Ah water. It can be the downfall of many a hunt test dog. The test is going along great and then you get to water and oops. With hunt test season fast approaching we have been trying to get in a lot of water training.
There was a nice turn out for Saturday’s training. We trained a bunch of different water marks which were set based on the level of the dog. The first two marks for the Master level dogs were set up as follows.
These marks were run as singles. The mark to the right was run first. After all of the dogs ran the first mark, the bird boy moved down a bit and threw the mark to the left. The dogs had to cross a small road and then more-or-less follow the lines as I am showing them in brown, (the black arrows show the direction the bumpers were thrown and the blue arrows show the direction of the wind which was stiff). The difficulty of these marks was due to the wind which can cause a dog to get on land (or dock) early before they get to the mark. You want the dog to try to fight the wind and not let it push them into the land too early.
Thunder and Storm both did a nice job on this. They both took acceptable lines to the marks.
Some pictures of Thunder.
In the next couple of pictures you will see the bird boy who must have had an internal heater because he wasn’t wearing a coat and I had on two. 🙂
Some pictures of Storm.
The Master level dogs also did a super long water mark and I will have pictures of that on Thursday.
The kid looks like if it was a really hot summer day.
I know. I was hoping for a warmer day. I guess he was too. 🙂
Awesome photos! Again I say, wish I could see this in real life!
I really enjoy watching all of the dogs work, even the lower level dogs. It is great when you see the light bulb go on as they are learning. Some of the younger dogs were learning not to run the bank. That entailed the trainer running back and forth to sort of block their path on land while pointing toward the water as their owners/handler called them back. It was quite comical and some made it past the first time, but eventually they all got the picture….stay away from the crazy man waving his arms toward the water and head back toward their handler.
Storm and Thunder both did great! The bird boy was wearing shorts too! Brrrrr!!!
I know…shorts! Wherever we head north, I am always amazed that people seem to wear shorts way before I would even consider it.
Beautifully done and great photos!
Thanks. It was a bit overcast which made it easier to get decent photos.
I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than watching a dog do what is was bred to do. Thunder and Storm look amazing!
Thank you. 🙂
Good Job, Thunder and Storm!!!
XOXO
HERO
Thanks Hero! 🙂
Awesome job Storm and Thunder as well as mom on the photos. Maybe the bird boy wasn’t too cold because he was moving about. I know when I get all crazy running around I get pretty warm. 🙂
Even moving about it was cold. burrr. I just figure he is from further north and used to the weather. lol He did tell me that he was supposed to wear white and that shirt was all he had, (but hey kid put the white t over another shirt…lol). He seemed a nice kid.
Great job! Looks like all those hours of practice are really paying off. You must be so proud of Thunder and Storm.
Thanks. Their training is coming along. We will see how they do in the upcoming tests.
Bird Boy. Sounds like a super hero. As in, “This is a job for BIRD BOY!”
Haha yes it is silly name. I guess I should say “gunner”. Which all sound silly. 🙂
Neat pictures!
I know you only just started training Freighter, but is there a minimum age requirement (6 months, a year, what have you)?
The minimum age for AKC hunt tests is 6 months. HRC has no minimum age. We won’t be rushing Freighter to run tests though. It is very easy for a dog to develop bad habits (ie bank running, switching) during a test because you can’t stop and teach the dog the right way. I have seen this with HRC Seasoned tests especially. Some things that are allowed in that test are not allowed in AKC Senior or the higher level tests. Once the dog has the habit it can be difficult to correct for the next level test. Best to be a bit more advanced in training imo.
Good work Storm and Thunder! We love your action photos.
Bella and DiDi
Now that is impressive. Those Chessies are not only beautiful, they are very, very smart too. Great job!!!
So when you are just playing. Not training….cause I am no good at that, but when you are just playing, I wanna come and play with you guys. You have a great place with lots of green and lots of water. The perfect combination for a perfect day.
Bert
Only if we can come and play where you are because you have rivers and mountains. But not when you are doing your search and rescue work because that sounds really hard.
the brown dawgs
Your wonderful posts are a real education. I never knew about this type of training until I started following your blog. Great pictures!
I love to look at your training pictures, Thunder and Storm make it look so easy (I’m sure there are times when it isn’t). I trained Lexie in water rescue not for tests just because it is what they are bred to do and she jump in and swam the first time I took her to water at 4 mos. But the training you are doing is so much more complicated. Are their coats made for cold water? Great job Thunder and Storm.