After we finished the Mock Hunt Test on land, we set up some water marks using bumpers rather than birds.  The Junior level dogs retrieved single marks, the Senior level dogs got a double, and the Master level dogs had triples.  It turned windy as the day progressed so the marks were drifting a bit.  Even so, all of the dogs did very well.  A couple of the younger Junior dogs needed a bit of encouragement, but they got the hang of it pretty quickly.

I took a few pictures of Thunder and his water double…

First Water Mark
Big Splash
Heading For The Bumper (I circled the bumper in red in this picture.)
Returning With The Bumper
Right On Track
Coming Back To Heel

I love the next picture of Thunder sitting with the bumper in his mouth.  You can see the water droplets on his fur.

Good Boy!

Second water mark…

Almost There
Got The Bumper
Back At The Land
Back At Heel--Good boy!

We still need to work on Thunder’s handling in water.  We would like to try a few tests, but until his blind work in water is sold, we are holding off.  In the meantime he has joined a group of Golden Retriever owners who are training for their WC/WCX.  This is a certification offered by the Golden Retriever Club of America which is similar to the Chessie WD/WDX/WDQ certification.  The WCX is a land triple and a water double with an honor.  The distances are similar to the distances for an AKC Senior test, so it is a good training opportunity.  Meanwhile we will be working on the handling too.