# Drills



## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

Thought this could be fun, especially with the warm weather. Just wondering what everyone's favorite drills are. I feel like I'm always doing the same darn ones. Frequently on the weekends I do blind drills with the "gunner" and wagon wheel to practice MY lining up. Proof is good, I'm too bouncy, lol. What's everyone else doing?


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

This past Saturday I did a swish drill which I really liked. As we moved our position the line to the blind came closer to suction which was a clump of bushes. I can substitute other suction into this drill.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Hmmmm OK I think I've done every drill in the book but whittled it down to my favorites over time. Most drills are just a variation of a theme and my theory is keep it simple. Another thing I always make sure on with drills is that both me and the dog are on the same page that this is a DRILL. This is not a cold blind. Make it very apparent by using highly visible piles with or without stakes, at close distances. Most of my drills are done up close say less than 50 yards on any send or cast. 

Lining drills:
Pyramid drill
Multiple pile drill
3-down-shore poles drill
Progressive pile drill - I put out one pile marked with white stake, at some strategic locale to get a lot of different lines in the water on it, the first send is easy to establish the pile, with each send you move a little to the left or right and the line gets more difficult to keep on the perfect line, i.e. multiple re-entries and little tiny corner cheats

Casting drills:
5 handed casting
cast-off drill (a super one to do at long distances)
walking baseball
back-cast-down-the-shore drill

Basically I make sure our "real" blinds are long, can take big momentum casts, and not tricky initial lines. Build momentum. Teach the finesse of entries, fine lining and casting and making good decisions around factors and suction with drills. Only put the two together every once in a while. Prevents erosion of momentum and keeps the dog confident in tricky situations. Not fair to always ask the advanced dog to do really hard stuff every single time. Has worked well for me.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Notice mine are all drills for blind skills. For marks I'm not sure you could call them drills, but the only two things that are repetitious I do for marks are Bill Drill and walking singles. I still feel like I know nothing about solidifying marks. Blinds are my forte!


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

yes, blinds are your forte! Marking for me comes more from attrition than drills I guess. 

I have the same drill book I will go dig it out and look up those drills. I do know that with Proof I don't use identifiable piles often because of the way he runs blinds BUT if it is a concept I want him to understand, like running tight to the gun, poison birds, or though water I will do that just to "show" him what I want from him. No excuses if you don't do it. 
I am the same with you, I don't make them very hard, and most times I don't even put the collar on. There is NO reason to apply pressure when I'm teaching 50 yards away. Often times, I do it all on flat featureless grounds as well. 

Something I did learn from a friend of mine was an obstacle line. So he has one set up on his property that I worked with Proof on. I took that home and made my own. SO I will have several obstacles and we just keep backing up further and further so he has to go over things. Logs, between two guns, stuff like that. Its kind of a fun time for Proof. 

Easy and relaxed stuff on drills makes them really fun and also helps with momentum.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Yep, the obstacle or no-no drill I do as part of my transition training. Funny because Fisher and Slater got it immediately and I could never fool them, Bally never could wrap his head around the no-no drill in a drill setting and I could always get him to mess up, yet he is the best one at actually taking obstacles or whatnot in the field when it is put in a "real" situation!


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

today was all drill and Proof had a blast. yard drills and then into the field. He carried it over and did great. Man, he LOVES drills. He loves them! I don't know why but drills to him are like playtime. I don't know if he even takes them seriously he has so much fun. 

George can you describe your swish drill?


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

My swish drill: 

I mark a pile of bumpers with a white stake. I send the dog to the pile. I then move to my right several yards and send to the pile again but from a greater distance. I then move to the right again several yards and send to the pile again. Every time I move to the right I am moving in a circular path around the pile in an ever widening circle. As I move to the right I make sure that some of the lines to the pile get closer to some distraction/hazard/suction.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Anney, could you define or draw pictures of the drills you list below? I'm particularly interested in down the shore drills. Thanks!



K9-Design said:


> Lining drills:
> Pyramid drill
> Multiple pile drill
> 3-down-shore poles drill
> ...


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

MillionsofPeaches said:


> Something I did learn from a friend of mine was an obstacle line. So he has one set up on his property that I worked with Proof on. I took that home and made my own. SO I will have several obstacles and we just keep backing up further and further so he has to go over things. Logs, between two guns, stuff like that. Its kind of a fun time for Proof.


Funny that you mention this. I was going through my business storage yard looking for stuff I can make into obstacles for field work this week. I found some plastic french pipe drain line (8" diameter) and other odds and ends (saw horses, etc.). Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to drag it out to the fields and back home again. I'd like to get some plastic culvert like 18" diameter or so and put that out in the fields. How much more can I pack into the dog van for training?


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

I just do it in my front yard, Stacey. You know I do a lot of mini concepts and drills in a small front yard.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Stacey let me do some little diagrams for you on the shore drills. These are for dogs who are decheated but starts to hone their skills for taking good initial lines and casts around the shore.

For my guys during their phase of learning no-no (obstacle) drills I would just tape a bunch of boxes together. That way when they had mastered the drill I just threw the boxes away and didn't have more junk laying around


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