Saturday was another hot day. It seems like I say that after every Saturday training this year. The group was a bit smaller than the previous group training. Of course now that three of our dogs are training, I guess we could be the group. 🙂 The way group training works, the trainer sets up a scenario and each dog runs the parts that are appropriate for its level. Sometimes you will move up the starting line for the dog, but usually it just means that the dog may run the series as singles, or a double, rather than a triple. By the time we get there the trainer has already worked the dogs that he has in for training. In fact on Saturday he said he ran his first dog at 5:30 am! Depending on what he sets up, and how hard those dogs have already worked, he will run them on the marks or blinds while we are there. We were able to watch Freighter run some marks.
The first series was a water triple. The marks were thrown as numbered 1-2-3. #1 was in open water. #2 was behind a little ridge of land. #3 came from behind the dog as a sort of breaking mark. Thunder and Storm picked them up in reverse order 3-2-1. Freighter ran mark #1 as a single.
Thunder and Storm ran the triple and both ran it clean. We were really happy with how they did on this series.
The next series was a combination land-water triple.
All of the marks came from the right side. The marks were thrown 1-2-3. Thunder and Storm picked them up 3-2-1. To get to mark #1 the dogs had to go down a little bank and swim a bit and go up the bank on the other side. That made this mark hard because sometimes the dogs loose sight of the mark with hills and swimming involved. Also, there was a hill toward the back of the field that kind of messed with their minds. The #2 mark wiped out #1 since they were basically in line with one another. Sometimes when marks are thrown in a line, once the dog picks up the close bumper, he or she figures that is all there is and has trouble remembering the long one.
Thunder and Storm did pretty well on this one. They both hunted around the hill on mark #1 but Thunder was able to hunt over and find the mark. Storm’s mark landed behind a tree and she just couldn’t come up with it so she was handled to it. Little by little we can see improvement in their triples. It was not that long ago that marks thrown from the center out (series 1) or in a line (series 2) would have blown their minds. They still need more work on these, but at least they have a shot at picking them up clean.
Freighter ran this series as three single marks from the same line as Thunder and Storm. He ran #1 first. He got out to it with a little help which consisted of throwing and extra bumper or two to get him to the mark. We were pretty happy that he got to the other side of the water without help. He still needs work on picking up the bumper quickly and bringing it all of the way back from that distance.
Freighter did a really good job on the other two marks.
We also saw Freighter’s sis Sunny. She at least acknowledged her people. 😉 She is coming along very nicely. Both Sunny and Freighter seem happy and content.
Thunder and Storm ran one more series but I will have to save that for another post as this post turned out quite long. We also trained on Sunday and I will have those pictures later this week.
Sunny is just as cute as she can be!
I love the photos you share of your working dogs. It’s so amazing to see instinct come alive in their eyes.
Thanks. Sunny is a cutie and very sweet. I took a few more pictures of her on my cell phone, but it ate them. 🙁
Wow Freighter is right in there with the big boys now! Well done!
Yes he did a decent job. Of course at this point in his training, every week can be different.
I think they are all doing wonderfully. I know you said (in an earlier post) that Thunder was older when you started him. How old was Storm and do you see a large difference between their progress and Freighters?
Thunder was about 17 months when we sent him away for force fetch and Storm was about 10 or 11 months, (I think, we were trying to remember). I would say that both went a bit too old because they had already developed bad retrieving habits which we still work on today. With Freighter, under the trainer’s guidance, we are doing it completely different. Basically our trainer guided us from day 1, and his philosophy is that he is training a dog that he hopes will go through Masters so he takes things very slowly at this stage. If a potential bad habit develops, he will stop and take care of it right then. That being said, he still challenges him, like that super duper long mark in that last triple. We would never have thrown something so long with a swim for either Thunder or Storm at 7 months. That is a big difference.
Freighter sure is coming along with his training. You can tell he really enjoys it too! It sounds like they all did well despite the heat. At least they get to go in the water. 🙂
Sunday was hotter and they had to wait a long time before getting into the water…lol.
Very nice job, all three of them!
Thank you Gloria.
It may be hot out but at least they get to swim. I am sure it is like having your own private water park when they shake on you 🙂
I forget whose dog shook on me, (not one of mine), but yes it was most welcome!
Great job guys!!
Your photos are fantastic and that water looks so good I want to jump right in there with them. When will this heat subside, sigh!!!
One day maybe I will jump in with the dogs…lol. But usually I just let the dogs shake on me. 🙂
It is nice to see Freighter working with the other dogs. All the pictures are terrific and it looks as if all the dogs did super. Hope the weather cools soon so it won’t be so hot when you take them out. Hugs and nose kisses
It is finally cooler here. It is supposed to warm up next week again though.
Looked like a fun time. What do you mean by Storm was “handled to it” when she couldn’t find the one behind the tree? In Nose Work, way different sport of course, (and less complicated 🙂 ), but a hunting game all the same – if the dog can’t find the scent, they are brought on leash to the general area, and encouraged to find it on their own….and I was wondering if this was similar. Or do you bring the dog directly to the missed mark?
I put some video’s up today of Thunder and Storm being handled. They are blinds so not exactly the same, but you can see what handling looks like. Now on marks they should use their eyes to get them to the area of the fall and then their noses to find the bumper or bird. They are not following a scent at all. In fact that will get them in trouble as Thunder demonstrated when he picked up the scent of a hot blind and picked that up instead of the mark in one test. Sometimes when you throw in hazards the dogs must cross, (a hill, swimming), and multiple marks, the dogs loose sight or forget where the bumper or bird is. If they cannot see it or get to the area to catch the scent, you may need to direct (handle) them to it. In hunt tests, we are not to leave the line so sometimes the dog is out 100 yards or so from you.
Thanks for the explanation. Very different from what I was thinking, and like I said, much more complicated. 🙂 Nose work is pretty simple comparatively! Off to go check out today’s videos…
I really like your use of diagrams – great post!
Thanks. 🙂