At a recent training session, three marks were set up and participants were invited to do them as singles or multiples. The first handler chose singles and after the mark was thrown, sent his dog. The dog went to the area of the fall and after a short, unsuccessful hunt, returned to the line. The dog was then admonished and returned to his crate.

The second handler requested to do the marks as a triple. The three marks were thrown, then the dog was sent for the last mark down. Following a short hunt, the dog returned to the line without the mark. He was then lined back toward the mark and recast. After going back to the area of the fall, he once again failed to find the mark and returned to the handler. The handler then attempted to line the dog a third time, but the dog bugged (looking to the left and right) and refused to go back out. At this time, the handler requested the bird-boy to re-throw the mark, after which the dog succeeded. He then sent the dog for the center mark. The dog went half way to the mark, stopped and returned to the handler.

Two questions immediately come to mind following the above observations: What did the two dogs learn from their failures? Are there more positive ways to teach dogs to return with the birds without actually "flipping you the bird"?

The first dog learned that he could return to the handler without finding the mark. Upon returning, he found that he would be placed in his crate, out of the wind and cold. What a life!

The second dog was taught quite a bit more. First he learned that if he does not find the mark the first time he is sent, he would be sent again and again. Dogs can count, you know! Second, the dog would also eventually refuse to go out at all because he would begin to believe there was nothing to be found. And, third, he learned that if he "bugs" he would avoid being sent back out or that he will receive help. Finally, he discovered on the second mark, that he could stop halfway, "pop" and then return to the handler. The confidence of both dogs was damaged. A steady diet of this type of training will definitely ruin a dog's appetite for success and teach it bad habits, which will be hard to break later on.

There are several ways to ensure success and instill confidence in each of the above cases. One would be to have the thrower help the dog as he attempted to leave the area of the mark. This could be done by the thrower yelling "hey, hey" or blowing a duck call to attract the dog back to the area. Then let the dog "hunt it up". If this fails, the thrower should get the dog's attention, then throw another bumper or bird into the air. If all of the above fails, the handler may walk out, place the bumper or bird in the dog's mouth and command him to stay! The handler should then return to the line, and call the dog to heel. In some cases the handler may think the dog did not see the throw, or that the distance was too far. If that is the case, the handler should move closer and repeat the mark.

It appeared that the triple was above the training level of the second dog. The marks should have been thrown as singles or as an easier double. When training in a group, many handlers get drawn into trying to run their dogs on marks that are above their ability. Talk about DOGS having pack mentality! (Even Master level dogs should have 80% to 90% singles in training.) Resist the temptation of thinking of a training session as a competition and only work your dog within it's ability. As handlers we can fulfill our half of the partnership with our dogs by helping them be successful. Success builds confidence and through confidence, we can achieve our goals!