When training for hunt tests, it is important to challenge the dogs.  There are an infinite number of test set-ups and you can never train for them all, but you can train concepts.  We are lucky because we train with a professional trainer who has a lot of experience and always sets up unique scenarios to challenge both dog and handler.

One of the set-ups we ran at training last Saturday was a blind to the far right corner of the field with a mark thrown as the dog was heading to the blind.  This is an advanced set-up and the challenge was to keep the dog from getting to the mark.  Since the dog is being directed to a blind retrieve, it does not know where the blind is out on the field.  The sound of a shot with a bumper (mark) landing in close proximity to where the dog is running to a blind is very exciting and tempting to a dog.  Most dogs will run off line and try to retrieve the mark; however, the handler must stop the dog and handle it away from the mark and back toward the blind.  Not easy.

This set-up can be altered for any level of dog.  A young dog that doesn’t know handling can just run the mark as a single.  A dog with handling could run the blind (shortening up the distance as necessary) and then run the mark.  A dog with more experience can run this as a poison mark where the dog sees the mark and is handled past it to the blind and then retrieves the mark after the blind.  The most advanced version of this set-up is as I described it above: blind and mark thrown on the way to the blind.

Our dogs ran the most advanced version.  I tried to take some video of Storm running this blind but unfortunately Storm became a blurry blob as she got farther out in the field.  I have not taken many videos with my camera and obviously I need some practice.  I am posting the video anyway because you can still see her progression to the blind.

If the video doesn’t play try here.

I also diagrammed the set-up and Storm’s progression to the blind.

One thing hubby did with this blind was to use silent casts (or arm signals) rather than giving the arm signals with a voice command (voice casts).  Voice casts tend to drive a dog and silent casts are useful to change a dog’s direction.  On the video you may notice that hubby gave Storm a voice cast at first, but that drove her back toward the mark so he switched to silent casts and had a better result.  Storm changed direction and got the blind.

I have made no secret that we use ecollar for our training.  Storm did not receive any collar corrections running this set-up because she made a good effort to follow each of hubby’s directions.  If she had done her own thing which in this case would have been going the opposite direction from the blind and toward the mark, then she would have received correction.  Digging back around toward the mark does not normally earn a correction.  The handler just stops the dog and recasts back toward the blind.  You can see this on the video.

Freighter also ran this set-up.  Last year at this time, he would have run an easier modified version, but this year he is running with the big dogs.  He did a nice job.  He did have one collar correction I think, but overall it was a very good effort on this challenging set-up.

I changed from video to photo mode so here are some of his pictures.

Freighter was not looking toward the blind.  His handler tells him “no” and waits patiently until Freighter is looking in the direction of the blind.  At that point his handler says”good” and then releases him.

The dogs definitely got a physical and mental workout with this set-up!

Have a nice weekend!

Thanks to SlimDoggy, MyGBGV Life, and To Dog with Love for the FitDog Friday Blog Hop!