Marks and Blinds

Summary. At Cheltenham, with Eric throwing the marks:

• Series A. 30-yard LWL mark (WD) (Laddie)
• Series B. A double consisting of a 100-yard LWLWL blind (OD) and a 100-yard cheating water mark past a point (WD) (Lumi)
• Series C. 70-yard LWL mark (WD) (Laddie)
• Series D. A double consisting of a 170-yard land blind (duck) and a 100-yard cheating water mark past a point (WD) (Lumi)
• Series E. 30-yard LWL mark (duck) (Laddie)

Notes

• My primary concern with Laddie at this time is getting him comfortable returning across water, especially big water, with a bird. Eric won't throw birds, but on Series E, I placed a duck on the ground and asked Eric to throw a small piece of wood to where the duck was lying after firing a gunshot. Unfortunately, the wood confused Laddie and he apparently wasn't sure whether to retrieve the duck or the wood. Next time, I'll ask Eric to fake the throw if I'm having Laddie retrieve a bird.
• My primary concern with Lumi is refusing casts on land blinds, and remembering the memory bird on doubles. We didn't really practice either of those much today, but she did get some valuable practice in. She touched the point both directions Series B, but apparently learned from my attempts to handle her away from it, because she avoided the point both directions on Series D with no handling on the way out, minimal handling on the way in.
• I expected the 170-yard blind in Series D to require handling several times: a duck placed atop a mound with no marker, the line crossing two ditches at an angle, two roads at an angle, and several patches of high cover. Yet Lumi lined the blind until she was within ten yards of the mound. When she veered around the mound to the right, she responded well to a WS and an "over" cast to the bird.
  

Handling Drill

Because of work, I only had time to take the dogs out for a short time this evening.

I set up a 60-50-70 yard MTD at Sundown Park.

Laddie's grade: A.
Lumi's grade: A-, graded down slightly because she was confused on one pick-up at P2 by some debris near the dummies.

I think that both dogs are ready for more distance. We'll try adding 10 yards at the next session.

Handling Drills

Summary. In the morning at the neighborhood lacrosse field:

• Series A. Handling drill (Lumi only)
• Series B. Handling drill (both dogs)

Series A. MTD with no Q1/Q3, 70-50-60 yards. Time was short, and Lumi seems to need more confidence on her handling, so I just ran Lumi on this series.

Series B. MTD with no Q1/Q3, 70-50-60 yards.

Laddie's grade: B. Excellent lining, WS, casting, returns. Only problems: He dropped one dummy during a delivery, and he started chewing grass when he got to the 4th pick-up.

Lumi's grade: A-. Excellent lining, WS, returns (galloping, not trotting). Casting was accurate but sometimes hesitant. Whereas Laddie appears to view the cast as a release, Lumi seems to think about it before she responds.

In addition, Lumi slipped one whistle, when she had overrun the flag, then spotted it as she turned when I whistled. I blew WS again, insisting that she sit even though she could see the blind in front of her, then whistled come-in to the pick-up and return. I wonder whether that was the appropriate way to deal with the slipped whistle.

Building Motivation with Food. I seem to fluctuate back and forth between training with versus without food. I don't know what the right answer is with Laddie, though I suspect that food is no longer a useful reinforcer for his field training. In fact, it may well be counterproductive, leading for example to dropped articles as he anticipates the treat.

But with Lumi, I think I see it differently. Lumi has trained nearly every day of her life, often for hours per day, and for the first three years of her life, I primarily used food for reinforcement. Over the last year, it seems that each time I fade food from our field training, on the grounds that it's not helpful with Laddie's training, Lumi gradually becomes less motivated, especially on land retrieves. Then something makes me decide to bring some high value treats out, and within a few sessions, Lumi's enthusiasm improves dramatically, without any noticeable drop in quality of performance (such as dropped articles).

My tentative conclusion is that I should use treats with Lumi but not with Laddie.

Lining, Handling, Land Series, Hunt Test Training

Summary. At Cheltenham, before Bob Hux and his other Hunt Test trainers arrived:

• Series A. Lining drill (both dogs)
• Series B. Handling drill (both dogs)
• Series C. Land series (both dogs)

With Bob and our HT training group:

• Series D. Land series (both dogs)

Series A. As a lining drill, we used Alice Woodyard's birdfoot drill:

• #1 and #2 to orange dummies laying end to end (less visible from SL) 24' from SL.
• White dummies as diversions 12' from SL on either side of the line to #1 and #2.

Laddie ran first, then Lumi.

Series B. MTD with no Q1/Q3 and no WSOR. Two happy throws with ducks after #4. The set-up:

• #2: 60-yard blind, orange dummy atop a mound.
• #1, #3: 50-yard sight blinds, white dummies marked by lining pole.
• #4: 70-yard blind, orange dummy marked by surveyors flag. The van was sitting to the right of the line to the blind.
  

Laddie's grade: A.

Lumi's grade: Mostly A, but repeatedly refused casts to #4. This may have been because of the van with Laddie barking at the partially open windows.

Series C. This was a relatively long poorman double, left to right within a 75° angle:

• #2: 100-yard mark (duck), thrown as bridge into high cover on a point of land across a channel, thrown from a stickman next to a tree. The line to the fall was 30 yards over marshy terrain, a 60-yard swim to a neck with a point on the right and an island on the left, and another 10-yard swim to the fall at the end of a point of land on the left. A goose decoy floated in front of the island on the left, and three duck decoys floated on the right where the land curled in, narrowing the passage past the island. My dogs are not usually confused by decoys, but they were this time.
• #1: 200-yard mark (duck), thrown from a stickman on a mound into heavy cover, with the line to fall thru marshy terrain.

The SL was also on a mound.

Series D. This was Bob's land series set-up, left to right within a 180° angle:

• #4: 100-yard blind (duck) in high cover marked by lining pole, with the line to the blind over the crest of a hill, past a tree on the right and along big water on the left
• #1 (thrown first, retrieved second): 60-yard mark (duck) thrown from behind a tree and a holding blind with a winger, with the line to the mark across a ditch and thru a grouping of decoys
• #2 (thrown second, retrieved first): 70-yard flyer (duck)
• #3: 50-yard blind (duck), with the blind next to a mound and the line to the blind over the crest of a hill and thru high cover

I ran Laddie first, then Lumi.

For both dogs, Bob winged the flyers, who soared over the SL into the water behind us. Both dogs had very long swims but eventually got the birds. After they'd gotten the birds, in each case we returned to run the series and both dogs did great on their doubles and their blinds.

Escaped Ducks. Both dogs broke from the SL when the ducks soared over them and chased them into the large pond, then had a long swim to get near the ducks. Laddie's duck repeatedly dove and came back up some distance away, but Laddie persisted until the duck was worn out. Lumi's duck repeatedly sprinted away along the surface of the water whenever Lumi got near, and I finally called her to shore. Bob then shot and wounded the duck, then called for me to send Lumi again. The duck again sprinted away a few times, until Lumi finally caught it.

Later in the week, one of the other trainers sent me email saying that she felt the experience had been cruel to the ducks and counterproductive to the dogs' training. To me, this was a case of the dogs chasing down cripples, something field dogs are often required to do on marks, though I can see that the prolonged chase may have made it worse for the ducks. I agree that the dogs shouldn't have broken from the SL when their flyers glided overhead instead of falling to the ground.

Lining Drills, Handling Drills

Summary. Both dogs ran the identical series all day.

In the morning at the neighborhood lacrosse field:

• Series A. Lining drill
• Series B. Lining drill
  
• Series C. Handling drill

In the afternoon at Oaks Area 2:

• Series D. Handling drill
• Series E. Handling drill

Series A, B. Two 100-yard send-out to orange dummies marked by surveyors flags.

Lumi's grade: B. Sustained runs and needed no handling, but arced on downhill segment, self-correcting when she spotted the flag.

Laddie's grade: B. Same behavior as Lumi, except less arcing; however, also arced on return.

I used WSORs with ducks on every return in both Series A and B. Seemed to improve Lumi's speed. Both dogs say increasingly promptly when whistled.

Series C. MTD but without the diversions at Q1/Q3.

Lumi's grade: A.

Laddie's grade: B. Excellent except that he sometimes veered offline on returns. I suspect this came from previous training with Q1/Q3.

Will stop using Q1/Q3 until both dogs are fluent on MTD. My plan would then be to start with lower-value Q1/Q3 (dummies) and start by throwing them behind me at 6:00 instead of as lateral diversions at 2:00 and 10:00.

I also may begin to WS Laddie on veering returns.

Based on suggestions from experienced trainer yesterday:

• I used the new WS he recommended, loud and sustained. Seemed to give both dogs increased confidence.
• I turned my thumbs down on casts. I saw no change in dogs' performance, but why not?

Series D, E. Two MTDs, different positions and orientations. The first one was 70-50-60 yards left to right (P3-P2-P1). The second one was 60-50-70.

I used a WSOR with duck for every retrieve.

Laddie's grades:

• Lining: D. Repeatedly veered off on send-outs from left heel*.
• WS: A.
• Casting: A.
• Return: D. Repeatedly dropped dummy on WSOR.

Lumi's grades:

• Lining: C. Veered off on send-outs from left heel a few times*.
• WS: A.
• Casting: C. Repeatedly interpreted Back and angle Back as Over.
• Return: A.

*I wonder, why did both dogs repeatedly veer off on send-outs from left heel?

Handling Drill, Field Trial Training, Water Series

Summary. At Cheltenham, with both dogs running the same series:

• Series A. Solo, multiple target drill
• Series B. With Field Trial group, land series
• Series C. Solo, three easy water and LWL doubles

Series A. While waiting for the other trainers to arrive, I ran Laddie, then Lumi on an MTD with P2=50 yards, P3=60 yards, and P1=70 yards. I didn't bring any ducks with me so I used canvas dummies for Q1 and Q3, thrown from the BL 10 yards from the SL. We ran from a mound, over low, uneven cover that was thicker and higher in some places. P1-P2-P3 were separated by trees, and P1 was on the far side of a dirt road.

Laddie's grade: A.

Lumi's grade: A for apparent comprehension, but C for enthusiasm, and B for performance.

Lumi refused two casts to P1 when she was sitting in a clump of cover, just sitting there when I cued Over. Perhaps the terrain was uncomfortable on her feet, which often seem to unusually sensitive, causing her to avoid walking across terrain she apparently deems too prickly. In this case, I called her forward out of the cover, and then she took the cast.

Laddie's Recall. At one point, several of the trainers were running marks with their Lab puppies, while the thrower was throwing live pigeons for them one after another. While this was going on, Laddie escaped from the van thru the trunk at one point, and when he saw a pigeon thrown and a puppy going after it, he took off toward the pigeon. I realized it when he was halfway to the pigeon and called Here. He turned on a dime and came right back to me. I was pleased with his recall.

Series B. This was the only series run by the FT group today. One of the trainers had a range finder and gave me the exact distances. Left to right within a 90° angle:

• #2: 165-yard mark (duck), thrown from in front of a tree into concealing cover. The line to the fall was across a narrow channel, and a mound on the near side of the channel blocked the fall from view.
• #1: 172-yard mark (duck), thrown from under the branches of a tree into concealing cover on an uphill slope. The line to the fall was across a 40-yard marshy swath of swim-depth water and thick, high cover.
• #3: 184-yard blind (orange dummy), marked by a lining pole. The line to the fall was across the same marshy swath as #1, was also on an uphill slope, and ran between a mound and then the tree line for some woods on the right, and a small stand of trees on the left.

On the positive side, Laddie, then Lumi, both marked nicely on #1 and #2, which most dogs ran as a double but my dogs ran as singles, given our only recent return to training with the FT group. They both returned thru the marshy terrain on #1 and #3, and across the channel on #2, without hesitation. Given the distances and difficulty of the marks, I was pleased by their performance.

On the negative side, both dogs returned somewhat off-line on both marks, either to avoid uncomfortable terrain (Lumi) or perhaps out of a sense of curiosity and adventure (Laddie). I'm not sure whether such returns are a reason to stop training with the FT group again, and also whether I should expect the problem to get better on its own. My plan for now is to continue to train with the group, try to trigger such returns and use handling to address them in our private training, and see whether the problem gets worse on training days. If it continues to deteriorate, I guess we should stop participating again until we get it fixed.

I shortened #3 to 100 yards by leaving the dog at the SL on the mound, walking 80 yards toward the blind, and then calling the dog to heel. Laddie then handled relatively well to the blind, but Lumi did not, slipping whistles and refusing casts. The distance and uncomfortable terrain were too difficult for Lumi's current level of responsiveness. I received some excellent advice from a couple of the other trainers, advice I plan to take, but the bottom line is that Lumi wasn't ready for that difficult a blind.

Despite the negatives, over all I felt good about both dog's return to training with the FT group. I don't think it's practical to expect perfection from them, only to be careful that no bad habits get a foothold.

The Voice of Experience. One of the more Experienced Trainers (whom I'll call ET) ran the line for the first half of Series B, and had some interesting comments, as well as advice for various trainers. He was especially critical of my handling on Lumi's blind, but it was all constructive and highly useful. Some notes on the series:

• ET ran the line with a firm hand, simulating an event more than we usually do. He decided on running order, called dogs to the line, signaled throwers when to throw, called numbers, released honor dogs, and so forth. I appreciated it, because sometimes in training groups a lot of time is wasted between dogs, and ET didn't let that happen. I also appreciated the additional attention paid to event formalities: When he called Laddie and me to the line and Laddie rushed up onto the mound ahead of me, he said, "Get control of your dog," as I take it a judge would say. I'd rather hear it from ET and work on it than to hear it for the first time at an event.
• On #2, some of the dogs ran toward the thrower, then veered back out after they were around the mound and across the channel. Others stayed wide, then came in toward the thrower after they were past the mound and across the channel, which is what both of my dogs did. I hung around near the SL most of the time ET was there, and heard him say that the latter approach was preferable. I've forgotten his explanation of why, but it made sense when he was saying it.
• ET was helpful in pointing out alignment, footwork, and hand movement problems with several of the handlers, including me.
• One of my favorite suggestions from ET was telling several of those who ran before my dogs how to position themselves as the dog returned from one retrieve to be sent to the next one: "Back up, take the bird, step forward." When it was my turn to run first Laddie, later Lumi, I tried the idea out and liked it. It gives the dog a few steps of walking in the direction of the next retrieve and simplifies lining the dog up.
• ET jumped on anyone he saw move after blowing a WS prior to the actual cast. In some cases, a handler would shift one way, then cast the other.
  
• ET said that my whistles for the WS were too short and faint, given the high cover and distances. He suggested a stronger, more sustained whistle, which I'll try to begin using.
• Another trainer noted that I was using two verbals for the same visual angle-back signal, sometimes Over, sometimes Back. I'll try to fix that immediately, and use only Back, or no voice, when I cue an angle-back.
• ET said that I step back and swing my arms too far back when I cue, with the result that the dogs can't see my arms well and are primarily relying on how I move my body. He suggested turning thumbs down to limit range of motion and stepping slightly forward rather than back.
• ET felt I was making excuses for Lumi. "It's not about the terrain, she doesn't line straight far enough and she doesn't sit when you whistle." He recommended more lining drills, and then, when Lumi is lining well to 100 yards, a drill similar to the MTD I've been describing in this blog the last couple of weeks. He added a wrinkle I haven't used: Sometimes send the dog left or right, then handle to a different blind, rather than always sending the dog down the middle initially. He also didn't mention training with diversions (Q1 and Q3 in the MTD). I valued ET's suggestions: I think we should work more on both dogs' lining, and I think we should eliminate Q1 and Q3 until both dogs are solid on the MTD without them.
  

Series C. Since none of the other trainers seemed interested in setting up another series, I sat with them and enjoyed their campfire-style stories for some time. After a while, I took both dogs over to the nearby water and ran them on three short poorman doubles. On each one, I ran Laddie first, then Lumi, the other dog honoring the running dog. The first double was made up of two cheaters into open water but requiring the dog to swim along a shoreline. The other two doubles consisted of a total of four LWL retrieves across various channels.

The Multiple Target Drill (MTD)

[Note: See ARCHIVE: The Multiple Target Drill (MTD) for the original design of this drill. Based on feedback from Alice Woodyard, in the present write-up I've removed the salience element from the drill. Alice explained that training a dog the salience concept, while possibly improving speed on the send-out and as well as lining ability, can lead to a long-term reduction in the dog's responsiveness to whistle sits and casts.]

Here are the problems I was trying to address:

• Because Lumi and Laddie have been handling, both on land and water, for some months, I knew from my reading that it would be inappropriate to return to some of our old drills, such as the Double-T.
• Yet continued training on cold blinds alone was running into a snag. If the blind was too easy, the dog would simply line it and we'd get no practice handling. But if the blind was too hard, because of distance or "factors" (such as diversions, obstacles, uneven terrain) the dog would become frustrated and unresponsive to whistle sits and/or directional cues (casts). Of course, the goal was to create set-ups that were between those two extremes, but I found it nearly impossible to calibrate or predict which tier a particular set-up would be in, and portions of our training sessions were often wasted because the blinds were either too easy or too difficult.

For a traditional trainer, the ecollar is an excellent tool for solving the responsiveness problem so you can err on the side of making the blind too difficult. But as a 2Q trainer, I found that criteria must be raised with greater precision to make progress.

While we continue to run cold blinds as part of our water training, we have also begun training this new land drill, which I believe is helping. I call the new drill the "multiple target drill" (MTD).

The MTD is similar to the traditional double-T drill, but with these differences that I think are appropriate for more advanced handling dogs:

• We use a different location and/or direction for each MTD session, rather than using the identical set-up day after day as in the traditional double-T.
• As in a traditional double-T, the MTD includes both handling and non-handling targets. But unlike the double-T, the dogs are not intended to know where the handling blinds are in advance, and are not intended to be able to see or scent them until they have gotten close by responding correctly to handling.
• The distances for the handling blinds are steadily growing from session to session, and will eventually increase to 200 yards and more, compared to 110 yards for the version of the double-T that I used with my dogs.
• The set-ups include diversions intended to exert significant lateral suction that the dogs must overcome to complete the long retrieves. High distraction factors include throwing the diversions while the dog is watching from the start line, and using birds as the diversions.

Here, then, is the design for the MTD that I've come up with:

1. Place a lining pole or mat at the start line (SL), where the dogs will be sent from heel on each retrieve.
2. Choose a direction the dog will be sent out for each long retrieve. That direction is called the backline (BL), since the send-out cue is Back.
3. Walk some distance such as 50 yards along the BL for the NON-HANDLING long blind and place a lining pole at that point, which I designate P2. For each dog that will run, place two white dummies at P2, and also place a single additional dummy that will not be retrieved so that the dogs will not be able to assume that P2 is no longer a possible target. As with any training pile, the dummies should not touch one another.
4. Walk to the right of P2 some distance, such as 25 yards, and place another surveyors flag for one of the HANDLING blinds, which I designate P1. For each dog that will run, place a single orange dummy at P1, and also place an additional dummy that will not be retrieved.
5. Walk to the left of P2 and place P3 as the other HANDLING blind in the same way as P1 was placed.
6. With the dog watching from a sit at the SL, walk some distance such as 20 yards from the SL along the BL, then stop and throw DIVERSION articles some distance, such as 35 yards, to right (Q1) and left (Q3) of the BL. I've used white dummies and B&W canvas dummies as diversions. I intend to use birds as diversions when I want to crank up difficulty level further.

For a two-way dog like Lumi and Laddie, randomize whether you're sending from left or right heel. Send the dogs in the following sequence: P2-P1-P2-P3-Q1-Q3. For the handling retrieves to P1 and P3, send the dogs toward P2, then stop the dog as he/she approaches P2 and handle to P1 or P3. Line the dog up on Q1 and Q3 for the retrieves of the diversions, which my dogs seem to consider dessert. Randomly switch P1 with P3 and Q1 with Q3 from session to session. If the dog begins to pop on P1 and/or P3 after running the drill a few times, randomly add additional non-handling retrieves to P2. Since that increases wear and tear on the dog, especially at longer distances, I don't plan to use additional non-handling retrieves unless we run into a good reason to.

After the dog has a little experience with the MTD, here's what I'd hope to see:

• Fast, confident, well-motivated send-outs, maintained by the non-handling retrieves to P2, Q1, and Q3 as well as maintained confidence on the handling retrieves to P1 and P3
• Easily calibrated set-ups to establish just the right difficulty level for the handling retrieves to P1 and P3
• Continued reliability in the dog's responsiveness to whistle sits and casts as MTD criteria are gradually raised to greater and greater levels of difficulty
• Improvement in the dog's ability to run cold blinds of increasing difficulty in other training sessions

Ideas for raising MTD criteria from session to session:

• Increase the distance from the SL to P1-P2-P3.
• Make the distances to P1-P2-P3 all different.
• Introduce more difficult terrain, such as hills and higher cover.
• Add additional diversions such as stickmen to the course.
• Increase the suction of the diversions at Q1 and Q3 by throwing them from a point on the BL further out from the SL, and/or by using birds.
• Drag a bird across the line to the blinds, either straight across or for additional difficulty on increasing angles.

Handling Drill

Summary. At Oaks Area 3 this morning, temps in the 80s:

• Series A. Multiple target drill (both dogs)

At neighborhood lacrosse field this afternoon, temps still in the 80s:

• Series B. Multiple target drill (both dogs)
  

Series A. This morning, we again ran the MTD on short distances: 50 yards for the BL to P2, 60 yards to P3 on the left, 70 yards to P1 on the right. I again used ducks for Q1 and Q3, thrown right and left from a position on the BL 10 yards from the SL. The retrieve sequence was: P2-p3-p2-p1-Q1-Q3.

Laddie's score: B. Notes:

• Poor lining on second send to P2; I called him back to try again, same thing. He seemed to be trying to stay in the shade from a string of trees to the left of the line to P2.

Lumi's score: B. Notes:

• Inaccurate casting to P1, requiring a string of alternating left and right Backs.

Neither dog slipped a whistle nor refused a cast. While their casting remains too inaccurate, they do seem to have gained an understanding of the role of the ducks at Q1 and Q3 as diversions until the four blinds have been run, then rewards to finish up the series.

Series B. This afternoon, we ran a mirror image of this morning's Series A.

Laddie's score: B.

Lumi's score: B.

Water Series, Handling Drill

Summary. At Cheltenham in the morning, both dogs running all series:

• Series A. Delayed cheater
• Series B. Delayed cheater
• Series C. Delayed cheater
• Series D. Poorman mark

Under nearby power line field in the afternoon, both dogs:

• Series E. Multiple target drill

Series A, B, C. Three difficult delayed cheaters (see previous few posts for my definition of "delayed cheater").

Notes:

• Series A was a repeat of yesterday's Series C, featuring a 310-yard LWLW cheater and a blind thru a stand of trees, run from a mound. This time, I had to walk Lumi to the point 30 yards from the first water, while Laddie, running second, completed Series A without me needing to leave the SL.
  
• Series C was also run from a mound.
• Every retrieve was either LWL or LWLW. Laddie seems to be having no trouble entering the water with a dummy or duck in his mouth at this time.
• The cheaters in Series B and C were both channels.
• Series B featured two points to bypass, one on the right, one on the left.
• Series C featured a narrow entry into the end of the channel, and a point to bypass on the left. The dogs had to be handled into the narrow entry from the mound 60 yards away.

Series D. This was a relatively easy, non-handling 270-yad poorman mark (dummy) thrown into tall grass from a stickman, with the SL on a mound. Both dogs marked well but still required a brief hunt.

The difficult part was expecting the dogs to hold their stay on the mound in the full sun, with temps in the 80s, while I walked to the stickman, fired a gunshot and threw the dummy, and walked back. Both dogs left the mound when it was their turn, seeking the shade of a nearby tree while I was walking out.

Series E. Multiple target drill (MTD), as described in several recent posts. P1 and P2 were at 50-yards, P3 at 60 yards. Q1 and Q3 were ducks.

After yesterday's MTD, I decided I wanted to tighten up responsiveness on short MTDs instead of worrying about distance at this stage.

No slipped whistles, no refused casts, but several inaccurate casts, which I think were largely because of the ducks at Q1, Q3.

I'd like to see really fluent perforance at this range before adding more yardage.

Water Series

Summary. At Cheltenham:

• Series A. Delayed cheater (both dogs)
• Series B. Double (both dogs)
• Series C. Delayed cheater (both dogs)

Series A. Series A was a "delayed cheater", my name for throwing the bird or duck for a cheating single, then running the dog on a pre-positioned blind, then releasing the dog on the cheater.

Series A set-up:

• #1: 70-yard LWLW cheater (white dummy) thrown from stickman on thin strip of land separating two areas of water, with difficult angle entry
  
• #2: 60-yard LWL blind (duck) thru S-curve of a channel

Series B. Series B was a poorman double, intended to help the dogs learn the difference between two similar marks, one with a strip of land to cross, the other with a point to pass by without touching:

• #1 (thrown first, retrieved last): 70-yard LWLW mark (dummy) thrown from position of a stickman on narrow strip of land
• #2 (thrown second, retrieved first): 70-yard water mark (dummy), swimming past a nearby point on the right of the line to the fall

Series C. Series C was another delayed cheater:

• #1: 310-yard LWLW cheater (dummy) thrown from the position of a stickman on a strip of land, the line to the fall made up of a 200-yard run, a 40-yard swim, a 30-yard run over a strip of land, and anotther 40-yard swim to the dummy
• #2: 80-yard land blind (duck) with no marker, thru a stand of trees and across a road

The SL was on top of a blind.

I ran Laddie first. I was unable to send him Back into the first water from 200 yards away, so I called him back and then he ran #1 from a road 30 yards from the first water, as a 140-yard LWLW.

I ran Lumi second, and she was able to complete the series without my leaving the SL.

Water Series, Handling Drill

Summary. At Cheltenham in the morning:

• Series A. Water double (both dogs)
• Series B. Delayed cheater (both dogs)

At Brook Knoll in the afternoon:

• Series C. Multiple target drill (both dogs)

Series A, B. Series A and B were run from the same SL.

Series A was a poorman double:

• #1: LWLW (dummy)
• #2: LWL (duck)

Series B was a delayed cheater:

• #1: 110-yard channel swim with difficult angle entry
• #2: LWLWL blind (duck), marked by lining pole
  

Series C. This was another multiple target drill (MTD), at Brook Knoll. For description of drill, see previous few entries. Today's distances were 80 yards for P2 (down the middle), 100 yards for P1 (to the right), 140 yards for P3 (to the left). Q1 and Q3 were ducks.

One significant change was that I placed no dummies at P2, and used the lining pole at P2 only as a target for the send-outs on the handling blinds to P1 and P3. I later felt that might have been a mistake, because it taught the dogs that a lining pole isn't a real destination and has no articles to pick up. While that seemed to be fine back when we were running the pinball drill months ago, I suspect it's not a good lesson for the dogs to be learning now.

In effect, unlike the pinball drill, this time the dogs learned that a lining pole is a diversion to be ignored. I don't think I want them learning that.

I ran Laddie first, then Lumi, the other dog honoring. Although I was able to handle both dogs to both blinds, I was not happy with their responsiveness and have decided to go back to shorter distances for awhile to build better fluency and accuracy on whistle sits and casting.

Handling Drill

This morning we ran a multiple target drill at nearby Sundown Road Park.

The set-up, left to right within a 135° angle:

• #6 (Q3): 30-yard poorman mark (duck), thrown before dog ran #1
• #2 (P3): 110-yard blind (orange dummy) marked by surveyors flag, past large tree on left
• #1, #3 (P2): 80-yard blind (white dummy) marked by lining pole, with line to blind between two small trees and blind next to a baseball field's backstop fence
• #4 (p1): 130-yard blind (orange dummy) marked by surveyors flag, past highly distracting white sports pole on right, like an oversized lining pole)
  
• #5 (Q1): 30-yard poorman mark (duck), thrown before dog ran #1

I ran Laddie first, then Lumi, the other dog honoring the running dog unsupervised.

Both dogs were still quite distracted by the ducks, but did better than last time I used ducks.

Some of Lumi's early WSs were too slow. I called her all the way back to SL, ran blind again. WSs improved noticeably, though never as crisp as Laddie's.

Handling Drill

Summary. At Brook Knoll this evening after work:

• Series A. Multiple target drill (both dogs)

Series A. Today's set-up was as follows, left to right within 135°:

• #6: mark (canvas dummy), thrown to the left 20 yards from the BL, from a throwing position 10 yards from the SL, thrown first before #1
• #4: 120-yard handling blind (orange dummy) marked by surveyors flag
• #1, #3: 80-yard non-handling blind (white dummy) marked by lining pole
• #2: 100-yard handling blind (orange dummy) marked by surveyors flag
• #5: mark (canvas dummy), thrown the the right 20 yards from the BL, from a throwing position 10 yards from the SL, thrown second before #1

Today, I ran Laddie first, then Lumi, the other dog performing an unsupervised honor of the running dog.

No slipped whistles from either dog. Excellent casting by Laddie, some digging back by Lumi. Excellent enthusiasm from Laddie, good but not great enthusiasm from Lumi, who much prefers water retrieves to land, especially in summer weather.

A Note on Salience Drills. Based on Alice's advice, I eliminated the salience drill element from today's course layout. Alice explained, "Trying to rush good lining results in dogs who cast poorly. . . . They all stop fine on a whistle but they are 'stopped in body not in mind' because they think they 'know' where they're going. . . . Dogs that line out on distant objects are generally a plague to the handler when a real blind is needed. Most dogs never learn the long distance salient object thing but those that do become dogs their handlers wish hadn't learned it!"

Unfortunately, I've actually made an effort to train that skill to both dogs, especially Lumi. Alice's description fits both dogs well. Hopefully the multiple target drill and continuing other training will undo the damage, but obviously I won't be doing any more salience drills.

Handling Drill

Because of a sore Achilles tendon, I decided to skip training in Cheltenham this morning and instead took the dogs to a huge, mowed field off MD-108 where we've never trained before. I'll call the field Brook Knolls, after the small adjoining development. Today, we used the field for a single multiple target drill (MTD), as described in recent blog entries.

This morning's set up:

• Lining pole at SL
  
• 110 yards along the BL: a surveyors flag and five white dummies (P2: NON-HANDLING)
  
• 20 yards further along the BL, another lining pole as a salient target for the long send-outs
• 400 yards further along the BL, a white utility shed as a further salient target
• 30 yards to the right of P2: a surveyors flag and three orange dummies (P1: HANDLING)
• 30 yards to the left of P2: a surveyors flag and three orange dummies (P3: HANDLING)
• 10 yards along the BL, with dog waiting at heel: one duck thrown 20 yards to the right (Q1: DIVERSION), another thrown 20 yards to the left (Q3: DIVERSION)

I ran Laddie first, then Lumi, the other dog sitting unsupervised to honor the running dog. To spectators, this is often the most impressive part of the drill, especially — for those who know Laddie and his belief that he owns everything — watching him honor Lumi.

Today's MTD raised the criteria from previous sessions in two ways: the distances to P1-P2-P3 were 10 yards longer than we've used on this drill before, and this is the first time we've used birds for the diversions.

Both dogs had similar performance, except that Laddie's speed was higher.

Both dogs were highly distracted by the ducks and had trouble lining past them on their send-outs down the BL, but both did well when I cued Back several times as soon as the dog would begin to slow or swerve. Once the dogs were well past the ducks, they'd pick up speed and continue on line. Other than the extra Back cues with the dog's back turned, neither dog required handling on the send-outs to P2.

As a reminder about the design of this drill, for P1 and P3 in the MTD, the dog is sent toward P2, then stopped and cast on either a left or right angle back to P1 or P3. This is why the MTD provides a guaranteed opportunity for handling, no matter how easy the dog might otherwise find the set-up.

Today, neither dog slipped a whistle nor refused a cast, though Lumi's casts tended to be more accurate. For example, at one point I cued an angle-out and Laddie, knowing where the duck on that side was, interpreted it as an angle-in, toward the duck. However, neither dog became frustrated nor unresponsive when I had to use a quick whistle to sit the dog back down and recast.

To reduce wear and tear as we get into longer blinds, to help the dogs continue to learn that blinds are at variable distances in a single series, and to help the dogs learn the concept of driving past a diversion such as an old fall or a throwing station, I think that for our next session, I'll use an indent configuration, placing P2 at 80 yards from the SL, P1 at 100 yards, and P3 at 120 yards.

ARCHIVE: The Multiple Target Drill (MTD)

[Note: A later post, The Multiple Target Drill (MTD), provides an updated version of the drill.]

[Posted to the PositiveGunDogs list]

For those of you who don't read the blog I use a training journal, I thought I'd tell you about a drill I've come up with to address a difficult problem I was having, in case any of you might find it useful.

By describing the drill here, I also invite hearing about any concerns some of you might have as to why this drill might be disadvantageous as an advanced handling drill.

Here are the problems I was trying to address:

• Because Lumi and Laddie have been handling, both on land and water, for some months, I knew from my reading that it would be inappropriate to return to some of our old drills, such as the Double-T.
• Yet continued training on cold blinds alone was running into a snag. If the blind was too easy, the dog would simply line it and we'd get no practice handling. But if the blind was too hard, because of distance or "factors" (such as diversions, obstacles, uneven terrain) the dog would become frustrated and unresponsive to whistle sits and/or directional cues (casts). Of course, the goal was to create set-ups that were between those two extremes, but I found it nearly impossible to calibrate or predict which tier a particular set-up would be in, and portions of our training sessions were often wasted because the blinds were either too easy or too difficult.
  

For a traditional trainer, the ecollar is an excellent tool for solving the responsiveness problem so you can err on the side of making the blind too difficult. But as a 2Q trainer, I found that criteria must be raised with greater precision to make progress.

While we continue to run cold blinds as part of our water training, we have also begun training this new land drill, which I believe is helping. I call the new drill the "multiple target drill" (MTD).

The MTD is similar to the traditional double-T drill, but with these differences that I think are appropriate for more advanced handling dogs:

• We use a different location and/or direction for each MTD session, rather than using the identical set-up day after day as in the traditional double-T.
• As in a traditional double-T, the MTD includes both handling and non-handling targets. But unlike the double-T, the dogs are not intended to know where the handling blinds are in advance, and are not intended to be able to see or scent them until they have gotten close by responding correctly to handling.
• The distances for the handling blinds are steadily growing from session to session, and will eventually increase to 200 yards and more, compared to 110 yards for the version of the double-T that I used with my dogs.
• The set-ups include diversions intended to exert significant lateral suction that the dogs must overcome to complete the long retrieves. High distraction factors include throwing the diversions while the dog is watching from the start line, and using birds as the diversions.
  

Here, then, is the design for the MTD that I've come up with:

1. Place a lining pole or mat at the start line (SL), where the dogs will be sent from heel on each retrieve.
2. Choose a direction the dog will be sent out for each long retrieve, preferably toward a prominent landmark such a large tree. That direction is called the backline (BL), since the send-out cue is Back.
3. Walk some distance such as 50 yards along the BL for the NON-HANDLING long blind and place a marker such as a surveyors flag at that point, which I designate P2. For each dog that will run, place two white dummies at P2, and also place a single additional dummy that will not be retrieved so that the dogs will not be able to assume that P2 is no longer a possible target. As with any training pile, the dummies should not touch one another.
4. If you did not choose a landmark such as a tree for the dogs to use as a target for running to P2, add a lining pole some distance, such as 20 yards, further beyond P2 along the BL sight line.
5. Walk to the right of P2 some distance, such as 30 yards, and place another surveyors flag for one of the HANDLING blinds, which I designate P1. For each dog that will run, place a single orange dummy at P1, and also place an additional dummy that will not be retrieved.
6. Walk to the left of P2 and place P3 as the other HANDLING blind in the same way as P1 was placed.
7. With the dog in a sit at the SL, walk some distance such as 20 yards from the SL along the BL, then stop and throw DIVERSION articles some distance, such as 20 yards, to right (Q1) and left (Q3) of the BL. I've used white dummies and B&W canvas dummies as diversions. I intend to use birds as diversions when I want to crank up difficulty level further.
   

For a two-way dog like Lumi and Laddie, randomize whether you're sending from left or right heel. Send the dogs in the following sequence: P2-P1-P2-P3-Q1-Q3. For the handling retrieves to P1 and P3, send the dogs toward P2, then stop the dog as he/she approaches P2 and handle to P1 or P3. Line the dog up on Q1 and Q3 for the retrieves of the diversions, which my dogs seem to consider dessert. Randomly switch P1 with P3 and Q1 with Q3 from session to session. If the dog begins to pop on P1 and/or P3 after running the drill a few times, randomly add additional non-handling retrieves to P2. Since that increases wear and tear on the dog, especially at longer distances, I don't plan to use additional non-handling retrieves unless we run into a good reason to.

After the dog has a little experience with the MTD, here's what I'd hope to see:

• Fast, confident, well-motivated send-outs, maintained by the non-handling retrieves to P2, Q1, and Q3 as well as maintained confidence on the handling retrieves to P1 and P3
• Easily calibrated set-ups to establish just the right difficulty level for the handling retrieves to P1 and P3
• Continued reliability in the dog's responsiveness to whistle sits and casts as MTD criteria are gradually raised to greater and greater levels of difficulty
• Improvement in the dog's ability to run cold blinds of increasing difficulty in other training sessions
  

Ideas for raising MTD criteria from session to session:

• Increase the distance from the SL to P1-P2-P3.
• Introduce more difficult terrain, such as hills and higher cover.
• Add additional diversions such as stickmen to the course.
• Increase the suction of the diversions at Q1 and Q3 by throwing them from a point on the BL further out from the SL, and/or by using birds.
• Drag a bird across the line to the blinds, either straight across or for additional difficulty on increasing angles.
  

Again, feedback is welcome.

Lindsay, with Lumi & Laddie (Goldens)
Laytonsville, Maryland

Handling Drill

Summary. The dogs and I drove to Cheltenham this morning, but because of a snafu in the way the gate had been locked, we were unable to gain access.

So we returned home and trained on a large field I'll call Cinnabar, behind a nearby school. The gnats were awful, but both dogs performed well:

• Series A. Multiple target drill (both dogs)

Series A. This was my latest version of the multiple target drill (MTD), with Laddie running first, Lumi second, each dog honoring the other unsupervised when not running:

• I placed a lining pole as the start line (SL).
• I walked off a 100-yard backline (BL) and placed a surveyors flag and five white dummies. That point is designated P2.
  
• 20 yards beyond P2 in the same line, I placed a second lining pole.
• 20 yards to the right of P2, I placed another surveyors flag and three orange dummies. That point is designated P1.
• 20 yards to the left of P2, I placed a third surveyors flag and three more orange dummies. That point is designated P3.
• With Laddie watching from the SL, I walked 20 yards toward P2, then threw one canvas dummy 20 yards to the right (Q1) and one 20 yards to the left (Q3) as diversions.
• After Laddie ran and it was Lumi's turn, P1-P2-P3 still had enough dummies for Lumi, but Q1 and Q3 had to be re-thrown while Lumi was watching at the SL.

I ran each dog in this sequence: P2-P3-P2-P1-Q3-Q1.

The lining pole may have helped Laddie, who lined both runs to P2 without popping as I had hoped he would, as well as the easy runs to Q3 and Q1. Laddie also handled well on the handling blinds, P3 and P1.

The lining pole may also have helped Lumi, who lined P2 the first time as well as Q3 and Q1 at the end. But today it wasn't enough to stop her from veering back toward P3 the second time I sent her to P2, which turned the second P2 into a handling blind along with P3 and P1. That was good handling practice, but eliminated one of the non-handling send-outs intended to build motivation, speed, and confidence on the send-outs.

The good news is that both dogs handled crisply and accurately on all whistle sits and casts, giving me continued confidence that this is a useful drill for developing handling fluency.

Next time, I would like to increase handling distance, which means pushing P1-P2-P3 further out from the SL. I'll try placing P1 and P3 further away from P2 to see if that improves Lumi's confidence in her non-handling send-outs to P2. If available, I may also use a prominent landmark such as a tree, rather than a lining pole, as the salient send-out target behind P2.

Handling Drill

Summary. With limited time, at neighborhood lacrosse field:

• Series A. Multiple target drill (both dogs)

The Multiple Target Drill versus Cold Blinds. I'm now starting to feel pretty good about the multiple target drill (MTD) as a flexible, scalable device for enhancing the dogs' handling skills. Cold blinds are better for practicing advanced challenges (factors like obstacles and water), but for pure nuts and bolts handling practice, I think the MTD may be a better choice.

By flexible, I mean that the MTD can be used with unlimited variations, starting with daily changes of location and/or direction. By scalable, I mean that when the dogs have mastered one level of difficulty, a clear path is available for raising the bar, for example by increasing the length of the backline (BL) or by substituting birds for dummies on the diversions at Q1 and Q3.

The MTD can be run on lawn, like today, or with more difficult terrain and other factors. Unlike cold blinds, the MTD seems to be useful as a handling drill when run on a lawn as well as when run in more difficult terrain.

On lawns, cold blinds become too easy and the dogs just line them, yet the dogs may become unresponsive if the cold blinds are moved instead a terrain that's too challenging or confusing. I've found it difficult to calibrate the level of difficulty when setting up cold blinds.

By contrast, it's impossible for the dog to know which target is applicable on each send-out with the MTD, so the dog needs to handle to succeed, even on an easy course. As with a cold blind, the dog is motivated to work as efficiently as possible, but unlike the cold blind, with the MTD, that means responding crisply and accurately to whistle sits and casts.

Series A. For this morning's MTD, I set up the following course:

• BL was 100 yards from SL to P2.
• P1 was 20 yards to the right of P2, P3 was 20 yards to the left of P2.
• P1, P2, and P3 were marked by surveyors flags.
• Five white dummies at P2, three orange dummies at P1, three orange dummies at P3.
• With dog at heel at SL, canvas dummies were thrown 20 yards from the SL, at 45° angles to the right (Q1) and left (Q3).

I ran Laddie first, then Lumi, with the other dog honoring. I had placed enough dummies for both dogs to run and still have at least one dummy remain at each surveyors flag.

I ran each dog on the following sequence, randomly sending the dogs from left or right heel:

• P2-P1-P2-P3-Q3-Q1

The intent was that the dogs would line P2 (both times) as well as Q3 and Q1, and would require handling to P1 and P3. That's the way it worked for Lumi, but Laddie was distracted by the diversion at Q3 and later the old fall at P1, and both times required handling to P2.

Laddie may require more non-handling send-outs, or perhaps more randomization of the sequence. He has begun glancing back at me on his send outs, and on one of them he turned and sat at 30 yards from the SL without a whistle. I just stood and looked at him without moving, and after half a minute, he spun around and resumed his old line. For now, I'm going to assume that the sequence is complex enough that the dogs won't learn it as a chain in the face of increasing difficulty levels, and I'll also call out Back when I see him glance back or start to turn. But if Laddie continues popping, I may experiment with putting out more white dummies at P2 for him and randomizing the sequence of retrieves as necessary.

Refining the MTD. I'm fairly happy with today's course design and sequence, but I plan to experiment with one change: In addition to a surveyors flag at P2, I plan to add a lining pole some distance behind P2, perhaps 20-40 yards. The goals of adding the lining pole:

• To provide a clear target for send outs, teaching the dogs to select a target to run towards when sent out on blinds even when that target is not necessarily the actual blind but may just be in the direction the dog was lined up at the SL, making the MTD a kind of salience drill
  
• To build speed, confidence, and momentum on send-outs to blinds
  
• To eliminate the need for handling to P2 and thereby improve motivation for the drill
  

Water Series, Land Obstacles, Handling Drill

Summary. In the morning at Cheltenham, training with no helper:

• Series A. Water double (both dogs)
• Series B. Delayed cheater (both dogs)
• Series C. Delayed cheater (both dogs)
• Series D. Land single over a mound (both dogs)

In the afternoon at Oaks Area 3, also with no helper:

• Series E. Multiple target drill (both dogs)

Note: Oaks Area 3 is my designation for the corner between Oaks Area 1 and Oaks Area 3.

Series A. Double, first Laddie, then Lumi:

• #1: 170-yard LWLWL cheater (duck) thrown from position of a stickman
• #2: 70-yard LWL with 10-yard swim in middle
  

Series B. Delayed cheater, first Laddie, then Lumi:

• #1 (thrown first, retrieved last): 100-yard cheater (duck), difficult angle entry, then 100-yard swim in stickpond channel
• #2: 20-yard LWL blind (orange dummy), half land, half water
  

Series C. Delayed cheater, first Laddie, then Lumi:

• #1 (thrown first, retrieved last): 100-yard LWLWL cheater (white dummy); the first water segment was 70 yards on the long leg of a right triangle, slicing the corner of a large pond and getting no further than 15 yards from the bank, with a difficult angle entry; the second water segment was a 10-yard channel crossing to a steep embankment
• #2: 40-yard LWL blind (duck), angle entry, then 40-yard swim in a channel's S-curve
  

Note on Laddie's LWL Returns. Laddie had no difficulty entering the water on any of today's retrieves. On his first LWL return of the day (#2 of Series A), he had so much motivation and momentum that he used a low, leaping entry rather than an alligator entry.

Series D. 160-yard land single with a mound crossing at 80 yards and a road snaking around the mound, requiring an angle crossing of the road on both sides of the mound.

Series E. Multiple target drill. Today's version:

• 60-yard backline, with P2 (at end of the BL) marked by a surveyors flag
• Three white dummies at P2
• One orange dummy at P1 and P3 (10-20 yards to the right and left, respectively, of P2) marked by surveyors flags
  
• Two white dummies as diversions an easy angle-out throw to the right and left (Q1 and Q3 respectively) of the SL
• The dogs watched the entire set-up
• I randomly varied sending the dog from right versus left heel
• The pick up sequence was P2-P3-P2-P1-Q1-Q3
  

I ran Laddie first, then Lumi. Both dogs were responsive, but Lumi was more accurate. Lumi lined P2 both times, took one WSC each for P1 and P3, and lined Q1 and Q3. Laddie also lined the first P2 and, later, Q1 and Q3, but needed several WSCs each on P1 and P3 as well as the second P2.

Notes on future versions:

• I think it was a good idea to have three white dummies at P2, so that dog would not know whether that remained a possible target when sending to P1 or P3, but it's not necessary for the dog to pick up the third dummy, and given the heat and Lumi's limited physical soundness, I don't plan to have either dog pick up the third dummy.
• I also think it would be better to have two orange dummies at P1 and P3, with the dog only picking up one of them, again so that the dog cannot rule out another send to that target.
• I could set up the course for two dogs by placing five white dummies at P2 and three orange dummies at both P1 and P3.
  

Handling Drill

Summary. The time demands of my new consulting position are limiting my opportunity to train with Lumi and Laddie. Yesterday, we had no opportunity to train, and today, we only had time for local training, using our new Multiple Target Drill (MTD) described below:

• Series A. In the morning, at the neighborhood lacrosse field, MTD at 50 yards (both dogs)
• Series B. In the afternoon, at Oaks Area 1, MTD at 70 yards (both dogs)

Multiple Target Drill. Both dogs, especially Lumi, can use some tune-up of their responsiveness to whistle sits and casts. In the past, I've addressed that a number of ways: with traditional drills such as the Double-T, and with cold blinds. Based on advice from Alice Woodyard, I understand that we should not return to the Double-T given the level the dogs are now training. As for cold blinds, I've found it difficult to establish a useful set-up. Either it's too short, and the dogs simply line the blinds, or it's too long, and one or both dogs is not responsive at those distances.

Today I invented a drill intended to practice and strengthen the WS and casting in a context where we can work at shorter distances as long as necessary, then gradually increase the distances. I've called it the Multiple Target Drill (MTD). Though similar to the Double-T, hopefully the design of the MTD overcomes the objections of using the Double-T with a more advanced dog.

The general concept of the MTD is as follows:

• We'll use a different location and/or direction alignment each session.
• For each session, we'll establish a start line (SL), where I send the dog from, and a backline (BL), the direction the dog is sent with the Back cue. In today's morning session, the BL was 50 yards toward a lining pole. In the afternoon, the BL was 70 yards, and I also included white dummies at the lining pole. In future sessions, the BL will gradually grow to 200 yards and more, and the lining pole will be eliminated as the dogs become comfortable lining in the direction sent.
• After placing the dog in a sit at the SL, I'll place two retrieval articles at the end of the BL, one to the left, one to the right, at various distances. Today, the articles were orange dummies and were 20 yards apart. In future sessions, I may use birds or other retrieval articles, and I'll use a wider separation.
  
• We'll use multiple diversions. Today , I used white dummies thrown left and right outward from the SL with the dog at heel. In future sessions, I'll add additional challenges such as:
• I may place the diversion articles further from the SL in the direction of the send out, and not necessarily symmetrically placed.
• I may use more diversion articles.
• I may use birds instead of or in addition to dummies.
• I may place stickmen in the course.
• I may introduce other factors, such as cover, mounds and other obstacles, hills, wind, scent lines crossing the BL, and water.
• In the morning session, I handled the dog to each of the orange dummies, then lined the dog to the two nearby diversion dummies. In the afternoon, I interspersed non-handling retrieves down the BL to the white dummies at the end of the BL with handling retrieves to the orange dummies, which I believe improved motivation for the handling retrieves. In the future, I'll follow the afternoon's practice, perhaps using a total of three white dummies at the end of the BL, so that the sequence will be non-handling, handling, non-handling, handling, non-handling. I'll still end the session with lining retrieves to the diversion articles, which the dogs seemed to especially enjoy.

Notes on Series A and B. Both dogs were more responsive and accurate with their handling in Series A than B. That may have been partially because of the ground surface — Series A was on lawn, Series B on calf-high thick, clumpy cover — and partially because of the extra distance. We'll continue to train in conditions similar to Series B until both dogs are fluent at that level before further increasing criteria.