# Building a Field Golden (Part V)



## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

Rooster is 16 weeks old as of today. Things are going very well with his training and it now safe to report that the ball is rolling. We have seen his confidence building as well as his enthusiasm. We are clearly making progress and it is looking like he is going to be a field dog.

Since reporting last we have been able to train at least once a day. Our training sessions continue to be short. This has been as easy as going out before or after work for about five to ten minutes. These little sessions have mostly been about doing little hand-thrown marks. The marks have ranged from a distance of only 10 to 15 yards on out to the mega throws of nearly 50 yards. I have always structured the mark to fall in locations to ensure success. I am still at the point of trying to instill in him that he can do anything.

Towards the end of this week we introduced the concepts of the *double mark*. Some folks will introduce their pup to this concept by having the second mark fall 180 degrees from the first. I have done it this way but now prefer to use some barrier such as the corner of a house or street corner. For Rooster we used a safe street corner. Remember that I live in a fairly quiet neighborhood and yes it is safe. The street corner that I used works well because there is a hedge that follows the street at this location. This is important as Rooster cannot see the first bumper lying there until he gets back to me with the second. 
It works this way: we walk down to the corner and kneel there. I hold him as I throw only one bumper out 10 to 15 yards up one street. I let him do this retrieve. I will throw to this same spot and we will do this same retrieve two to three times. It is now "rehearsed." Now for the double. I then throw one dummy to the same spot as the previous little marks (10 to 15 yards out). I let the dummy sit for a moment then turn slightly and throw the other dummy up the other street. I make this throw 15 to 25 yards and I will release the pup as the dummy is falling. The pup naturally chases and then retrieves this bumper. When he comes back I accept the bumper as usual and turn my and his body so that he can now clearly see the remaining mark still lying in the street. Remember it is only 10 to 15 yards away and in plain view (white bumper). In Roosters case, he stared at it for a moment and then trotted out there and got it. This was done as a double 3 times and we finished with some singles. The next day, we did this whole drill again just as described above. The second day was much more fluid than the first. This whole drill isnt about doing true doubles per say... its about getting the mechanics rolling. He will be introduced to true doubles much later.

We also introduced *stickman drills* during the tail end of this week. I put up 5 stickmen in a field with almost no cover. This was done in a pasture that has been grazed very close to the ground. The farthest two stickmen were about 35 yards and the nearest three were only about 20 yards out. These were very widely spaced and arranged in an "M" pattern. These are all thrown as single marks. I had my lovely assistant start at one of the far stations and make a slightly angled in throw. As Rooster was returning with the retrieve, Shannon moved to the next "far" gun. This was also a slightly in-throw. The remainder then were the near gun stations. These marks were thrown either 90 degrees from the line or slightly away. Rooster did very well.

Today (16 weeks old) we started the training session with a *mark lengthening drill*. Again this is done in a field with little or nearly no cover. We are building confidence. In this drill, a gunner will throw a mark to a pre-determined location down wind of the dog and handler. The gunner will throw to the same spot for each retrieve. It worked like this: The gunner was in the field and we had agreed on where the mark would fall. I brought Rooster to a spot about 30 yards away from the pre-determined fall location. I had the gunner throw the mark. Rooster was released to go get the mark. As he was running to the mark, I was running backwards about ten yards. Rooster then finds the mark and he returns to me (at my new location). He is given the atta boys and then turned to face the gunner. The gunner throws to the same spot again, and again I run backwards ten yards as he is running out. By doing this we are gradually making the marks longer. Today we ended this session with 60 yard marks in light cover. Not bad for a little guy. Since the marks were to the same spot over and over, he goes out with confidence.

The last drill of the day was a *walking single drill*. This was done on a field with almost no cover. In this drill, a gunner is in the field and throws a mark at the handlers command. In this drill, the gunner moves to a new location after the pup picks up the mark. In this drill, the handler stays in his location while the gunner moves. This gives the pup a new mark on each subsequent throw. We did only three little marks. The first two were about 30 yards and the last one about 40 yards.

There you have it... Part V. It may be quite a while before there is a part VI.
We will be doing the above drills and obedience work for the next several weeks or more. The point is to maintain the pups confidence and over time, to gradually increase the distances. Later, we will increase the cover elements. But this will be done by starting short again and working long. Again the point is to maintain confidence.

Some have asked... when are we gonna get to the water? Later. We need to establish good work ethics on land first. Water work typically lags behind the land work. Also... it is very cold here. Rooster will not be introduced to water until we can get to a place that has warmer water and warmer air temps. This is no time to develop a bad water attitude.

_** it is worth repeating... none of my dog training thoughts are original. They have been developed over time. Further I am not a professional. I have no intention of stealing or passing on anyone's "intellectual material" for gain. You can find further info on the stickman drills in Evan Grahams Smartworks series. You can also find the mark lengthening drill and the walking singles in many locations. The location I am most familiar with is in James Spencer's books._


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

These are great! I was introduced to a few of these drills a few months ago, would have love to have know about them much earlier!!! Thanks for sharing all this knowledge and your training process!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

I soooo look forward to your threads.....your posts are readable and encouraging!
I find myself cheering on both you and Rooster!


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

Thanks for the encouragement. We are having fun with the training and writing the posts.
Rooster is just playing with his toys now. O crap he's got Shannon's slippers... AGAIN.
See ya


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

A little update.
As you know, sometimes you can get too much of a good thing. We have backed off the field work the last few days and have been doing a little more to concentrate on obedience work.
A three day weekend is coming up. I am sure that we will get back into the field work by the end of it.


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## otis spunkmeyer (Jan 23, 2009)

*Rooster's Competitive Sister!*

Well, I have been meaning to jump in here, since I have Rooster’s sister (Semper Testarosa) and she has been the golden retriever breed’s answer to Marley! What ever she can get into, she does! Not to say that she doesn’t love her birds and any other kind of work. She is in heaven when she is doing something. I just think that she is too smart to be left to her own conventions.
The other day, I realized that she has a suction device attached to her (she hides it when I am around) that she can get anything with in 10 feet of her run into her run with her. She has actually pulled her 30-foot training rope through the chain link and left it in the corner of her run. She does not usually destroy things (well, not usually), she just want to keep them close! Last week she figured out how to move her entire run (5’ x 5’ light weight chain link) kennel across the garage floor so that it was closer to something she wanted to get to.
I take her to work with me every day and she sits in her kennel in my truck and we take a walk at lunchtime. Today, I came out and she was lying in her kennel with the door open. She had gotten out (picked the lock) and found the bag of pupperonis I give her for treats, opened it and finished them all off and went back into her kennel. She acted like her usual sweet little self!
I should mention that she is a retrieving idiot; I do walking hand thrown singles with her every day and she has yet to not find them, even when I bury it in heavy cover. I do not have the good fortune to have built in slaves like Randy (aka little children), so she only gets occasional marks from others. I have done the same thing Randy describes with starting double concepts and she has caught on quickly to the point that we do not need a divider between the marks and she is doing them cold (that is I do not build the memory mark). The other thing she has learned to do (by imitation of her uncle Cooper) is to run the length of our driveway (about 75 yards) to pick up the morning paper. Unfortunately when she does it with Cooper we only have confetti to read!
Lastly, I start teaching commands for “fetch, hold drop” now. We do it in the house when watching TV or even when we are finishing up some obedience training. She may take her afternoon walk with me while carrying a bumper for half of the time with an occasssional "hold" reinforced. I know when we get to some more forceful training (ear pinch) in another month or two, a lot of her marking skills will deteriorate, so I want to see as much as I can now with just teaching to get a gauge on how she will perform later in life. One thing I know, although she will probably be an easy force fetch (with such high prey drive), but she will likely hit a lot of bumps in the road with the other handling drills since she is so strong willed! More to come later (if Tess lets me)!


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Well Lee welcome to the forum and I for one will look forward to hearing and following the progress fo these littermates.


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

*Lee most certainly has his hands full!* 

Tess was the first pup born and has been very entertaining ever since. I can certainly vouch for her ability to escape as she certainly loved to climb in and out of the whelping box... no matter how I tried to thwart her attempts! I really dont doubt it at all that she picked the locks... ITS PROBABLY TRUE. We may have to put up a surveillance camera just to see how she's doing it.

Rooster on the other hand was always the one that stayed in the box. He was always just content. He and his brother Kai just seemed to know that they didnt need trouble and that they would get all the attention they ever wanted by being patient. The only trouble he gets into now is by stealing Shannon's slippers. He doesnt tear them up... he just steals them and takes them to his place where he has made a nice little pile of puppy treasures.

Thanks Lee for joining in and please feel free to post how Tess is doing.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Hi Lee, did you breed Trixie(Semper Fidelis Beatrix SH CDX WCX)? We looked at a Topbrass litter of hers, but the pups were all spoken for. What a stylish doggie she is.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Randy, I love your posts. For those of us who know nothing at all about field work, they are so informative and motivational. 
When the snow melts and the temp. climbs above 10 degrees, I want to start the Tito monster on some of these things. I probably overestimate my dog, but I think he'd love and be capable of a lot of the things you describe. I can't wait to try!


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## my4goldens (Jan 21, 2009)

yep, I always wanted to try it with Tess and Libby, never could find a local training group. I did take Tess once when she was younger to a field class with her breeder, I was stunned at how she reacted to the guns and bumpers, her field breeding kicked in and there was no doubt that if her handler had any skills at all she was quite capable of earning some field titles. Since Raider doesn't seem to like water much, don't think any hunt tests are in his future though. Obedience seems to be the game he likes to play, plus amazing and infuriating me at the same time with his antics.


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## otis spunkmeyer (Jan 23, 2009)

*Tess and Clan*

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

To ljilly28: Yes Trixie was my breeding and in fact she is the little sister to my big boy who runs all age trials and happens to be my favorite dog, Semper Deuce Cooper***. Cooper had a layoff for the last 9 months or so, since we were not going to trials after we lost our shooting star, Casey. Trixie has had an interesting history; she originally went to Hungary for a gift to a fiend of ours who runs trials there. She was too much dog to handle for them and probably for their English style field trials. Short version; she came back to the states with an experienced handler from Florida named Glen Crawford. He has done great with her and has done both field and obedience with her. She had a nice litter with Burns' GOlden Phoenix last year, and I guess I regret not taking a pup from that. Tess will definately fill that hole though! Where did you see Trixie?

Tess adventures # 2: Yesterday we were able to get together with a training group for the first time. Since I am planning on getting Cooper back into running the all-age championship stakes this year, I decided he better get some bigger marks that what I can walk out and throw for him, as well as having the comotion of all the other activity at a field trial. He did great, but Tess was in heaven. She had to figure out how to overcome a lot of distractions and once she got it she was again focused on her birds!

There were other puppies close to her age and they all ran around together. Tess picked up a pigeon and then had to chase down the pup who stole it from her. She also got the chance to pick up her first fresh duck. At first that was not something she was very interested in after running out right to it. Eventually she realized it was just an overgrown fuzzy bumper and got the hang of it. Point here is that ducks and pheasants are not always a natural thing for youngsters and it probably is a great idea to introduce them (under some controled situations) to the litter and then again as the pups are home and growing up. Earlier the better. 

All in all, we had a good day for Tess and Cooper, and I even hit most of the ducks I was shooting at when it was my turn to be inthe field!
Lee


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## otis spunkmeyer (Jan 23, 2009)

*By the Way*

Not to imply that Randy did not introduce his puppies to birds. Rather, Tess' lazy owner was slow to come back to giving her birds. I was afraid she would never come back to me if I could not get a hold of her 30 ft cord! And with that she would probably eat them! That's a bad way to start out with birds. And like Randy says, it is better to do most of your bird work after you are through the force fetching and some of the advanced yard work where you have a lot better control of your dog!

I wanted to add another drill that is similar to the walking singles that he described. I think I learned this from Jackie Mertens (to give proper credit) and I think she calls it "Mailbox." It is when you are on a walk with your pup and another friend. You throw a bumper while you are walking in the same general direction as each other. After you ge the bumper back, the other "walker" calls the pup to them and you throw the bumper. If this is not clear, the idea is to make the pup the "mailman" and bring the bumper to alternating people (opposite of who threw it). This gets them used to other people handling them and gives some excitement and variation to retrieving the bumper in different terain.


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

A little update. Today Rooster is 18 weeks old.

We really havent been doing much different than what is described at the beginning of this post.

We have taken a few days off. We throw a few "fun bumpers" in the yard either at the beginning of the day or at the end. Sometimes it is hard to realize that these guys are babies and can get too much. I have strove hard not to go overboard.

We have made a concerted attempt to do a little more work on obedience. I thought we were doing good. However today, this little guy was dragging me towards our gunner. He clearly recognized that the gunner is where the action is gonna come from and wanted to get to the line. I clearly have more leash work to do.

We did a mark lengthening drill. We started at about 35 yards and worked back to 70 yards. I saw that he was beginning to lose confidence and stopped increasing the distance. The bottom line is to let him be successful.

Later, we did a little walking singles drill. This really wasnt walking singles in its truest definition, but it worked. This little guy has seen marks on bare ground and light cover out to 65 - 70 yards. Now I wanted to incorporate some cover. My gunner stood in light to medium cover and threw long marks angled square to slightly in. We were positioned in such a way that the mark fell only about 35 yards away in the cover. Again this was set up to be successful and Rooster smacked it. He had one mark that he severely over-ran. He over-ran it on a straight line and set up a hunt. He hunted and hunted deep. I signalled for my gunner to be ready to throw another if needed. Almost on cue, Rooster came in and dug it out. He came out of it successfully with no help rendered. Very good. I saw that we needed to make the next mark easy and arranged a mark to be thrown into a spot with very light cover. He of course smacked it and walked out feeling like a king. That's what I want right now.
####

For those of you that dont know, Lee has Rooster's sister Tess. Lee lives about 5 1/2 hours away and we don't get to train together. Amber (Rooster's mama) was bought as a pup from Lee and he has been a wonderful supporter as I have tried to wiggle my way into understanding the Field Trial stuff.

So now we have Rooster, Tess, and quite possibly Willow that could be competing in the same Derby circuit that is dominated by Labs. Further, I know of another west-coast breeder that has recently had two litters of field bred goldens... this could get to be fun before it is all over with! As I told this other breeder... I dont care who's golden is at the top, I just wanna see a golden at the top! I still want it to be mine, but you get the point.


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Randall,

I have a couple questions, if you don't mind. Are you having your thrower walk a course in your walking singles, or is it random?

Do you instruct your thrower to throw long, flat throws?

EvanG


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

EvanG said:


> Randall,
> 
> I have a couple questions, if you don't mind. Are you having your thrower walk a course in your walking singles, or is it random?
> 
> ...


Good Questions:
RE: The throws. Yes at this point I want the throws long. I want them either 90 degrees or thrown slightly in. The point (as you know) is to familiarize the pup to a "gunner/thrower" but not to confuse or scare him. With the slight "in" throw, the pup does not have to run past the gun station.

RE: Walking singles. The walking singles that I did the other day was not a true walking singles. One could have the gunner walk a "slant" (angled away) or "wave" or a "Christmas Tree" course as described in Smartworks Vol I. 

I hope this helps. This little bit has taken about an hour to write with all the wonderful distractions this evening. Anyone, please feel free to add clarification if you wish.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I saw Trixie through Jackie Mertens at Topbrass. We wanted a puppy with endless "go" outside, but who would live inside as a loved family member. Trixie's litter fit the bill, but before I decided, the pups were snapped up! 



otis spunkmeyer said:


> Thanks for the welcome everyone!
> 
> To ljilly28: Yes Trixie was my breeding and in fact she is the little sister to my big boy who runs all age trials and happens to be my favorite dog, Semper Deuce Cooper***. Cooper had a layoff for the last 9 months or so, since we were not going to trials after we lost our shooting star, Casey. Trixie has had an interesting history; she originally went to Hungary for a gift to a fiend of ours who runs trials there. She was too much dog to handle for them and probably for their English style field trials. Short version; she came back to the states with an experienced handler from Florida named Glen Crawford. He has done great with her and has done both field and obedience with her. She had a nice litter with Burns' GOlden Phoenix last year, and I guess I regret not taking a pup from that. Tess will definately fill that hole though! Where did you see Trixie?
> 
> ...


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Klamath Gold said:


> Good Questions:
> RE: The throws. Yes at this point I want the throws long. I want them either 90 degrees or thrown slightly in. The point (as you know) is to familiarize the pup to a "gunner/thrower" but not to confuse or scare him. With the slight "in" throw, the pup does not have to run past the gun station.
> 
> RE: Walking singles. The walking singles that I did the other day was not a true walking singles. One could have the gunner walk a "slant" (angled away) or "wave" or a "Christmas Tree" course as described in Smartworks Vol I.


I'm glad to see you're using some variation at reasonable distances with your pup. As to the longer throws, my rationale is primarily to preclude the pup running to the gun, rather than to the fall as we lengthen distance.

EvanG


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

EvanG said:


> I'm glad to see you're using some variation at reasonable distances with your pup. As to the longer throws, *my rationale is primarily to preclude the pup running to the gun, rather than to the fall as we lengthen distance*.
> 
> EvanG


I was trying to articulate exactly that as I was interupted last night.... YES exactly. *Thanks for picking up my bobble.*


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

Another update... 
Rooster has been teething. Two canines are gone and most of the incisors are fully in. As most know, they just get blue and lethargic around teething periods. 

During the last few weeks, we have backed off and have let nature take its course. Retrieving has been limited to "good days." When we work, we have just been doing basic obedience work. Not only do I want a good dog, but it's also in preparation for collar conditioning and for force fetch.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I must be teething....


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> I must be teething....


Now that's funny right thar, I dont care who you are... that's funny.


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## avincent52 (Jul 23, 2008)

Klamath Gold said:


> Now that's funny right thar, I dont care who you are... that's funny.


+1. Good one. You get three Hootch points for that one. 

allen


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Moose turned 1 year old Jan. 31st. He's CC'd to "Here" & "Fetch", and is becoming steadier. So far he appears to be an exceptional marker.

EvanG


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

My pup is about the same age! She turned a year on the 25th. Good looking Goldie! Look forward to hearing his updates too!


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## otis spunkmeyer (Jan 23, 2009)

*Teething*

Well, Tess, Rooster's "big" sister has sort of started to teeth. I found one premolar lying on the bedroom floor. It is not mine, not from any of the big dogs, but when I look in Tess's mouth I can not figure out where it came from. She seems to have all her canines and back teeth. Hopefully she will catch up with Rooster in the teething department, because she really needs to start with force fetch. She is such a wild indian that it should do her some good to get a little more control. 
I agree with Randy that when they start to teeth, you need to read them very carefully, because pushing them with a sore mouth can lead to other mouth issues down the road. 
A lot of people I know in the field trial world are starting pups with forcing before they are teething, and then reinforcing it again after the permanent teeth are in. I have opted for the middle ground, by teething all the commands with out any pressure (except maybe drop) and then when they are ready for forcing it goes smoother and quicker.


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## otis spunkmeyer (Jan 23, 2009)

*Evan - Tell us about Moose*

Evan
Who is Moose out of? He is a nice looking boy, but for the last few visits I did not get an image on his picture. It finally came up today. Do you plan on runnning him in events?


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## John G (Dec 27, 2008)

I believe he is a Stanley pup. Not sure about the bitch.

John


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

John G said:


> I believe he is a Stanley pup. Not sure about the bitch.
> 
> John


Yes, he is!

FC AFC OTCH FTCH AFTCH MOTCH TNT's *Stanley Steamer*, MH x GMH *Doublegold Spitfire* WCX MH (QAA)

Stanley actually has several more titles in the US and Canada, but they take up a lot of space!

EvanG


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

Another Update.

Rooster is a day short of being 5 months old.

We have been working on his obedience. He really doesnt think much of it! He would so much rather be left to his own devices.

During the last few weeks he has been shedding his puppy teeth and getting his adult teeth. I took a look this morning and we are almost all done with losing teeth. His brothers and sisters are still about mid-way through this process.

We have continued to work on little puppy singles with little to no cover. He will do singles out to about a hundred yards. We also have worked a little in light to medium cover. This work is done much closer (35 to 50 yards). We have continued to throw the singles to ensure success. We are still keeping the sessions somewhat short.

Today we did stickman drills. We used five stickmen and they were arranged in an "M" pattern. The closest three were about 35 yards and the farthest were about 60 yards. Todays drill was done in light grassy cover. He did fairly well on four out of the five stations. One of the long marks required some help. Rooster got distracted by some trash about halfway to the mark. He then broke down and hunted short. I think he was about to figure it all out when my gunner chose to throw another bumper to the same location. No worries as this is a common method of helping a young dog out when he gets into a spot of trouble. Rooster picked this bumper up. My gunner was instructed to pick the other bumper up. I then chose to re-run this mark. On this run, Rooster ignored the trash in the field and drove nicely to the bumper. The remainder of the drill was completed satisfactorily.

After a short rest, we ran a short "walking singles" drill. This drill was run with a hay bale set up as the line. That is, we climbed onto the bale he he ran from there. Hay bales are frequently used in field trials and no time like the present to introduce him to this concept. It took him a moment to understand what we were doing, but in no time he was rather comfortable with this concept. Back to the drill, this really was more about the bale introduction and the marks were only about 35 to 40 yards out. All marks were picked up nicely.

We are now marking time preparing for force fetch. While waiting, we will continue to do singles (either as walking singles, stickman singles, or mark lengthening drills). 
We also will start placing a de-activated collar on Rooster any time we do field work. He will simply learn that the collar means we are heading to the field. Typically I do this as the dog steps out of his box on the truck. The dog steps out and then given the "sit" command. The collar is strapped on and the dog is lifted and then lowered to the ground. I generally do not let my dogs jump off the truck to the ground (injury prevention and joint protection). This whole process becomes a "going to work" ritual.

***
My impressions so far of Rooster:
-Handsome field bred dog.
-Gentleman and can settle nicely in the house.
-Still very much a little boy. He loves toys and really loves to play with mama Amber and likes to pick on cousin Daisy. He also loves to play with my youngest daughter and fits in as "one of her gang."
-He is very birdy and carries birds well (by the body and not by a toe, bill, or wing).
-He seems to be a better than average marker.
-He seems to be intelligent in the field (he shows a knack for unraveling a problem mark, uses the wind when needed, etc).
-He seems to enjoy going straight through cover (I like this).

-My only complaint is his lack of hard core drive. He's a little too lack-a-daisical (sp?) for me and for any sort of hard core field trial sports. I will continue to evaluate him as we march our way through force fetch and pile work. At this point, I have this terrible feeling that he may be washed out of the program.

No time to panic yet. Hang with us and let's see how it all plays out.


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## Tatnall (May 20, 2008)

Klamath Gold said:


> -My only complaint is his lack of hard core drive. He's a little too lack-a-daisical (sp?) for me and for any sort of hard core field trial sports. I will continue to evaluate him as we march our way through force fetch and pile work. At this point, I have this terrible feeling that he may be washed out of the program.
> 
> No time to panic yet. Hang with us and let's see how it all plays out.


Oh no! Hopefully he just needs to mature a little and he will be okay.

If he washes out, what will you do? Place him with a companion hunter or hunt test family? Or do you keep them and play the other games yourself or just retire him to family dog status?

I would have a hard time washing a dog out if it meant getting rid of them, so it looks like I will never be successful in FTs, unless I am extremely lucky, or I will end up with a truck load of dogs.


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

I just love reading your updates about the things you are doing. Great ideas! That is too bad you do not think he is going to "make the cut" what about hunt tests? Looking forward to the next update!


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

Thanks for the well wishes and happy thoughts. Let's give it some time and see what happens.

At this time, he does seem to have talent, he just doesnt seem to be the firebreather that I need to compete at the higher level. I am having fun with the posts on his progress and I believe some folks are finding them useful or even motivational. I will continue his training (and posting his progress) until we get through the swim-by pond. Likely I will be putting a JH on him early this summer as well.

What will I do if he washes out? He will be sold as a started dog to a hunting/family/hunt test home. Maybe another venue? Obedience? Rest assured what ever path we go, his life will be very good!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I love reading your posts. I'd probably like them even more if I knew what some of the things you were talking about are....


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> I love reading your posts. I'd probably like them even more if I knew what some of the things you were talking about are....


Ask questions! That is one of the reasons for the thread! I have been quite happy with the number of field folks who have joined in the discussion. I am quite certain they would answer if I was slow to respond. Often a third party's explanation is much better than the original.


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

To Rooster's resume you might add.... _"apparently can read English."_

He was hanging around the computer yesterday when I was writing of his lackadaisical attitude. Today we went out and he stepped it up considerably! Let's hope it continues. I will also be printing these posts and pasting them on his crate wall. He can read them all he wants.

He just laid at my feet. He's sucking up.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

ok...what are "stickman drills"? and "walking singles"??? 
Somehow I pictured eharmony.com on the walking singles....


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> ok...what are "stickman drills"? and "walking singles"???
> Somehow I pictured eharmony.com on the walking singles....


I think I can help with this. First, here is a look at the best stickmen there are; MARKSmen.










Above are two MARKSmen used to identify a gun station using a Bumper Boy launcher. But stickmen have a wide range of uses beyond this. 

However, to address your question about stickman drills, you can arrange your stickmen in any fashion you like to teach standard marking concepts, even if you only have one helper to throw for you.

I have a DVD called Men of Steel, which demonstrates dozens of applications. It shows how to set one up to focus on all Hip-pocket doubles, or all Inlines, or all Indents, and so on. Dogs get better at these things through repetition, so we run 2, 3, 4 such concepts in a single drill so our dogs can learn more through exposure than through mere pressure. 

Stickman drills can also be set up just to run blinds for conditioning some of those basic concepts, such as Blind behind the gun, or Blinds between slots, and so forth.

Walking Singles are just marking exercizes using a single thrower who walks a course as directed by the trianer, and throwing single marks as he progresses through the course. They're good for young pups, or dogs of any age. The application is as flexible as you are.

EvanG


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

can Tito and I come stay with you for a few weeks to learn this stuff???


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

You're welcome to come train with us anytime! Or, we could set up a seminar in your area, if you like. Shoot me an email to [email protected] if you would like information on them.

EvanG


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

In this shot you see part of a Stickman drill that featured 3 Hip Pocket doubles.

















Just a couple shots of Goldens running the drill. In the first photo it shows the left set of HP double marks. Stickman drills are as limitless as your own imagination.










Instruct your gunners to stand right behind the stickman so they look pretty much the same whether anyone is there or not.

EvanG


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

Thanks for the explanations and the illustrations Evan! Beautifully done.
Hand


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

It could be that I have a late bloomer. This little dog has stepped it up!

Today we drove to Medford which is 2500-3000 feet lower in elevation and generally about 10 degrees warmer. It still wasnt quite warm enough for a true water introduction, however we did some puddle work. He did multiple retrieves in and across very large puddles that were about 6 to 8 inches deep. This was a good precursor to a true water introduction.

A side benefit to our trip was that a field trial was being run. I stopped and visited with some friends and participants. I was able to see two new goldens that I have not seen before. They were good looking boys. Unfortunately I did not get to see them run in the trial.

Cheers


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