Drills, Marks and Blinds

AM: Sundown Road Park

Series A. Pinball drill, six SFs in question mark pattern in rectangle 120x80 yards, OD at last SF. Both dogs handled well.

Series B. Speed drill for Lumi picking up birds. Progress during session, but Lumi apparently needs more sessions before she will perform well on first pick-up of session.

PM: Glenwood Middle School

Series C. With new training partner Chris throwing, left to right within 120°:

• #4: 140-yard blind, SF/OD, with line to blind passing close to a building and trees on the right, and across a road-width strip of land covered in straw that dogs were reluctant to cross
• #2: 120-yard mark, RL/SM/WD
• #5: 180-yard blind, SF/OD, very tight to #2 on left, past chain-link fence on right
• #3: 40-yard mark, duck thrown by Chris, location marked by chair and whichever dog wasn't running on lead with Chris
  
• #1: 60-yard blind, SF/OD

For both dogs, we proceeded as follows:

1. Dog ran #1.
2. I showed dog #3 with Chris standing to wave, then sitting.
3. I lined dog up on #2, launched the dummy, and sent dog. The goal was for dog to stay focused on #2 even though dog was aware of Chris, other dog, and ducks at #3.
   
4. Chris threw duck for #3 and dog ran that mark.
5. Dog ran #4.
6. Dog ran #5.
   

Laddie put on a clinic. He lined #1, did not swing his head on #2, nailed both marks with huge enthusiasm from beginning to end, took one perfect left angle-back at diagonal across straw path to #4, and lined #5.

Lumi needed more handling on the blinds, but she handled well on her WSs and her casts. She swung her head on #2, then veered toward #3 even though it hadn't been thrown when I sent her to pick up #2. I called her back to heel and sent her again, and this time she nailed #2. On #3, she had a slow pick-up so I walked out to bring her back to the SL without the bird, then sent her again and she had an excellent pick-up.

I didn't feel Laddie needed more work and it was almost dark, but I wanted to work on Lumi's head-swinging and pick-up speed a bit more. I moved the chair to the other side of the line to #2 and repeated the singles, again having Chris stand and wave, then sit, then sent the dog to the long mark, and finally had Chris throw so the dog could run the short mark. We did that sequence twice, and both times, Lumi kept her focus on #2 rather than swinging her head.

I also gave Lumi a few short poorman marks with a duck to work on her pick-up speed, walking out and not letting her retrieve if she played with the bird instead of picking it up immediately. When she was performing well on those short throws, we ran the marks and she had excellent pick-ups on those as well.

Lumi makes progress on her pick-up speed each session, but reverts by the next session. We'll know we're making real progress when even her first pick-up of the session is fast repeatedly, especially in group training and hopefully, eventually in events.

Hunt Test Training

Today the dogs and I trained, as we usually do on Tuesdays, with Bob Hux's Hunt Test training group at Cheltenham morning. We had a land series, a water series, and then a difficult water blind to try.

Land Series. The land series, left to right within 180°:

• #3 (go-bird of a double): 100-yard mark, flyer duck, with fall in high cover
  
• #2 (memory-bird of a double): 40-yard mark, duck, with fall in open area inside of high cover
  
• #4: 100-yard blind, LP/duck, diagonally thru several strips of high cover
• #1: 150-yard blind, LP/OD, over a road and thru variable cover
  

#2 and #3 were within a 30° angle;. #4 was 60° further to the right. #1 was another 90° to the right, the opposite direction of the flyer.

LUMI

Lumi was the first dog to run. The first time I sent her on #1, she kept veering to her left, apparently convinced that I was sending her the wrong direction since all the action, especially the flyers, were to our left. I finally called her back to heel and re-sent her. This time she handled the blind easily.

I should have run this series as singles, since Lumi isn't likely ever to have trouble turning to a flyer when it's thrown as the go-bird in a double. As has happened before, the problem she has instead is taking her eye off the memory-bird too soon. In this case, the flyer circled around Bob before he could take a good shot at it, and when it went soaring off, Lumi broke and went after it. I'm afraid I don't remember what happened at that point, other than eventually we got back to the SL to try the series again.

The second time we ran it, Lumi turned her head after #2 was thrown, so even though I planned to run it as a double, I sent her immediately. With some confusion — I may have had to call her to heel and send her again — she got going the right direction and pinned the mark. Then she finally got to retrieve the flyer.

Her only problem on the marks was taking too long to pick up the birds. Considering the work we've been putting in on that skill, that was disappointing.

She had no trouble handling on #4.

Next came the honor, the one weakness in Lumi's skill set that I've felt is preventing us from having any chance of Lumi qualifying in a Senior test. I'd prearranged for the team behind us to be one that was getting a flyer. After Lumi completed #4, we took a position to the side of the new team's SL and, following a recent suggestion from Alice Woodyard, I had Lumi down as soon we took our place.

This was one of the most remarkable turn-arounds in Lumi's training history. It was as if a switch had been thrown. I didn't want to rely on having to talk to Lumi while she was honoring, even though it's permitted in Hunt Tests, and there was no need to. I simply stood at her flank as she lay there and watched her. Completely relaxed, she watched the birds thrown and the other dog sent as though from a gallery. She showed no hint of breaking.

The contrast from her previous efforts at honoring, when I asked her to honor from a sit and she was always on the verge of breaking when honoring a flyer and usually did, was dramatic. If honoring from a down always works this well, Lumi is now ready to honor in competition.

[Although Laddie also ran the land series, and both dogs ran a subsequent water series that Bob set up for the group, I didn't have time to record the details at the time and was unable to remember them later. I do recall that, despite the excellent practice LWL retrieves Laddie has performed lately, he marooned on the long mark in today's water series.]

Marks and Blinds, Marks

AM: Neighborhood Lacrosse Field. Left to right within a tight, 60° angle:

• #4: 120-yard blind, OD/SF
• #2: 100-yard mark, memory-bird of double, SM/RL/WD
• #5: 150-yard blind, OD/SF
• #3: 60-yard mark, go-bird of double, SM/RL/WD
• #1: 80-yard blind, OD/SF

Laddie: Great job.

Lumi: Good job, but low energy and seemed to forget memory-bird #2, required handling.

PM: Oaks Area 3. Three poorman doubles with ducks, ranging 10 to 80 yards, in cover varying from ankle to waist high with uneven footing.

Excellent, high-spirited work by both dogs, including Lumi's new, speedy pick-ups. Both dogs worked well without whistle or "here" cues.

Land and Water Marks and Blinds, Drills

AM: Cheltenham

General notes

• Laddie: Great progress on LWL, no marooning, only a slight stall one time, on the relatively big water Series B (see below)
• Lumi: Great progress on speedy pick-ups
  
• Both dogs: Excellent session
  

Series A. While the dogs aired in the pre-dawn light, I set up the following series, left to right within a 45° angle:

• #2: 250-yard poorman mark, to a duck thrown from a stickman; the line to the fall consisted of a long run thru variable cover includes several strips of chest high grass, over a road and a ditch, ending with a 35-yard swim across a pond edged with high cover and climbing onto the peninsula where the stickman and duck awaited
• #1: 40-yard blind, OD/SF

We ran Series A from a mound. Laddie ran first, then Lumi. Both dogs lined #1, then did great on #2. On #2, both dogs veered left, since that's the way I had walked and returned when throwing their ducks, and both dogs responded well to a WS at 170 yards and a right angle back toward the correct entry to the pond.

Series B. A 90-yard swim to a duck and LP. Again, Laddie ran (swam) first, then Lumi. I had intended this as a sight blind, primarily to exercise Laddie's LWL return across big water, but the line across the pond was unintentionally directed into the sun, so both dogs needed one WSC to get them re-directed toward the point.

Series C. Offline drill with 40-yard segments:

• #1: 40 yards Back, WS, left Over 30 yards to SF/OD
  
• #2: 80 yards Back, WS, right Over 30 yards to OD behind a tree
• #3: 120 yards Back, WS, left Over 30 yards to SF/OD

A tree was 160 yards away at the end of the backline, but because of the thick, high cover, I decided not to run any non-handling retrieves with either dog.

Laddie slipped one whistle, I responded with a walk-out. He had great responses after that.

Lumi did excellent work on Series C with no need for any walk-outs.

Series D. Short poorman double:

• #1: a duck thrown across a ditch
• #2: a duck thrown right in front of the mound we were running from

For Laddie, this was an LWL test and he did great. For Lumi, this was pick-up speed test and she did great.

Series E. Somewhat longer poorman double:

• #1: a duck thrown across a ditch, the line to the fall between a tree on the right and a mound on the left
• #2: a duck thrown 20 yards in front of the dog

Series E had the same objectives as Series D for both dogs, and both dogs did as well, except that on Lumi's go-bird, I raised the bar on acceptable delay and stopped her after just a moment of fidgeting. I walked out, took the bird, placed it back at the fall, brought her to heel at the SL and reran her. Great pick-ups after that on both birds.

PM: Sundown Park

Series F. On a sunny day with no wind and temps in the 80s, I wanted to give each dog a little more work without exerting them too much. I set up a pin-ball drill in the shape of a backwards question mark, with five markers (two LPs, three SFs) and an OD at the last marker. The set-up required the following casts:

• 70 yards back from heel
• 30 yards left angle-in
• 60 yards right angle-back
• 50 yards right over
• 60 yards right angle-in
• 40 yards come-in with OD

Both dogs did great.

Blinds, Marks, Marks and Blinds

AM: Sundown Park Road

Series A. Triple blind, 120-160-180 yards, all OD, no markers. Blinds at a ball field are too easy for both dogs.

Series B. Poorman double, 120-80 yards, birds thrown from stickmen.

After that, I worked on Lumi's bird pick-up speed with poorman doubles of increasing distances, starting at just 20-15 feet. I had Laddie run them, too, but his pick-ups were already excellent.

Lumi's pick-up speed would improve in one context, but revert to being too slow when I changed location and distance, so we need more work on that.

PM: Brook Knoll

Series C: Planned as follows, left to right within 75°:

• #4: 130-yard blind, SF/OD
• #2 (memory-bird of poorman double): 80-yard mark, duck, thrown left to right from stickman
  
• #1: 90-yard blind, SF/OD
• #3 (go-bird of poorman double): 40-yard mark, duck, thrown right to left from stickman
  
• #5: 230-yard blind, SF/OD

I ran Lumi first, but modified the sequence:

• After #1, I threw a short poorman mark with a duck to the side, giving Lumi an opportunity to rehearse a fast pick-up. I call this an alternation drill.
  
• I threw #3 as a single. When Lumi picked the bird up and then put it down again to start rearranging it in her mouth, I called out "nope" and walked out to slip on her lead. I tossed the duck back where it had been and walked Lumi back to the SL.
• I took off Lumi's lead and sent her again. This time she picked the duck up and brought it straight back, to great celebration.
• I threw #2 as a single, and she brought it straight back.
• I sent her to #4, and she handled well to it.
• Finally, rather than running her on #5, I threw #2-#3 as a double. She picked up and returned promptly with each bird. Good progress.

I ran Laddie next in the original planned sequence. He did great. I wasn't perfectly happy on #5 with the last WS at 230 yards, when he was 20 yards to the left of the blind. I'd have preferred that he sat and waited for me to cast him to the right. Instead, he swerved right as soon as I whistled and ran straight to the blind. But I guess I need to accept either dog slipping a whistle if the dog is able to go straight to the blind when it happens.

Offline Drill

AM: Oaks Area 3

Offline drill, with dog sent along same backline on every send-out:

#1: Back 120 yards to LP, WD
#2: Back 30 yards, WS, left Over 25 yards to LP, OD
#3: Back 60 yards, WS, right Over 30 yards to LP, OD
#4: Back 90 yards, WS, left Over 30 yards to LP, OD
#5: Back 120 yards to LP, WD

Conditions: Thick, waist-high cover, dogs barely visible, uneven footing, tough going. Only the LP for #1/#5, at the end of the backline, was outside the area of high cover and in low cover.

Laddie: Great send-out but a little hesitant returning on #1, spectacular handling on #2/#3/#4, he popped once on first send-out to #5, I called him to heel and sent him again, he ran to #5, then would not re-enter high cover to return and deliver. I put him in the van.

Lumi: I decided to skip #1 with Lumi. She did great on #2-#5.

Blinds, Marks and Blinds

AM: Sundown Road Park

Series A: Triple blind, 40-160-180 yards. OD, no markers. Too easy for both dogs.

Series B: Target drill: Back 60 yards to SF, Right Back 30 yards to SF, Left Over 50 yards to SF, OD. Both dogs were responsive on all WS and casts, though Laddie tended to overrun the targets.

PM: Fair Hill

Series C: Left to right within a 90∠:

#1: 60-yard blind, SF/OD on small, steep hill rising right to left
#2: 50-yard mark, RL/WD/SM
#5: 160-yard blind, SF/OD on small, steep hill rising front to back at edge of woods; line to the blind passed closely to the right of a grassy mound that acted as suction for both dogs
#3: 120-yard mark, RL/WD/SM
#4: 180-yard blind, SF/OD; line to the blind passed closely to the right of the #3 RLs

We ran from the top of a dirt mound. The area in front of us for the first 100 yards was calf-high cover with prickly weeds that significantly disturbed and slowed Lumi, though Laddie ran right thru it. Beyond that area was dusty, packed dirt with short, thin grass, virtually no weeds. The hill where #5 was planted was covered in thick grass.

Laddie did extremely well, lining #1, running #4 with one cast, and running #5 with two casts. He was slow sitting on one cast for #5 so I did a walk-out even though he sat by the time I'd taken a couple of steps. He then ran the identical path but this time sat promptly.

Although Laddie made it look easy, and Lumi had no trouble with the marks, her performance on #1 was poor, and completely unsatisfactory on #4 and #5. She had at least 20 WSs, and while she only slipped one of those, resulting in a walk-out, her casting was dreadful.

Lumi's WSs and casts were excellent as of 2-3 weeks ago, but now her casts seem to have deteriorated for some reason. I had hoped that running cold blinds would tend to correct the problem, since taking a wrong cast would not seem to be self-reinforcing. However, it seems that running cold blinds is not resulting in returning Lumi to her previous form, and that we need to run some drills that focus on casting. I think we'll go back to the offline drill for a few sessions to get some improvement, and then see if that carries over to cold blinds.

Pinball Drill

I remember that Alice Woodyard suggested we never return to the double-T, and I seem to recall that Mike Lardy says the same thing on his video. I don't remember the rationale any more, possibly that that drill involves returning to old marks, something a more advanced dog should not be encouraged to do.

However, this morning I had a very small time window and I wanted to give both dogs some handling practice, focusing what little time we had on handling rather than retrieving. So I used a variation of the pinball drill, but not just angle-backs. I placed a surveyors flag (SF) 50 yards from a start line, and then surrounded that SF with four more SFs about 20 yards distant at the diagonals for angle-in and angle-back casts.

I then sent each dog from heel to the center flag, and then handled the dog to each of the other four flags, making a square. That let us practice several different kinds of casts in a short amount of time, and the dogs both seemed to be motivated, though confused that they could never find anything to retrieve.

I'm thinking that if we always use a different location and/or orientation, we run a variety of patterns, we increase the distances to the point that the SFs aren't visible until the dog gets close (so that they don't think the lesson is "look for the flag"), and if the dogs keep up their motivation even though they don't get to retrieve, this could be a good drill when time is too limited to run a multiple blind or mark-and-blind series.

Water Marks, Land Blinds

Twin Ponds. (Daybreak) A variety of LWL retrieves for both dogs, all with cheating challenges, some more difficult than the one Laddie marooned on at yesterday's WC.

Small Park off Norbeck Road. (Later in the morning) A double-blind, 160-210 yards, and a single blind, 240 yards. I seem to find it difficult to set up sufficiently challenging blinds in nearby locations. Laddie lined the 160-yard one, Lumi lined the 210-yard one. Both dogs were responsive to WS and casting even at 200+ yards.

Lumi Earns WCX

Today, Lumi earned her Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) Working Certificate Excellent (WCX).

For those not familiar with the WCX, it consists of a land series and a water series. The dog runs off lead in both, and therefore must be steady at the line for both series, and when honoring on the water series. The land series is a triple mark with upland birds, in this case pheasants. The last bird thrown, the go-bird, is a flyer, a real test for the dog's steadiness. The water series is a double mark with ducks, after which the dog honors the next dog.

Typically, some of the dogs entered pass and some do not. In today's test, in a driving rain with winds gusting to 40 MPH, nine dogs were entered and four passed both series. Lumi had outstanding marks on all five throws, never requiring a hunt, and was rock steady at the line for both series. Of the skills required for the WCX, Lumi had the most difficulty with honoring.

In this test, I think I might have helped a little. Our line mechanics involves me showing Lumi each gun station in reverse order of throwing before calling for the first throw, a procedure legal in Field Trials and the WC/WCX though not legal in Hunt Tests. After I showed Lumi the station for the go-bird, I turned toward the middle station but Lumi immediately swung her head to the first station. I patted my leg, put out an open hand to point, and turned my body several times, but she kept swinging her head back and forth between the left and right stations, never glancing at the middle station. I remember a judge once saying about the moment when you come to the line to set the dog up, "This is your time." I didn't want Lumi to have to wait for the gunshot to suddenly realize there was another station, especially given that only a second later they'd throw the flyer, and she'd need to turn her focus to that.

It finally occurred to me to have her switch positions, so I swung her around to heel position on the other side. I wasn't going to run her from there, but I thought it might break her rhythm on that head swinging, and fortunately it did. Immediately she spotted the middle station, her ears pricking up as if to say, "Hey, lookee there, another thrower!" Now she knew about all three of them. I turned to face the first station and called for the throw.

When Lumi ran, I had her pick up the go-bird first, then the first bird, and finally the middle bird. The Pro we train with had explained to me that that sequence minimizes the chances for the dog returning to an old fall on the latter two send-outs. Lumi's never run a competitive triple before and the strategy worked. She nailed all three marks.

Laddie also took a test today, for the Working Certificate (WC). For that test, the dogs are allowed to be on a slip cord until the judge releases them, so they are not required to be steady. They also are not required to honor another dog. The land and water series each consist of two single marks. In today's tests, the WC marks for both land and water were significantly shorter than the WCX marks.

Laddie had no difficulty with the land series, and even managed to return with the bird from the first water mark, which was thrown into light cover on the shoreline. But on the second water mark, which was thrown in the water a yard from shore, he picked up the bird and kept swimming, then marooned on the far shore.

Laddie has run that exact mark, as well as more difficult ones nearby and elsewhere, with me throwing the bird, then walking back to his side to send him. I'm not sure why he marooned in this situation, but clearly LWL retrieves remain a problem for him.

After giving Laddie ample time to respond to my whistles and calls, the judge had the thrower pick up the bird and throw it into the water. Laddie swam out to get the bird, almost turned back, but then responded to my whistle and brought the bird to me.

In retrospect, I handled Laddie all wrong in this situation. First of all, I should not have called him repeatedly. Even worse, I should not have reinforced his refused recall with the opportunity to get the bird. Instead, I should have taken this opportunity for a walk-out, by taking the foot bridge over to Laddie, putting on his leash, and walking him to the van. Not only would that have provided potential negative punishment for his marooning, but it would have done so in the context of a competitive event. A rare opportunity missed.

Nonetheless, Lumi's sterling performance made the difficult weather conditions worth every moment. Given the prevalence of ecollars in field training, especially with the more advanced dogs, I would guess that few 2Q dogs have ever earned a WCX. Lumi may be one of the first.

Marks and Blinds

Sundown Park in Morning

Conditions: Thick mist, #4-5 not visible from SL, #2 barely visible.

Left to right in 90 degree angle:

• #4: 130-yard blind (OD/SF)
• #3 (2 of 2): 110-yard mark (WD/RL)
• #5: 150-yard blind (OD/SF)
• #2 (1 of 2): 90-yard mark (WD/RL)
• #1: 110-yard blind (OD/SF)
  

Both dogs did a great job, nailing marks and handling with excellent responsiveness

Brook Knoll in Afternoon

Triple blind (both dogs): 70-110-150 yards

Laddie had one slipped whistle, which I responded to with a walk-out. Great job before and after.

Lumi did great, including lining #1 and #3.

Offline Drill, Blinds, WC/WCX Prep, Steadiness Drill

Park Heights in Morning

• Offline drill (Laddie): 20-yard segments, two OD/SF, three WD/LP (great job)
• Double blind (Lumi): 100-200 yards, OD/SF (great job)
• Triple blind (Laddie): 60-80-100 yards: He lined all of them, so no opportunity to see how his handling was coming
• WCX-style land triple (both dogs) set up by Bob Hux
• WCX-style water double (Lumi) set up by Bob Hux
• Two LWL singles (Laddie): Good pickup and return on #1; Laddie played with duck as he entered water on #2, but eventually completed return
• Steadiness drill: Lumi, Laddie, and another trainer's Golden: A third trainer generated excitement and threw while all dogs stood waiting, then one dog was sent
  

Lacrosse Field in Afternoon

• Offline drill (Laddie): 30-yard segments, two OD/SF, three WD/LP (another great job)

Offline Drill

Lacrosse Field in Afternoon

Offline drill (Laddie): 15-yard segments, three OD/SF, one WD/LP.

Notes

DATE: 9-4-2008
TO: DogTrek and PositiveGunDogs
SUBJECT: Not one size fits all

In most of the drills that I've done with Lumi and Laddie, I've pretty much used the same version of the drill for both dogs.

But the last couple of days, I decided to start Laddie on a drill I previously designed and refined for Lumi to address the same problem, which was the dog becoming increasingly inclined to slip whistles and follow his/her own instincts for how to complete the retrieve. In Lumi's case, I later used the near miraculous walk-out technique to put on the finishing touches, but after a couple of sessions with Laddie, I felt that he didn't really understand the game well enough for the walk-out to work. If the dog doesn't know how to make walk-out stop happening, the risk is that he/she will begin to think that the walk-out itself is actually part of the game. Obviously I didn't want that to happen with Laddie.

So for Laddie, I thought I'd run him on the offline drill I described some time ago. Basically, you send the dog toward a well understood target, then stop the dog on the way out and cast him/her left or right to a target he/she hadn't previously noticed. Over a series of sessions, you increase the distances.

With Lumi, I started at 15-yard segments, with three orange dummies placed alternately to the left or right of the back line, and a white dummy placed at a lining pole at the end of the back line. On every send out, I'd send her straight down the back line toward the white dummy, but the first three times, I'd stop her with a whistle and cast her "over" to one of the orange dummies. Thus Lumi ran out 15 yards then one direction to retrieve the first orange dummy, 30 yards then the other direction for the second retrieve, 45 yards and the first direction for the third retrieve, and finally 60 yards without stopping to pick up the white dummy. Over several days, the segments increased 5 yards at a time until we got to 40 yard segments and a 160-yard back line. By that time, Lumi understood the game and its lesson -- stop when I whistle even if you think you know where you're going -- and we were able to go back to running real blinds.

Since that proved to be a useful drill for Lumi, I thought it would be good for Laddie's comprehension at this stage, too. Yesterday afternoon, I tried him with those initial 15-yard segments. It was an eye-opener.

First of all, Laddie's so fast that when I whistled at 15 yards, even though he responded quickly, he was already even with the next orange dummy. To get him to stop at 15 yards, I'd have to whistle almost as soon as I sent him.

But that wasn't the main problem. The main problem was that I have tremendous admiration for this dog's exuberance. When he runs, he runs with all his heart. Do I really want him slowing down because I might whistle him after only 15 or 30 yards? What's that going to do to his 300 yard blinds, and what's that going to do to his marks when I don't want him stopping at all?

Yet I can't just stretch out the drill, because like any dog (I assume), Laddie's responsiveness is best when he's closest, so that's where I need to rehearse him and then add distance gradually.

I had to face the fact that Lumi's version of the offline drill wasn't right for Laddie, and decided I needed a different version for him, though the lesson -- stop when I whistle -- was the same.

That's really all I wanted to say: one size sometimes doesn't fit all.

For curiosity, here's the version I came up with for Laddie:

* One orange dummy to one side, one to the other side, and three white dummies at the lining pole at the end of the back line.
* Send Laddie the same direction every time: to the end first (no stop), then handle him on the short orange dummy, then again all the way to the end, then handle him to the longer orange dummy, and finally all the way to the end again.

We ran the drill this morning with 20-yard segments (60-yards total), and Laddie did great, but still tended to overrun a bit. This evening we ran it with 30-yard segments (90-yards total) and he did even better. Great responsiveness on both the sits and the casts, and at those distances, not too much out of position on his overruns. Both times, the best part might have been watching his joy on those three non-handling blinds, his ears blowing back as he hammered the turf, and feeling that I wasn't inadvertently training him not to give his all.

This would not have been a good version of the drill for Lumi. For her, all those long runs would have been tedious, possibly painful, and pointless. Once she understood the offline drill, I think she appreciated the way it started with short, easy retrieves, and didn't wear her out running her all the way to the end repeatedly.

Yet for Laddie, that's where the fun is.

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

Laddie's Third Junior Ribbon

Summary. On way from motel to Hunt Test venue:

• 120-yard blind (Laddie)
• 160-120-yard double-blind (Lumi)
• Fetch game with canvas dummy since I didn't bring ducks (Laddie)

At Greater Pittsburgh Labrador Retriever Club Hunt Test, in Grove City, PA:

• Senior land series (Lumi)
• Senior land blind (Lumi)
• Senior land honor (Lumi)
  
• Junior land series (Laddie)
  
• Junior water series (Laddie)

Senior Land Series. A land double that one of the other competitors called tight, not as tight as some Lumi has practiced on. Left to right within 30°:

• #2 (go bird): 60 yards, thrown right to left, into thick cover, with a small pond and the blind planter's holding blind to the left, small trees and the thrower's holding blind to the right, the fall for #1 further to the right, and a large pond behind
• #1 (memory bird): 40 yards, thrown right to left into thick cover, with the #2 thrower's blind to the left, woods and the #1 thrower's holding blind to the right, and a large pond behind

On #2, Lumi had a big hunt. She ranged left, back, and right, including crossing the mid-line between #2 and #1. I did not call to her or whistle, and eventually she picked #2 up. I learned later that when she crossed to mid-line between the two marks, that was considered a "switch" and she was disqualified, but we were not told immediately, and I didn't understand that rule at the time, so we went ahead and ran #1.

On #1, Lumi ran past the fall to the pond, so I handled her. She did not handle well at first, slipping a couple of whistles and refusing casts (going the wrong way), but soon she did come under control and handled the last WSCs well, finding the bird and delivering it nicely.

I virtually never handle Lumi on marks, first because she is an outstanding marker and rarely needs help, and second because in those rare instances, I'd rather have the thrower help her to reinforce the ideas that the gun station provides a useful clue to where the fall is and that the thrower is her friend. Because running the memory bird in this series bore little resemblance to the handling situations we have practiced so much, I was not surprised that Lumi did not handle well at first, and was pleased when, after a few refusals, did begin to respond well.

Lumi Hunting on the Double. Given Lumi's skillful marking, including her excellent marking at last weekend's tests, it's somewhat surprising that she had difficulty on today's land double. Although it had quite a few distracting factors, I attribute at least some of her difficulty to our high concentration on handling work the last few weeks. Alice explained to me that often, when you concentrate on handling with a dog, her marking deteriorates. Alice attributes this to the dog losing some of her focus, as she's also thinking, "Will Daddy blow the whistle?" When I've discussed this with others, they've also said that the dog loses some confidence, or becomes somewhat dependent on the handling. Since Lumi didn't pop or even respond at first when help was offered, I'd say Alice's explanation explains the data points better in this case.

Senior Land Blind. Although Lumi did not pass the land series, the judges were kind enough to allow Lumi to run the blind:

• 60-yard blind (duck), 30° to the left of #2 of the land series, through open area at first, then into lightly wooded area
  

Lumi went out nicely, started to veer left at a fork in the wooded area, responded well to a WS and angle-back cast, and broke into a run that took her past the duck, which was behind a clump of cover accessible only on the left. As she ran past it, I blew a WS as what Alice calls a "safety whistle", then a few tweets as what I now consider a "find-it-pick-it-up-come-in" whistle. Lumi spun around, found the bird, and brought it back. I considered it an excellent job of handling.

Senior Land Honor. Since Lumi had not passed the land series, the judges requested that Lumi honor the next dog on lead. Lumi watched with interest but made no attempt to break. I attribute that to some combination of three reasons:

• No flyers at this Hunt Test.
• Lumi was on lead.
• We had practiced honoring flyers with a clipwing duck twice last week.

Next weekend, Lumi is entered in a WCX, where she'll have to honor a flyer off-lead to pass. If she's successful, then perhaps reason (3) was the operative one in today's test.

Junior Land Series. Two singles, left to right within 90°:

• #1: 60 yards, thrown left to right into thick cover, a large cluster of goose decoys mid-way on the line to the fall
• #2: 70 yards, thrown right to left into thick cover, same cluster of goose decoys to get thru
  

Running as #11, Laddie had no problem with this series, nailing both marks. However, only 4 of the first 14 dogs passed this series, and only 24 of 38 overall, so apparently it caused problems for some of the junior dogs.

Junior Water Series. Two singles, left to right within 90°:

• #1: 30 yards, thrown left to right into clear water, with thick bed of lily pads on first 10 yards of swim to the fall
• #2: 60 yards, thrown right to left into clear water, with same thick bed of lily pads on first 10 yards of swim

Laddie had great send-outs, but played with the bird during one of the returns. Responded after I called "here" several times. I considered using our new "fetch" cue, but we haven't proofed it for this situation and I didn't want to risk rehearsing a refusal.

Test Statistics. The statistics on the Junior test:

• 40 entries
• 38 dogs ran
• 24 dogs passed the land series
• 22 dogs passed the water series and qualified

Blinds, Fetch Drill, Marks and Blinds

[Note: Lumi, Laddie, and I continue to train on the same sort of schedule as always, about twice a day, and at the same venues. In addition, I've kept training notes on most sessions. But thanks to new responsibilities in my consulting practice, I have had to make choices about what activities to drop from my schedule, and keeping up this blog was one activity I found it necessary to curtail. Perhaps someday I'll have time to go back and update the blog with my old notes.]

Summary

In the morning at Oaks Area 3:

• Series A. Double blind at 100-140 yards, OD with no markers (both dogs)
• Series B. Fetch drill (Laddie only)

In the afternoon at Sundown Road Park:

• Series C. Two marks and three blinds (both dogs)
• Series D. Fetch drill (Laddie only)

Background. Recently, I interpreted a remark from another trainer as the recommendation that I not combine marks and blinds in a single series too often, so that the dogs could focus on one kind of retrieve at a time. I've been following that recommendation for several days, setting up most series for Lumi as single or multiple land blinds.

However, when I mentioned the idea to Alice Woodyard in private correspondence, she wrote back disagreeing, and saying that in fact no single drill was more beneficial to a Hunt Test competitor than marks and blinds combinations.

I had also stopped running Laddie on blinds recently, since he's competing at Junior level and does not require handling at that level. Again, Alice cautioned that his understanding of the concepts we've worked so hard to train would decline. Since Laddie already has the first two ribbons, and could complete his Junior Hunter title as soon as this weekend, he'll need handling again almost immediately.

As a result, I decided to reverse both of those trends immediately, and this afternoon set up a relatively easy combination in Series C to try both dogs out on.

Series C. Left to right within a 120° angle:

• #4: 100-yard blind, OD and SF
  
• #3: 70-yard mark, WD from RL, TTL of #4
• #5: 150-yard blind, OD and SF
• #2: 100-yard mark, WD from RL, TAL of #1
• #1: 120-yard blind, OD and SF

Laddie slipped one sit and I walked out to him. He saw me coming and ran to me, put his head in his slip lead, and we returned to the SL. He didn't slip another whistle. Perhaps the walk-out will work as well on Laddie as it has on Lumi.

Lumi took one WSC on #1. She lined #4 and #5. Apparently this set up was too easy for her, though it may still have benefited her by refreshing her of a common requirement: to drive past the old falls of marks when sent out on a blind slanting at an angle from those old falls.

Land-water-land Marks, Offline Drill

Summary. In morning at Cheltenham, with Ray throwing marks:

• Series A. LWL mark (Laddie)
• Series B. Offline drill, 30-yard segments (90 yards total) (Lumi)
• Series C. Same as A, different location
• Series D. Same as B, different location
• Series E. LWL preparation and LWL marks (Laddie)
• Series F. LWL blind and cheater (Lumi)
• Series G. LWL preparation and LWL marks (Laddie)
  

An hour and a half later at Sundown Park:

• Series H. Offline drill, 35-yard segments (140 yards total) (Lumi only)
• Series I. Truncated offline drill, 35-yard segments (140 yards total) (Lumi only)

Afternoon session: [to be added]

Series A, B, C, D, E, F, G. With Hunt Tests planned for both dogs in three weeks, I wanted to concentrate n what I think are their weaknesses for the tests.:

• With Lumi in Senior, I think her primary weakness is slipped whistles and refused casts on land blinds. She may have similar problems on water blinds. Her other weakness is that she tends to look away from the first throw of a double before it's down, especially if the go bird is a flyer. Lumi is uncomfortable with debris in water, too, if that comes up in the tests. And it's possible she might break when marking or honoring a flyer.
  
• With Laddie in Junior, I think his primary weakness is his discomfort entering the water on returns with a bird. The worst cases seem to be with relatively big water and when a thrower is involved.
  

On Series A, Ray threw a duck for Laddie as an LWL. Laddie played with the duck and did not respond to recall. I walked around the pond, put him on lead, and quietly walked him to the van. A terrible way to start the morning.

On Series B, Lumi ran a 120-yard offline drill in rough terrain, with mounds, trees, and high cover, to perfection.

Series C was a carbon copy of Series A in a different location. I began to wonder if we'll have to forget about running Laddie in Junior this month.

Series D was another 120-yard offline drill for Lumi, in a different and similarly difficult location. She slipped a whistle and refused 2-3 casts at 90 yards, was intent on getting to the bird at the end of the BL.

For Series E, I worked with Laddie on building up to LWL marks, with the following sequence on a 20-yard channel crossing:

1. WD thrown in water.
2. WD thrown to water at opposite shoreline.
3. WD thrown onto far shore.
4. Duck thrown in water.
5. Duck thrown to water at opposite shoreline.
6. Duck thrown onto far shore.
7. Duck thrown by Ray with gunshot for LWL.

Laddie retrieved every mark nicely. Yay!

For Series F, to give Lumi some water work, I set up a pair of retrieves from the same SL:

• #1: An LWL blind (pigeon) in a channel's S-curve. Score: A
• #2: A long open water retrieve swimming along a shoreline and past a point. Score: A

For Series G, I again ran some preparation and then a practice LWL with Laddie:

1. I threw a WD across a 30-yard channel for an LWL.
2. Ray threw a WD with gunshot for an LWL.
3. Ray threw a pigeon with gunshot for an LWL.

Again Laddie retrieved well on every throw. Great progress.

Series H, I. I wanted to focus a bit more on the concept of handling rather than challenging terrain with Lumi, so the dogs and I went to Sundown Park after I dropped Ray off at home. Since we were working on mowed lawn, we used slightly longer, 35-yard segments rather than the 30-yard segments we used a Cheltenham.

In the first drill, Lumi did great on the first two retrieves, needed a voice cue on the third.

In the second drill, which I set up in a new location and direction, I skipped the first two retrieves and only had Lumi run the 105-yard handling retrieve and the 140-yard non-handling retrieve. On the handling retrieve, she refused the first cast but responded to both WSs and took the second cast nicely.

Offline Drill

Summary. Morning session at Sundown Park:

• Series A. Offline drill, 15-yard segments (60 yards total) (both dogs)
• Series B. Offline drill, 20-yard segments (80 yards total) (both dogs)
• Series C. Offline drill, 25-yard segments (100 yards total) (Lumi)
• Series D. Offline drill, 30-yard segments (120 yards total) (Lumi)

Afternoon session at neighborhood lacrosse field:

• Series E. Offline drill, 30-yard segments (120 yards total) (Lumi)
  

Notes

• The offline drill is so easy for Laddie that I felt his training benefited more from waiting in the car, building motivation, than from running Series C and D with us.
• Scores on the morning sessions: Laddie: A, A. Lumi: A, A, A, C. She was slow on her last whistle at 90 yards.
• Based on Alice's reply to my post on the offline drill, I modified the drill for Series E: I did not scent the BL, and I placed the ODs 15 yards from the BL. The extra spacing eliminated Lumi running to the ODs when not cast there. Her grade on Series E: C. On the third retrieve, she sat when whistled, but refused the cast to the OD and turned back to retrieve the duck at the end of the BL. I whistled again but she ignored it. I decided that her performance was reasonable for a dog at her level and said "good girl" when she got back with the bird. Then I sent her again, and this time she handled well to the last OD, knowing that a bird at the end of the BL was no longer available.
  

Alice's Reply to "Offline Drill"

[Alice Woodyard's reply on the PositiveGunDogs list to my post on the Offline Drill:]

I also have seen what you describe, "many times."

This situation came up in our (4Q) training group a few days ago, for example. I asked the pro leading the group if he corrects the dog for just picking up the bird in this situation rather than answering the whistle and sitting there in the presence of the bird, awaiting further casting. He said "Mostly, No."

That pro has trained multiple National Open and National Amateur-qualified retrievers.

I am an 8-point AKC judge for both the major and minor stakes, and I can tell you that I would not ever score that pick-up as a cast refusal. Or score it down in any way. There are too many other things to score in a blind and retriever field work is not like the AKC obedience ring where the "obedience" requirements are that cut and dried.

I believe if you query a group of experienced judges of the championship stakes as to whether they agree with your friend's conclusion that it should be scored down as a cast refusal, you will not find all that many takers. I.e., most judges do not care if a dog does not sit on the final "safety" whistle that happens when the dog is adjacent to the bird, and just goes over and scoops the bird. IMO if a judge feels he needs to be taking points off for something so minor, they have not set enough blind and need to work on that side of their judging skill set.

I agree with you that every trainer, including 2Q trainers, should work to maintain the reliability of their retrieves' responses to the Sit Whistle. However a whistle (both the Sit and the Come-In types) that happens on top of a known bird takes on the meaning to the dog "you're there, pick it up" 999 times out of 1000. IOW, every time we hit a safety whistle at the end of the blind and the dog picks up the bird (which is what we want to have happen) we are "undoing" any training to the contrary. Big time. To be so obsessed with control as to try to over ride that natural response in a retriever -- assuming he's a normally compliant dog who does not take advantage (with a confirmed rogue you might want to make a big deal about a tiny infraction as an "attitude adjuster") -- is, IMO, well, to sort of forget why we train these dogs. This isn't the same set of precision values as we train on for, say, the obedience ring.

Also remember that probably 8 out of 10 times when running cold blinds, the WS means "don't go there." Often it co-means "don't do what you're thinking about" (e.g., succumb to a factor or diversion). That is because it is blown when the dog is heading somewhere we find not to be optimum. We blow the WS and subsequently ask for a different heading. So do you really want to train your dogs to be so obedient to a WS when the dog is on top of a bird that they put the non-natural "Sit" ahead of the natural "Pick it up." One risk you run is that you'll blow the WS when they are at the bird (and they know it) and because of the emphasis on "sit no matter what," they figure WS meant "don't go there," so they then interpret your next cast as "leave it alone" and they run off somewhere else, requiring multiple WS's and casts to straighten things out (often dog-visibility is dicey at the end of a blind, and it is the last place you want to be needing a bunch of extra casts--you can lose!
sight of the dog and then it can be curtains for the team). I don't see Laddie voting this way -- LOL -- but it is a risk for a highly compliant dog like Lumi who often "takes Daddy literally" (this tendency in her might be why she seemed to fall apart in your "unnatural act" drill whereas Laddie took it in stride).

If it bothers you while running the blind if your dog slips the final safety whistle to pick up the obvious bird, then you can "cover" the event with a quick toot toot (come-in whistle) right after the sit whistle. This quick come-in whistle obsoletes the prior direction to sit so the dog has not "disobeyed" anything.

To answer the question you ask in your final paragraph, quoted above, the change I'd make is that I would NOT scent the back line by dragging a bird to the blind, because it trains in an unwanted behavior that is very difficult to train out, even for the 4Q trainer. That is the behavior of dropping the nose while running a blind and trying to trail to the blind. Dogs which learn to succeed doing this learn that they do not need their handlers' casts or whistles to help them find the bird on a blind. They are all genetically programmed to prefer "nose data" to other data anyway, and your drill rewards them for this, in the context of a BLIND where they should be thinking any way BUT "nose data." Retrievers who "go into hunt mode" on blinds are quick to ignore the control input from the handler. It is a short step from "hunting your way to the blind" to slipping all whistles when at a distance from the handler, because they believe "they can do it more efficiently with their Goo!
d Ol' Nose. Also, Katie Bar The Door if you ever need to handle this dog off the blind planter's trail!! Fergeddit. Such a dog will believe that "trail scent is the way to the bird." So, as a trainer, I would NOT be looking to ever intentionally scent the way to a blind. I think you can get good results from your drill without this element and in any event, it presents far more negatives than it contributes positives to the drill.

The other response I would make is that one strong reason dogs slip the safety whistle when they are on top of the bird is that they SEE a bird. This is a huge cue to retrieve it. LOL. If you want to train your dogs that Whistle Sit Means Sit No Matter What, then you want to incorporate the cue of the visual at some point. IOW, can you sit your dog 2 yards from a visible white bumper and cast it away from the bumper?

Can you set a blind in a cross wind and handle the dog off a "poison" (= not intended to be retrieved) bird placed off to the side, upwind, that is 50% of the way to the blind, after he winds the side bird?

A final comment: I think the observation you make in the final paragraph I pasted above is terrific. It is totally logical. For some reason it doesn't happen as much as logic would predict, in the real world. I suspect experienced blind running retrievers tend to somehow grok when they are "nearing the end of the blind." So a gawk at this time (which is often rewarded by seeing a bird or the cues related to a bird like a blind marker or mashed cover) does NOT have the general effect of degrading all responsiveness to sit whistles. The mystery of how these dogs knwo they're nearing the end of blinds eludes me, but is one more example of how trained dogs learn to think like dog tyrainers (maybe the trainer subtly changes how he blows his whistle, the cadence of casts, or something...)

Just a few thoughts,

Alice Woodyard

The Offline Drill

[Posted to PositiveGunDogs list]

A couple of weeks ago, one of the advanced Labs we train with was a couple of yards offline as he came even with a blind. The handler whistled sit, but as the dog was turning, he spotted the bird, so instead of sitting, he ran to it, picked it up, and headed back to the handler. The handler didn't seem to be concerned about it.

I've seen other dogs do that exact same thing, including my own. This time, I decided to ask about it.

I got on the walkie-talkie and asked no one in particular, "When that dog didn't sit on the whistle, would that count against you in an event?"

A voice on the radio came back, "If I was judging it would. That's a refused cast."

That's what I was thinking, too.

I think it's especially bad with my 2Q dogs, because unlike the other trainers in the group, I don't don't use an ecollar to counter the self-reinforcing effect of learning that the whistle means, "Oh, I don't have to sit, I can just look around and see if the bird is nearby."

Not only that, but the whistle sit (WS) in general is also compromised, because as far as the dog knows, any time you whistle, the bird might be nearby.

One idea would be to refrain from whistling if you figured the bird was close enough that the dog was likely to find it without the whistle, but you can't do that. The dog might keep on going, disappear over a crest, and you've had it.

When the dog is offline, you've got to whistle, and the dog has got to sit, no matter how close the bird is.

I'm not sure why the 4Q trainers I train with often don't seem to be worried about it, but I decided I needed to address this situation with my dogs. So I designed a drill specifically to train the WS when the bird is nearby. I call it the Offline Drill:

1. Choose a segment distance. So far, I've used 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-yard segments with my dogs.
2. Place a lining pole at the startline (SL), and another lining pole four (4) segments away. The line between the two poles is your backline (BL), since that's the line the dog will run on each time you cue "back". Our BLs so far have been 60, 80, 100, and 120 yards.
3. With the dog not watching you, walk from the SL down the BL. At the end of the first segment, turn 90 degrees right, walk 5 yards, and place a surveyors flag (SF) (or use flagging tape) and an orange dummy (OD).
4. Go back to the BL, walk another segment, and this time turn left, walk 10 yards, and place another SF and OD.
5. Go back to the BL, walk one more segment, and this time turn right again, walk 15 yards, and place a third SF and OD.
6. Bring the dog to the SL and put her in a sit/stay.
7. With the dog watching, walk down the BL with a bird, dragging the bird along the grass to scent the BL. Walk all four segments until you get to the lining pole at the end of the BL, check to make sure the dog is still watching you, and toss the bird in the air so that it lands at the base of the pole.
8. Walk back to the dog, line her up down the BL, and send her on "back". Everything you've done should keep her running straight on the BL. When she gets to the end of the first segment, blow WS, cue "over" to the right. Dog retrieves first OD.
9. Send the dog down the BL again. When she gets to the end of the second segment, blow WS, cue "over" to the left. Dog retrieves second OD.
10. Send the dog down the BL a third time. When she gets to the end of the third segment, blow WS, cue "over" to the right. Dog retrieves third OD.
11. Finally send the dog down the BL one last time and let her retrieve the bird without stopping her.
12. Next session, reverse the directions of the three ODs.

As you can see, this drill specifically practices the situation where the dog is headed in the right general direction but passes the blind a little offline. Ideally, you'd have the second and third ODs as close to the BL as the first one, but I've found that my dogs just run to the ODs if I don't keep them further from the BL the further out they are from the SL. Also ideally, the dog would have more non-handling retrieves mixed in, and I wouldn't be surprised if an inexperienced dog became de-motivated by a drill that had such a high ratio of handling to non-handling retrieves. However, the downside of more non-handling retrieves would be more time, and more wear and tear on the dog. With temps in the 90s around here these days, I look for ways to keep our sessions as short as possible.

In any case, my dogs seem to like this drill, and it's been a real education for me. The first time I set it up, I tried 30-yard segments (120 yards total) and Laddie (the 15-month old) aced it. Then I tried Lumi (the 4-year-old) and she fell apart. So I tried reducing the segment lengths, and had to get down to 15 yards before she was confident on the third WS (at 45 yards). Now, as we've continued to play this game, she's starting to gain more confidence in those "over" cues, and we're back up to 30-yard segments, and reliable WSs at 90 yards even with a bird nearby. I plan to take it up to at least 60-yard segments (240 yards total). For all I know, Laddie could do it right now, but I'll have to take my time with Lumi.

To me, the Offline Drill is a general WS and casting drill, but heavily tilts toward that situation that so many dogs don't do well, which is to sit even when the bird turns out to be just off to the side. Another feature of the drill is that it teaches the dog that your directions may NOT be consistent with what her nose is telling her, in this case the scent trail along the BL. I also like it because as you increase segment length from session to session, instead of the WSs getting steadily further and further away, every session begins with a couple of WSs that are closer than the furthest one from the previous session. I'd think it would be a good drill for some of those advanced dogs, though I guess the 4Q trainer, if he decides to train for the offline situation, is more likely to address the issue simply with the ecollar, as in, "Sit means sit."

Sometimes you design a drill intending to train one lesson, and you inadvertently also train a different lesson that runs counter to your goals. For all I know, this is one of those cases. If any of you see a flaw in the drill, where I'm inadvertently training my dogs something I don't want to be training them, I'd appreciate the feedback.

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

Land Blinds

Summary. Morning at Brook Knoll (overgrown lawn, rolling terrain):

• Series A. Quadruple blind (both dogs)

Afternoon at Oaks Area 2 (thick, clumpy cover — high in patches — surrounded by woods, highly distracting with deer scent, birds, groundhogs, etc.), with Nate helping:

• Series B. Marks and offline drill (both dogs)
• Series C. Offline drill (Lumi)
  
• Series D. Offline drill (Lumi)
• Series E. Offline drill (Lumi)

The Offline Drill. I described the offline drill in a post the next day.

Series A. A quadruple blind set up as follows:

• #1: 30-yard blind (WD)
• #2: 130-yard blind (duck)
• #3: 30-yard blind (WD)
• #4: 140-yard blind (duck)

Both dogs completed all blinds, but Lumi slipped several whistles on #4. That led to my designing the offline drill, which we used in the afternoon.

Series B. A combination of marks, thrown by Nate, and the offline drill, within a 135° angle:

• #1: 100-yard mark (duck)
  
• #2-4: offline drill with 30-yard segments
• #5: 200-yard mark (duck)

Laddie's grade: A

Lumi's grades: B on the marks (she needed a small hunt on #5), F on the offline drill (repeated slipped whistles and refused casts)

Series C. Since Laddie had done so well on Series B and temps were in the high 80s, I put Laddie in the van while I worked with Lumi on a some shorter handling drills. Moving to a different location and direction, I tried Lumi on an offline drill with 20-yard segments. Grade: F

Series D. Using another location and direction, I tried Lumi on an offline drill with 15-yard segments. Grade: F

Series E. Using yet one more location and direction, I tried Lumi on another offline drill with 15-yard segments. Grade: D (still unsatisfactory, but showing improvement on responsiveness to whistles and casts)