First, a disclaimer, I’m not an expert. I am learning new things constantly. The thing I love most about this sport is that you never stop learning. You will NEVER know it all and if you listen carefully you can find new techniques everyday.
I have done quite a lot of research. My advice comes from everything I have read, watched, experienced and observed. I train with hunters, hunt test and field trial folks. I am successfully running Standard Poodles in Hunt Tests and Picnic Field Trials. I also actively bird hunt with my Standard Poodles.
This document is a "work in progress" effort. I hope to add to it as I learn more and become a better trainer. The article written below is strictly from my personal experience with my personally owned poodles and others I have observed doing fieldwork of one kind or another.
As each human is different so is each poodle. It is up to you to find a way of reading your own dog and learning how to become “a team” with your dog. Becoming “a team” is a key element and is vital in your training. Watch and observe everything your poodle does. This will become valuable later to understanding if you are getting "attitude" or "confusion." This can only be determined by knowing your animal well. I have one rule about a bad performance, "It's always the handler's fault!" Every human and poodle has a bad day, but it is the handler's responsibility to "change it", "make up for it", or "cover for it" in order to help your poodle succeed. Take personal responsibility for your dog’s failures as well as successes!
I have one theory on training, "Attitude, Attitude, Attitude!!" If my dog won’t do field work with love, enthusiasm and style, then we go play a different game! Either for the short term or the long term. I love the poodle's couch potato abilities just as much as their field abilities! My dogs have to love the game or I see no point in playing it!
The age between six months and a year is probably the most important in finding and developing the key that triggers this love of the game in your dog. Six months is just about the time that you will start getting serious with your field training. Up to that point, it should have been all fun and games to encourage their love of birds and retrieving. It's your job to use this love and develop it as much as possible. If you are seeking an excellent field dog, use the "birdiness" to suck them into loving the retrieve or vice versa. Poodles are not field-bred labs and you cannot count on "pure" instinct at birth. We have to discover and nurture all the great qualities they possess and bring them along with good attitude and spirit of the game.
BASICS
There are two methods to training, one is force and the other is using positive motivation. There are some basics that should be done prior to deciding whether to use force or positive motivation.
1. Have a master plan! You can't train if you don't know where you're going, or how you're going to get there! Keep a training log. Read and investigate the sport you choose to participate in. Learn everything you can from books, magazines, videos etc. Try to find more advanced people to train with or find a good trainer to hire. Make sure they are open to training a "different" breed, that you research them thoroughly and check references. Joining local retriever clubs and attending local events are easy ways to get in touch with people in your area. Tell them you want to learn more and need help. When you are training with more advanced people and dogs, shut up and listen, even if you have already read all about it and think you know the subject. There is much more to learn from real people than you will ever get out of a book! If your too busy interrupting with, "I know" you will never get to hear these great tricks of the trade.
2. Attitude, motivation, momentum! Always begin and end on a positive fun and successful activity. It builds confidence and always leaves them wanting more. Use their favorite items, birds, toys, bumpers etc to motivate the desired enthusiasm. Don't forget about the general momentum of your training. Try to limit difficult learning events to early on, or in the middle of the training session. You want to have a good time through all training sessions. If you are going to teach a difficult concept, make sure you give lots of easy, single marks to build up confidence before you stop for the day.
3. Be consistent always! Set high standards and keep them that way! When I mention keeping the early pup in the correct position at all times … this is setting a high standard. If you maintain this high standard right from the beginning you avoid big and unnecessary battles later on. Give verbal commands only once and make the dog obey on that first command, always.
4. Train your "throwers" to be good at their job. This is very important in puppy training and in early marking, of singles and multiple marks. I am very regimented about teaching marking. I never physically go out into the field unless I'm going out to ear pinch or to force to a blinked bird. I always get the thrower to assist the dog with as little assistance as possible. When your pup is younger you really don’t care what the thrower has to do to help … just make sure that pup always finds and brings back the retrieve object. The most important thing with the pup is that he is successful in the retrieve, he should never come back without finding it. With a young pup I instruct the thrower to yell, toot a duck call, wave their arms and throw as many birds as necessary to draw the pup out to the area of the fall. The older the dog gets, the more you will want them to try to hunt it up, but with lots of early successes behind them, this becomes a natural habit. Even the more advanced dogs will need assistance now and then. I will have the thrower toot a duck call, wait, walk towards the bird, wait, until the advanced dog hunts up the bird on it's own. Normally, I find this necessary when lengthening the distance of marks. Natural barriers, like shrubs or tall grass, break down momentum and poor marking occurs.
5. Encourage proper delivery to hand. This is best accomplished by turning and running away from, or sideways to the pup, then grabbing the object from his mouth while still on the run. Moving directly toward the pup, with the intention of taking the retrieve object, will promote his dropping it at your feet. It is a natural reaction for a dog to get rid of something in his mouth in order to receive praise or to be ready for any sort of encounter. This should have been happening with all early retrieves. If the pup is holding the bird and not dropping it, I will try to let them keep the bird for a little while. Often I will run away, then pull the dog into my body and allow them to hold the bird a bit without immediately taking it away. This will depend on the pup and what kind of natural reactions you are getting. A dog that loves to retrieve but is not as interested in birds, will be most pleased with another immediate retrieve…so give them one! If your dog is very birdie and not as interested in the retrieve itself…let them keep the bird for a while. When exiting the water in early swimming work … always be right at the waters edge to receive the bird. Don't let a bad habit start by allowing the dog to drop the bird in order to shake off. Dropping the bird is frowned on and a reason for markdowns in hunt tests. Dropping the bird while hunting is even worse as the bird may be only wounded and still have the ability to fly after a short recovery. You want the bird in your hand and not on the ground. A good idea is to have a command word for shake and then give permission to shake as soon as you have possession of the bird. I believe in conditioned response so my plan is always make happen what I want to happen.
6. "Take it" and "Release"(drop or give) commands. I start this early with the puppy. Note that this does not entail any "hold" work. I simply ask the pup to take an item in his mouth, and then command him to release it to my hand. This is just the start of the routine of having them give the item to me and not dropping it or chew on it. I feel the dog needs to learn to hold things in his mouth comfortably if you expect him to deliver to hand.
7. Expose and desensitize pups early to noise and sound. I start out with popper pistols in the field combined with yelling "hey hey" and using duck calls. Whatever gets the pups out to the bird. I want all of these sounds to mean that there is a bird out there for him to go get. Eventually, I work the gun in closer and closer, until we are shooting the pistol at the line. I normally shoot my pistol from the line and there is an answering one from the field just before the mark is thrown. I then introduce a shotgun and slowly work it in closer and closer. Eventually, I will be able to fire the shotgun from the line, directly over the dog. This is a gradual thing and I observe the dog carefully to make sure there is no fear or anxiety as a result of it. The dog's level of fear would designate how quickly you would bring the gun in. If you do this gradually and make the noise always in association with a bird the dog will soon associate gunshot with the very rewarding endeavor of retrieving a bird.
8. Expose and develop a love for birds. It is very important that early exposure to birds be positive and controlled. This sounds like something that should come naturally but don't take it for granted. I do a lot of teasing with the bird and don't overexpose them to the birds. I make sure it is something incredibly special and exciting. I use lots of wings on bumpers first and I use every kind of bird's wing possible. I have wings from geese, ducks, pheasant, chukkar, pigeons, dove, grouse etc. This is a good way to get the dog used to the smell and feel of feathers without having to supply a whole bird. You also want the dog to hold a bird properly and at this age and stage of training that would be difficult. It certainly is possible with a good dog, it's just that all poodles are not going have this come naturally or this early. Just go easy and do everything you can to make birds the best thing in the world to this pup. I often start a fun game that is the beginning of quartering and develops a love and desire for birds. Have a couple of pigeons in your pockets, throw one off to the right, as pup returns to you with one pigeon, toss the other one out to the left. This takes some good timing and is a little awkward for the handler at first but it gets easier. You want to grab the pigeon the pup has before tossing the other one … it is kind of a simultaneous thing. This will start them working back and forth in front of you. I then plant birds in a field and use a double toot to mean turn in and cross over. When bird hunting you want the ability to direct the dog without using your voice. The whistle is less disturbing to wild birds then is your voice. I also use a little “over” signal with my arm to help direct them. In early work like this I sometimes use a long line if necessary. If the pup is not “getting it” you can use the line to help them get where they need to be. Start out in a flat short cut field and work up to heavier cover when teaching to quarter. Aside from quartering I also work on throwing birds into heavy cover so that the pup will associate heavy cover with birds. This is because I personally hunt pheasant and pheasant reside in the thickest cover available. Other types of hunting might require other styles and introductions to birds. As stated earlier … know your game and do your research.
9. Steadiness, proper position, command words and cue words. Basic obedience: Sit, Here, Heel, Stay (on and off leash). I teach these early basic obedience commands as soon as I get the puppy. I train them at home, in the house, the backyard, parks, wherever and whenever the opportunity arises. I don't tie these basic obedience commands to fieldwork until a little later. The most important thing with a young puppy is to teach them to watch the bird being thrown, to go get it and to bring it back. I work to develop a love of both the birds, and the retrieve. Everything is fun and happy with the pup. I do, however, believe in placing the puppy in the correct position early on. I always heel the puppy to the imaginary line and hold him still to watch the bird go down. This steadiness is slowly developed and one of the things most influenced by the individual dog. If you have a pup that is low key and easy going, I allow a great deal of movement and don't steady the dog at all. I will then release the dog as soon as the bird hits the ground. I want to get that pup excited and do nothing to slow him down. If, on the other hand, you have a very high-energy pup, I would be physically holding them still very early on and teaching them to control themselves. In early work I don't use any command words because I don't want to distract them from the main focus of marking. I physically position the dog where I want them. I always keep them in the proper heel position and do not allow them to forge ahead. As desire for the bird grows, I will gently push the pup's rear end down and have them sit once we get to the line. I don't want to distract them from the main focus of marking. Almost out of habit, the dogs will begin to heel properly and sit when arriving at the line. I have not had to actually "train" any of my dogs to be steady to the line or sit at the line. By the time we are advancing into upper levels they are so programmed by the repetition, they simply perform the correct behavior in relation to the task. Some dogs may have problems later, but there are things that can be done to correct them. By this time they are pretty sure what is expected of them and it then becomes a matter of enforcing a known expectation. Long line! I seldom need a long line on my dogs. Early "here" work and being consistent usually instills a good return to me. If this isn't happening, a long line is a must! The long line should be on the dog at all times and used consistently. If the dog refuses to come in, reel him in as quickly as possible, retrieve object returned or not! Without a recall, you don't have a retrieve. Teach the “here” or “come” command in your yard at home, parks etc. This is the most important command to teach. When I have gotten to the point of needing a long line, I was ready for the force fetch. Following force fetch is collar conditioning and this was the tool used instead of a long line. Whistle work can be started as early as teaching the sit command. Simply toot the whistle and give "Sit" command immediately following. I do a lot of this away from the field and without birds around. In a young dog, it is asking a lot of them to leave the bird alone while you are teaching obedience. Since one of the main focuses of training at this time is to develop love of birds I do everything possible to pump them up when birds are around. I tease the pup with the bird whenever the opportunity avails itself and I allow any kind of behavior in relation to it. Cue words are brought into the game once the pup knows what to look for. Make sure you know what your cue words are going to be and exactly how you are going to use them. I wrote mine down and studied them. You can use any words you want but make sure they do not sound similar to a different command. Some people use the cue word gone when the mark is going to be retired. I can't use this word because I use the cue word long and they sound too similar. I use sit, heel and here as obedience words. I use mark to tell them to look out at the gunner. When cueing the dog to remember a mark I use the phrase mark it and say it several times. I use back to send on a blind or force to a pile and I use the dog's name to send them on a mark, release is the word I use to have them give me the bird and over is used to cast them to the side. Dead bird is my cue word for a blind and I teach this word as soon as I start to teach blinds. Use this word to tell the dog there is no mark but look out, lock in and get ready to run a straight line to a hidden bird. There are many other cue words that I use like, long, short, easy, leave it, no, through, but they are for more advanced training and best left for another article.
10. Marking is an important skill and should be developed first and with great care. Good marking is the cornerstone of the retriever game and its value cannot be over emphasized. Teach the pup to use his eyes early and with accuracy. Make sure the hair is shortened or tied back so he can see clearly. Use white bumpers or birds that are easy to see. I lengthen my pup out to long distances as early as possible but only in flat featureless fields. Have the thrower assist whenever it's necessary and praise that pup for retrieves well done. Have people and wingers throwing out marks early. Exposure to test situations is important and if desensitized early the pup will not have a second thought about it when running in his first tests. I also put out decoys at this stage as well as chairs, blinds, anything I can think of. Simple doubles can be done with good holding of birds and retrieve items. Make sure you do lots of single marks with multiple gunners in the field. If you don't, you will have a head-swinging problem and the result can be poor marking.
11. Start blind work as early as possible. Since I have older dogs, I let the pup tag along as I set the blinds for the advanced dogs. I will use a pigeon or canvas bumper with wings or live shackled pigeons if the dog can carry them without injury to the bird. I drop the bumper or bird right in front of the dog then heel him away. I then sit and line him towards the dropped item and send him with a "back" command. My current pup is five months old and he can do a thirty-yard sight blind in this fashion. I will continue to lengthen the distance as he matures and his concentration improves. This pup is still losing his puppy teeth but handles the bumpers and birds nicely. If he had chewed or mishandled the retrieve item I would not be doing any blind work until after force fetch. While walking around and setting these blinds I allow the pup to "take it" and "give". I am training him to walk nicely with the retrieve object and not to mishandle it or chew on it. Pattern blinds; three legged and five legged are the foundations for future training. The sooner you can teach these and run them hundreds of times the better! You will work pattern blinds the rest of your training days and the more the better! I set up different patterns in different fields and rotate running them. You want this to be a flat, featureless, short cut grass field. Something like a baseball outfield or a grass soccer field. You will use these pattern blinds later to teach all sorts of higher-level concepts.
12. Introduction to water is very important in early conditioning. I do as much early water exposure as possible without actually having the pup swim that is not the intent at this point. I heel, walk and play in mud puddles with the puppy. I take the pup to as many different locations of water as possible. Lakes, streams, ponds, rivers, dikes, ditches, flooding etc. I go to low level streams and swampy areas. I allow the pup to explore on his own and I simply walk around in the water as much as possible. I splash and play and give no pressure for the puppy to "have" to get in the water. I don't even encourage it, I just watch the pup and see what it does on its own. I make very certain that I never display or teach the pup to avoid water or cover. I always walk straight lines, walking through the middle of mud puddles and straight through the middle of heavy cover and brush. As the pup gets older I will heel him at my side through mud puddles and shallow water. I try to desensitize the pup as much as possible to "viewing" the water as an obstacle; I try to make it something to go straight through without regard or notice. I simply want it to be no big deal to be around water all the time. I want the pup to smell all the different kinds of plants and animals that live in these locations so that when we do get to the water training it is all old hat. When the pup is finally ready to swim you actually want to teach them to swim. Of course make sure you have extremely warm swimming temperatures and the area is very safe with a shallow, slow entry into the water. I have always used other dogs to demonstrate and encourage good attitude. With my first dog, I used my friend's labs as examples and with my next pups; I used my older dog and the labs as well. I normally make the puppy watch for a week or so and require him to sit/heel without participating or getting any retrieves at all. I just watch to see how pumped up the pup is getting and wait for that maniacal moment to let him try. I don't throw anything for them to retrieve the first time. Normally after one of the other dogs is released to retrieve and is about halfway to the bird I will just let them go. Having another dog in the water is reassuring to them and its no big deal if he doesn't bring something back. Make sure the older dog will NOT injure or get upset if he tries to climb on top of them in the water. I only let the dog off a short period the first time. Then throw many fun marks for the older dogs. Then I let the pup off one more time and throw a super short bird into walking water maybe chest deep. I want him to be successful and so start out slow. Depending on what happens at this point you just continue to use these methods to encourage and develop swimming abilities. Problems with swimming will have to be addressed in another article.
Prior to a year old I would concentrate solely on building confidence in the water. Work on any problems they have with the physical ability to swim. Build distance, and do lots of simple, long single marks. If they are good confident swimmers try, adding multiple water entries and thicker cover. Complex work, like blinds, really requires great confidence and trying to teach these things too early encourages popping, no go's and other problems. Just work on building an enjoyment of water work and getting them in good physical swimming ability. Take them to as many different bodies of water as possible and do simple retrieves in all of them. Get in as much swimming as is possible. Use any technique you can to build enjoyment of the water. Get in and swim around with them. Get an inner tube and just float around, anything you can do to make the dog more comfortable about being in water is great! Right off the bat I set a very high standard regarding bank running. Once we are at the point of having someone else throw marks for us I pay particular care not to setup a bank running opportunity. I use a long line that floats…water skiing rope works well but tends to be a bit heavy. I also use thin cotton clothes line with some type of floatation attached like bobbers, cork or styrophoam. I use a light harness when using a long line in the water so that the long line will attach at the back and float above the dog. The line is only about 10 feet long and I knot the end of the rope and stand on it until the dog is on his way in the water. If the dog tries to bank run I continue to stand on the rope and the dog will automatically correct itself with the long line. I don't say anything, no bad words or attitude on the trainers part. Bring the dog back to the entry point and resend. You don't want any bad association with the water so just help the dog do the right thing and praise when they do it right. If the dog tries to cheat the water on the return, take him all the way back to the point that he should have gotten in the water to return, make the dog sit and stay. Walk back to the send line and call the dog to you. Keep returning the dog to the correct point of entry until it returns through the water as he should. You want the dog to be pretty confident in the water before you enforce this, but you still want your standards high. It simply isn’t fair to the dog to allow them to bank run and then later tell them they are not allowed. Make the rules clear from the beginning and you will make water work much less frustrating for yourself and the dog. Start very close to the waters edge on early water marks. Moving farther away from the entry point is more difficult for the dog and more tempting for the dog to run the bank. Try to make marks in the water that will only allow a straight in entry and don’t tempt the dog to run the bank. Set your young dog up to succeed and try to save the tough bank running lessons for when they are older and more mature. Don't become angry or frustrated, everything associated with the water should be happy and enthusiastic. A few hikes around the pond is a small price to pay for good water entries.
13. Drills … See separate article. Three handed casting would be the basic beginning drill for a pup this age. The early and simplified double T. Teaching pattern blinds also. Both of these require the ability to deliver to hand. If the dog does not deliver to hand I would not recommend trying these drills.
14. Evaluate maturity for progression into force work. Use motivational methods until mentally and physically able to proceed to force. This simply has to be an evaluation you make of your own dog. The time is usually signaled by the dog being difficult or unruly. Dropping birds, not returning when called and inconsistencies in the basic commands usually signals a need for the force fetch. See other article in the workbook for further discussion.
Force Method: See other articles in workbook.
Motivational method: See other articles in workbook.
Poodle specific …. some notes and thoughts:
*Try to use motivation whenever possible even if your using the force method. Heavy corrections are very demotivating.
*Be fair! Unfair corrections will haunt you a long time as poodles have long and specific memories.
*Repetition of drills is not ideal for the poodle. They become bored and make things up to make it more interesting. Try to get to the point of the drill early. With these bright animals, there is simply no reason to do the same thing a hundred times when the dog understands it after the second time. Use a variety of drills and make things up if you have to. Be creative, remember it's your job to keep things motivated and upbeat.
*Do not handle on marks - A lot of methods I have observed and read about, teach a dog by handling. Often times handling is done during a mark to teach a concept such as "run behind the gun". I do my best never to handle during a mark, especially in early training. Once you start handling on blinds etc the dog tends to pop whenever it is unsure. I like to stay consistent in this regard. I will stop on a whistle but either "call back" or "move up and reline". In early training with simple marking problems, I always have the thrower help as is needed and only at my request.
*COLD water! DON'T!
*Teaching - Set up artificially controlled situations to "teach" concepts. I like to use pattern blinds or a remote controlled winger in short grass in a big flat field. "Teaching" new concepts in uncontrolled environments tends to water down the point of the lesson. I believe teaching the lesson in this manner makes an easier transition for the dog and less confusion when you do add the factors involved in a normal retrieve. The most important thing is that the "attitude" will be kept high by making things successful and the best way to accomplish that is by controlling all the factors.
*Expect lags in interest - It's normal and it's your job to find new motivation or inspiration. Lighten the workload and make things simpler, more rewarding and more successful for the animal. Take periodic breaks of weeks or months in succession. I believe that these breaks heighten desire and love of the game. I always take at least two months off during Christmas time, usually November and December.
*Tools - 1. Attrition is giving them same command over and over again until the dog gets where you want them to be. This is normally something used when handling but it is also how you would teach the three-handed cast. Just keep giving the cast over and over again…walking in that direction until the dog goes where you are directing them. It applies no pressure and does not give the dog the feeling that he is being bad or doing anything wrong. Most important is that the handler not become frustrated or annoyed or this tool is worthless and you've missed the point. 2. Call-back/re-send/reline are great tools without having to use force! I callback when the dog has taken a bad initial line and has not gotten very far from the line. Relining is what you would do after you have recalled and you would try to get them to line up correctly the next time. Call-backs are demotivating to the dog so I try to limit them. I do use call-backs frequently for water work as it teaches the dog that it is more work to cheat than it is to do it right. If they try to cheat and I call them back they are doing much more swimming than if they had simply taken the straight line. You would need a very confident water dog to do this with and you would be much more advanced than a year old. Re-sending is a tool I use a great deal instead of handling on a mark. If the dog is getting suction from an old fall or a live shot flyer station. I will sit whistle the dog, walk out on line towards the mark, call the dog to me and re-send from this distant position. It is a way of helping the dog get through this suction and do the correct thing without using pressure. 3. Back-chaining is a great way to teach blinds and lengthen out marks also to teach new concepts such as water re-entries and going through cover etc. You start close to the mark for example. Run the mark and let the dog retrieve it. Move back 50 yards and run the exact same mark again. This is also a good tool for keeping straight lines as the dog has already done half of the mark previously. This is how I taught my older dog to do water re-entry marks. I ran the mark from a strip of land that extended out into the water. Then I walked around and re-ran the mark from the shoreline, in line with the first mark. The dog now had to enter the water, go over the strip of land and re-enter the water to swim to the mark. This is a good way to lengthen out a dog, especially if they are insecure or afraid. This is easier because they have already done half of the mark and it is not as intimidating as trying to run it right off cold from the most distant shoreline.
Example: My Pup Havoc!
For an example of training and the routine or rhythm, I'll tell my story with my latest pup Havoc. Although Havoc is only five months old, I have begun building the foundation for a lot of the things previously discussed. Havoc is both a retriever and a birdie dog. He is probably more birdie than any of my other dogs, but also has a strong retrieve desire too. He is, in general, a pretty laid back boy. Very confident but overly eager to please. He is possibly a sensitive dog, although I have to wonder if spoiled might describe him best. I teased him with wings early in puppy hood but gave him a limited amount of time to hold them as he wished to lie down and eat them. For his first retrieve item I used a rolled up, stuffed sock. We played early retrieving in the house with this item. I also allowed him to watch the older dogs retrieve this same sock. I wanted him to see the enthusiasm and excitement with which the other dogs retrieve. I was careful to keep him with me, as I didn't want the older dogs to push the younger one out of the way. I will use this same sock to go over his first bumper. One, to make it softer and easier to grab. Two, so it will smell the same and be familiar and three, to hold the rope inside the sock so he will not retrieve the bumper by the rope alone. After he has finished getting his adult teeth, I will cut a small hole in this same sock and use it for a pigeon harness. I have three canvas bumpers which each have a goose wing attached. These I use for some marks and also for our initial blind work. I also use them when playing games like the toss and throw method that Joyce's article describes which is more of a fun game and is used to get him wound up. He had a natural desire to walk near me and stay at my side and I have encouraged quartering by using another thrower and calling back and forth. I also walk by myself tossing wings to each side alternately. He has been easy to train to heel and sit. I allow a lot of looseness at the line on marking, as I would like to encourage more enthusiasm. If I had a dog that was wild and wound up I would be holding them back and making them sit and wait before sending. This is important because if they are squirming all over the place it makes it difficult for them to mark well. I have been lengthening his marks out to as far as I can possibly get him to go. I am hoping to run him in picnic field trials and that will require long distances. In any case it will never hurt to run marks that are long. In fact, you want to do lots of long marks well past 100 yards if you are doing the hunt tests. If a dog goes long on a mark in a hunt test, it is easy for them to hunt back towards you. If a dog stops short of a mark, they do not usually continue to go back away from you to look for the bird. It is much easier for them to recover from overrunning than under running on a mark. This holds true for blind work as well. Blinds are a bit more complicated, but the same principles do apply…it is easier to bring them in than drive them back. Blinds have a few other things going on though. On a blind, a dog is much more influenced by things like cover, terrain, obstacles, decoys, water etc. Basically a dog will tend to "break down" during a blind when they reach certain situations. I know that if I send Touley on a three hundred yard mark and at 200 yards she has to charge through a strip of cover … that strip of cover is a possible "breakdown" point. It is the thing that will detract from her momentum enough to pull her off line. It just makes sense that if you run your dog on extremely long blinds in training that when you get to an actual test or hunting situation the dog will have enough "charge" behind him to carry them through these "breakdown" points. Just after Havoc turned five months I ran him in a picnic field trial in the Junior Puppy division. I wanted to expose him to hunt test situations and conditions early. I did this so that when we do enter our first competitive hunt test, he will not be completely thrown off by all the other dog, cars, people and excitement. He was extremely wound up for this event as he was allowed to watch other dogs retrieve pigeons. I heeled him to the line and pushed his rear end down to a sit position and then signaled for the bird. This was the first time that I had required a sit before a retrieve. Havoc was so focused on the thrower and bird that he did not even notice. The plan is just to keep him in the proper position until it is second nature for him. He is currently running 150 yard marks in short flat fields. I have just exposed him to cover with a short mark of 50 yards and help from the thrower was required. I want him to learn to use his nose early. While planting blinds for the older dogs I let Havoc walk with me. I use his special wing canvas bumper and let him watch me drop it on the ground with the other bumpers. I heel him away about 30 yards and then send him back for his winged bumper. This is his early blind work. I am using one leg of a three-legged pattern blind. I will continue to back-chain this blind until he can do the full distance of 100 yards sent from the starting line. I will then run him on this one line until he is confidant and running it with a straight line. Then I will begin to teach him another leg of the pattern blind until he has learned all three and can run them with confidence. I am very careful to walk out to the blind on the exact straight line I want him to take and to back chain in a straight line from the starting line. Havoc is extremely cleaver and I plan to keep that brain busy as much as possible by advancing as quickly as he can learn. I have done some three handed casting with him and he caught on the first time. If not handled correctly this could backfire horribly! The trick is not to apply ANY pressure to perform at this time or in the months ahead. If you were to apply pressure now before he is confident and secure, you could get all sorts of problems. Popping, bugging, crunching birds, urinating, blinking etc etc could all develop from pushing a dog too fast. If these activities are kept fun and light there should be no problems in continuing down this avenue. His desire for the birds and good work ethic is allowing us to progress into some things I would not have expected at his age. I plan to continue with marks and simple shown blinds and do everything possible to build his confidence and encourage his total love for the game. We are working on sitting to the whistle at a distance. He is very good when the other dogs are there and obeying, but not so great on his own. He will sit promptly when nearby…normal reaction in my book. I take him to different locations of water as much as possible. He now wades in and is unafraid to get his feet wet. I often let the other dogs out so he can see the enthusiasm and enjoyment they get from running in the water. He is never expected or encouraged to enter the water…just exposure to the sights, sounds and smells. It is freezing this time of year so I would prefer him not to be in the water anyway. I used shackled pigeons yesterday and all birds were undamaged and he delivered all to hand. I will now use shackled pigeons for all his blind work. This will help him remember where the birds are and to keep him highly motivated. Update on Havoc….today he was charging through water up to his neck…almost swimming water. I just let all three of my dogs out together to romp around near shallow water. No retrieves were involved and nothing on my part to push him in. He just joined the great game that was going on with the older dogs charging, chasing and splashing through this enormous mud puddle. I was encouraging whenever I saw him in deeper water, I would just tell him, "Good boy!".
Recommended reference material:
Video and accompanying manual:
Total Retriever Training by Mike Lardy. This Set of 3 tapes with a workbook can
be obtained from: Younglove Broadcast Services, P.O. Box 79, Metamora, MI 48466,
810-678-2313 or 800-848-5963
Total Retriever Marking by Mike Lardy. This set of 3 tapes fills in some of the
missing information in the first set of tapes.
Periodicals:
Retrievers-ONLINE, ed. Dennis and Fiona Voigt, 1457 Heights Rd., R R #3,
Lindsay, ON, CAN K9V 4R3 (705-793-3556, Fax: 705-793-3554) e-mail at:
online@lindsaycomp.on.ca
Retriever Journal, (1-800-333-7646)
AKC AFIELD, the Chronicle of Performance Events, 919-233-9767
Bird Dog-Retriever News , A publication and on-line source of extensive
information. Go to:http://www.Bird-Dog-News.com/ for more information.
Books:
Training Retrievers to Handle by DL and Ann Walters
Route #1 Box 154 LaCygne, KS 66040 913-757-6679
Retriever Training Tests by James B. Spencer, 2nd Ed. Alpine Publishing,
P.O. Box 7027Loveland, CO 80537
Training And Campaigning Retrievers, the Principles and Practice, by Jack
M. Gwaltney, Jr., M.D., 4863 Wesley Chapel Road, Free Union, VA, 22940
Training Retrievers for Marshes and Meadows by James B. Spencer
Retrieve by Bill Medcalf
A gentle approach to retriever training. From picking a pup, to "Master Hunter." Retrieving, handling, obedience, quartering, trailing wounded game, sample training tests, and a special section with solutions to common problems that occur in training.
That Winning Feeling by Jane Savoie
Read rulebooks related to your sport of choice and competition. AKC Hunt Test, NAHRA, UKC/HRC, Picnic Field Trial, CKC Hunt Test, etc.