Monday, June 30, 2014

Land blinds with lining poles as diversion

Today I brought Laddie to the dog park for socializing, but firsti I ran him on three blinds in a nearby field.

A. 370y past stand of trees on the right at 200y. The suction to the right was strong past the trees, not only because Laddie tends to wrap behind such obstacles anyway, but also because temps were in mid-80s and the only available shade was back there. In addition, I placed an orange lining pole with a ribbon tied to the top in the field behind the outcropping of trees on the right so that it suddenly became visible as the dog ran past the trees.

B. 240y and a smaller mirror image of A, including the lining pole, but in a different part of the field and with a different orientation.

C. 250y from same start line as B but on a different line to the right, which went thru a tight keyhole between two trees at 180y. The same lining pole that acted as a diversion for B also acted as a diversion for C, and in addition, the lining pole that makes the blind for B also acted as a diversion for C.

These blinds were just as important for my training as for Laddie's, because it is essential that I anticipate where the flection points are and stop him before he suddenly darts to the side. If I wait till he veers off, he is too fast for me to stop him before he gets out of sight.

As these blinds illustrated, a strategically placed lining pole, perhaps with a white bumper or a bird at the base, can greatly increase the difficulty of a blind that might otherwise not be too much of a challenge for the particular dog.

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