The thing most to be desired in a dog is BALANCE. You got a great pup and have obviously put a great deal of thought into everything you've done with him.
Brooks definitely has plenty of "GO" and I think it's easier to manage that and to try and put "GO" into a dog like my Sophie, who couldn't care less about retrieving.
I can't tell you how many compliments I've gotten on Brooks and how he loves to work. Doesn't matter if it's in the field or doing obedience or rally, you can just tell he loves to work. We were at a group training day with our club a couple months ago and I was walking back to the truck after running our marks and blinds. A lady comes up to me and comments that Brooks was the happiest dog she's ever seen, saying she was watching him doing the blinds, and when I gave him a sit whistle he spun around, sat, his tail thrashing and a big smile on his face. I laughed and told her he does that every time I give him a sit whistle, he just can't wait for me to cast him to the bird.
Brooks will be 3 in May, and he's starting to show that he's maturing, and I think once he's fully mature, and with continued training, he's going to be a pretty good dog.
The thing most to be desired in a dog is BALANCE. You got a great pup and have obviously put a great deal of thought into everything you've done with him.
barry581 (02-21-2019)
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Glad that you and RD are getting quality time together now that you are feeling better. We won't be getting out doors to train for awhile yet. A friend and I are going to start indoor drill work at a large facility here. We can do a lot of Dennis Voigt's 25 essential drills and then be ready for tune up drills in the spring. I was supposed to go to an obedience trial this week end with M but she came in to season. I thought she might as Elle came in first. They are running around in their twin diapers right now. The only good thing is they will probably get through the field trial season without another cycle.
Have you don't the blind/ diversion drill with RD. It is the one where you set a blind and then teach it. Once the dog has it you put a person out in the field and the dog must run by them to the blind, next step is they fire a dry shot and the dog runs the blind, 3. they throw a mark (at first away from the blind) dogs runs the blind then picks up the mark, 4. throw the mark as a poison bird no the dog off and run the blind 5 the last step is throw the mark send the dog for the mark and handle them to the blind. It really helps teach poison bird and handling off a poison bird. The more the dog runs the blind the more momentum you get. We go back to this a few time in the season and after set up the concept of a poison bird or primary selection.
Keep letting us know what you are doing. You are right, they always tell me its not the dog it's the handle. I sure can make some stupid handling errors.
So this is one of the drills I have been told to work on while here. It isn't new to us entirely, but the big new emphasis is what happens on the line. I have to receive her and position her so that by the time she SITS to deliver the bumper, she's pointed where she'll be going for the next send. So that we're not doing the HERE-HEEL-NO-HEEL-SIT rumba. Bottom line is... it's almost all about me and my handling but overall, it's all about us becoming a team on line.
Jollymolly (03-01-2019)
We do one that is similar but we put 3 piles about 15 yds apart at the back, 2, 45 degree piles right and left and then the 2 over piles. When we stop the dog and give a straight up vocal it means dig back to the middle pile. When we stop and give a straight up silent cast it means change directions to one of the other back pile (right or left depending on which arm is raised. The other casts are all silent with arm directions. My dogs love this 8 handed casting drill. The middle back pile always has extra bumpers for lining through so the dog keeps up momentum and doesn't start to pop. We teach it after they have learned the split drill.
it is great having a pro behind you pointing out the errors of your way. Bill used to rag on me about moving too much and flapping my arms around. Another thing he would get on me for is putting my hand down to direct the dog in. He wanted the dog to make the correct decision. "don't help her" and "what are you doing' still ring in my ears. We train with another of Bill's clients and you often hear him say "what are you doing: to his dog. I am sure it is just a ghost of Bill past.
Keep us informed. I really appreciate your posts.
Last edited by TuMicks; 02-28-2019 at 10:26 AM.
About 50 paces or so to the back pile. You can move all the way up to the center, for example, and just run the three back piles. It widens them out and makes it a piece of cake. You can make three big stacks of white bumpers. It’s just a way to start teaching the pattern. Keep it fun always. The back pile is the most important, so you run it more often than the others.
The weather really sucks. Got a National Weather Service Alert that a big arctic blast is headed for TX hill country. Going down in to the twenties (OK... no smirking from you Canadians and other US Yankee types!!!) and the wind would be particularly strong. Right now it is rocking my little 18 foot R-Pod. I wish I could bring in all 3 dogs (RD and the two Senior citizens) but there literally isn’t enough room unless one of them could curl up in the marine toilet closet. I could manage it if I let at least one of them on my bed... but since the two girls have a fondness for rolling in cow manure, that is out of the question. The Pod is not particularly well insulated. (I think that may be a feature I’ll shop for in the future). But you can make it hot as a sauna in here with the little electric heater. I also have a spare propane tank. So I should be warm enough.
Maybe I shouldn’t whine too much. The snow pack in parts of the northern sierra is up to 42 feet.
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