. All those juicy reinforcers out there are not a threat to your ongoin...
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Episode 110
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53:23

Episode 109 - our experience with immunotherapy and canine allergies
I talk here about my experience with immunotherapy for Ren's extreme allergies. Whilst there seem to be so many people around with itchy dogs, it seems that not many have explored immunotherapy and there isn't much information about it out ther...
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Episode 109
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36:51

Episode 108 - interview with Collette May (another one!)
I last spoke with Collette back in 2019, pre-Covid. Her life has changed in so many ways over the last 5 years, I wanted to catch up with her again and hear about her new ventures. If you want to connect with Collette, check out her websites
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Episode 108
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1:05:26

Episode 107 - dropping water deliveries & straight line vs hunt it up blinds
I describe the way that one part of the Clicker Retrieve process ("Proofing the Hold Against Food") is a powerful tool for teaching a dog not to drop on exiting water. And I help a listener who wants to train both straight line bli...
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Episode 107
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33:19

Episode 106 - working with 'distractions' and reinforcers
Check out as well episodes:Episode 86 - getting focus from your dog outdoorsEpisode 78 - behavi...
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Episode 106
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44:01

Episode 105 - should we outright condemn aversives?
This episode was inspired by the debate between Zak George and Denise Fenzi on Instagram recently. Check out their Stories there if you want to hear what they had to say in their own words.
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Episode 105
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34:12

Episode 104 - retrieving problems and the importance of basics
In this episode, I answer a listener question about dogs trying to bring back multiple dummies. I also talk about the importance of having a rigorous training system which begins with the basics and doesn't just want to jump in with the sexy st...
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Episode 104
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34:20
