Back home with our first Senior Ribbon

[TuMicks]

At what age are they not a puppy any more I had a lot of ppl telling me he still a puppy which he is a year and a month
at home he don't creep come straight to heel everything right just when he hears that duck call and gun shot go off he can't help him self deff gonna try out the holding blind training and the not every bird is his drills

I'm working on baseball right now he is picking it up good everyone in a while he will go a wrong way but I've only worked all the signals together for 2 sessions so can't complain

I've heard a lot of long time dog people swear that males mature slower than females. And Rocket Dog is 2 years and 9 months. I think it's only been since this Spring that she's started to develop a more mature work ethic. I think you just keep telling yourself that God willing, this dog will be hunting and working at your side until he's 9 years old or so and he'll peak at 4 or 5 if you do everything right. (Translate that to people years... that's a 30 to 35 year old human. So that's about right.) He is really like a kid in second grade who's learned to read and do basic math. Don't ask him to do Calculus or he'll hate school.

It sounds like to me that you're doing everything right. Cut yourself some slack, as well. Don't get frustrated.

When you hit a road block, I think the best advice is to stop whatever is hanging the dog up, break the task down into simpler parts, make sure he has some success for that session and go back to the truck with a positive attitude.

But you can expect the dog to obey and not be a jerk at a year of age. Sit. Heel. Here. Down. The blind drills... that's all just obedience and you can set your standards very high.

[TuMicks]

M is 2and a half I feel we are a little behind in the working certificate area. When I was working with Chant we were also teaching pet obedience so she got a lot of in door time with obedience. This is something that I have neglected with M but hope to remedy this Fall. There is a good deal of transfer from the field obedience to formal obedience. Chant always healed much better off leash than she did on in the obedience ring. She picked up the retrieve on flat, high jump and broad jump easily. Her nemesis was the 3 minute sit/ handler out of sight. She got bored and would lay down. I am not sure how M will take to the sits as she has the attention span of a gnat. Chant love Rally so we did it as well. The other thing that kept Chant sharp was we had a drill team. Every week we would get together and do a pattern of obedience exercises to music. Sometimes we'd have as many as 30 dogs doing the pattern. M has missed out on these things as we have just gotten too old to run around 7 days a week doing dog things.

I have a question... What skills are required for the Working Certificate? I guess I thought it was more basic than what you're describing.

[Anna Scott]

In the CKC the working certificates are basic. The wc is a set of land and water singles. You can lightly restrain your dog (no collars) and give encouragement. Marks should have 90 degree of separation and should be 50 to 75 yds long on land depending on cover and terrain.. The water marks should be between 45 and 40 yds and should land in open water or at the edge of reeds or lily pads. NO handling as these are strictly marking tests to test natural ability. The dog should deliver to hand but must bring the bird across a designated line. Most judges like to see at least 50% of the birds delivered to hand.The WCI is a set of double marks one on land and one on water. Again there should be 90 degrees of separation between the marks, land marks 75 yds in moderate to moderately heavy cover, water marks are between 40 and 50 yds. There is an honour on land.The WCX is a land double with a walking honour (15 yds) first bird down should be about 100 yds and the second 50yds in moderate to heavy cover. Marks must have more than 45 degrees of separation. There is a land blind ( with a shot) up to 75 yds in length. The water marks can be up to 50 yds in length and fall in light cover so the dog can see a splash. They should have 90 degrees of separation. Decoys are used on the I and X water tests. There is a shot from the line on one of the water marks and handler holds a replica gun. The water blind is a max of 50 yds and can be started no more than 15ft from the shore line. If decoys are present they must be at least 10 ft off the line to the blind and no closer than 10 ft from either the shore or the blind.The usual serious, moderate and minor faults are scored as well.