# Hunt and Field Training Plan Sept. 30 - Oct. 6



## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

I've been out of the loop. Busy and tough month for me.  But I am glad to be back on the training wagon again and we had a great time this morning. I see this thread hasn't started yet so I'll jump in.

This time I tried with a visual representation. Magenta is for marks. The numbers are the order I had her pick them up. So 2 is memory bird and 1 is go bird. Cyan is for blinds.










This was our first set-up. I did the double but built it by throwing memory as a single first. Most of the dogs ran the go bird on the land more but for some reason I was concerned with cheating and also wanted it more visible so I asked for it to be thrown in the water. As it turned it I ended up making a tight double and the go bird was pretty hidden in some reeds while the memory was very visible. So, she initially headed toward go bird but began splitting the difference between the two. I saw her start to commit to the memory bird and shouted 'no' which caused her to stop and turn to the go bird. Unfortunately she overshot it and was off with it being hidden and being distracted so she had some gunner help. Then she was hesitant on the memory bird after that and was reluctant to go but I drove her in and she did just fine. I didn't need to handle or anything. Blind was almost really good. She lined it but the bumper was leaning against a white piece of trash and although she was right next to it could not see it. So close to lining it but ended up ping-ponging right by it to no avail. Had the gunner walk out and show it to her. Argh. He threw away the trash. Probably thought it would help but I think it did the opposite. The more advanced dogs did a steeper blind more along the shore but we weren't ready for that.









Scout really wanted to go for that memory bird as it was very close and visible. I had to call her back off of it and re-send but after that she did great. She took a bowed line to the go-bird but I waited patiently to see if she would correct herself and she did. Came back and was ready to go back for that memory bird. She did end up cheating on the way out to memory bird, but didn't cheat on the way back. Because we are beginning our water blinds I ran it so that it would be less of a hard angle. The more advanced dogs ran from the line. She did fantastic on this blind and lined it. Woot! We ran a distance from the shore and it was up the bank a bit.









Mark 2 and the blind were mostly up-hill while Mark 1 is down in a valley. She handled the double decently but did need to hunt some. Unfortunately she got help on the memory mark only because she wandered a little into the brown area which is full of cheat grass and my training partner did not want her to go in there. Cheat grass is bad news. We are also just getting into blinds down the middle so I did walk up a little on that since it's a new concept we are putting together. She lined to the purple dot but after that it fell apart. I think maybe she was using the tree as a landmark and would not drive easily back farther. I had to walk up on her to get her to drive back to the blind but we did get there. Just shows me what we need to work on...longer blinds with more technical factors. She did do a good job of running past the sidewalk though.


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

sounds like a great session, Lisa! cool photos, too.
I had the best intentions of getting out and training today in my way cool designated dog training area, as they just cut the alfalfa and I want to do some drill work with converging marks, flower pots, in line marks, etc. but I just didn't have time. For no apparent reason it's just stupid busy here at the pet hotel, and then my front door broke, and then my husband's cell phone made a visit to the washing machine and needed to be replaced, so it just didn't happen.
Sigh.


----------



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

GoldenSail said:


> She lined it but the bumper was leaning against a white piece of trash and although she was right next to it could not see it. So close to lining it but ended up ping-ponging right by it to no avail. Had the gunner walk out and show it to her. Argh. He threw away the trash. Probably thought it would help but I think it did the opposite.


This is the part where I tell you to use a blind stake, birds or white bumpers on your blinds, and you poo-poo it 
(I'm teasing -- sort of)

Great diagrams though, looks like really nice training grounds!! Careful with those memory birds in the water, they have a tendency to float away or sink.


----------



## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

We just found those grounds and we snuck into them. Actually part of a very nice neighborhood but the ponds were far enough away from houses we took advantage of them. Made sure to smile and chat with the homeowners as they walked by and did not seem to mind so hopefully we can stay.

LOL at the poles. I think one of those things that are good in small amounts but can be bad if used all the time. I actually chose a white bumper for this reason so it would be obvious to her when she got there since we've had water issues and are just starting cold water blinds. But then the gunner put it against a white piece of trash which might be why she didn't see it or disregarded it. Then we run on the next pond and use a longer blind, with a longer entry, further up on land, and is orange and she nails it. Go figure. As far as the water marks...the bumpers didn't float away really because it was reedy so it held them sort of in that area.


----------



## boomers_dawn (Sep 20, 2009)

We had a thank you training day at our club yesterday, so Gladys did a double on land and water and did fine.
We got a lot of opportunity to go in and out of the holding blinds, wait around, go forward and back.
On land she started with the whining and yipping so I switched her out for Boomer and let him run in her place.
She was better the second time, but it seems like the more pressure I put on her, the worse it gets. Just putting my hand on her head seems to help, so I just did that. Once she gets up to the line she's quiet, so ... works for me.
She was steady and honored fine.

The exciting part was we did our first cold blind! 
She kept looking at the holding blinds but I lined her up where I wanted her and sent her. Then she took off towards the blinds. Tweet. Over. 
She took off towards the blinds again. Tweet. Bzzt. Over. 
Then she took the over! Tweet. Back. 
She went back then started to wobble a bit. We have to work on lining more. But she got back there then I tweeted her to stop before she passed it; by then she saw the bumper and brought it back.

It wasn't pretty but we did it ! woo hoo! what an exhilarating sense of accomplishment.

I don't really have any plans for her other than do some drills in the yard for awhile. We can probably get together with some of our training pals and run last, but I guess that isn't the top priority at the moment. Fearless leader (our trainer) will be out of commission for a few weeks. I hope we can go pheasant hunting.

If I don't come by much, it's not because I don't love you all, it's because work is getting busy again. 
Happy training and good luck w/ your goals everyone.


----------



## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

ABCD marking drill for us yesterday with the goal of having the dogs look long and drive past a short station. Then we had two blinds run with influence from the marks. The overhead Google Earth shot does not show it but the field is full of rolling hills, and marks 1 and 3 were landing at the top of the largest rise.

Mark 1--134 yards
Mark 2--82 yards
Mark 3--168 yards
Mark 4--121 yards 

Blind --171 yards, Blind 2--198 yards.


----------



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Went to Whisper Creek today. Shorter session as it started to look like rain and we heard thunder. 
Set up at the big L pond at the LARGE end that we haven't used before. Just set up 3 elements but they took a while.
#1 was a 80 yard blind with an over-the-point halfway there. The point was a gently rolling outpiece so lots of opportunities to cheat. I taught it. Ran it from the point. Left Slater sitting at the point, walked to the true line, casted him back, he jumped in the water and got the blind. Got the desired return line along the correct path. Sent him full length, he took one whistle before the point, took good cast, ran over the point, jumped in straight with no handle, lined it from there. VERY HAPPY
#2 was long open-water mark. Threw angle back down/along the shore so the dog had to pass the gunner. Large, vast area of water. Total swimming distance 130 yards. A lot of swimming! Was proud of the guys for doing that.
#3 was a 70 yard down-the-shore blind with the true line about 7 feet off the shore. Perfectly straight shore. Ran Slater first and he required a little handling at the end to keep him honest. Then I had a short mark thrown up on the shore. Re-ran the blind and he lined it -- perfect! He really did a super job today.
I am having fewer issues lining up and sending for blinds, just had to work through it. Very happy with today.


----------



## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

We will have some nice weather these upcoming days. It will be back to the water for drills. I think that I might be training morning and evening. This way we can work on blinds in another session.

We have our first continental style shoot on Nov. 2. I am looking forward to that, too. Buffy loves these!


----------



## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

We got in what was likely our last weeknight training this week. It is getting dark earlier and earlier unfortunately! We did two pairs of marks in a ABCD setup to build on the weekend training--we did not have enough bodies to set out 4 stations! The more inexperienced dogs ran the long mark of each pair first, and then the short mark. For the mroe expereienced dogs we ran the short mark first to provide more suctiont o tempt them off the line to the long mark. They all handled it quite well, and while a couple of the younger dogs wanted to check in with the gunner ion the first pair, they got the idea on the second pair. Breeze also got two under the arc blinds through the marks.

It is supposed to be rainy this weekend--hoping to get out for Wood Ducks tonight or tomorrow as they are moving through here right now.

Lengths--Mark A--80 yards, Mark B 141 yards, Mark C 132 yards, Mark D 45 yards, Blind 1 180 yards, Blind 2 160 yards.


----------



## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Nice set up!

EvanG


----------

