It’s Follow-up Friday.  The blog hop that:

Let’s you wrap up your week and leads you right into the weekend.

Thank you to Jodi from Heart Like A Dog and co-host Donna from Donna and the Dogs for hosting the hop!

More great comments and questions this week.

Follow-up Friday

All Things Collie asked: I know your blog is called 2browndawgs, but are there actually 3 dogs in your family?

Yes there are three brown dawgs.  I named my blog when there were only two and decided not to change it when we got the third.  🙂

The original 2 brown dawgs…

And the newcomer…

Monday Mischief–Who Left That Bird There?

Misty Shores Chesapeakes asked:  That would have still been acceptable at a test wouldn’t it, as long as he returns with something?

Thunder found the bird, but probably would have been NQ at a test.  He went way off line (near out-of bounds) and into the trees to get the bird and ignored his handler.  That is not what you want in a Master dog.  If the judges thought it was unfair they may have passed him on the blind or let him re-run it.  However, it was a blind and not a mark so there is less leeway to be so far off line.

For those of you not familiar with hunt tests, the idea is to test the dog and not trick him, but having control over the dog when running a blind is very important.  Disregarding your handler to do your own hunt, doesn’t really demonstrate teamwork.

Gizmo asked:  Wow that’s a long blind…do you typically have blinds that long in your tests?

No, thank goodness.  I think they just increased the distance for Master marks and blinds to 150 yards.  But not every test will have marks or blinds that long.  With a lot of factors, a shorter blind can be more of a challenge than a long blind without factors.

We should be training more long distance blinds.  As the dogs become proficient, they will handle well up close.  However, when they get farther out in the field, that is where trouble can happen.  You hope to have good control over the dog all the way to the end of the blind.  It is a good exercise for both dog and handler.  Training long blinds are difficult for us because we do not have the space in the parks around here and when we get to the training grounds we training other skills on limited time.

Product Review–Orijen Freeze Dried Treats

I don’t plan to do a ton of product reviews, but if there is a product that catches my eye and is something I have thought about trying, then you may see one from time to time.  It is like when you go to the warehouse club and they are offering free samples.  I tend to try only the things that I have thought about purchasing.  🙂

Jodi asked:  Did you worry that giving them a taste of the ‘bird’ would hinder their giving up a real bird during training? That would be my worry. :-0 But you know how I worry.

This was my answer to Jodi:  I am not sure Thunder needs an excuse to hold onto a duck.  😆

He should have a soft mouth no matter what. He gave the pigeon up very nicely the other day. Guess we will see soon.

Wordless Wednesday–Impatient

Jane Doiron asked:  What are you looking at, Freighter?

He is watching another dog work in the field and is not too happy to wait his turn.  Kids!

This ‘N That Thursday

I noticed today they Storm is just starting to get a few waves in her coat.  Maybe it is starting to come back.  🙂

Jodi asked:  So, I know Thunder and Storm started hunt training later in life. My question is how do you think Freighter is coming on, as he started much younger than they did? (Or is my mushy mind playing tricks on me?) I guess what I’m getting at is how do you see Freighter when he is Thunder or Storm’s age?

Thunder and Storm were both older than Freighter when they were force fetched.  When we trained them we mostly ran them on simple single marks on cut grass in the park.  We had no idea how to make things more difficult.  I remember the first Junior test Storm ran.  She sat next to her handler, saw the big field and her eyes got as big as saucers.  She ran all around the big field and never brought back the bird even though she stood on it.  A fail.  It is funny to think back on now, but then, not so much.  At least Freighter has been in a huge farm field.

Thunder and Storm did not learn handling until they were much older.  Freighter is doing longer, more difficult marks and some handling at a much younger age.  He got his first two JH legs before he was a year old and with Thunder and Storm, we never even tried a JH until after they were over a year.  He is a good marker and that is a really nice thing.  🙂

But Freighter is still mentally immature.  (Both Thunder and Storm were at his age as well.)  We had hoped to have him run some Senior tests this Fall, but if he isn’t ready, we will wait.  He may need to mature a bit to do the next level tests.

Right now we have to get through Juniors.  He has been training well, but on test day, well you never know the weird stuff they can do.

Gizmo asked:  Storm sure looks like a different dog this week…did you have brown tumbleweeds blowing through the house?

All three are blowing coat.  I have gigantic tumbleweeds!

ILoveDogs asked:  Have the boys lost their winter coats yet?

They are loosing them now.  They usually start getting them back in time for waterfowl season.

Miss Harper Lee asked:  When Freighter comes out of the water with the mark (I think that’s the right term), does he stop for a moment to shake (and if so, does he put the mark down), or does he come directly back to his human?

Yes, you used the right term.  🙂  Once the dog makes the retrieve, they should hold the bird until they deliver it to hand.  You really don’t want them to stop and shake, or to drop it and shake.  A young dog can be forgiven for doing that, but the problem is that they must deliver to hand.  Sometimes a dog will make a fantastic retrieve, bring the duck back only to drop it before the handler can get it.  Sometimes they refuse to pick it up again.  I have seen it happen.  Thunder did that a time or two as a young dog.  It is better if you insist they hold the duck and don’t shake or drop it until they come back to heel and deliver the bird to their handler.

Have a nice weekend!

Thanks again to Jodi from Heart Like A Dog and co-host Donna from Donna and the Dogs for hosting the hop!  Stop over and see who else is hopping!