Freighter has been running a lot of blinds during training this summer.  Blind retrieves are where the dog does not see the bird fall.  The handler must direct the dog to the bird using arm signals, (we call it “handling”).  Handling is more advanced retriever training.

Generally when we are training blinds we put a pile of orange bumpers out in the field.  Most dogs cannot see orange very well.  Sometimes we use white bumpers to make the pile visible when the dog is learning to handle or we are teaching a difficult concept, but this time we used orange.  If the dog has to go through water to get the bird or bumper, we call it a water blind even though some of it may be on land.  For this blind we set the blind so that the dog would start on land, make an angle entry into the water, swim a bit, and then exit the water to get to the bumper on land.

Here is a diagram:

Angle entries and land-water-land blinds are generally more difficult concepts.  When running blinds, a dog should continue in as straight a line as possible until their handler stops them with a whistle and tells them to go in a different direction.  If the dog stops and looks back at the handler before the handler blows a whistle, we say that the dog “popped”.  Popping is not a good thing and generally means that the dog is unsure or lacks confidence.  Training a dog to take nice long lines and to not pop takes a lot of time and patience.  Inexperienced dogs will sometimes square up to the bank of the pond, but as a dog progresses in its training, it will continue in a straight line even if that line requires the dog to enter the water at an angle.

We spend a lot of time training blinds on land and through the water.  Water blinds which combine some running on land are a great exercise and a good way to keep the dog cooler when the weather is hot.

Here are some pictures of Freighter running this blind.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thanks so much to SlimDoggy, MyGBGV Life, and To Dog with Love for K-9 Kamp and for the FitDog Friday Blog Hop!