Sunday was a great day to get out and train because the weather was nice and cool.  Our training membership allows us to use the grounds until the end of September.  We hope to get out there a couple of more times before the end of the month.

Even though Thunder and Storm didn’t do much at the tests this summer, we feel that the money we spent on the training membership was well worth it.  Having access to those grounds and the ponds helped to improve their skills.  We probably should have purchased a training membership last summer because I think both dogs would have benefited.  Freighter is benefiting because these grounds allow us to try harder things with him at a younger age.

The first set-up we did was a water double and water blind.  This double is very similar to the double that Freighter would have run in the Senior test last month if he hadn’t broken.  We wanted to try it again to see how he would do on it.  The water blind was different from the Senior test set-up because we ran the blind in between the marks which is not allowed in a Senior test.  (At the test, the water blind was to the left of the marks.)

Water Double and Water Blind
Water Double and Water Blind
The Pond From The Line
The Pond From The Line

Storm did not get to run this set-up since she needed to keep her incision dry.  Thunder was up first and he did a nice job on this double, despite the mischief.

Some pictures of Thunder running the double.

Off To Mark #2 (Go Bird)
Off To Mark #2 (Go Bird)
Jump!
Jump!
Big Splash
Big Splash
And Another
And Another
Freighter Has The Bumper
Thunder Has The Bumper
Off To Mark #1 (Memory Bird)
Off To Mark #1 (Memory Bird)
Over The Strip Of Land
Over A Small Strip Of Land
Back Into The Water
Back Into The Water
It Was Mostly Running Water For Thunder
It Was Mostly Running Water For Thunder
Almost There
Almost There
Thunder Has It
Thunder Has It

After Thunder ran this double, Freighter tried it.  The mark to the left could have been a challenge for him because the dog has to swim a bit, then cross a strip of land and get back into the pond to pick up the bumper.  Freighter did a nice job on this double.

Next was the water blind.  The idea was to keep the dog from getting up on the point of land to the left or the island to the right.  Thunder got up on the point of land, but since he won’t be running anymore tests, he got a little break.

Freighter wasn’t getting any breaks.  He ended up running this blind three times.  The first time he got up on the island which is not what we wanted.

Freighter Off To The Water Blind
Freighter Off To The Water Blind
Oooo Up On The Island
Oh No Up On The Island

He got the bumper, but we decided to try it again and see if we could get a better line out of him.  Remember he had just run marks to the right and left of that blind and that can tend to pull a dog off line.  Plus they have a natural tendency to want to get up on land.  Many times at a test the pass or fail depends on if the dog stays in the water or gets up on land.  This is especially true at the Master level.

The second time Freighter got up on the point to the left.

Freighter Being Sent To The Water Blind A Second Time
Freighter Being Sent To The Water Blind A Second Time
Oh No On The Point
Oh No On The Point

He was handled back into the water with a right over, (OK a few right overs).  Back in the water he was stopped so he could be cast back.

Whistle Sit (The water is shallow enough.)
Whistle Sit (The water is shallow enough.)
On Line For The Blind
On Line For The Blind
Good Boy!
Good Boy!

We still didn’t get what we wanted so Freighter got to run this blind again.  Third time was the charm because he took the correct line to the blind and did not get up on either the point or the island.

Third Time To The Water Blind
Third Time To The Water Blind
Big Leap
Big Leap
Nice Line To The Blind This Time
Nice Line To The Blind This Time
On His Way Back With The Bumper
On His Way Back With The Bumper

Freighter’s water blinds are coming along, but he still needs more work on them to gain confidence.  When he has to pass a hazard or gets out there a ways, he gets a bit unsure.  I think this particular set-up went a long way to build his confidence.  We don’t always repeat things, but this time we did and I think it helped him to understand.

21 thoughts on “Nice Day For Water

  1. It looks like patience and persistence is paying off. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Such fun photos again. Those pups must be so hungry and tired after a day of training. I bet they are super happy too! They really work hard.

  3. Speaking only for myself 😉 sometimes I need to do things a couple of times before I really grasp the concept, for me repetition is key. Maybe it works that way for dogs too?

    Good job Freighter!!

    1. Nice job Freighter, you just needed a little on the job training. Nothing wrong with that.

  4. Great series. Third time was the charm for Freighter and I bet you’re right it probably helped him understand. Love the whistle-sit in the middle of the water.

  5. Love the water pictures…especially those big splashes! Him looking back while sitting in the water is just too funny. At least he stopped and paid attention. 🙂

  6. Omigosh. Thunder’s ears flopping about in the action shots is adorable. I know he’s supposed to be a superserious working dog, but it’s adorable. And Freighter’s face in the “whistle sit’ photo is priceless!

    So forgive me if you’ve explained this before, but why are they not allowed to cross the land? Is it because it’s out of the direct path? Or is there a specific signal given to them when they’re released that means water-only? Is crossing land a fatal error that automatically fails them during a test?

    1. Not sure I have really explained this before. It is a good question for tomorrow’s post because the short answer is “it depends”. 🙂

  7. I like that you draw diagrams to help us better understand the terrain. Really great training day and lots of great photos, as usual. Glad Freighter worked things out on the third run of the blind!
    Can’t pick a favorite photo… always love the awesome water shots, but I also really love the one where it looks like Thunder is running straight towards you.

  8. I agree that having access to a place like that to train is worth the cost, tests or no tests! Glad you had a nice day to train. 🙂

  9. Great photos! I love that Freighter finally got it right. I bet that did build his confidence a lot!

  10. Hi Y’all,

    Good boy Freighter.

    We’d get the job done, but Humans can be so fussy…there is my way and the right way, but the only one that matters is the Human’s way! Sometimes it’s a little hard to figure out what they want and their way doesn’t always make much sense, except to them. BOL!

    Y’all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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