We are currently trying to find the best and most suitable translator for our book, and it has proven to be a quite challenging task. We’re want an American English translation that is easy and interesting to read, with a slight humoristic touch (as we think the Swedish version has). We’ve been talking to four translators and have gotten some test translations from them, but now we’re having a difficult time deciding which one we like the most, and here’s where you come in!

We would really appreciate if you could read the texts and give us your opinions!

The texts are of course not the final versions to be used, there might be spelling and grammatical errors in them that will be edited during the translation process when we’ve decided on which translator to use. They are also from two different parts of the book, one from a practical chapter and one from a theoretical chapter.

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Translator 1

Playing Grab and Hold

We use a game to begin teaching the technique of holding. Use a long toy, for example a braid made of fleece.

• Start playing with the dog by letting it grab the toy and then back away from it so that it follows you with the toy in its mouth. Continue to hold the toy and play with the dog as you back away.
• Let go of the toy (continue backing away), and if the dog still has a good grip on the toy grab it again and continue playing. In the beginning this might only take a few seconds – so grab the toy again as quickly as possible.
• In the end you should be able to let go of the object and grab it again without the dog changing or loosening its grip. We want the dog to follow us with the toy so that we will continue playing the game.
• When the dog holds the toy in a tight grip and leans back as it pulls on the toy we are rewarding it by letting the dog win the toy. Sometimes we can tease it a bit when it has won, and sometimes we can back away from the dog so that it follows after us with the toy in its mouth and we can start the game again.

If the dog stands still and shakes the object or lies down and starts chewing on it you should carefully take it away from the dog and start all over again, in other words restart the game with the dog by letting it get a firm grip on the object. Make it easier in the next repetition by not entirely letting go of the object; instead hold it lightly and back farther away from the dog so that it follows you. It actually will be difficult for it to lie down while it is moving. In this way it is possible to execute many successful repetitions of the exercise and teach the dog that we want it to hold on tight before we begin to make things more difficult by standing still. Having the dog hold an object and want to be near us with it is the basis for all training of retrieving on command. By playing grab and hold we can teach the basics of dropping and responding.

Controlling the Situation

Sometimes clicker training may not seem very strict, however we think that this is more a matter of how the individual trainer applies the training method in practice. Our training is based on a foundation of rules and boundaries, a training system which makes training both effective and fun. This insures that we are in full control of the situation.

Most people find a training method that works after a while, but a few years later they may discover that even though they have done something inconsistent the dog has actually understood. Certain rules and boundaries may work really well with one dog but not with another, so they may need to be revised.

Our training system deals with rules or signals for training both voluntary actions and obedience on command. This involves free signals, how to start and stop training, how to carry things and the rules for playing and taking breaks.

You can begin training your dog as early as you like since you will continually adapt the degree of difficulty to the dog’s level. The first days after bringing a puppy home you can already start with small easy exercises such as the basics of playing, focusing, steadiness, recall, catching, carrying and retrieving objects. Just remember to keep the training sessions very short.

 

Translator 2

Teach the dog to seize and hold in a playful way

We start to teach the technique by playing. Use a long, soft toy, for example a braid of fleece.

• Encourage the dog to play and start backing so that he follows you with the toy in his mouth. Catch hold of the toy and continue to play with the dog while you are backing.
• Let go of the toy a little (continue to back) and catch hold of the toy if the dog has a good grip of it and continue to play. It can be a matter of seconds in the beginning – so catch quickly hold of the toy again.
• Finally you shall be able to let go and catch hold of the object again without the dog changing his grip or holds it loose.
• Reward the dog by letting him have the toy when he gets a good grip and starts to pull. Sometimes we horse around a bit and sometimes we back away immediately so that the dog starts following us with the toy in his mouth and we can start playing again.

If the dog stops to shake the toy or lies down and chews on it take it carefully from him. That is, start playing with him again and make sure that he holds the toy in a tight grip. Make the next rehearsal easier by not let go of the toy, just hold it loosely and back away from the dog to make him follow you since it is hard for him to lie down while he is moving. In this way we get many successful rehearsals while the dog is moving and teach him to have a tight grip before we make it more difficult by have him to stand still. The ground work in retrieving training is to make the dog to grip the object and wanting to be near you. By teaching gripping and holding in a playful way you also train the ground work in delivering and recalling.

How to control the madness

Sometimes clicker training can appear a bit unrestricted but we believe that it is all about how the particular handler uses the method practically. Our method is built on a system of rules and frames which makes the training efficient and fun. And a way to control the madness.

Most handlers have a training method that works but can discover after a couple of years that they have acted inconsequently. Oddly enough the dog has grasped the intention anyway. A certain kind of rules and frames can suit one dog perfectly but not another and if so the handler has to adapt them.

Our method deals with rules or signals for training both voluntarily and commanded behaviors. Release commands, how to start and stop the practice our transportation stretches and our rules for play and pauses.

You can start training your dog very early if you adapt the degree of difficulty to his capacity. Start with simple practices as soon as the puppy moves in: groundwork in play, focus, steadiness, recall, gripping, carrying and retrieving objects. But make the sessions very short!

 

Translator 3

Encourage griping and holding through play

We begin teaching griping techniques with the help of play. Start with a long, soft toy, a braided fleece rope toy, for example.

• Start playing with the dog and then back away from it so that it follows you with the toy in its mouth. Hold the toy and continue playing with the dog while you back away.
• Loosen your grip on the toy slightly (continue backing away) and if the dog continues grasping, take hold of the toy again,
• and continue playing. In the beginning, it may be a matter of seconds – so be quick in taking hold of the toy again.
• Eventually, you should be able to release the toy completely and then take hold of it again without the dog changing its grasp or holding the toy looser. You want the dog to follow you with the toy so that you will continue to play together with it.
• When the dog holds the toy in a good grip and places its weight on its back legs when pulling on the toy, we reward it by letting the dog win the toy. Sometimes we will get a bit rowdy with the dog when it has won and sometimes we back away from the dog directly so that it will follow us with the toy in its mouth and we can start playing again.

If the dog stops and shakes the object, or lies down and starts chewing on it, carefully take the toy away from the dog and start again, that is, start playing with the dog again so that it takes a firm grasp of the object. During the next repetition, you make it a bit easier in that you do not release the object completely, but continue holding it lightly and back farther away from the dog so that it follows you. It is difficult for the dog to lie down while it is moving. This means we can get in many successful repetitions while moving, and we can teach the dog that we want it to continue holding the object when moving before we make it harder when it is standing still. That the dog grips an object and wants to be near us with it is the basis for all retrieving training. Through our encouragement of griping and holding using play, we also get some training in the basics of both retrieving to hand and recalling.

Gaining control over inappropriate behavior

Clicker training can sometimes seem a little unlimited, but we maintain that, if anything, it is about how the individual trainer puts the training method into practice. Our training is based on a set of rules and boundaries – a training system – that makes training effective and fun. It allows us to gain control over inappropriate behavior.

Most people find a workable training system as they go along but still discover that after several years, they have been inconsistent, and that strangely enough, the dog has understood nonetheless. A certain set of rules and boundaries might work superbly with one dog, but not with another, and therefore must be refashioned.

Our training system is about rules or signals for the training of both voluntary behaviors and commanded behaviors. It is about release signals, how we begin and end training, our transportation stretches and our rules for play and rest.

You can start training your dog as early as you want since you continually adapt the degree of difficulty to the dog’s own level. Already after the first day at home with a new puppy, you can begin with short, simple exercises like, for example, the basics of playing, focus, steadiness, recall, griping, bearing and retrieving. Remember though to keep your training sessions very short.

Translator 4

Play to inspire taking and holding

We begin teaching them holding techniques with the help of play. Start with a long, soft toy, such as a braided rope.

• Start playing with the dog and back away from her so that she follows you with the toy in her mouth. Hold the toy and keep playing with the dog while you continue to back up.
• Release the toy a little bit (keep backing up) and if the dog maintains a strong grip, grab the toy again and continue playing. In the beginning, seconds matter, so be quick and start pulling at the toy again.
• In the end, you should be able to let go of the toy entirely and hold on to it again without the dog changing her bite or loosening her grip. We want the dog to come after us with the toy and want to continue playing with us.
• When the dog has a good grip and puts her weight into pulling the toy, we reward her by allowing her to win the toy. Sometimes we tease her a little when she wins, and sometimes we step back directly so that she comes after us with the toy in her mouth and we can start playing all over again.

If the dog stops playing and starts shaking the toy, or if it lays down and chews on it, take it carefully from her and start again, that is, get her riled up with play until she gets a good grip on the toy again. In the next round, make it a little easier by not letting go of the object entirely, but rather, keep a loose hold on it, and back even further away from the dog so she follows you. It will be harder for her to lie down if she keeps moving. Several successful repetitions in a row will teach the dog that we want her to hold it firmly before we make it more difficult by standing still. Teaching the dog to hold on to an object while being close to us is the basis of all retrieval training. By using play to encourage taking and holding, we are also teaching them the basics of retrieval and recall.

Controlling the madness

Most people who start with clicker training are immediately delighted with this method. They are amazed at how quickly their dogs learn new behaviors as well as how much fun both dog and handler are having along the way. Initially though, when you first start training, you may experience a period of confusion. There will be questions, such as how do you do that, what do the different signals mean, and what rules are needed to optimize the training?

Sometimes clicker training might seem a little boundless, but we want to emphasize that it’s more about how the individual trainer puts the method into practice. Our training is based on a foundation of rules and frameworks, a basic training system, which makes training effective and fun. It allows us to maintain control of the madness.

Most people find a training system that works for them, but several years later they might discover that they did something inconsistently. Remarkably, the dog has still understood. One set of rules might work amazingly well with one dog but not with another, and that’s when things need to be thought through again.

Our training system is based on rules or signals, to train both voluntary behavior and behavior on command. This has to do with free signals, how we start and finish the training, our transports and our rules for play and breaks.

You can start training your dog as soon as you like and you can always adjust the degree of difficulty based on your dog’s ability. Even during the first few days, when you bring home your new puppy, you can already start with simple exercises such as the basics of play, focus, steadiness, recall, holding, bringing and releasing objects. But keep your training sessions short.

 

And for those of you who read Swedish, here is the original text to compare to the translations.

Lek fram gripande och hållande

Vi börjar lära in tekniken i gripandet med hjälp av leken. Börja med en läng mjuk leksak, till exempel en fleecefläta.

• Lek igång hunden och backa sedan ifrån den så att den följer efter dig med leksaken i munnen. Håll i leksaken och fortsätt leka med hunden medan du backar.
• Släpp efter lite på leksaken (fortsätt backa) och om hunden håller kvar ett bra grepp tar du tag i leksaken igen Och fortsätter leka. I början kan det handla om sekunder – så var snabb med att ta tag i leksaken igen.
• Till slut ska du kunna slappa helt och ta tag i föremålet igen utan att hunden andrar grepp eller häller lösare. Vi vill att hunden ska följa efter oss med leksaken for att vi ska fortsatta leka tillsammans med den.
• När hunden häller med ett bra grepp och lägger vikten bakåt då den drar i leksaken belönar vi det genom att låta hunden vinna leksaken. Ibland busar vi lite med den när den vunnit och ibland backar vi direkt bort från hunden så att den följer efter oss med leksaken i munnen och vi kan börja leka igen.

Om hunden stannar och ruskar föremålet, eller lägger sig ner och tuggar på det, ta det försiktigt från hunden och börja om, det vill säga lek igång hunden igen så att den häller ordentligt i föremålet. I nästa repetition gör du det lite lättare genom att du inte släpper föremålet helt, utan häller i det lite grann, och backar ännu mer från hunden så den följer efter dig. Medan den rör på sig har den nämligen svårt att lägga sig ner. Det gör att vi kan få in många lyckade repetitioner i rörelse och lära hunden att vi vill att den ska hålla fast innan vi börjar göra det svårare genom att stå stilla. Att hunden griper ett föremål och vill vara nära oss med det är grunden i hela apporteringsträningen. Genom att leka fram gripande och hållande får vi på köpet lite träning av grunderna i både avlämningar och inkallning.

Kontroll på galenskapen

Ibland kan klickerträning upplevas som lite gränslöst men vi vill påstå att det snarare handlar om hur den enskilde tränaren omsätter träningssättet i praktiken. Vår träning vilar på en grund av regler och ramar, ett träningssystem, som gör att träningen blir effektiv och rolig. Det gör att vi får bra kontroll på galenskapen.

De flesta hittar ett fungerande träningssystem efterhand men upptäcker ändå efter flera år att de gjort något inkonsekvent och ändå har hunden märkligt nog fattat. En typ av regler och ramar kan fungera kalasbra med en hund men inte med en annan och måste därför bakas om.

Vårt träningssystem handlar om regler eller signaler for träning av både frivilliga beteenden och beteenden på kommando. Det handlar om frisignaler, hur vi startar och avslutar träningen, våra transporter och våra regler for lek och pauser.

Du kan börja träna hunden hur tidigt som helst eftersom du hela tiden anpassar svårighetsgraden efter hundens nivå. Redan de första dagarna efter att du fått hem valpen kan du börja med små enkla övningar som till exempel grunderna i lek, fokus, stadga, inkallning, gripa, bära och lämna av föremål. Men tänk på att bara träna väldigt korta pass.