Sunday, December 16, 2007

Laddie Group Training

One Series: Three singles:

  1. 60 yards (dummy)
  2. 140 yards (dummy)
  3. 190 yards (dummy)
Configuration – pyramid:
  • #2 thrown 80° to the left of #1
  • #3 thrown 40° to the right of #2
Field Trial marks (throwers wore white, fired a pistol before throwing, no duck calls, no launchers)

Description of marks:
  • Thrower for #1 stood behind a tree, threw to left into high cover. Line was a simple road crossing and low cover most of the way.
  • Thrower for #2 stood on right side of a mulch mound and threw to right onto low cover. Line to #2 included crossing a junction of roads but was otherwise low cover. Line back from #2 included two bright white utility covers a bit to the right of the dog's path to the start line. Lumi and Laddie were both distracted by these and stalled there, but none of the other dogs seemed to notice them.
  • Line to #3 was thru several trees on both sides and dipped in middle, so that dog could not see either end of the line from the low point. In addition, the dog had to cross several strips of high cover. Thrower for #3 was in shadows but visible from the start line, standing beyond the trees. He threw the mark back to the left and into another strip of high cover. Every dog had a wide-ranging hunt on #3.
Running Order: Laddie ran 3rd of 15 dogs. All other dogs besides Lumi and Laddie ran the same marks, also with dummies, but as a triple.

Steadiness: With check cord, Laddie tried to break on #1, was steady on #2 and #3. We did not try honoring.


Conditions: Steady rain, wind 9 MPH, temperature 39°F

Location: Rover's Content, Cheltenham

Blind: 150 yard cold blind, the line over a fallen tree, on left side of same mound used for station of mark #2. The other dogs ran this blind after the triple. Lumi and Laddie ran this at the end of secondary training (see below).

Notes: In addition to running with the group, we did a little training ourselves both before and after the group work.

Before the group work:

We did pile work with six canvas dummies, distance 20 yards, both dogs off lead, steady, and sitting on either side of me, being sent alternately to the pile. We did this four times in different locations, the first two with no cover changes, the second two through strips of high cover.

Like Lumi, Laddie seemed distracted or confused at first during the pile work, apparently uncertain whether to pick-up a dummy and return uncued, possibly because of the speed drill we were doing last night, where the dog was only to pick up the dummy if cued to do so. Laddie also seemed interested in eating the grass around the dummies instead of picking them up and returning with them. This happened several times during the pile work, though most of the runs were performed with Laddie's trademark exuberance. When Laddie did stall, I walked out to him, threw the dummy back with the others, walked him back on lead, and then had him sit while Lumi took her turn. Then I sent Laddie again, and this time he picked the dummy right back and ran all the way back with it.

During the group work:
  • On #1, Laddie ran straight to the dummy and picked it up uncued and without hesitation. But he then raced off toward the middle thrower, and from there to the rightmost thrower, refusing both whistle and verbal recalls. After completing his arc past the other two throwers, he turned back toward the start line and ran enthusiastically to me.
  • On #2, he ran to the mark well and picked the dummy up uncued and without hesitation, but on return he swerved to the white utility caps and stalled there, like Lumi not coming when called. I walked out to him, slipped his check cord under his collar as a lead, took the dummy, and walked him back to the start line without saying anything. He did not seem stressed and seemed happy to run another mark.
  • Although Laddie required a big hunt to find the dummy for #3, it was no worse than any of the other dogs, and better than some. Once he found the dummy, he picked it up uncued and without hesitation and raced home with it.
I received two suggestions about Laddie:
  1. Use a bark collar because of his barking in the van. I don't plan to use a bark collar, but I covered Laddie's crate with a sheet and he stopped barking.
  2. Have him sit on the mat at the start line to start. I appreciated that advice and took it.
After the group work:

We ran a poor man mark and then the same cold blind that the other dogs had run during the group work. The poor man mark was 100 yards, 45° to the right of the blind, thru a strip of high cover and the dummy thrown into more high cover.

Laddie ran both the poor man mark well and without cueing, hesitation, or stalling. He lined the cold blind easily.

No comments:

[Note that entries are displayed from newest to oldest.]