Private Training

When a field dog reaches an article but chooses not to pick it up, the dog is said to blink the article. That's what Lumi and Laddie were doing on Sunday when they scented ducks from previous marks and therefore did not pick up the dummies that were being thrown as their marks.

I devised a simple drill to address this problem for the dogs to try on Sunday after the group session was over, in which they made progress but which was difficult for them. In subsequent corresponence, Alice Woodyard suggested that I introduce the problem more gradually.

So today, with son Eric throwing marks for us, I set up three poles to mark the locations for falls and we ran the following series of singles:

1.1 -- 30 yards, no scent
1.2 -- 60 yards, no scent
1.3 -- 120 yards, no scent

2.1 - 2.3 -- same as 1.1 - 1.3, except that a large white plastic bag containing two drake carcasses and open at the top was placed behind each target pole

3.1 - 3.3 -- same as 1.1 - 1.3, except that just before the dogs ran those marks, and with the dogs watching, I threw both ducks on the ground in front of each target pole four times

I ran Laddie on all nine singles first. Next I ran Lumi, but in deference to her fragile joints, I had her skip 1.3 and 2.3.

Before training, I picked up two hot-dog shaped "cheeseburgers" at the 7-11 and broke them up as treats for good "sit" responses at heel and for returns on the marks. While I think both dogs could have done the drill fine without the food, I also think that it made the drill visibly more fun for them, especially Lumi.

I was pleased with how it went:

• On 2.1, both dogs hesitated around the bag, Lumi a bit more than Laddie. Laddie hesitated, then picked up the dummy. Lumi didn't pick up the dummy till I called out "give it". I auto-whistled both (without waiting to see what they'd do after they picked up the dummies) and both responded with enthusiastic recalls.

• On 2.2, both dogs picked up the dummy immediately but then turned the wrong direction, Laddie toward the nearby woods, Lumi toward the thrower. In both cases, tweet-tweet instantly turned them back to me and they came running.

• Both ran 2.3 without a problem.

• On 3.1, both slowed a bit around the pole, then picked up the dummy and came running back to me.

• On 3.2 and 3.3, neither even slowed. Laddie's pick-up on 3.3 was one of his patented skids where he loses his footing and rolls over as he tries to spin around at the fall.

I whistled for about 30% of the returns, usually waiting just a brief moment to see what happened after the pick-up, and whistling if I saw hesitation or the dog running off course. Both dogs responded very well to every whistle, like a compass coming around to magnetic north.

Perhaps my favorite moment was on 3.1. Lumi had just watched me scent the target pole at the long mark for 3.3 and then walk back to her. When I released her to 3.1, she was looking at the 3.1 pole, but after a few lopes she veered right toward the 3.3 pole. I whistled recall, and she spun around on a dime and came racing back to me, leaping back into heel, grinning happily, and eyes out to the thrower. I asked him to throw 3.1 again, and this time she ran it as described above.