Nice diagram. Is the blue arrow wind direction or the line?
The #2 bird was thrown into a mowed field and both that one and the go bird are about 150 yards or so.
I was expecting Bridget to give me trouble like she did the last time we were on this pond. (She just wouldn't carry a line, wanted to beach early... she was just being a diva.) She's a funky dog, sort of soft but likes to push her limits. So, she went to the line with the whole body posture of... "I know you're going to make me do stuff I don't want to do. I just know you're going to be mean to me." Hells-bells, she's a 7 year old Master Hunter. She can handle a triple. She knows not to go back to the old fall. This should be a piece of cake. And it was. She nailed the whole thing. But on the line, when the birds were going down, she looked UP AT ME!!! Giving me the old... "I'm so confused" look. Then she turns around and slams it. The blind was simple for her.
Rocket Dog had a "bad day at Black Rock." On the positive side, the pro decided to have her do a double with the outside birds. I think it was like a bolt from the blue for her. She's been given so much simple steadying kind of single marks. Neither of these would have been tough for her, but you could tell that she just wasn't expecting to see two go down. She had a biggish hunt on the go-bird, then had to be handled across the water to the second bird, and gave some cast refusals, getting a little pressure. But if they did everything right every time, they wouldn't be learning any new skills.
It was hot. The air was still and the sun blazing down on us. But we were done by 11:30. Not bad for 18 dogs.
Tomorrow live fliers.
Nice diagram. Is the blue arrow wind direction or the line?
ooooh triples! did your heart do that kind of sinking thing when she looked up at you like that? then the almost palpatible relief when she heads off and does it nicely!
I was sort of upset with her since this is sort of what we call "bugging". Bugging is looking anywhere EXCEPT where the dog knows he/she is going to be sent. A kind of refusal without refusing. So much of the action takes place on line, and a bugging dog is telling you "yes, I know I can't walk away, but in my head I'm going on strike".) Bridget is sort of a soft dog and has always been a Diva. So even though the set-up was simple for her, she was giving me the jazz.
In my diagram, the triangle is the dog sitting on line. I should have drawn a red line or something to indicate where the line was. I WISH there had been a breeze, but it was just hot and dead calm.
ah. and see, i would take that as hey, you need to be looking out there and marking where the falls went, not looking up at me. because then, me being so green at this, would send the dog, dog would be confused as to where to hunt, and i would say well yes, you weren't looking at the fall.
we have been soooo blessed that we haven't been working in that heat! even the 4 saturdays or so its been muggy and hot, we've started earlier, and by the time we;re wrapping up its only been about 85 (muggy as all get out, but still), and one of those days was at my place with the pool for them all to cool off in. Yesterday, i was in my rain gear, because it was threatening rain, but i wanted it to help keep me warm! it was that chilly out.
85 degrees.
(Big sigh)
We probably won't see that again until the end of September. (At least as a day time temperature.)
On your set up did anyone use secondary selection and take the short bird out first? That was a nice tight triple. Today it was only 56 degrees here and pouring rain. Not even the rain gear kept me dry. In fact it wicked the water down into my boots and I actually had to pour it out when I took them off. We were doing some simple set ups for the group doing their WC tests next weekend. Weather is supposed to be better but it seems to rain every other day here.
Superb setup. Love it. More "water envy".
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