Both yesterday and today, I took Laddie out for a series of water and land retrieves, leaving Lumi at home because she was limping last Sunday. Tomorrow, I'll have Lumi join Laddie and me for a last tune-up session before our next Senior Hunt Test on Saturday.
In yesterday's session, I had both Nate and Austin throwing for us. All retrieves were with ducks.
The water marks took place at the pond behind Stadler's nursery and were at 20, 50, and 80, and 40 yards. Laddie had two excellent pick-ups and returns, two others where he began to play with the bird and I immediately came around the pond to pick him up, and two others where he hesitated on his water entry and I used verbal cueing to bring him back, as I would have to do in competition if it came up.
The land retrieves took place at Oaks Area 2. After having Laddie retrieve two thrown singles, I had him run a 100-yard blind on a line a little to the outside of the second single, with the wind blowing from the bird toward the SL, and had Laddie sit 30 yards from the blind even though by then he had clearly scented the bird.
Today's work was similar, except that Laddie and I trained alone. At the pond, I had him run four water blinds with the duck in high grass near water's edge with 30-yard, 60-yard, 80-yard, and 40-yard swims, and his pick-up and water re-entry were sterling on every one of them. Because the un-mowed grass is so high most places we train right now, I decided to run him on a 170-yard land blind at Sundown Road Park, again running into the wind and having him sit after he had clearly scented the bird.
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