Thursday, December 6, 2007

Lumi Test 1.5 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

  1. 80 yards (dummy)
  2. 160 yards (dummy)
  3. 240 yards (dummy)
Configuration:
  • #2 thrown 60° to the left of #1
  • #2 and #3 thrown as an in-line
Poor man marks with dog in sit/stay at start line

No duck calls nor pistol, just "hey-hey" as each mark was thrown

Low, clumpy grass covered with patchy snow

Bright sunlight, negligible wind, temperature 27°F

Location: Power line right-of-way off Snouffer School Road

Pass:
Yes

Blind: 180 yard pinball drill, no retrieval article, 120° to the right of #1

Notes: Although this test was supposed to be relatively easy except for longer distance than previous tests, it ended up having a number of challenges:
  • Rather than running on lawn, the dogs were running on clumps of grass covered by 3" of melting snow from yesterday.
  • Because of the rolling terrain, none of the falls were visible from the start line. The dog had to pick up the dummy and run back over a rise before being able to see me waiting at the start line.
  • Instead of the pyramid configuration I used for previous tests, #2 and #3 were in the same line for this test.
  • Also breaking the pattern of previous tests, the dogs ran the longest mark last, which required them to run through the fall for #2 to get to #3.
  • At 240 yards, #3 was one of Lumi's longest marks ever.
  • Because these were poor man marks, the dogs had to wait in a sit/stay while I threw the marks. For #3, that was a five minute wait.
  • The dummy had no scent and poor visibility against the patchy snow, so the dogs needed to rely entirely on sighting the lines to the falls to find each mark.
  • When I would go out to throw, a large hawk would begin flushing and resettling in the trees about 30 yards behind the start line where the dog waited. Both dogs handled the distraction well.
Despite the challenges, both dogs performed the test and the blind with great enthusiasm and elegant simplicity.

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