From published articles by Evan Graham

NEW: TITLES – What they mean, and don’t mean
1. TITLES – What they mean, and don’t mean

2. Walking Baseball Fundamentals

3. A summer at CL-2

4. After Initial Force Work

5. An American Prespective on Field Trials and Hunt Tests

6. Cause and Effect: Trouble Shooting Training Problems

7. On your mark...get set..."fetch"

8. Two-sidedness

9. Swim-by for Any Dog

10. Dr. Jeckyll or Mr. Hyde?

11. Four-way Push/Pull drill

By Evan Graham

Many of today’s trainers use some version of Basics as originally conceived by the late great Rex Carr. But the versions are sometimes broadly varied, especially in regard to some essential components.

Specifically, with regard to the fundamental exercises used to build basic handling skills, there is some dispute over whether a trainer will use a Single T vs. a Double T, or whether they’ll use them both. The discussions often lack one important ingredient in choosing any technique; rationale. Why do we use it? Why do we not use it? Those are the substantive questions we all need to ask.

One of many pile-based drills, the Single T is the first step I take from the tiny confines of 3-handed Casting, CC-to-“Sit”, and Mini-T. In those drills our dogs have learned to perform the three simple casts (Back, Right Over & Left Over), and have been conditioned to sit to a single whistle blast. This is as basic as handling skills get, and the 3-handed Casting/Mini-T format is both simple and quite short in terms of distance. That was to keep control high, pressure low, and the information simple.

When we took those little skills to the Single T, we simply grew those basic handling skills up a bit into a full-scale land T. The Back pile is now 100 yards away, with our Over casts 25 to 30 yards off centerline. We move our dogs through skills in a sequence of steps; small, to slightly larger scale. One by one, we move into a more real world scale instead of jumping in quantum leaps that can cause dogs to be needlessly insecure about each new phase of development.

The distances to the bumpers in 3-handed Casting & Mini-T were measured in a matter of a few feet, whereas in full-scale T work the distances are measured in yards. Because of that we don’t just run over to our T field and start running the drill in its complete form. We start up close to the Back pile and back up in steps to establish it.

When we approach the cast point (or Apex), we identify the Over piles from there while standing right in front of the dog to keep it simple and low key. Again, we increase distance overall in a sequential manner, gradually extending to full scale.

When we arrive at the point where our dogs have been to the new Back pile many times, and have been sent, stopped, and cast to it numerous times until we’ve backed up all the way to our start point at 100 yards, we can begin to handle at the full scale of the T. We’re growing our dog’s abilities at a rate he can easily tolerate and learn from without breaking down his enjoyment of the work or confusing him.

Our dogs end up being able to line the 100-yard Back pile with confidence and style, stop sharply to the whistle, and take the simple Over casts from a cast point 25 yards away. We will have forced from our side and en route prior to moving on to the Double T. This is already more than many trainers get out of their T work. But it’s far from the real potential in possesses.

By getting started on Single T, and then changing to Double T, we offer our dogs a host of ways to strengthen the skills we’ve been working on through elevating the level of difficulty. It’s harder to take a straight Over cast when there is suction to another nearby pile, for example.

In the example here, the dog would have been stopped at the closer apex and given a right Over. Because of the suction of the nearby (second) Over pile, it’s reasonable that he may be drawn to that one instead. This provides the trainer with an opportunity to covey the clear message that he is to take the cast as he was directed, this elevating his level of skill. This is only one of many practical examples of how a Double T offers so much more than a Single T is capable of providing.

Some trainers have never had a vision of what Double T offers. That is even true of many trainers who have done it religiously for years. Many trainers will still not be able to understand its value. For them it’s just as well that they don’t bother. If you don’t know what your goals are, you won’t know when you have reached them.

By Evan Graham

The term Walking Baseball (WBB) denotes flexibility, and that is the key feature of this fine little casting drill. It is a transitional drill for developing basic handling skills after a retriever has completed land-T work, as well as a maintenance drill that may be occasionally used to sharpen several aspects of handling. Among its most appealing qualities is that it’s a useful drill for all handling dogs, and one that can be done without the need of a helper.

Created by hall-of-fame trainer D.L. Walters, WBB offers total flexibility to the trainer in what casts to focus on, how far you care to condition the dog to carry them, what combinations of casts to use, plus as many opportunities to sharpen whistle responses as you care to do in a session.

Structured Mechanics vs. Flexibility

In the standard T drills (single-T and double-T) are certain constants representing drill dynamics. There are so-called piles (groups of training dummies or bumpers) located at specific locations, and predetermined intersections at which the dog is stopped and cast from. In WBB, there are no piles, so stop and cast points are completely flexible. Using two large orange bumpers helps to assure that they will be visible to the trainer, and provide compete freedom to cast anywhere terrain and space allow. There are just a few things about WBB that should be followed consistently to assure a smooth, successful session.

It’s a bit like playing chess!

Choose a point at which to enter your field and begin the drill. What you want to consider is where you will place the first bumper because that will be the first one cast to (and retrieved) when you begin. Don’t just lay the bumper down – toss it, and let your dog see you toss every one of them. Choose a spot that will allow the bumper to be visible, and make certain that you don’t start teaching in an over-complicated scheme. Toss the bumper out in the open, away from structure and out of cover. Once the first bumper is placed, you will walk your dog away from it with the following considerations:

1. Walk the dog as far as you want the first cast to be carried.
2. Plan for the direction of that cast (an “over,” for example).
3. Plan to set up the next cast according to how you position your dog and where you place the second bumper.
4. Implement your casts by backing away from your dog the distance you want him to carry his second cast – keeping in mind your plan for giving the second cast and setting up a third one. You will need to make space for all of this.

The way in which running this drill is like playing chess is that you need to plan your next move ahead of time. For example, you must consider how far you want your cast to be carried because that’s how far you will walk your dog from the first bumper you put down. If you want to stat with a 40-yard cast, walk your dog 40 yards from the first bumper before sitting him.

Second, you will also need to preplan your second cast so that you place your next bumper appropriately before walking away from the sitting dog in the right direction, and at the preplanned distance that will determine how far that cast will be. Sound complicated? Only at first. You’ll soon find that this is much simpler than it sounds.

Before moving away to cast the dog, though the second bumper is tossed to a spot that will be the next cast. That should be roughly 15-20 feet from the dog, and at least 90-degree angle of your initial cast to reduce conflict with it, as seen in the diagram. The dotted lines indicate the path walked by the trainer, while the heavy solid arrow shows cast direction.

In Diagram 1 the trainer has decided that the drill will begin with a right “over” cast at 40 yards, and the next cast will be a left ‘over” at about the same distance. Here’s how it works:

1. As you can see, the dog is left in a spot that will allow the first cast, as planned.
2. The trainer has placed the second bumper at a 90-degree angle from the first one (behind the dog in this example) to reduce initial conflict.
3. The trainer has then walked the distance of his preplanned second cast (about 40 yards)
4. The chess game continues by planning the third cast right now. This will require consideration of having enough room to place a new bumper after the first cast, as well as enough room to walk the right distance and in the correct direction to cast from.

Diagram 2 shows the drill proceeding with the second cast (a left “over”) being given to the bumper that was placed behind the dog in Diagram 1. The third bumper position is also behind the dog, also at a 90-degree angle from the current cast, and with the trainer positioned to use the field properly for succeeding casts.

The Good News

The good news about these complicated looking first steps is that once you understand these essentials, the rest gets simpler as you continue. But you always need to be aware of proximal relationships among you, your dog, the two bumpers, and the size and layout of your training field. By doing the drill several times, you will soon find this to be far simpler than it looks in the beginning.

Day by day, running WBB becomes easier and more fun for you and your dog. The essential components of handling become sharper, which allows a trainer to advance the way in which casting is presented. First, let’s look at a simple progression from the last cast shown (Diagram 3)

The diagrams show a field that is really much smaller than is optimal, but serves to demonstrate a problem commonly encountered by those new to WBB – running out of space! We’ll soon see how that may play out as we proceed. You will also see a way to use the limitless flexibility offered by this drill.

(continued) a subsequent cast. As you can see by where the next bumper was tossed, things get crowded – the trainer will receive the dog only a few feet from the next bumper, and will have little room for any kind of constructive casting.

Note that the initial left rotation “back” cast is set up just fine – bun now what? Not to worry! Remember, this drill is as flexible as the person using it. The cast can be given as planned, and the dog may be received as usual. Diagram 5 shows that to continue the drill, the trainer should take the dog to a new position to be cast (a right rotation “back” in this case) to the remaining bumper without placing another one for a subsequent cast. They would simply be too close to each other for the dog to separate them fairly.

How About Angles?

Angle (or “Literal”) casts can also be taught and maintained in WBB because of its limitless flexibility. You would simply proceed with the drill as shown before, only you would set up different casts according to the direction you walk from the dog. The widest variety of casts imaginable can be mixed and match as your dog advances.

In Diagram 6, you should be able to see an increased difficulty in how this one was set up. The 45-degree angle-back cast has been arranged, but the second cast bumper is now in great conflict with it, making a mistake far more likely. That’s why lots of basic preparation should have been done before such a setup is attempted. What is most likely here is that the dog may begin to take the cast as given but then be drawn toward the closer bumper. Make every effort to assure low-or no-pressure corrections. For now, let’s say it went well.

(continued) subsequent cast, and then moving to a position with your dog as shown by the red line in the diagram. Place your dog in position to cast 45 degrees to the bumper you left near him on the prior cast, and move yourself far enough from him to give the cast, calculating how far you want your next cast to be.

Don’t’ forget to plan ahead of what you want your next cast to be, but also don’t be afraid to move either yourself or your dog into the right position prior to the cast you want to give. Remember the flexibility of the drill – there is nothing restricting you. Also don’t forget that you can even incorporate a bumper between you and dog for a “here” cast.

Corrections

for a wrong bumper as well as slipping whistles. You can expect the same type of problems to come up during WBB as in more conventional casting work, but it’s still different because you have more control over the dynamics of your session, which will tend to isolate certain types of mistakes your dog makes. In T-work, the dynamics are set, creating preconceived notions that both teach and distract your dog – he learns to cast and line to piles he knows, but those same piles can distract him from correct responses in the early going. In WBB, you change the location on each succeeding repetition, and there is no set “back” pile to cast off of or line to.

What distractions there are, and how tempting they are, is left entirely to the trainer in WBB. How close or how far away the set-up bumper is placed can be totally determined by you, according to how you choose to progress. In addition, you also get to choose which casts to give and at what angles. Those considerations will also determine a level of distraction for your dog.

When you begin to cast your dog at angles that bring him closer past a different bumper, you’re far more likely to get whistle refusals when trying to keep the dog from retrieving the wrong one. This will offer opportunities to strengthen whistle-sit responses. The idea is to support your basic performance without resorting to mere pressure to get it done.

WBB provides you with all the opportunities to work on any specific weakness your dog has shown you, and to do it at any distance or angle you desire, as many times as you like – and the dog will not have returned to a pile of bumpers at any time during the drill. Every cast is fresh.

A Summer at CL-2: Memories of Rex

After Initial Force Work

Suggested progression following Force Fetch and Force-to-Pile

You will begin by setting up a 3-legged pattern with blinds about 40 yards in length. The

blinds are 90 degrees apart, as the diagram shows.

Do a “Walking fetch” session, alternating the use of a bumper for several repetitions, and then inserting a bird (frozen pigeons are best) every other time, evolving into using the bird every time. When this is smoothed out, use birds every time.

Excerpt from Smartwork for Retrievers, Basics and Transition volume one

On Field Trials and Hunt Tests

By Evan Graham

Marks

“G” indicates a gunner/thrower in the field. “X” denotes the area of the fall. This is what is known as an indented triple mark. The center mark is a memory bird, and is made difficult by being the ‘indent’ bird, along with several other considerations.

It is the second bird thrown, following the live shot flyer on the left. Then a long ‘control’ bird (dead bird) is thrown on the right. The dog will cross water, drive through a strip of dense cover, then across an open area, and out across an expanse of ploughed ground to get his first mark. Upon returning with that fall, his first memory mark is the indent, which is often retired; the gun/thrower becomes hidden so as not to provide a visual cue that would make the mark easier.

There are several natural tendencies in dogs that make this particular mark difficult. First, it is a memory mark. Then, it is placed so that a dog will tend to cheat both water and cover en route to it, placing them on a potentially perilous course toward the flyer on the left. If that fall is retrieved second, it establishes a preconceived notion about the line to be taken subsequently, and makes it even more difficult to succeed on the indent.

What’s being tested in a set up like this?

Let’s dissect this test to determine what is actually being tested. First, what is being tested is pure marking and memory. Bird placement and distance promote this. Second, trainability coupled with a willingness to cooperate with the handler. After all, from the perspective of most dogs, it would be far more enticing to go for the flyer on the left second. Only significant schooling (and trainability in the dog) are likely to allow the dog to retrieve that very difficult ‘indent’ mark second.

The third quality tested here is sagacity – a special type of intelligence in dogs that allows them to problem solve in highly challenging circumstances, such as a test like this one presents. Most dogs of hunting quality possess intelligence, but only the best are sagacious enough to sort out a test as fraught with challenges as this one with any consistency. In the upper classes of today’s field trials, most dogs entered are quite adept at this level of work, so the standards must be kept high.

Blind Retrieves

Since a blind retrieve is purely the result of training, control is the focus of such tests in

 U.S. trials. Dogs are judged against each other on the basis of comparative merit, so

great emphasis is placed on constructing tests that challenge control to very high degrees.

The distinctions between Hunt Tests and Field Trials

Stuff happens.

You love to hunt, and you may very well love to run hunt tests, and/or field trials. It’s all great fun, and a wonderful challenge to train your dog for all of the pursuits you enjoy. While actually doing the work, especially under judgment, it is natural for certain aspects of your dog’s training to erode. He gets excited, and …well, stuff happens!

The dog that remains by your side in training now creeps 10 yards on each bird while hunting, or at a test or trial. His typically very good hearing seems to fail him when you take him to one of these events. His casting only changes his course about half as well as it does in training. And the little stinker breaks on honors! He has begun to bolt for the line as soon as you take his leash off in the holding blind. Or you let him out of the vehicle when you’re out hunting and off he goes into the darkness!

If none of this sounds familiar, you are clearly not hunting enough, nor are you running tests or trials! Or, you are running a dog that takes sedatives. Or, just maybe… you are running them smart!

You may just be running a test/trial, and then staying home to train for a week or two before competing or testing again. You may be in the tiny percentage of trainers who are wise and self-controlled enough not to overdo it. Your dog spends far more time in a controlled environment (training) compared to the amount of time he spends in an uncontrolled environment (testing/trialing or hunting), so he doesn’t tend to fall apart when he is there. He tests and hunts pretty much as he trains. He’s a rare dog. You are a rare human…

…Or not, in which case you stand in need of this message on how to keep a balance sufficient to maintain a fundamentally sound dog. That is the goal; to maintain a fundamentally sound dog…a balanced dog.

This article is as much devoted to understanding how humans work, as it is to knowing how dogs work. When you observe a dog with training problems, you are seeing symptoms that were almost certainly created directly, or indirectly, by a human. Any experienced pro can tell you this. We mean well, but we get caught up in how much fun the dogs are and how much fun we have hunting and testing them. We also have limitations, like available time or facilities.

When you‘re sick, your body sends you messages. You have pain. You feel lousy. You get weak. If you are wise, you learn to listen to your body. You take care of the problems your body says you need help with.

It’s like that with your dog’s training sometimes. His casting just doesn’t alter his course like it used to. He creeps, or tries to switch, or he pops on marks. His skills are “sick”. They are sending you messages. His once well-tuned abilities are weak. They look lousy, and are almost painful to watch! Stuff happened.

If you have a headache, and only take a pain reliever, you may very well get over it and continue in generally good health. But, if you have chronic headaches, pain relievers alone will only help temporarily, and may mask some developing health problem that you need a real cure for.

If your dog’s skills have become “sick”, and the problems you see are becoming chronic, you need to take measures that will cure the problem, not just mask it. But you must understand that the problems you are addressing may not be cured with some magic bullet; an easy cure-all. We are talking about behavior, and the need to modify it. How you go about it will make all the difference in its lasting effects.

Knowing how dogs acquire a habitual behavior will also help you to understand how to go about mending behavior that has become a problem. Habits, whether good or bad, don’t just disappear. They are replaced with different ones. The dog that once stopped sharply to the whistle may now require fifteen or twenty steps to come to a stop. Further, he may now only crouch instead of sitting. Or, he may just stand there and look back at you. Worst of all, he may now do this chronically. That has become his habit, and it’s probably driving you nuts!

You can take superficial steps in a training session that seems to have corrected a problem, and then notice that he’s right back at it in no time. That is because you haven’t changed his habit. You only did something one day that made it look better…for a while. The habit remains.

Sometimes you can work on more than one problem at a time, because a certain drill or exercise managed to provide a co-benefit or two as you addressed some specific problem. Generally, though, it’s best to focus on one problem at a time. First things first.

You may have identified a problem to work on already. Take stock of the whole dog. Give him a check-up. Isn’t all this medical talk invigorating? It’s a very similar approach. Your doctor or nurse isn’t treating your bad heart. They’re treating you; the patient with a bad heart. Heart patients often have other problems that need addressing besides just their heart. Or they often have other health issues that have contributed to what has become a heart problem.

You aren’t fixing a pop. You are training a dog that pops. Popping is a problem your dog has, so you want to fix it. But, have you really identified what’s wrong with your dog? Is popping his only problem? If you have learned about other problems your dog has, is popping his most important one? If you don’t assess all potential problems in your dog’s training, how can you correctly prioritize? How do you know that what you have decided to work on first is what was most important for your dog?

If you periodically give your dog a training check-up, you may save both of you some trouble by treating the little problems before they become big ones. Some of you have heard this speech from you doctor, haven’t you? It is a principle that works. It works for your health, and it works for the health of your dog’s training. After all his behavior, much like ours, is driven by his emotional health status.

As a pro trainer, I had a truckload of dogs in my care, most of which were hunting dogs, as well as field trial competitors. I never had a field trial dog that didn’t hunt. My job was to keep each one running at a level near his or her individual peak as much of the time as possible. Sure I had the usual health and hygiene issues that any dog owner/trainer deals with, but the lion’s share of my time was spent in the field honing, or repairing their skills.

I came up with a troubleshooting check-up, which I gave my dogs monthly; the same way I was paid. That’s how I knew where I was with each dog. That’s how we stayed competitive running as many as twenty-six trials in a year. It involves keeping a journal of each dog’s training. It tracks progress, as well as problems.

When I reported to the owners of the dogs I was training, it wasn’t just a progress report. It was a health status record. I reported the state of the dog’s progress, but also the state of his maintenance. That reflected more accurately what we were doing in training to advance him, and to evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Some clients appreciated it more than others, but I required it of myself.

If chronic headaches are caused by a problem with a blood vessel, only repairing the blood vessel in some definitive way will solve the problem. Pain relievers will merely help you to live with the problem for a while, masking symptoms. All too soon the pain relievers won’t be able to help anymore. You need a real cure.

This same philosophical approach can be applied to myriad other training problems. Drill work is the very essence of attrition, and tends to produce outstanding results. Good training!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On your mark… get set…’fetch’

Having a solid foundation of obedience in your dog, and having taught "hold", it's time to embark on the actual force fetching process.

Once you have decided on a place to do your work, and have chosen a fetch object, begin by taking a little time to relax your dog. Don’t throw retrieves for him. Just walk with him a little, and keep structure (commands) to a minimum.

Choose where you’ll begin, and tell him to sit. Hopefully that will be the last obedience command you’ll need. If it isn’t, that’s okay, but keep that as a goal. Using proper technique will help with this. Look at the picture above. Note that the dog is sitting (the product of solid prior obedience training), and that the trainer has three fingers looped through the collar. That grip will go a long way toward controlling his upper body.

It looks like the trainer is pinching, but this depicts a firm hold on the earflap. The earflap is pressed against the tang of the collar, making the tang the pressure point. The remaining fingers are looped under the collar strap to control the dog’s upper body. The ear is not really ever pinched.

Look at this dog’s expression.

This isn’t a dog in agony. She’s uncomfortable, and that means you have an opportunity to show her how to relieve that discomfort. You will associate that act with a verbal command (fetch), and that is what gets this entire process going. Soon your dog will be reaching out to grab the roller/bumper on command (combined with pressure). Gradually extend the distance you hold the roller from the dog to get her moving a little at a time. As you do this you will start the dog taking a few steps toward the roller.

Expand on the reaching response, again by reading your dog so you don’t advance too fast. It’s often a matter of baby steps in the beginning, as your dog deepens his understanding of the process of turning off pressure by fetching. They all learn at individual rates.

Excerpt from the upcoming new book, SmartFetch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two-sidedness

The “Cardinal Influences”

I maintain that there are three mechanisms by which dogs are diverted in the course of a retrieve. I refer to them as the Cardinal Influences:

1)      Flare

2)      Suction

3)      Drift

There are many factors that exert these influences on dogs; things like old falls, poison birds, cover, diagonal terrain features, shoreline suction, gun stations, crosswind, just to name a few. The effects that these factors exert upon dogs all fall under one or more of the above categories.

Retrievers that function at, or near their potential, do so having frequent maintenance on overcoming diversion pressure on both marked and blind retrieves. Training aside, what influence can a handler use to help a dog overcome, or at least decrease the effects of those influences?

Push vs. Pull

The terms push and pull describe the influence a handler exerts when moving “up” (forward) or “back” (backward) when the dog is at heel. A dog may also be ‘pulled’ when the handler steps slightly away from the dog – drawing the dog’s upper torso nearer, effectively turning or influencing the dog in that direction. Here’s a look at how it works.

Looking from behind the handler and dog we see a hip-pocket double mark arrangement. The shorter mark on the right will tend to have a ‘suction’ influence; pulling the dog toward it when he is en route to the longer fall. This can occur even when that mark has already been retrieved. We train against this, but a handler can do things to promote success, as well.

“Push”

When a handler recognizes that a test, or set of circumstances may have this type of influence on the dog, he may provide a helpful influence by using “push”; stepping up or forward as the dog remains sitting in the same spot. Clearly this requires high quality obedience. Just as clearly your dog’s field of vision is effectively reduced to focus on the long mark, as in this illustration. That can help to keep the dog focused on it while the marks are falling, as well.

Stepping up (push) will tend to influence a dog left when he is heeled/positioned on the left side, and right when heeled on the right. This is a more direct (or active) application of influence than stepping back (pull).

When we consider doing things like stepping up or back to provide a push or pull influence, we must remember that these are only helps to the dog in the form of nuances. They do not replace training. They only augment it in practical ways.

“Pull”

One consideration for the application of the pull influence is in this type of marking set up when you have had your dog watch the long fall go down and now want to make certain he sees the short fall clearly. While this is normally not a problem, it is some insurance against the likelihood of the dog over focusing on the long fall to step back and open up his field of vision. Both falls matter, and the long one will be of little consequence if your dog misses the short one!

There are other examples of pull being useful, such as in different multiple marking configurations. Consider this one:

All of the impact of push and pull apply to moving as birds fall during a set up or test, in that they can provide assistance to your dog to see critical falls and to reduce head swinging. Again, this is not to say that it replaces training for these functions, but rather helps to support that training when you are working for top performance.

There are other considerations regarding leveraging for lines to falls, especially on blind retrieves. So many factors and influences in each set of circumstances affect such a decision that writing about it, without going into exorbitant detail, is not practical.

How much help is it?

The actual impact of this tool is different for each dog in each situation. But, if you recognize the value of push and pull on one side, you should be able to easily calculate the extra edge it could give you to have the opportunity of doing it on either side. Time and practice will do more to provide you with your own sense of how to use this little tool best.

“It feels awkward to run a dog on my right side!”

If you have held off from acquiring this skill and using it with your dog because you have become so accustomed to running him or her from your left side, remember, there was a time when that was awkward, too. Everything is new at some point. That shouldn’t keep you from adding something so potentially useful to your arsenal, should it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Swim-by for Any Dog!

When you begin to put all the functions of a Water T together you will both handle, and perform swim-bys. The rules are kept uniform for the purposes of clear teaching. The square areas depict where the piles will be placed for a fully functioning water T.

You should then be able to sit your dog at one end of the pond and teach him to cast to the other end by tossing a bumper to the center of it, casting him toward it, and then walking the length of the pond to the opposite end, continuing to give a cast gesture as you do. This keeps it clear for the dog that this is how it’s done here.

This kind of clear teaching should make it easy for your dog to perform this clear simple act without confusion. It’s clear to the dog where the water is, and where the bumper is, as well as where you are when you reach the end of the pond. By repeating this swim from one end to the other repeatedly you make clear what is expected of the dog. You also make it fun for him by rewarding each journey with a fun bumper.

This is not a procedure in which there should be major battles. It’s low key, and high success in its application. The rules and the functions are clearly defined for the dog.

Finish this swim-by cast by meeting your dog at the opposite end, much as you originally taught him to do, by exiting where the other ‘over’ pile will be. Of course you will give him an enthusiastic “okay” as he leaves the water, and toss him a short fun bumper as before.

Repeat this several times in each direction to make the function clear for your dog. Avoid the common trap of testing as you train by ‘trying him out’ on a swim-by before you have completed all the preparatory steps. Be fair to him by giving him full instruction.

Putting it together

As you begin to put the pieces of this process together for your dog you will follow a logical progression. You have taught your dog to cast from end-to-end; right to left, and left to right. Then you taught him to do the exact same function, only while carrying a bumper in his mouth. You also taught him the release cue that tells him that he has your permission to exit the water (“okay!”). Your dog is only doing a kind of parlor trick so far because you haven’t shown him any practical context for these acts yet. That will be our next step.

Because your dog has already been casting both ways, from end-to-end, so many times it should be a very small easy transition to teach him to cast from the center of the pond. We’ll do that in the simplest way possible.

Using a single white plastic bumper approach the pond from the ‘line’ side – or point of origin. That is the starting point for performing all the functions of a water tee and swim-by. From here you will teach the dog where the back pile will be by tossing a bumper there, and sending him to it. This bumper should land on the far shore just barely on land so calling him back by water will be a non-issue. When the dog fetches the bumper you should whistle him in about halfway and give him his first real swim-by.

As he approaches the midway point of his return you say “no” while giving the cast gesture in the direction you want him to swim-by, and begin walking to that end of the pond and continuing to gesture.

*NOTE: There is a common tendency in the overwhelming majority of dogs to swim at an angle toward the far shore as they perform their first swim-bys, or to angle toward the near shoreline. Expect this and cast your dog away from the near shore as needed, or trill the come-in whistle as much as needed while continuing your swim-by cast gesture. This will teach your dog to follow the path he was originally taught it. Meet him exactly where you want him to exit, giving the “okay” to exit, followed by the usual fun bumper.

Do this several times in each direction to make the functions clear. Be sure your dog is performing these simple little swim-bys flawlessly before moving on.

Concert time!

Now that everyone knows their part and how to play it, it’s time to perform a full concert! All sections will now play in harmony and your dog will come to know the practical application of this goofy game the two of you have been playing. So far your dog probably hasn’t thought any of this has much to do with retrieving. It was just kind of a game you two were playing together because it had little resemblance to what you’ve done in the field so far, other than land T’s.

I recommend using white bumpers so your dog will have no problems finding a bumper during the exercise. Note that the piles are set with space between bumpers. You don’t want to encourage side issues like shopping the pile to crop up and dilute your lesson. I also suggest mowing at least the area where the piles are to be planted for the same reasons.

Running the Water Tee with Swim-by is performed much like your land tee work in that you will alternate sending your dog to the back pile without a handle, and sending him, stopping, and casting on about a 2 or 3 to 1 ratio; lining 2 or 3 times to each trip with a handle. The obvious difference is that you will not allow the dog to return by land on any retrieve.

On each cast to an over pile your dog will be given a swim-by. To get this started you will send the dog toward the back pile after 2 or 3 free passes to it, and walk the cast with him. You will meet the dog as he fetches a bumper from the pile and command the swim-by, saying, “no” as you give the cast gesture toward the water. Walk this cast the full distance to the opposite end of the pond and give the ‘okay’ as he exits (at the other pile), followed by a short fun bumper. Then return to the line and line the back pile at least once before repeating this.

Stay with your dog for a while on his swim-bys to keep other issues from interfering with the learning process that should be strictly focused on these functions. As your dog progresses in all of these functions while needing fewer correction for error (corrections that should be made with as little pressure as possible) you will begin to walk out these casts less and less until all functions can be executed with you remaining at the line. Remaining at the line to run a finished Swim-by involves simply remaining there, and, as the dog nears the shore where he will exit with bumper in mouth, give him permission to exit by saying , "okay"; meaning it's 'okay' to land. The dog should exit there and return by land to line the back pile, and the drill continues.

With most dogs it is a sound practice to stay with the Water Tee/Swim-by for several weeks, and to train as often as possible. During that time it would also be a good idea to adhere to a training regimen that provides marks each day, preferably before and after your water work.

Having completed the Swim-by, and keeping it maintained will give you a tool like no other. Maintenance and the teaching of advanced water work will become much easier for both you and your dog. The level of control needed for successful water blinds, as well as marks, will have risen dramatically. All that, and it’s fun, too! Enjoy the swim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Evan Graham

It’s another great day in the sun with your dog, and perhaps a friend (or group of friends), out training again. You have your first marks of the day set up and are ready to run. You have set up a holding blind because you’re not only a hunter, but a hunt tester/field trialer with your dog, and you’re smart enough to know not to send opposing messages to your dog about how he should behave in the field, whether training, trialing, or testing.

You take your dog out of his kennel and air him before running because that’s what you consistently do, and because it’s a good practice. You also walk him to the holding blind on a leash for the same reasons. When you’re ready to go up and run the marks you take your dog off lead and heel him to the line. You let him get a good look at the field before calling for the marks to be thrown, cuing him to “mark” (or whatever cue he is used to), and the fun begins.

As I view dog training, in all its variety of styles and theories, it consistently amounts to engineering our dog’s habits. We know they will form habits of some sort, whether we participate or not. By participating (via training) we guide the formation of the habits we hope our dogs will live and operate by. That, of course, requires the maintenance of those habits over our dog’s working career.

What’s a trainer to do?

What will you do if your dog becomes Jeckyll in one place, and Hyde in another? Mr. Hyde (the bad dog) may be appearing at the test (or in the duck blind) soon enough! Dr. Jeckyll (the good dog) is good in training because he expects the standards to be upheld there. If you are to make a change that will last and be reliable it will be necessary to change your dog’s expectations.

·        First, if your dog becomes too out of control at testing time, stop testing – completely. Re-habituate him to the standards of your training by making certain that he only works in a controlled environment for a while; several weeks or even months.

·        Second, you should take an honest look at how you train. Does your daily training resemble the testing environment, or are you sending your dog messages that set him up to recognize the difference? Do you use holding blinds? Do you spend a little time in the holding blind? How often do you use live flyers? Do you honor enough? Are you training around other people and dogs? Do you call numbers?

·        Third, do you over-use correction? The answer to this will require an honest look in the mirror. If you are using pressure too often it is not only poor training, it also sends the most distinct message of all that “today we are training. Tomorrow we may test, and you won’t be corrected for anything”. This is just one more very good reason not to let pressure replace thorough teaching, which is the hallmark of a good method and the appropriate application of it.

Working habits give dogs a uniform set of expectations. That’s why commands and cues need to be of a consistent character. Let’s use the above situation as an example.

·        The use of a holding blind in training sets a consistent standard because they will be using them at the hunt tests or field trials, also. When we fail to use them in training we send a signal that this environment is a different one with different standards. Your dog will quickly develop a different set of expectations in each situation. He will also arrive at the test or trial under-trained as to proper behavior in a holding blind.

·        Airing should be done consistently before putting your dog to work. That way your training is less likely to be interrupted by potty breaks during retrieves, and because it also sets up the expectation of going to work.

·        The use of a leash is something that you may or may not use at testing. But, if you do it there, you should also do it in training.

·        No matter where you are running your dog, he should expect to remain at heel while under that command, especially on the way to run. If this is done consistently in training, it should be his standard at testing or while hunting.

·        Taking an appropriate amount of time to look at the field, and using standard cues should also be done with consistency. Why?

Expectations. When you do things one way in one environment (training), and another way in another environment (testing), you send mixed messages, giving your dog reason to expect that all the stuff he has to do in training may not apply somewhere else. Dogs frequently become “trial-wise”, or “test-wise” through over exposure to testing in proportion to training. They get that way even faster if you telegraph your punches, so to speak, by doing things so differently in training than in testing that you help to paint a picture for them that more clearly distinguishes the two places from each other. The same is true when we get too lax while hunting our dogs.

You can, and should, support many of the same standards during hunting as in training. The problem in testing and trialing is that you really have no legal way to support your standards of training, other than to just pick your dog up and deny him the opportunity to make further mistakes. They learn very fast that the two places are very different. New sounds, sights, and mechanics; really, a different atmosphere is sensed by most dogs quite readily. Just watch a seasoned gundog on the morning of a hunt when you start loading up, and see his excitement!

What standard does your dog expect?

At this point we must look into the way we approach daily training. There are many reasons to train by a proven method, but one of the best is that it presents the work in a uniform manner. If you train by a given method you will tend to do things consistently, including discipline. Your dog should know what to expect in terms of a standard of performance and effort.

One school of thought drives training in such a way that the dogs are allowed to get into trouble, get corrected, called back, and re-run. If this is done without excessive pressure, and with clear information regarding what the right thing to do is, it can work very effectively.

Another school of thought simply communicates the right thing as the dog progresses in each exercise by being handled. Instead of allowing a switch on multiple marks to be completed, a dog in this system would simply be handled to the correct mark as an explanation of what is correct to do. The only correction is for failure to make a legitimate effort to go, stop, or come as commanded during the course of the training exercise. Such a dog is being conditioned to a standard that he will come to expect as his job; his responsibility. He has been shown how to do it in a clear and fair way, the standard being consistently upheld during re-exposure.

While I prefer the latter, it is more important that either approach be applied fairly, consistently, and with pressure applied only in amounts needed to attain compliance with known commands or standards. Each trainer must read that situation as it arises.

What standard do you expect?

When you have a pup with lots of go, and love for birds, it’s easy to get over eager with him. The temptation to stretch him out too far too soon, or to “try doubles, just to see how he does”, or to get too far ahead of his abilities can break down his confidence, and start bad habits needlessly.

As your dog develops you must remember what level of work he is ready to be exposed to. If he has no handling skills yet, there are things you just shouldn’t be doing. If he isn’t steady there is no reason to be upset when he breaks. If he hasn’t had any shore breaking work you must expect him to cheat water, and so on.

Again, we see more reasons to follow a good sound method. In successfully proven methods you will see a logical progression of acquiring skills. These days the acquiring of fundamental skills is usually achieved through a program called “Basics”. Basics are like a tool kit. They are the equipment your dog will need to negotiate the transition to being fully trained, and to maintain the training he is given over his career.

As your dog moves through transition he will develop deepened habits, sharpened skills, and something that will propel him into the most rapid growth in his training life; expectations. He will start to put things together in more complicated fieldwork because he now understands more than just how to comply with a spoken command, or how to turn off pressure. He will soon see enough practical application of his skills in retrieving that he will come to expect fun and rewarding things to happen through living within the standards of training you have carefully and patiently given him.

He will learn, through this process, that he has a partner in retrieving. His trainer is working toward the same goal of getting him into plenty of birds. A well-presented method provides the learning trainer with reasonable expectations of his dogs, and gives that trainer’s dogs the best opportunities to become all that they are capable of. More enjoyment is just ahead for the two of you. Expect it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four-way/Push-pull Drill

Picture a handler at the dog’s right (since the dog is heeled on the handler’s left). The dog’s rear end should remain on the ground, and the dog should pivot on it, bringing his upper torso toward the handler. That requires a distinct physical movement by the handler.

Pivot the dog as you move your body into a position that will result in the dog now being lined up for the next bumper in the drill. The effect of drawing the dog toward you, as each of you turns right, is called “pull”, and is an indirect influence compared to “push”.

*Note: Look closely at the dog’s position in each diagram. Two things should be obvious:

1.      The dog’s body, from the base of his tail to the tip of his nose, is lined up exactly online to the bumper.

2.      The dog has been positioned so that he is at heel with the intersecting lines even with his shoulders.

Those two things will happen only if the handler is willing to move his/her body in a manner that assures it. When the dog has been turned left in this scenario, the handler has remained in close physical proximity to the dog and can affect a “push” to attain the movement when the dog may resist it. This isn’t done by physically touching the dog, but rather occurs by simply being close enough to exert that effect when turning. Dogs have sense of personal space much like humans do, although they aren’t usually as fussy about it!

The drill proceeds with the handler rotating from bumper-to-bumper, having the dog retrieve each one he is positioned for, and alternating left and right turns. I suggest doing all left turns in one complete cycle, then all right turns – each cycle having the dog retrieve a bumper with each turn, and tossing it back out to its spot.

Soon you can alternate right and left turns to tune up that aspect of your dog’s obedience. As the dog becomes sharper at turning and lining, the drill can evolve into a full eight-bumper Wagon Wheel lining drill. I won’t go into that here.

A dog that is well trained to move with his handler is more responsive to direction, and is able to better execute the many tasks of a working retriever in the marsh or field. Good training!

___________________________________________________________________

Life is good. Life with a dog is better!