# Hunt and field training plans for the week of Feb. 12-18



## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

I just got in from working our Specialty.

Tomorrow Buffy and I will be working a continental style shoot.We have done three so far this year and they have been great.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Buffy and I just got in from our continental style shoot. Our stands provided Buffy with the opportunity to retrieve about 45 birds. She even had to break through some ice a couple of times, a first for her. 

And we scheduled a dog handler's shoot for Feb. 27---we get treated to a shoot and dinner. There are many rewards when you do these shoots.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

We had an interesting set-up today. Set-out four chairs in almost a squarish fashion. First mark was the long one in the back and if the dog took the correct line he would run through two of the gunner chairs to the back. Second mark was the gunner in front of that one throwing flat. Than the next corner closes to the line throwing flat. Then the last back one....which had an under the arc blind. There were three blinds. One on the outside, the under the arc blind, and then one that ran straight down the middle of the gunners. Marks were ran first, then the dogs were put up and brought back later to just run the blinds with the chairs left out there, but no gunners.

Scout only had to put up a bit of search on the first mark. The others were nailed. I did run the blinds but I first ran them about halfway so that the previous marks and chairs did not throw her. I then backed up and resent to each one. The first blind she wanted to pop and she got a back*nick*back and then never did it again on succeeding attempts and blinds. I turned to run the second blind (under the arc) and she nailed it at half the distance. However, I took to long playing with her and letting her roll around on the ground that by the time I set her up to run again at a farther distance she was sucked to the first blind. I had to do some handling to get her away from it but then she went a little too far and saw the blind we had not run yet. So it took a couple sit*nick*sits and recasts to get her to go left (she was certain now that she needed to go right) but she finally started to yield a little. At this point though I determined it was better to call her back and try again from the start. So I did, and I moved back up on it and she went straight to it no handles this time.

As she was coming back from that blind a large husky-looking mix came charging toward her from across the field. Why does there seem to be an abundance of dumb dog owners out there? The dog clearly had no recall and we were clearly doing an involved training set-up. I whistled really hard hoping Scout would make it to me before the dog reached her. I pulled out my pepper spray and I charged toward the dog to scare it away. Finally the owner got a hold of the dog and started walking back. But, no sooner than when I was getting ready to run the last blind did this dog come bolting toward us again. Dumb owner not only couldn't get the dog to come when called the first time, but had decided they were far enough away that she could allow the dog off-leash again. I pulled out the pepper spray again and I chased off the dog. She's lucky I didn't pepper the darn thing.

At that point I was about ready to call it quits. But, I wanted to get my full training in so we ran the last blind. I walked up between the chairs to send her the first time, then moved back so she had to run between the chairs for the last send. Both times she went straight and nailed it without handling. Good dog.


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

Good job to both of you and Scout. Marks this week, yard work in the afternoon. Tomorrow will be a rainout. Weather permitting marks Tues. Wed. Thurs. Friday may get some marks in, and haul equipment to the Hunt Test. Sat. working Hunt Test, Sunday running Junior.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Will write more tomorrow -- I'm beat -- but we had a very good weekend -- first two Junior passes for Harvin, first two Senior passes for Slater, and a Master pass for Fisher. Slater was the star; he rocked it. Fisher's test was "interesting." 
Bad news, somewhere at the master setup I lost on of my favorite earrings


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

WOOOO HOOOOOO Anney!!! What an awesome weekend!!! Hugest congratulations!!!


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Congrats Anney--you had a weekend like had back at Cuyahoga! Sounds like it was a good weekend all round with good tests--Renee A posted lots of passes for dogs she's training on Facebook.

We got some real wintery weather yesterday, but had plans to train so we went out anyhow! It was a wild way to top off a crazy weekend (with multiple potential puppy people visiting, and getting the mom-to-be to her "dates") but very worthwhile.

We set up the rotating line drill again, just in a different field and put out some decoys and other obstacles to create keyholes and such for the blinds. Breeze did awesome with her marks, and her blinds got better and better as the session went on. Butch and Bonnie also ran the marks and did a pretty good job on them considering the complex interactions that develop.

With the breeding done, I am hoping to have enough time to take advantage of the increasing daylight and get out to do some drills after work. Then big training weekend planned coming up as we have a holiday on Monday--will get to train Sunday and Monday both!


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

Congrats to Anney and the pups. 
I know Mom's proud!!:appl::woot2:


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

Well, Riot is lame.  Poor baby. Yesterday he was very quiet. This morning he seemed good, so I took him out for a little bit of light training. Then I realized that I forgot my whistle (shows how much I've been training lately...). So instead, I threw some doubles for him, worked on steadiness, and other little things. He definitely wasn't himself. He was slower, and then he came up limping again. He tried to pretend that he was fine, because he still wanted to do more. I have him resting on his "place" because he wants to run around and play. Silly boy...


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Aw Marie, I'm sorry to hear that. Hope he's all better in no time!


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

hotel4dogs said:


> Aw Marie, I'm sorry to hear that. Hope he's all better in no time!


Thanks Barb. He's limping on his right, which is the elbow he has the dysplasia. My poor boy. I'm saving up for x-rays in July after he is two. I'll take good thoughts starting now


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

More than good thoughts coming from here. I guess I missed it, but what is the vet's prognosis??


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Oh no I am so sorry! Give Riot a hug from me.


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

Radarsdad said:


> More than good thoughts coming from here. I guess I missed it, but what is the vet's prognosis??


Thanks  Prelims came back as OCD grade I in the right elbow. Hips fair. The ortho vet who took the xrays (and will take the official ones as well) said that he could be fine but if it progresses to a grade II, then we might have a bit of an issue. Unfortunately, he has come up lame a few times on that side. 

So training this week, I'm going to try to get some OB in, since I want to keep him from hard running. I really don't want to work the T if he isn't running/working at his best.


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

I would do the same. Maybe a little rest will help. Anybody know of any supplements that will help???


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

Hope Riot Dog is feeling better today.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Mulling over today's training. Dan thought it went really well. I didn't. Dan thinks my expectations are too high. I think Tito is brilliant and should be doing better.
I did all the handling today. Last week Dan did all the handling. We do see some differences in how Tito responds. For example, he runs better lines when I send him. He does better blinds when Dan is handling. Also a couple times he was a small bit confused by Dan being in the field throwing birds, and needed a come in whistle to know to return to me, not Dan. But that's okay, that's just a minor detail.
We ran a ton of singles today, and just a couple of doubles. I thought Tito did not do a good job marking at all, he had to be helped several times. I felt that we had slipped back several steps in our training. Dan said no. I was getting frustrated and upset that Tito couldn't find the birds, but then when Dan came back in from throwing he said that he was really challenging Tito today and I didn't realize it. For example, he had a pile of 6 dead birds lying out in the field near the gunner's station. Right before he threw the mark, he picked up the dead birds. Then he threw the mark about 15 feet behind where the bird pile had been. Of course, Tito pulled up short and started to hunt where the dead birds had been lying. Had to be helped to the mark.
Another time, he dragged the birds out to the gunner's station, and then threw the mark well off to the side of it. Again, Tito had to fight the scent to get to the mark. 
Stuff like that. I was getting frustrated. Don't get me wrong, several times he stepped on the mark, but several times he did not. 
One thing that I was really dismayed by (although again, Dan wasn't) is that when Tito couldn't find the mark, he tended to go off on a big hunt. Dan said not to worry, but I worry. 
He does work the wind nicely (it was very windy today), he will get downwind and then quarter back to the fall. Unless he takes off on a big hunt. Sigh.
His doubles weren't very good. He had to be helped on one of the two.
It was a frustrating day for me. 
Oh, his blinds (I thought the dog would never run cold blinds) were very nice. Well two out of 3 were very nice. Took nice lines, gave in to the wind a bit on one, took a nice square sit, nice cast right to the blind.
The third one was UGLY, but it was my fault and the UGLY was on the handler's end, not the dog's end.
This one was interesting. The blind was about 125 yards away, in moderate cover. The running line was on one side of the 4 wheeler road, the blind on the other, but the angle was very, very small and the point was Dan didn't want him running the road so he set it up so that dogs would almost universally cheat and run the road. Well of course, not Tito, who is of the opinion that all birds are found in heavy cover so he headed across the road into the cover, on the correct angle, very very impressive. 
Now for the ugly. He got off course a bit as he got about 80 yards out, and I went to whistle him to sit him. HUH?? No whistle? Where's my whistle??? So while I'm fumbling around looking in my 3 sweatshirts and my jacket for the whistle, Tito is heading to the next county. And of course, Dan, who had a whistle, just let him go and let me continue to hunt for my whistle. Ok Dan, lesson learned. From now on, whistle is in mouth!!!!
I finally yelled SIT as loud as I could, and Tito turned and sat. Of course, I couldn't tell he had turned and sat until I walked up about 40 yards, because we couldn't see each other. Anyway, once we got that sorted out, he did find the blind. Took several whistles, once I had my whistle back in my mouth. As I said, lesson learned!
We finished with live birds, shackled and thrown. Dan left 2 of them take off as runners so Tito could have some fun chasing them down. That's the highlight of the boy's day. He does love the birds.
On our way back in I told Dan that I was frustrated, and feeling that Tito didn't do a very good job. He totally disagreed, and said he was pleased. He said, "I can go out there and throw lots of marks that he will step on every time, and you will think he's fantastic. But he won't learn anything that way. If we don't challenge him, he will never progress". 
Made sense. But still...


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> I went to whistle him to sit him. HUH?? No whistle? Where's my whistle??? So while I'm fumbling around looking in my 3 sweatshirts and my jacket for the whistle, Tito is heading to the next county. And of course, Dan, who had a whistle, just let him go and let me continue to hunt for my whistle. Ok Dan, lesson learned. From now on, whistle is in mouth!!!!


Yes, I learned that one the hard way too. You get so comfortable not doing it until something goes awry. I have a check list in my head now whenever I go to the line and leave the line. Always make sure the whistle is in the mouth before sending (a pain having to talk with whistle in mouth, but ya do it) and the ecollar is in the hand and turned on. Doesn't matter whether running marks or blinds you want to be prepared!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

the only good thing is no one was videoing it!!!

Another thing Dan did to Tito today...for one of the blinds, Tito had to run right past the bird cage, full of live birds, about 5 yards off the line to our right.
Dan is MEAN.


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

> On our way back in I told Dan that I was frustrated, and feeling that Tito didn't do a very good job. He totally disagreed, and said he was pleased. He said, "I can go out there and throw lots of marks that he will step on every time, and you will think he's fantastic. But he won't learn anything that way. If we don't challenge him, he will never progress".
> Made sense. But still...


Training = Teaching

They also make these things call Lanyards you wear around your neck.. If you are working your dog it is pretty much standard equipment. Not that I have never had to run back to the truck or anything. They make lanyards that will accept both calls and whistles.

Dan is training for factors your dog will encounter. Dan is not mean you need to put your big girl pants on.:--big_grin:


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

ha ha! I have a lovely custom made lanyard, which has not one but TWO whistles on it! (and a duck call, which sounds like a sick moose when I use it but sounds fine when Dan does...). But somehow I managed to get it in between my various layers of clothing and couldn't seem to locate it. Unlike there, we have what's called COLD weather here and I was literally wearing a t-shirt, 2 sweatshirts, and 2 jackets. I felt like the kid in "A Christmas Story" that's so bundled up he can't move.

I know Dan's not really mean. He's just trying to take Tito to the next level. He is a firm believer in "train don't complain". I tried to walk up past the bird cage, and he stopped me and made me back up even further so that Tito would get a good look/smell while heading for the blind. He said, "think poison bird times 12". 

But for someone who has never done this, it does get frustrating to see your dog "fail" several times in one session and need help to find the bird. I'm sure that's because I don't realize how hard the marks are that we are asking him to do, to me they look like "oh just run out and get the bird already will you???". 

He was also tossing them at various heights, I think I forgot to mention that. Some were quite high and easy to see, some were very, very low and got lost in the background. More practice for Tito, I know.

Some day at a test I know I will be VERY glad he put us thru these paces. 




Radarsdad said:


> Training = Teaching
> 
> They also make these things call Lanyards you wear around your neck.. If you are working your dog it is pretty much standard equipment. Not that I have never had to run back to the truck or anything. They make lanyards that will accept both calls and whistles.
> 
> Dan is training for factors your dog will encounter. Dan is not mean you need to put your big girl pants on.:--big_grin:


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

Finally got out to train. Riot was bouncing off the wall, looking like he felt 100%, so I decided to do some work on the T. It went well, until about the 7th send. I knew before I sent him that he wasn't going to go, because he wouldn't look out. He said "I don't wannnnnna go cuz it's hot and it's a long long waaaayyyy!" So we had a little bit of a battle for a little bit. Eventually I convinced him that I wasn't going to give in, and he decided to go again. Good boy! I did two full length sends without issues or having to force, then we quit. 

We should be able to train all weekend. Fingers crossed that I can convince the hubby to throw some long marks for us...


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

> I knew before I sent him that he wasn't going to go, because he wouldn't look out. He said "I don't wannnnnna go cuz it's hot and it's a long long waaaayyyy!"


If I knew he wasn't going to go then I would make sure he went. "You won't look out OKAAAY" Back nick Back as he looks off. Just me on this one.


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

Radarsdad said:


> If I knew he wasn't going to go then I would make sure he went. "You won't look out OKAAAY" Back nick Back as he looks off. Just me on this one.


Oh, that's exactly what I did. Except it eventually became back, burn, back. Then he started just getting up, running a few feet, then turning around. Back, nick, back again. And back, nick, back every time he tried to pop. It took about three separate sends with refusals and pops to finally get him running from my side all the way to the pile. I KNEW he wasn't confused, because he had been doing great before. So I just had to buckle down and make sure he knew he HAD to go. Goober dog...


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

May be a Goober Dog but he ain't alone. Love their intelligence but...........
Your next post will probably be "how good my dog is" Knuckleheads!! They will test you.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Finally got some training in today after a hectic week. Scout did really well with her modified T and at one point I could see she wanted to veer from the line like she had done in the past but the best part is she corrected herself. Yay!

All my friends are going to club training tomorrow but I can't go because I have to fix my car (finally). I'm trying not to be too sad about, because it is the first one this year and there will be other opportunities, but...

I've also been enjoying my bowwowflix account and watching the transition dvds. I'm going to start running the various drills outlined in there that I haven't done yet. Maybe tomorrow run the zig-zag drill and when I can find a gunner the 4-phase drill (which I've really done parts of at the pros), then the retired gun set-up might be able to run with the group. Hmmm...


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

Winter and I finally got out to train yesterday too.
We went down and trained with the Pro. We did lining drills and blinds. It was a normal training day for Winter, but a great one for me. He clarified a few of the finer points of my line drills, we went over attrition vs correction, and reading the dog. I watched him run a bunch of his dogs and he would ask me what I thought was influencing them. It was an interesting day.
We also talked about how almost all of the dogs I train with are advance dogs and I have to quit thinking that at this stage we are going to walk up and get those perfect lines to the blind. Those lines are hard won by doing lining drill, memory blinds, and running blinds.
I always joke that Andy told me that I had to run a thousand singles when we first started out to teach her how to mark. I think my new mantra will be that I have to run a thousand blinds so she can be a solid blind runner.
We talked about running tests this spring/summer and like Barb and Tito it will all depend on how things go once we can get back in the water for water blind work.


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

hollyk said:


> I always joke that Andy told me that I had to run a thousand singles when we first started out to teach her how to mark. I think my new mantra will be that I have to run a thousand blinds so she can be a solid blind runner.


YES! Let her see lots of "pictures"!


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