I am trying to brush up on my video skills so I took some video of the dogs training last weekend. They ran a long single mark and a blind. We had already run a bunch of marks and some blinds and this was the last thing for the day. We left our launcher in the position it had been for the earlier marks, but we adjusted it to launch the bumper farther out in the field. You can read about our earlier set-up here and here.
First up was Thunder. I am standing at the line for this video so you get the perspective of what his handler sees.
Thunder ended up hunting a bit short of where the mark landed. This is probably because we had been throwing a lot of bumpers in that area earlier and they left scent. If you look closely you can see him using his nose to hunt. Thunder’s nose has been his downfall at a couple of tests because he tends to trust it over his eyes. But he is a hunting dog and nose is a good thing.
After he retrieves the mark, Thunder runs a blind to the left of the line. You can see him trying to swing back around to the middle of the field. This is probably because he has retrieved a lot of bumpers in that area. Towards the end of the video Thunder spots the blind, but he was a good dog and sat on hubby’s whistle and waited for a cast.
If the video doesn’t play, try here.
Next up was Storm. She runs the same mark, but we moved the blind across to the other side of the field to give her a slightly new set-up. I also moved out into the field so I could reload the launcher. Sorry the video is a bit bouncy at the beginning. I was trying to juggle the control for the launcher and my camera.
Storm had a bit of a hunt on the mark, but not much. She also “popped” on the blind. Popping is where the dog stops on its own and looks at its handler for direction. Usually it is a sign that the dog is not sure and I think this was the case with Storm. I think she expected the blind to be on the other side of the field. You can see her trying to work her way across the field a few times. Each time hubby stops and recasts Storm toward the blind until she gets it.
If the video doesn’t play, try here.
Finally Freighter ran the same set-up as Storm. I was still out in the field.
Freighter goes directly to the bumper which is typical for him. Next is the blind. Freighter tries to get back to middle of the field just like Storm. If you watch the end of the blind, you can see that he is a bit unsure and does not hold his sit as long as he should and turns the wrong way for a cast or two. In addition to teaching Freighter to hold his sits longer, hubby is also working on getting a sit out of Freighter right at the end of the blind. When Freighter does not sit on the whistle and grabs the bumper, hubby insists on that sit and gives Freighter a back cast just to further work on control.
After Freighter completed the blind, hubby ran him on it again as a confidence builder. Freighter lined it the second time which is also typical if you run him on the same blind twice.
If the video doesn’t play, try here.
In addition to the video, I took this series of photos of Storm retrieving a bumper. She shows so much enthusiasm, you would never know that she will be 8 in June.
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to get any training in this weekend because Freighter is entered in a dog show both Saturday and Sunday.
This is the Thursday Barks and Bytes Blog Hop hosted by Heart Like A Dog and 2 Brown Dawgs.
It’s really neat seeing them do what they are bred for!
Ditto and good luck with the show. Fabulous. Have a tremendous Thursday.
Best wishes Molly
We love your training videos. They give us such a brilliant insight into the world of your training.
sumskersandearlskers13blogspot.com
What age is the last “good age” for hunting dogs? I would think eight would still be plenty young?
Yes 8 is plenty young for Storm. She comes from a line that has some nice longevity with many hunting to 12 or older. But for training sometimes older dogs decide they just do not want to do it because of all of the rules. Storm still acts like a puppy retrieving a ball…lol.
Brilliant videos. I love learning more about this. Have a lovely end of the week.
Love the videos! Best of luck at the show!!
Hi Y’all!
Yep, that sit! I’m good at sitting except when my Human is going to throw a ball or frisbee, then I want to inch around ahead of her. Darn if she doesn’t keep makin’ me circle and sit until I’m beside her.
Good luck this weekend Freighter! Let’s hope the judge thinks you’re as handsome and perfect as my Human does!
Y’all come on by,
Hawk aka BrownDog
Love the video – especially love how Thunder’s tail wags when he hears the shot…
Men at work… ah no… Brown Dawgs at work :o) it was great to watch your videos, I loved the start of Storms video, you picked a great place to make the video… she started like a jet from an aircraft carrier!
Of the three dogs, I think Storm is the fastest and especially when she wants to be.
Aw this was awesome!!!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
I loved how Thunder’s tail started wagging when he heard the shot. You can tell they all love what they are doing, which is a very good thing!
Thunder has always loved training. You probably noticed how he was yanking hubby’s chain at the end by pretending not to know what sit means…lol.
I love the videos! It’s fun to see them in action from the handler’s standpoint. Photos are great, but you can see their enthusiasm a bit more in the videos.
I’ve always enjoyed your photos, but the videos show the whole process even better. Good luck to Freighter this weekend!
Good luck at the shows! Any majors?
Thank you. Tomorrow is a 5 point major if all of the dogs show up. 🙂
Go, Freighter! Kick some Chessie tail!
There will be some tough competition and no doubt handlers. We will see.
Freighter’s got it in his pocket. Or he would if he were a kangaroo. Chessie’s don’t have pockets, right?
LOL no thank goodness. I would hate to think what they would keep in one!
Storm would keep her Kong. No doubt.
True!
Great job gang. Ok I had to tear up when watching Thunder, he so reminds me of Norman, his tail wagging the whole freaken time coming back with the bumper and then sitting by Jim and it is wagging is something Norman always did.
Good old Norman. But I bet Norman didn’t cause mischief like Thunder does at the line. LOL that is Thunder he always wants to control things so he pretends he doesn’t know sit. 🙂
I really enjoyed the videos, keep them coming!