Laddie Group Training

One Series: Three singles:

1. 60 yards (dummy)
2. 140 yards (dummy)
3. 190 yards (dummy)

Configuration – pyramid:

• #2 thrown 80° to the left of #1
  
• #3 thrown 40° to the right of #2

Field Trial marks (throwers wore white, fired a pistol before throwing, no duck calls, no launchers)

Description of marks:

• Thrower for #1 stood behind a tree, threw to left into high cover. Line was a simple road crossing and low cover most of the way.
• Thrower for #2 stood on right side of a mulch mound and threw to right onto low cover. Line to #2 included crossing a junction of roads but was otherwise low cover. Line back from #2 included two bright white utility covers a bit to the right of the dog's path to the start line. Lumi and Laddie were both distracted by these and stalled there, but none of the other dogs seemed to notice them.
• Line to #3 was thru several trees on both sides and dipped in middle, so that dog could not see either end of the line from the low point. In addition, the dog had to cross several strips of high cover. Thrower for #3 was in shadows but visible from the start line, standing beyond the trees. He threw the mark back to the left and into another strip of high cover. Every dog had a wide-ranging hunt on #3.
  

Running Order: Laddie ran 3rd of 15 dogs. All other dogs besides Lumi and Laddie ran the same marks, also with dummies, but as a triple.

Steadiness: With check cord, Laddie tried to break on #1, was steady on #2 and #3. We did not try honoring.

Conditions: Steady rain, wind 9 MPH, temperature 39°F

Location: Rover's Content, Cheltenham

Blind: 150 yard cold blind, the line over a fallen tree, on left side of same mound used for station of mark #2. The other dogs ran this blind after the triple. Lumi and Laddie ran this at the end of secondary training (see below).

Notes: In addition to running with the group, we did a little training ourselves both before and after the group work.

Before the group work:

We did pile work with six canvas dummies, distance 20 yards, both dogs off lead, steady, and sitting on either side of me, being sent alternately to the pile. We did this four times in different locations, the first two with no cover changes, the second two through strips of high cover.

Like Lumi, Laddie seemed distracted or confused at first during the pile work, apparently uncertain whether to pick-up a dummy and return uncued, possibly because of the speed drill we were doing last night, where the dog was only to pick up the dummy if cued to do so. Laddie also seemed interested in eating the grass around the dummies instead of picking them up and returning with them. This happened several times during the pile work, though most of the runs were performed with Laddie's trademark exuberance. When Laddie did stall, I walked out to him, threw the dummy back with the others, walked him back on lead, and then had him sit while Lumi took her turn. Then I sent Laddie again, and this time he picked the dummy right back and ran all the way back with it.

During the group work:

• On #1, Laddie ran straight to the dummy and picked it up uncued and without hesitation. But he then raced off toward the middle thrower, and from there to the rightmost thrower, refusing both whistle and verbal recalls. After completing his arc past the other two throwers, he turned back toward the start line and ran enthusiastically to me.
  
• On #2, he ran to the mark well and picked the dummy up uncued and without hesitation, but on return he swerved to the white utility caps and stalled there, like Lumi not coming when called. I walked out to him, slipped his check cord under his collar as a lead, took the dummy, and walked him back to the start line without saying anything. He did not seem stressed and seemed happy to run another mark.
• Although Laddie required a big hunt to find the dummy for #3, it was no worse than any of the other dogs, and better than some. Once he found the dummy, he picked it up uncued and without hesitation and raced home with it.

I received two suggestions about Laddie:

1. Use a bark collar because of his barking in the van. I don't plan to use a bark collar, but I covered Laddie's crate with a sheet and he stopped barking.
2. Have him sit on the mat at the start line to start. I appreciated that advice and took it.
   

After the group work:

We ran a poor man mark and then the same cold blind that the other dogs had run during the group work. The poor man mark was 100 yards, 45° to the right of the blind, thru a strip of high cover and the dummy thrown into more high cover.

Laddie ran both the poor man mark well and without cueing, hesitation, or stalling. He lined the cold blind easily.

Lumi Group Training

One Series: Three singles:

1. 60 yards (dummy)
2. 140 yards (dummy)
3. 190 yards (dummy)

Configuration – pyramid:

• #2 thrown 80° to the left of #1
  
• #3 thrown 40° to the right of #2

Field Trial marks (throwers wore white, fired a pistol before throwing, no duck calls, no launchers)

Description of marks:

• Thrower for #1 stood behind a tree, threw to left into high cover. Line was a simple road crossing and low cover most of the way.
• Thrower for #2 stood on right side of a mulch mound and threw to right onto low cover. Line to #2 included crossing a junction of roads but was otherwise low cover. Line back from #2 included two bright white utility covers a bit to the right of the dog's path to the start line. Lumi and Laddie were both distracted by these and stalled there, but none of the other dogs seemed to notice them.
• Line to #3 was thru several trees on both sides and dipped in middle, so that dog could not see either end of the line from the low point. In addition, the dog had to cross several strips of high cover. Thrower for #3 was in shadows but visible from the start line, standing beyond the trees. He threw the mark back to the left and into another strip of high cover. Every dog had a wide-ranging hunt on #3.
  

Running Order: Lumi ran 1st of 15 dogs. All other dogs besides Lumi and Laddie ran the same marks, also with dummies, but as a triple.

Steadiness: With check cord, Lumi was steady on all marks. We did not try honoring.

Conditions: Steady rain, wind 9 MPH, temperature 39°F

Location: Rover's Content, Cheltenham

Blind: 150 yard cold blind, the line over a fallen tree, on left side of same mound used for station of mark #2. The other dogs ran this blind after the triple. Lumi and Laddie ran this at the end of secondary training (see below).

Notes: In addition to running with the group, we did a little training ourselves both before and after the group work.

Before the group work:

We did pile work with six canvas dummies, distance 20 yards, both dogs off lead, steady, and sitting on either side of me, being sent alternately to the pile. We did this four times in different locations, the first two with no cover changes, the second two through strips of high cover.

Lumi seemed distracted or confused at first during the pile work, apparently uncertain whether to pick-up a dummy and return uncued, possibly because of the speed drill we were doing last night, where Lumi was only to pick up the dummy if cued to do so. She also stalled the first time she was to return thru high cover. In both cases, I walked out to her, threw the dummy back with the others, walked her back on lead, and then had her sit while Laddie took his turn. Then I sent Lumi again, and this time she picked the dummy right back and ran all the way back with it.

During the group work:

• On #1, she ran toward thrower rather than to fall, found the dummy, picked it up, but ran toward thrower with it rather than toward me at first. I called her and she immediately turned and ran to me.
• On #2, she ran to the mark well and picked the dummy up uncued and without hesitation, but on return she swerved to the white utility caps and stalled there, not coming when called. I walked out to her, slipped her check cord under her collar as a lead, took the dummy, and walked her back to the start line without saying anything. She did not seem stressed and seemed happy to run another mark.
• The first time #3 was thrown, she did not see it. We never practice with the marks being thrown thru a tunnel of trees. When she heard the gunshot, she looked in the correct direction, but apparently not quickly enough because when I sent her, she took a step and then stopped. I brought her back to the start line and asked that #3 be thrown again.
• The second time #3 was thrown, she was well focused and ran straight toward the mark, but after running thru the cover changes and down into the dip and up the hill again, she had lost her line. After considerable hunting, she found the dummy, picked up uncued and unhesitatingly, and ran straight back to me without slowing. I wasn't happy with the big hunt at the time, but when I saw that every other dog ran the mark the same way, I realized that Lumi had run #3 quite well.

After the group work:

We ran a poor man mark and then the same cold blind that the other dogs had run during the group work. The poor man mark was 100 yards, 45° to the right of the blind, thru a strip of high cover and the dummy thrown into more high cover.

Lumi ran the poor man mark well, having no trouble running the correct line to the fall, picking up the dummy uncued and without hesitation, and returning on the run without slowing as she re-crossed the strip of high cover. On the blind, she stopped and began hunting when she got to the fallen tree. When I whistled, she did not sit, but she took up the line she had been on, jumped over the tree, and completed the retrieve. Although it was a serious mistake for her not to sit when whistled, her work on both the extra mark and the blind was fast, confident, and enthusiastic.

Laddie Test 2.3

Test: Three singles:

1. 60 yards (dead pigeon)
2. 180 yards (dead pigeon)
3. 120 yards (dummy)

Configuration – pyramid:

• #2 thrown 45° to the left of #1
  
• #3 thrown 45° to the left of #2

Poor man marks, with duck call and "hey-hey", all marks thrown downwind

Pigeon was 1 on a scale of 1-10 for usable birds

Lawn

Overcast, wind 8 MPH, temperature 51°F

Location: Sundown Park

Pass: No

Blind: 230 yard pinball drill with 4 poles (70-70-90 yards) on a zigzag line 90° to left of mark #3, no dummies

Notes: I was very pleased with several things: Laddie raced with all his heart both ways on every mark as well as the blind, and he picked up the two pigeons on the fly, actually rolling over as he fishtailed into a U-turn on #1. He chewed pigeons only slightly as he ran, held them at heel without chewing until I reached for them, and gave them up instantly.

Since he met the primary criteria for this test series — enthusiasm in both directions and unhesitating, un-cued pick-ups — I would like to have passed Laddie. He also did wonderfully on the target blind, once again the longest blind he's ever run. In addition to his exuberance, he took every cue correctly and did not need to be recast once.

However, Laddie's performance on the test had three flaws any one of which prevented him from passing:

1. He overran #2 and ended up running into some high cover behind the fall. The good news is that he responded instantly when I called him, spinning around, racing straight to the bird, picking it up on the fly and charging all the way back to me.
2. He ran the wrong line on #3, heading for where I had stood when I threw the dummy rather than toward the fall. He then needed considerable time to find the fall. The good news is that he persevered.
3. Although he picked the dummy up on #3 unhesitatingly and without being cued, he did not head straight back to me with it. Instead, he headed off to the left. The good news is that he did come straight back to me as soon as I called him, and went on to run the target blind perfectly.
   

Lumi Test 2.3 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 60 yards (dead pigeon)
2. 180 yards (dead pigeon)
3. 120 yards (dummy)

Configuration – pyramid:

• #2 thrown 45° to the left of #1
  
• #3 thrown 45° to the left of #2

Poor man marks, with duck call and "hey-hey", all marks thrown downwind

Pigeon was 1 on a scale of 1-10 for usable birds

Lawn

Overcast, wind 8 MPH, temperature 51°F

Location: Sundown Park

Pass: Yes

Blind: 230 yard pinball drill with 4 poles (70-70-90 yards) on a zigzag line 90° to left of mark #3, no dummies

Notes: The first time Lumi ran #1, she started to chew on the pigeon instead of picking it up. I immediately began walking toward her, calling "STOP IT . . . sit", and she responded correctly. When I arrived, I picked the pigeon up from the ground, put Lumi's slip lead around her neck, and together we walked back to the start line. I maintained a quiet, gentle, but neutral attitude.

We then ran #1 again, and to my great pleasure, Lumi raced to the bird, picked it up on the run, and raced back, not even chewing on it as she ran, or at least not very much. :0)

Then I went out to use the same pigeon for #2, which was three times as far as #1, then walked back to send Lumi. To my even greater pleasure, she also picked that mark up on the run and raced back, again with negligible chewing.

Finally, Lumi had no difficulty with #3, so despite the shaky start, it was an easy pass.

Lumi also did well on the 230-yard target blind. Because she didn't alway angle back on the correct line, she needed more than the minimum casts for the blind, but responded quickly and enthusiatically to each whistle sit and cast.

Lumi Test 2.2 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 40 yards (dead duck)
2. 120 yards (dead duck)
3. 80 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 90° to the right of #1
  
• #3 thrown 45° to the left of #2

Poor man marks, with duck call and "hey-hey"

Duck was 1 on a scale of 1-10 for usable ducks

Wet lawn; #2 thrown into wooded area beyond lawn, with underbrush as cover change

Overcast, wind calm, temperature 46°F

Location: Field behind nearby school

Pass: Yes

Blind: 220 yard pinball drill with 4 poles (80-70-70 yards) on a zigzag line 45° to right of mark #2; orange dummies at poles 2 and 3; dog was sent to pole 2 to retrieve dummy, then back out to poles 2 and 3 to retrieve dummy, then back out to 2 and 3 for whistle sits and angle back casts, pole 4 for whistle sit and recall

Notes: Lumi was not as enthusiastic on her marks or blinds as Laddie had been. She really does not like carrying a slimy duck, and it slowed down her returns on #1 and #2, after racing out to both marks. I don't know why she slowed carrying that duck, but I've seen Laddie do it, too, though not today. Since Lumi raced both ways for #3 with the dummy, and because everything else about her marks was done correctly and with style, I decided that she probably had her own good reason for trotting instead of cantering or galloping back with the duck, and passed her on this test.

Lumi's performance on the blinds was not as good as Laddie's, requiring extra handling several times. But she did retrieve both dummies and traversed the long target blind, and all her recalls were a joy to behold.

Laddie Test 2.2 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 40 yards (dead duck)
2. 120 yards (dead duck)
3. 80 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 90° to the right of #1
  
• #3 thrown 45° to the left of #2

Poor man marks, with duck call and "hey-hey"

Duck was 1 on a scale of 1-10 for usable ducks

Wet lawn; #2 thrown into wooded area beyond lawn, with underbrush as cover change

Overcast, wind calm, temperature 46°F

Location: Field behind nearby school

Pass: Yes

Blind: 220 yard pinball drill with 4 poles (80-70-70 yards) on a zigzag line 45° to right of mark #2; orange dummies at poles 2 and 3; dog was sent to pole 2 to retrieve dummy, then back out to poles 2 and 3 to retrieve dummy, then back out to 2 and 3 for whistle sits and angle back casts, pole 4 for whistle sit and recall

Notes: Laddie ran the marks with speed and exuberance, then the blinds. The 220 yard target blind was another new distance milestone for Laddie's blinds. He ran all three beautifully, enthusiastically and with no extraneous handling needed. What a joy he is to work with.

Lumi Test 2.1 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 40 yards (dead duck)
2. 120 yards (dummy)
3. 80 yards (dead duck)
   

Configuration – indent:

• #1 thrown 10 yards to the right, and 10 yards short, of blind pole 2, where an orange dummy was planted and visible
  
• #2 thrown 30° to the right of #1
  
• #3 thrown 100° to the left of #2

Poor man marks, with duck call and "hey-hey"

Duck was 3 on a scale of 1-10 for usable ducks

Wet lawn

Drizzle, light wind, temperature 42°F

Location: Layhill Park

Pass: Yes

Blind: 170 yard pinball drill with 4 poles (50-50-70 yards) on a zigzag line midway between the outermost marks; orange dummy at pole 2; dog was sent to pole 2 to retrieve dummy, then back out to poles 2 and 3 for whistle sits and angle back casts, pole 4 for whistle sit and recall

Notes: Excellent work. The duck did not seem to present any problem for Lumi.

Laddie Test 2.1 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 40 yards (dead duck)
2. 120 yards (dummy)
3. 80 yards (dead duck)
   

Configuration – indent:

• #1 thrown 10 yards to the right, and 10 yards short, of blind pole 2, where an orange dummy was planted and visible
  
• #2 thrown 30° to the right of #1
  
• #3 thrown 100° to the left of #2

Poor man marks, with duck call and "hey-hey"

Duck was 3 on a scale of 1-10 for usable ducks

Wet lawn

Drizzle, light wind, temperature 42°F

Location: Layhill Park

Pass: Yes

Blind: 170 yard pinball drill with 4 poles (50-50-70 yards) on a zigzag line midway between the outermost marks; orange dummy at pole 2; dog was sent to pole 2 to retrieve dummy, then back out to poles 2 and 3 for whistle sits and angle back casts, pole 4 for whistle sit and recall

Notes: Excellent work. The duck did not seem to present any problem for Laddie.

Laddie Test 1.7 (pass)

Test: A triple:

1. 75 yards (dummy)
2. 240 yards (dummy)
3. 135 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 45° to the right of #1
  
• #3 thrown 60° to the right of #2

Poor man marks, long wait for dog at the line

Lawn, except that #1 was thrown into unmaintained high cover and underbrush

Retrieve order: #3-#1-#2

Overcast, wind calm, temperature 35°F

Location: Soccer fields off Homecrest Road

Pass: Yes

Blind: N/A

Notes: This was our second attempt at Test 1.7. Earlier in the day, we tried it at another location, but marks #1 and #2 of that test were only 20° apart and both dogs were confused by that.

Both dogs ran nice 185 yard target blinds at that time, though. No retrieval article, good whistle sits.

For this test, Laddie did great. This triple was unusual for us in that the "go" mark was not the shortest, which we ran second instead.

Lumi Test 1.7 (pass)

Test: A triple:

1. 75 yards (dummy)
2. 240 yards (dummy)
3. 135 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 45° to the right of #1
  
• #3 thrown 60° to the right of #2

Poor man marks, long wait for dog at the line

Lawn, except that #1 was thrown into unmaintained high cover and underbrush

Retrieve order: #3-#1-#2

Overcast, wind calm, temperature 35°F

Location: Soccer fields off Homecrest Road

Pass: Yes

Blind: N/A

Notes: This was our second attempt at Test 1.7. Earlier in the day, we tried it at another location, but marks #1 and #2 of that test were only 20° apart and both dogs were confused by that.

Both dogs ran nice 185 yard target blinds at that time, though. No retrieval article, good whistle sits.

For this test, Lumi did fine. This triple was unusual for us in that the "go" mark was not the shortest, which we ran second instead.

Laddie Test 1.6 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 80 yards (dummy)
2. 240 yards (dummy)
3. 160 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 80° to the left of #1
  
• #3 thrown on a line between the lines for #1 and #2
  

Poor man marks

Clumpy 12" grass on rough but mostly level terrain

#2 thrown onto a mound covered in underbrush and unmowed grass

Bright sun, negligible wind, temperature 45°F

Location: Power line right-of-way off East Village Avenue

Pass: Yes

Blind: 80 yard cold blind with orange dummies that were out of sight until dog was close to pole; line to blind was 30° to the right of mark #1

Notes: Laddie picked up all the marks unhesitatingly and uncued, and ran with great enthusiasm and speed on all marks as well as the blind. He seems to be having no difficulty with the longer marks he's now seeeing.

Laddie easily lined the blind, so no handling was necessary. I hope that letting him find a dummy to retrieve on the blind won't damage his responsiveness on whistle sits in our on-going training.

Lumi Test 1.6 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 80 yards (dummy)
2. 240 yards (dummy)
3. 160 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 80° to the left of #1
  
• #3 thrown on a line between the lines for #1 and #2
  

Poor man marks

Clumpy 12" grass on rough but mostly level terrain

#2 thrown into high cover atop a mound covered in underbrush and unmowed grass

Bright sun, negligible wind, temperature 45°F

Location: Power line right-of-way off East Village Avenue

Pass: Yes

Blind: 80 yard cold blind with orange dummies that were out of sight until dog was close to pole; line to blind was 30° to the right of mark #1

Notes: Lumi picked up all the marks unhesitatingly and uncued, and ran with enthusiasm on speed on marks #1 and #3 as well as the blind. She was less enthusiastic about #2 for some reason — perhaps the length, perhaps the lighting or terrain? — but still completed it satisfactorily.

Lumi easily lined the blind, so no handling was necessary. I hope that letting her find a dummy to retrieve on the blind won't damage her responsiveness on whistle sits in our on-going training.

Laddie Test 1.6

Test: Three singles:

1. 80 yards (dummy)
2. 160 yards (dummy)
3. 240 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 30° to the right of #1
  
• #1 and #3 thrown as an in-line

Marks thrown by training partner Barbara Wood, who used a duck call and also called "hey-hey" while throwing

Lawn covered with snow

Overcast, negligible wind, temperature 30°F

Location: Lake Needwood Park

Pass: No

Blind: 210 yard pinball drill, no retrieval article, with poles set up in advance between the line for #1/#3 and the line for #2

Notes: Laddie ran #1 nicely, but he fell apart running back on #2 when he was running past one of the blind poles. I realize now it was a mistake to place the blind poles in the middle of the course.

He was even worse on #3. The line for #3 was along a treeline, which had not presented a problem for Lumi. I set it up that way so that the mark for #3 could be thrown into the high cover along the edge of the field, satisfying the requirement for a cover change on #3. But as Laddie ran toward the fall, he ran straight and then scalloped into the cover three times to look for the dummy, of course not finding it until the third time. To his credit, he didn't waste time looking too long when he made the wrong entries, and came out again to run the correct direction each time.

When he made the correct entry into the cover, he picked up the dummy with great enthusiasm and raced back toward the start line, but as he ran, he became distracted by the woods and ran in and out of them repeatedly.

It's difficult finding a nearby location to run Test 1.6, but I can see now that trying to use a woodsy area next to a field, so that the dog runs along the treeline and then enters the woods at the end of the run, is nothing like a real mark and is clearly not the way to run this test.

This was Laddie's longest target blind ever, and he ran it reasonably well. His whistle sits at each pole were excellent, but instead of sitting on the whistle when he got offline between poles 3 and 4, he spotted pole 4 and veered back on course. Both he and Lumi do not yet always respond with a sit on the whistle, and in some situations will ignore the whistle or will seem to use it as information that they are off course. That needs to be repaired.

Lumi and Laddie have both been showing since the snowfall that they have difficulty picking articles up promptly when the articles are lying in snow. This would seem to be a good thing for us to work on in a separate drill. If they can develop high reliability for pick-ups that are currently difficult, that may enhance their pick-ups of ducks later.

Lumi Test 1.6

Test: Three singles:

1. 80 yards (dummy)
2. 160 yards (dummy)
3. 240 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 30° to the right of #1
  
• #1 and #3 thrown as an in-line

Marks thrown by training partner Barbara Wood, who used a duck call and also called "hey-hey" while throwing

Lawn covered with snow

Overcast, negligible wind, temperature 30°F

Location: Lake Needwood Park

Pass: No

Blind: 210 yard pinball drill, no retrieval article, with poles set up in advance between the line for #1/#3 and the line for #2

Notes: Lumi ran #1 and #3 nicely, and also ran the target blind nicely. Although I used a tight angle between the lines of the marks, she ran each mark straight and did not seem drawn to old falls. Similarly, when she ran the blind, she did not seem drawn to previous falls on either side.

However, she played with #2 before picking it up, and also became confused by one of the blind poles while returning on #2. I realize now it was a mistake to place blind poles in the middle of the field.

Lumi and Laddie have both been showing since the snowfall that they have difficulty picking articles up promptly when the articles are lying in snow. This would seem to be a good thing for us to work on in a separate drill. If they can develop high reliability for pick-ups that are currently difficult, that may enhance their pick-ups of ducks later.

Lumi Test 1.5 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 80 yards (dummy)
2. 160 yards (dummy)
3. 240 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 60° to the left of #1
  
• #2 and #3 thrown as an in-line

Poor man marks with dog in sit/stay at start line

No duck calls nor pistol, just "hey-hey" as each mark was thrown

Low, clumpy grass covered with patchy snow

Bright sunlight, negligible wind, temperature 27°F

Location: Power line right-of-way off Snouffer School Road

Pass: Yes

Blind: 180 yard pinball drill, no retrieval article, 120° to the right of #1

Notes: Although this test was supposed to be relatively easy except for longer distance than previous tests, it ended up having a number of challenges:

• Rather than running on lawn, the dogs were running on clumps of grass covered by 3" of melting snow from yesterday.
  
• Because of the rolling terrain, none of the falls were visible from the start line. The dog had to pick up the dummy and run back over a rise before being able to see me waiting at the start line.
  
• Instead of the pyramid configuration I used for previous tests, #2 and #3 were in the same line for this test.
• Also breaking the pattern of previous tests, the dogs ran the longest mark last, which required them to run through the fall for #2 to get to #3.
• At 240 yards, #3 was one of Lumi's longest marks ever.
  
• Because these were poor man marks, the dogs had to wait in a sit/stay while I threw the marks. For #3, that was a five minute wait.
• The dummy had no scent and poor visibility against the patchy snow, so the dogs needed to rely entirely on sighting the lines to the falls to find each mark.
• When I would go out to throw, a large hawk would begin flushing and resettling in the trees about 30 yards behind the start line where the dog waited. Both dogs handled the distraction well.

Despite the challenges, both dogs performed the test and the blind with great enthusiasm and elegant simplicity.

Laddie Test 1.5 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 80 yards (dummy)
2. 160 yards (dummy)
3. 240 yards (dummy)

Configuration:

• #2 thrown 60° to the left of #1
  
• #2 and #3 thrown as an in-line

Poor man marks with dog in sit/stay at start line

No duck calls nor pistol, just "hey-hey" as each mark was thrown

Low, clumpy grass covered with patchy snow

Bright sunlight, negligible wind, temperature 27°F

Location: Power line right-of-way off Snouffer School Road

Pass: Yes

Blind: 180 yard pinball drill, no retrieval article, 120° to the right of #1

Notes: Although this test was supposed to be relatively easy except for longer distance than previous tests, it ended up having a number of challenges:

• Rather than running on lawn, the dogs were running on clumps of grass covered by 3" of melting snow from yesterday.
  
• Because of the rolling terrain, none of the falls were visible from the start line. The dog had to pick up the dummy and run back over a rise before being able to see me waiting at the start line.
  
• Instead of the pyramid configuration I used for previous tests, #2 and #3 were in the same line for this test.
• Also breaking the pattern of previous tests, the dogs ran the longest mark last, which required them to run through the fall for #2 to get to #3.
• At 240 yards, #3 was Laddie's longest mark ever.
  
• Because these were poor man marks, the dogs had to wait in a sit/stay while I threw the marks. For #3, that was a five minute wait.
• The dummy had no scent and poor visibility against the patchy snow, so the dogs needed to rely entirely on sighting the lines to the falls to find each mark.
• When I would go out to throw, a large hawk would begin flushing and resettling in the trees about 30 yards behind the start line where the dog waited. Both dogs handled the distraction well.
• This was also Laddie's longest target blind so far.

Despite the challenges, both dogs performed the test and the blind with great enthusiasm and elegant simplicity.

Lumi Test 1.4 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 60 yards (dummy)
2. 180 yards (dummy)
3. 120 yards (dummy)

Marks thown by Renee

Low cover (lawn), with long mark falling in a patch of high grass over a rise, so that dog could not see the mark while running to it, and could not see the start line from the fall

Wind 20 MPH (variable direction), temperature 35°F (dogs seemed energized), bright sunlight

Location: Black Hill Regional Park

Pass: Yes

Blind: 90 yards

Notes: Lumi did great on both the test and the target blind. She picked up every dummy and raced back to me, uncued and without hesitation.

Laddie Test 1.4 (pass)

Test: Three singles:

1. 60 yards (dummy)
2. 180 yards (dummy)
3. 120 yards (dummy)

Low cover (lawn), with long mark falling in a patch of high grass over a rise, so that dog could not see the mark while running to it, and could not see the start line from the fall

Wind 20 MPH (variable direction), temperature 35°F (dogs seemed energized), bright sunlight

Location: Black Hill Regional Park

Pass: Yes

Blind: 90 yards

Notes: Laddie ran this series twice, once before Lumi, then again after. Renee threw the marks for the first test, while we ran poor man marks for the second one. The first time, Laddie ran toward me after he picked up dummy #2, but then spun around about halfway back and ran back toward the fall. Renee thought that Laddie was having trouble seeing me in the glare, so I put on a white jacket for Laddie's second test. Laddie may have also been confused by not being able to see me when he first picked up the dummy on #2.

The second time Laddie ran the test, he did great, picking up every mark uncued and without hesitation, then immediately spinning around and running back.

Laddie also ran the target blind in both tests. The first time, instead of having Laddie run the whole course immediately, I had him run first from pole #3 to #4, then from #2 to #3 and then #4, and finally the whole course. The second time, I just had him run the whole course. His casts are not yet accurate: He spins around and starts running generally away from me, then looks for the next pole to run to. But these days he is instantly responsive on his whistle sits, waits in his sit until cued rather than auto-casting, knows the difference between "back" and "here", and is full of energy at all times. He's a joy to watch.

Laddie Test 1.4

Test: Three singles:

1. 60 yards (dummy)
2. 180 yards (dummy)
3. 120 yards (dummy)

Low, spiky cover, with several strips of high grass diagonally across every mark; we ran from a mulch mound to provide visibility of the marks

Wind 35-50 MPH (the marks were downwind from the start line), temperature 35-40° F

Location: Rover's Content

Pass: No

Blind: N/A

Notes: As in Lumi's test, Laddie detoured to the right and behind us on #2, then ran the mark nicely when I called him to heel and sent him a second time. If that had been the only problem, I'd have passed both of them on this test.

Also as in Lumi's test, Laddie overran the dummy on #3, then found it after hunting for a minute or so (see previous article about the distractions there). Although both dogs showed excellent perseverence and required no cueing to maintain their search until completed, they only pass the test if they run straight to every mark.

Unlike Lumi, Laddie had no trouble on any of his returns, picking up every mark without requiring a cue and running back the entire way for the delivery. Laddie was fast and enthusiastic both directions on every mark.

Lumi Test 1.4

Test: Three singles:

1. 60 yards (dummy)
2. 180 yards (dummy)
3. 120 yards (dummy)

Low, spiky cover, with several strips of high grass diagonally across every mark; we ran from a mulch mound to provide visibility of the marks

Wind 35-50 MPH (the marks were downwind from the start line), temperature 35-40° F

Location: Rover's Content

Pass: No

Blind: N/A

Notes: On #2, Lumi began by taking a sharp right and into the woods behind us. I called her back to heel, then sent her to the mark and she ran straight out. Since Laddie did exactly the same thing (see next article), I guess something tempting was back there.

On #3, Lumi overran the mark and continued straight to the barn. Again, Laddie did exactly the same thing on that mark when his turn came. It's possible that a training group was throwing birds near the barn yesterday or the day before, while the dummy we were using had no scent. In addition, pigeons are kept in a pen in that barn. I think in the future we'll avoid running marks in that part of the facility until the dogs are ready for that much distraction.

I gave Lumi no guidance on #3, and within about a minute, she found the dummy and ran back most of the way with it. But at 30 yards from the start line, she stopped and sat down with the dummy in her mouth, and had to be called repeatedly before she would come. Some possible explanations: the ground hurt her feet; the mound bothered her; the cold, stiff headwind bothered her.

I couldn't pass Lumi on this series because of the hunting on #3 and the stall on the return of #3. Although she didn't pass, she ran a nice series, picking up every mark uncued and running with enthusiasm and speed. Her performance on the 180 yarder, considering the long wait as I walked out to throw and then walked back to send her, was especially nice.