How can six weeks go by so fast?  Tonight is the last night of Freighter’s puppy class.  We probably won’t put him in another class for a bit because we need to be out in the field training Thunder, (and Freighter).  Also, Freighter will be going away for basics in June, (we think), and the next class won’t end in time so we will wait.

We got a great question on Tuesday’s post.  Ben, who is training his Vizsla for pointer hunt tests, wanted to know : “When you say that Thunder had to be handled on the return, does this require a second person to go in and correct him?”

The short answer is that we don’t need a second person and it isn’t technically a correction.  The handler directs the dog from the line.

Now the longer answer for people who may not be familiar with the terms I am using.  In hunt tests, the dogs have to demonstrate many skills depending on their level.  The very basic skill a retriever must demonstrate is a single marked retrieve, which I call “marks”.  The dog watches the bird or the bumper fall and they are supposed to “mark” the location and retrieve it when sent by their handler.  As the dog’s skill improves, the number, distance, and difficulty of the marks increase.

Here is Thunder running a simple double from last Spring.  The only difficulty here is that it is a multiple (double), and the geese could draw an inexperienced dog off line.  This is a nice double for Thunder because he takes a straight line out and back.

If the video doesn’t play, try here.

However, when you add in strips of land that the dog must cross or a mark where the dogs has to exit the water, they may not take a straight line out, or they may want to take a shorter line back and run the bank.  This may be overlooked at the lower level tests, but at the Master level the dogs have to go straight out and come straight back.

Here is a water mark from last spring which Storm runs correctly, straight out (with help) and straight back.  The return was actually nicer than her swim out.  (Ignore the impatient puppy squealing in the background. :))

If the video doesn’t play try here.

Compared to Thunder who wanted to cheat the bank on the return.  He was stopped and handled into the water on the return.  He also got to run it a second time and had more handles into the water but ultimately took the correct line back.  Hey that water was cold.  🙂  Unfortunately, I do not have the handling part on video, but you can see his attempt to cheat.

If the video doesn’t play, try here.

So what is handling?  Handling is where the person running the dog uses whistles, commands, and hand signals to direct the dog.  Here is an example of Storm being handled from this past February.

If the video doesn’t play try here.

Storm is being handled to a blind retrieve (she did not see it fall), but the principal of handling on a mark would be the same.  When the dog is going off line, stop them with a whistle, and redirect them with a command or hand signal.

Once the dog knows handling, you can use it to teach the dog how to keep the correct line going out and coming back from a mark, or to help them find a mark if they just cannot seem to locate it in the field.  Of course you have to be careful not to over handle on marks.  You really just want to handle when you are training a specific skill or the dog is going far astray.  Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have video of the dogs being handled to or from a mark, (although I can assure you they have been :)).  Handling is a nifty skill.

Thanks for the great question Ben.  If you get a chance, stop over and check out A Tail Of Two Vizslas.