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Her initial line into the water is wherever I send her. So, she will take any angle at the beginning. But as she crosses the point, she goes in fat and loses her line. This is not such a problem on marks, (not that we're doing marks now because we're focusing on Traffic Cop) but it's a problem on blinds.
Any ideas?
Do you stop her on the point when doing blinds?
Yep. The way the blind spread was laid out, it was always an angled right back. She turned the correct way. It was a fairly narrow point (maybe about 2 of her strides) and she turned in the right direction. She just squared the water. IOW, instead of turning 120 degrees, she turned, say 190 degrees. She's fast, and I only got that one chance and zoom... she was in the water.
The good news is I could whistle her back and she would get back on the point and sit. Gave her the angle back... she went in fat again.
When M gets on a point or goes to swim by a point a stop her and give a straight up verbal back cast. We do a drill that teaches a straight up verbal means turn and dig straight back if it is a silent straight up cast it means I want just a little bit of an angle maybe about 10 degrees. We use 7 handed casting and the split drill (Y drill) to get this concept.
Got a reference on the two drills? I'll look into them. I had access to a technical pond today and set up a "blind" that I taught her in increments. Low pressure. All positive. She got it and had no trouble running the angle.
It's good to know we can make progress on dry ground building handling confidence on days we can't get to suitable water.
Carol Cassity's Building a Retriever Drills and More has the basic concept p 74- 75. We start with 3 piles across the back. White on the outside and orange in the middle about 15 paces apart. Make sure you do it on a flat field where dog an see the piles.
Establish each pile, line the dog to each. Then stop dog half way to pile, lining towards the middle pile, and give a silent straight up with a small step in the direction you want dog to move (left or right white pile) . A straight up vocal means dig straight back to the orange pile. Use attrition if the dog goes for the wrong pile. Once this is consistent move the middle pile in so that the three piles form a Y and repeat the process silently casing off the middle pile.
We then start lining to the outside piles, send for the right , stop the dog when they are close to the right pile and give the silent straight up cast so the dog changes direction to the left pile. Repeat lining to left and changing direction to right. Every so often stop the dog when lining a pile and give a straight up vocal back which means turn and dig back the direction you were going.
After all this then we move it into the 7 handed casting. The 3 back piles, a 45 degree pile on each side and the 90 degree over piles on each side. Establish each pile again and line to each pile again then start casting to each randomly using the straight up silents and vocals for the 3 back piles. No heat on this, use attrition and help (small step with the silent straight ups, handle on the 45's ect.) It is amazing how the dog will buy into the silent change of direction cast and sharpen up the straight back vocal. My dogs love this drill as it is like a game. We use it with coloured bumpers when we do demos. Have a kid tell the dog a colour and then cast the dog to pick it up.
I have that book in a big stack of stuff on a shelf. I haven't pulled it out for a while. It sounds great. I'll check out those pages because I know she does nice diagrams. But your explanation makes a lot of sense.
Thanks!
Heck, I can't even lay my irrigation line (40' sections) straight down my sloped field when having a target in front of me. I was thinking the other night, how the heck can our dogs do it!!! :p
They are amazing, aren't they? Anne, when do you find time to eat and sleep???!!!
It's actually humbling to see what a terrible job I do w/ that pipe sometimes when I *think* I'm spot on. Dang, 2 nights ago you'd have thought I was a snake! Pretty embarrassing, lol. I hadn't had any alcohol either!!! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by TuMicks
So you say!