Series A. Oaks Area 2

Offline drill, same course design as described in Wednesday's post.

Lumi: One Over for the 70-yard retrieve, two Overs for the 140-yard retrieve.

Laddie: One Over for the 70-yard retrieve. The first time sent on the 140-yard retrieve, he sat when whistled, but refused Over and retrieved the bird. He then sat and waited when I came to pick him up (Walk Out). Next send-out, one Over.

Series B. Oaks Area 2

Same course as Series A, but run in the opposite direction.

Laddie: Two Overs for the 70-yard retrieve, one Over for the 140-yard retrieve.

Lumi: One Over for the 70-yard retrieve, one Over for the 140-yard retrieve.

I was pleased with this afternoon's work. Both dogs stopped on whistle and accepted a single Over cast to an SF 30 yards to the side, where the OD waited. That means that the WS and cast were more powerful than:

• The fact that the dog had seen the bird thrown and had not seen the OD placed
• The fact that the dog was running at an all-out sprint toward the bird
• The fact that the dog was 140 yards from me and only 70 yards from the bird
  
• The scent of the bird
• The sight of the lining pole where the bird had been thrown
• The fact that the dog had been sent toward the bird and I was now cueing the dog to go in a different direction than I had lined the dog up on
  
• The fact that the scent trail to the bird was stronger than one to the OD

That's a good many factors for the dogs to overcome, and I think it might be helpful preparation for an event. For example, I could imagine even in a Senior-level Hunt Test that the dog might pick up a diversionary scent or sight, or might misconstrue my original send-out, or might veer off line and require a course correction when the dog was certain, though wrong, about which way to go.