# Winter field training ideas



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Water. 
Sorry couldn't help myself


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

We have lots of water all over! It just doesn't flow, it's frozen!

I was thinking of products like this: Flagman Mark-n-Bird Retriever Training Dummies.
You can buy just the streamers and attach them to bumpers so they are easier for the dogs to see as they fly through the air.


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

Where I live there are tons of pros that come down to train in the winter. And the pros here go up to train in the summer. I wish I had the money because I know that my dog will suffer.

I'm lucky to live here in the winter as my training doesn't slow down too too much and right now it is still warm enough to do lots of big water. ON the other hand the summer is very hard to train so I basically kiss sleeping in good bye. I have to be finished by 9 or 10 at the very latest as its so hot and then train around 8 pm for another hour or two. Its hard for pros to do that with so many dogs but for me, I can still pull off maybe two set ups with my one dog.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

How do you southerners keep your dogs cool when it gets hot? They sit in their crates waiting for their turn. I use my crate fans to keep the mosquitos blown off the dogs while they are in their crates. But heat up here is not a big deal. Neither is the cold honestly. I don't keep my dogs heated in the vehicle in the winter while they wait. They are never cold. Funny how heat effects them more than cold.


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

They acclimate for sure but like I said I only train with one or two people or alone in the summer and we are done by ten at the latest that is around 85 degrees by then. I use a fan and the silver mesh for the truck and there have been times where I'll let the AC blow for a bit to cool them down. Summer is rough but only rough for maybe July and August Honestly I'd take two months instead of four or five you guys give up with heavy winters


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## boomers_dawn (Sep 20, 2009)

We train as much as we can until there's too much snow and/or ice.
Then, we have an obedience ring not too far from home we can rent to do drills. It doesn't get them stretched out like a big field would, but it does keep them thinking, can back up and break down concepts, and they enjoy it.
When they were young and learning we did a lot of "hold, heel, out" and sit whistle stuff inside - doesn't need a lot of room and can be done a couple minutes a few times a day.


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## NicoleGold (Dec 8, 2015)

I am a little late to the party, but thanks for posting this question. I would move to Florida, but I'm really afraid of the gators! 

We are currently in the process of devising our January/February training plan and how to make the most of weekend only training until the days are longer. I think the plan is going to be lots and lots of drills, with fingers crossed that it's an easy winter without a lot of ice. Although I like boomers_dawns idea about renting a training building when the weather is bad - there are a few places around here that do hourly rentals.

Does anyone have any favorite drills they'd like to share? We own the Building a Retriever Carol Cassity book and typically pick a couple from there when we're out training. Any other favorite drill books or DVDs that show different drills?


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

My favorite winter drills are on frozen marshes. I have reeds coming up through the ice in areas. The dogs have to drive through the reeds several times to pick up a bird or bumper. Here's a photo to demonstrate. Also is a photo of Lucy sitting on a platform. We build them out of marine plywood and put a piece of carpet on top. The idea is to give the dogs somewhere to sit up out of the snow.

The marshes have different depths of snow from year to year. The year the photo was taken the snow we deep and just the tops of the reeds were poking through. Last winter the snow was very thin on the ice, so the reeds were up over the dogs heads. I like it better when it's more in between.


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## NicoleGold (Dec 8, 2015)

It is really pretty there! In the photo where the reeds are longer, you do get some nice cover changes.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

There are a few things we do up here to make winter training work.

We use plastic sleds to haul our gear. This year I'll be trying out my snow bike hauling the trailer. The bike is a lot faster than trudging through the snow. The big issue is blinds and getting them anchored in the snow without falling over. 

We have to use canvas bumpers, the plastic bumpers will split and crack. With the white background, handlers can't use white jackets, so we wear whatever color is warmest.

The first photo is back in the marshes. You can see there is some depth to the grasses in places. It does make the dog want to cheat and go around. 

The second photo is a frozen series of baseball and football fields. Due to the low angle of the sun and the mountains, the fields don't get direct sunlight hardly at all. So running dogs in the shadows makes things interesting too.

Both photos are here in Anchorage in town in city parks.


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## NicoleGold (Dec 8, 2015)

Do you deal with much ice where you're at in Alaska, or mostly snow? The problem we have here is the ice storms or freezing rain, and then it stays too cold for any of the ice to melt. It makes even potting the dogs an injury risk, let alone exercising the dogs or training them outdoors. Last year the ice was pretty bad from late January through early/mid-March, and we weren't seriously training then so it wasn't too big of a deal. I feel like I need to come up with a plan "B" in case we can't get outdoors later this winter - I guess lots of obedience work?


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

Alaska7133 said:


> There are a few things we do up here to make winter training work.
> 
> 
> The first photo is back in the marshes. You can see there is some depth to the grasses in places. It does make the dog want to cheat and go around.
> ...


Stacey,
I have been told to look for cover and to set up on it as if it was water. Nothing crazy thick but like your patches of grass your in the picture. Then I should be ready to react to flairs or cheats in cover in the same way I would water. So in setting up I would look stuff like marks that would tempt them to cheat and multiple cover strips to carry the line. Thinking of cover as water helped me see it with new eyes for setups.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Holly what I do when I first start training on the marshes in the fall, is walk the dogs on leash through the reeds. It mentally helps them understand there is no reason to not go through the reeds. With pups, we have one person on both sides of a patch of reeds and call a pup back and forth on a long line. Then we can grab the long line in case they want to deviate going straight through. I think it's a lot like water, except you don't have to worry about getting wet.

Nicole, we had lots of ice last year and not much snow. So I actually didn't use that same marsh last winter very much, it was far too icy with not much snow on it. Ice is a terrible thing. I go for fields that are dry at that point. I wish I had the answer on ice. I hate warmer winters, then we get so much ice. So last winter we used more frozen hay fields, which lots of years there is too much snow to run on those fields.


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

For me it is a way to hone my skill on reacting to improper lines when I can't get in water to do it. Is she on the incorrect line from my hip or is she flaring it at the last moment to cheat. Early on I was more likely to miss my opportunity to correct a line when working in cover than on water. Then one winter day I got a huge lecture about thinking about cover as water and how missed opportunities to correct are blown days of training. 
The lecture has stuck with me.


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## NicoleGold (Dec 8, 2015)

hollyk said:


> Stacey,
> I have been told to look for cover and to set up on it as if it was water. Nothing crazy thick but like your patches of grass your in the picture. Then I should be ready to react to flairs or cheats in cover in the same way I would water. So in setting up I would look stuff like marks that would tempt them to cheat and multiple cover strips to carry the line. Thinking of cover as water helped me see it with new eyes for setups.


This is a really interesting idea. Thank you so much for posting - the idea of looking for cover and setting up on it as if it was water is something I think I'll try this winter!


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Yesterday we went to Potter Marsh to walk the dogs through the reeds and brush. I took some photos of the vegetation this year. The snow isn't very deep, it's been wind swept. We went back today to train, but it was super windy and at 10 degrees, I just couldn't put the pup out here. It was way too cold for him. Lucy was just fine to train. The pup though only seems to last 15 minutes or so before you have to pick him up and put him in your coat. So Cody was good enough to put the pup in his coat. I think they make a nice pair.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

I can load only one photo per post. Lucy leaping through the reeds.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Running the dogs through the reeds. There are big snow only areas, for drills when you want the effect of a mowed grass field. I can say running the dogs through the reeds does help with cheating in the summertime.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Great pics!! Handsome dudes!!!! 

We trained yesterday in shorts and flipflops!!!!


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Anney,
That sounds great. Over here in the land of endless winter the winds are blowing a steady 20 mph and the temp is 25. So it's warm and windy. Hey at least I don't live in Fairbanks where they get real winter! Off to class.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

25 is warm?? May I ask what your thermostat is set to at home?


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

If the wind is blowing we turn it way up. No wind and its about 70 degrees in the house.

Today I'm at training right now and it sucks. It's blowing so hard and I swear I can't fit another layer of wool on under my long coat. There is just no way to train the pup for more than 5 min, he gets cold way too quick. Lucy doesn't mind though. The sun is shining. Out here in the valley the wind blows so hard all the time, there's no snow on the ground it's all blow away.


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## TrailDogs (Aug 15, 2011)

Alaska7133 said:


> There is just no way to train the pup for more than 5 min, he gets cold way too quick.


Do you have an indoor obedience training facility where you can rent time? He is small enough that you could do quite a bit there.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

We do. I use my shop and my basement. But walking outdoors is pretty short.


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## NicoleGold (Dec 8, 2015)

Alaska, your puppy is adorable! Congrats on your new addition  I miss the days where my dogs were small enough to train in my basement and get a lot done.


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## boomers_dawn (Sep 20, 2009)

NicoleGold said:


> Does anyone have any favorite drills they'd like to share? We own the Building a Retriever Carol Cassity book and typically pick a couple from there when we're out training. Any other favorite drill books or DVDs that show different drills?


I have that book but always forget to read it 
We do your everyday "baseball" and wagon wheel stuff. 
To maximize distance indoors we make 3 piles - left over, back, right over - add in the angles to make 5. 
We've done around the clock lining drills, those can be made more challenging by making 12 piles around the clock.
We do a "walking baseball" thing our dog school teacher has us do where you use 2 bumpers, toss one one way (over, back, whatever) then the second one, the dog has to ignore the second and get casted to the first; when they give that back, toss it a different way, then send them to the one that was on the ground before. You're moving around and pivoting while doing all this, so they're getting sent all different directions.
We just started working on poison concepts but I can't remember what we did - I'm sorry, my brain is full from work! We have been able to train outside on weekends, we're getting off easy so far this year!


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## NicoleGold (Dec 8, 2015)

Yes, so far we haven't had the ice or snow or cold either - just the lack of daylight hindering our training. My heart wouldn't be broken if the weather stayed this way until spring.


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