"REV" - Update / Teamwork

[IRISHWISTLER]

Aye Mates,
T'was brought to me attention that I had not recently made any postings with updates on the gundog training of a recently (7/25/15) turned one year old Labrador named CHURN CREEK'S EL DIABLO NUTMEG REVOLUTION (aka REV). I am happy to report that REV has been progressing nicely since me last update on him.

REV has now been through FORCE FETCH and HOLD conditioning and we have been working on marked retrieves on land at varying distances and whith the birds / bumpers launched into varying cover types. REV is high drive and takes lines near straight as can be to the area of fall where he hunts persistently until he finds the bird. REV show good depth perception and his hunts for marks are kept very tight within the area of fall and usually very quickly recovered. REV seemingly has little regard for cover and plows through it with style, speed, and agility. REV is currently retrieving bumpers, Dokken Training Birds, and frozen pigeons regularly during marking drills. He is now completing the conditioned retrieve with a nice "J hook" to the HEEL and SIT position along side of the handler and delivering the bird to hand on the command "GIVE".

The verbal command "DOWN" has now been added and solidified to REV'S list of known commands for specific behaviors. In addition to going prone on the verbal command "DOWN", REV also will comply with a gestural cue for "DOWN" and will do so out to great distances whilst we do field work. This allows for silent prompting for REV to assume the "DOWN" position at considerable distance and can be used handily to avoid spooking game.

REV has had exposure to game calls and we will now be adding decoys during both our land and water drills.

REV having been trained to "SIT" immediately upon hearing a gunshot will soon be training on steady to wing, shot, and fall of live birds. As well, REV will be increasingly delayed before being sent on marked retrieves and for random lengths of duration, this will increase his drive whilst improving his steadyness at the line. REV will also see numerous birds / marks fall that he is not sent on in order to affirm that he goes when he is commanded to, and not until commanded to. As work on land retrieves become solidified, we will progress to water as well.


REV and his owner Rick participate in regular training sessions in which I have them work together as a team while I observe and coach. This will make for a much smoother transition when REV returns to his home. The owner will have a fluent understanding and practical application of all of the verbal commands, gestural cues, and whistle signals that REV has been trained on during his time with me. Additionally, the owner is being taught how to maintain the training REV has received, to reinforce that training throughout daily activities, and to make certain that obedience is a way of life going forward for this wonderful companion gundog.

REV will be with me until the end of September and will return home to his "family / pack" at that time. A specifically designed training plan for more advanced training will be discussed between meself and REV'S owner at that time. It is clear that REV has come along very nicely since starting to train with me back on April Fool's Day with snow still on the ground and REV making his first flush of a woodcock two days into training, t'was a very good omen indeed.

I will continue with future updates on REV and his certain progress.

Enjoy ye retrievers and good training to ye all!

Cheers,
Irishwhistler

[POPTOP]

Good work REV! Sounds like he is progressive very well under your tutelage. Glad to see his owner fully participating in his training.

One thing, how's TRAD doing?

[IRISHWISTLER]

Good work REV! Sounds like he is progressive very well under your tutelage. Glad to see his owner fully participating in his training.

One thing, how's TRAD doing?

POPTOP,
TRAD is doing fine and I train with him most every day. TRAD will be traveling to Long Island with meself and me wife over the next two days. We hit a bit of a wall on the hunt test scene and I have decided to concentrate on training and forgo our goal of his making AKC SENIOR HUNTER by his 2nd birthday. We have been very close to very nice qualifying scores only to get a dq in the very last element of the test. Truth be told, a few of the dq's could be more closely attributed to me own handler error than to TRAD himself. We are focusing on what we need to train on and we will get to his AKC SH in due time. We did put an HRC HUNTING RETRIEVER (HR) Title on him back in June and that was a grand accomplishment for him and meself for this summer. With consideration of me own medical problems dealt with this year, I am happy with the progress we have made. Thanks for asking.


TEAM TRAD

Slainte,
Irishwhistler & TRAD