The first series Thunder ran at Saturday’s training was a triple.  He did a nice job and picked that up clean.

The next series was something that Thunder has never seen before…a quad or four marks.

The marks were thrown in the order numbered on the diagram.

Quad
Quad–Marks Thrown 1-2-3-4, Picked Up 4-2-3-1

As Thunder watched the marks fall, it was pretty clear that this combination blew his mind a bit.

Thunder Watching Mark #1
Thunder Watching Mark #1 Which Was Out In The Field To The Left And Towards The Back
Thunder Watching Mark #2 Which Was Thrown By His Handler Off To The Right
Thunder Watching Mark #2 Which Was Thrown By His Handler Off To The Right
Thunder Watching Mark #3 Which Was Out In The Field To The Right
Thunder Watching Mark #3 Which Was Out In The Field To The Right And Toward The Line A Bit
Thunder Watching Mark #4 Which Was Thrown By His Handler Off To The Left
Thunder Is Supposed To Be Watching Mark #4 Which Was Thrown By His Handler Off To The Left

As you can see in the picture, Thunder did not turn to watch Mark #4.  He is used to seeing 3 marks, but not 4.  He was fixed on one of the marks out in the field.

Even though he did not watch it, the first mark Thunder’s handler sent him to pick up was Mark #4.

Thunder Being Lined To Mark #4
Thunder Being Lined To Mark #4

Thunder has been trained that if his handler lines him toward something and sends him, then he should run until he finds it.  Where a dog doesn’t see a mark, this can help out a bit.  It took some hunting, but Thunder finally found the bumper.

Thunder With Mark #4
Thunder With Mark #4

Thunder’s handler wanted Thunder to pick up Mark #2 next.  His handler turned his body so that Thunder would come back to heel and be ready to head in the direction of that mark.

Lining Up For Mark #2
Lining Up For Mark #2
Thunder At Heel, Still Looking Out Into The Field, (Remember In His Mind There Is Only Three Marks)
Thunder At Heel Getting Ready To Pick Up Mark #2

Thunder is still thinking about those marks out in the field.  In his mind, there are only three marks.  He is used to retrieving three marks.  He is over thinking this a bit.  After a big hunt, he found Mark #2.

He Has Mark #2
Mark #2

Next he is going to pick up Mark #3 which is out in the field and to the right.

Lining Up For Mark #3
Lining Up For Mark #3
Thunder Catches A Glimpse Of Mark #3 Out Of The Corner Of His Eye
Thunder Catches A Glimpse Of Mark #3 Out Of The Corner Of His Eye

Thunder found mark #3, but he was not really confident about it.  Luckily he caught a glimpse of it as he was running by.  At a test and in cover, unless he catches a whiff of a duck, he might just breeze by that mark, but today he got it. Good job.

Mark #3
Mark #3

Now the hard one, Mark #1.  It is the first mark Thunder saw fall.  He thinks he got all three marks so he is kind of lost on this one.

Lining Up For Mark #1
Lining Up For Mark #1

He could not find this mark, so he was handled to it.  Eventually he got it.

Mark #1
Mark #1

We will definitely train these again, but all in all Thunder put in some nice effort.

Good Job Thunder!
Good Job Thunder!

19 thoughts on “Thunder Takes On A Challenge

  1. Mom just looks and says what great, well behaved dogs. Yes, we are basically good dogs too, but my sister and I are challenging breeds that don’t like to be told what to do, so this kind of thing would never work with us. Every dog breed has its own thing.

  2. Wow, well done Thunder! It’s so interesting that they can kind of count how many marks they’ve picked up, and an extra one can throw them off. Really interesting post.

  3. Good job on Thunder and his handler’s parts! Is this something typically found in hunt tests or have you just encountered this? Will you school Freighter in this fashion to prepare him for the more complex challenges?

  4. Woof! Woof! PAWtastic!!! Good JOB!!! Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

  5. You are a star, Thunder! We hope you got a suitable reward for all this effort. Love from Rolo and Annabel. (Chocolate Labs)

  6. Good job, Thunder! The humans are trying to trick you, but you’re putting up a good fight!:) They are giving you more and more complex tests at you, and it’s really interesting to see that you are able to count and remember.

  7. Good job, Thunder! That must have been a difficult retrieve especially since you only saw three of the four being set.
    *high paws*
    Oz

  8. Great job Thunder terrific first run and even though you thought the second run seemed like a trick, you got that one too 🙂

  9. And effort is all that matters. Nicely done Thunder. You’re the man. Or dog. 🙂

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