The Spotted Devil Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 She's still nuts. Having at least twice as much exercise plus training and she's got energy to burn. Shoving food down her throat (much to her delight) to keep the weight on. Lining was much better tonight although she did try to swap Walked out and quietly took the bumper off her and she was horrified - didn't try that one again! Finished off with some selection work on a hand thrown triple down the hill. She just threw herself off the wall with no sense of self preservation but picked them up very nicely. Must do some water work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 (edited) Hormones are amazing things....she is feral lol Did some good drills today in the pouring rain....started with 5 dummies in an angled line to practice lining, sending for the far one first. Really good stuff. Then did some walking baseball with a few extras.....3 dummies - worked on lefts and rights as they have been weak. On one of those, the last dummy I threw was over her head. I gave her a left and she took off back instead but instantly and before I could blow the whistle switched left. It was really interesting how she pre-empted the command and then corrected herself mid flight. Then set her up very close to dummies to her left and right but sent her back. Spot on. Mixed up a few happy bumpers with some two birds and she didn't miss a beat. I just couldn't trick her! Tomorrow I think will be angle backs and marking. Maybe. Edited January 1, 2014 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Today was an X marking drill - she judged them all very well except when she had to push through old hunting to pick up the far bumper. That's normally so easy for her - amazing how skills drop away after a break. Tried a double fall but Mr TSD couldn't help but distract her and she knew what was going on. So instead I hand threw the go to mark and the double fall so I could place them exactly where I wanted to and that worked much better. Meanwhile she's had several big hard running sessions in the chook yard, which tend to involve a lot of hunting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke GSP Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hi All, I've been doing some research and gathering info on placeboard training and gundogs to improve delivery, directional work and steadiness and spent the break over Christmas building my boards and I'm about to start the training, Just wondering if any of you other gundog types have used it? did it help? any drills that you found particularly good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 It's not something I use at all. Will be interested to see how you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke GSP Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Hi TSD, Is there a reason that you don't use it? interested to hear if anyone has found any negative pitfalls (so I can avoid them hopefully :) ) It's not something that I had considered before, but I've seen some fairly impressive results with it and working cockers (who have notorious dancing feet and abilities as cheeky monkeys)It also seemed a technique that you could train with for a fairly extended time as for some reason it seemed to keep the dogs very motivated and happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I guess I have my own methods of training - lots of shaping, impulse control games - and I really don't see the need. My dogs know that sit means sit until you're told otherwise, delivery I shape (and am fussy) and handling is a tougher concept than we think, especially when you've got suction and cover to deal with. I try to split, not lump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke GSP Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I guess I have my own methods of training - lots of shaping, impulse control games - and I really don't see the need. My dogs know that sit means sit until you're told otherwise, delivery I shape (and am fussy) and handling is a tougher concept than we think, especially when you've got suction and cover to deal with. I try to split, not lump. I'll still be splitting at first, at least until individual behaviours are relatively solid. Believe me, I don't believe that it is a miracle program, but as I said previously, from what I have seen, it seems to be a very effective way to get concepts to be understood and repeated, I'll let you know how we go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Have fun! Today we did the X marking drill again but at a much longer distance. The first short mark landed behind some longer cover and I knew it was going to throw her....yep, she overran it and was most confused although she didn't give up. A come in whistle and she got the message! The rest were fine although I suspect she fluked the other short one. Gave her a rest and did a bit of handling - angle backs are progressing well although I'm not going to test her too early. All the activity is paying off - she completely passed under my feet tonight whilst "poor" Zig languished in the crate for a few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 The most trying part of being in season is behind us - her early morning wake ups and manic hunting - so we are getting back into some more serious training. Yesterday was some lining on the lawn whilst Zig was out having a walk with Mr TSD and this afternoon I took her out for some water work. First up was a hot blind channel swim on game through heavy reeds. 2 left backs to keep her on course when she was looking for a way through the reeds but then she did the rest without a command - lots of "good girl!" Found another favourite spot and dropped two items of game - a long walk around to the other side set it up for an easy swim, then a decent run to the retrieves. A hand thrown memory mark in the water to work on selection as well - a dummy the first time was easy, game the second time was a lot harder for her. Was very pleased that she tackled some cover in the water instead of swimming around and took really good lines through the cover to the memory marks. Threw a couple of happy bumpers in the water for fitness and dropped a game item near a tree as we walked back to the car. 2 hand thrown memory marks either side (1 dummy, 1 game), get the blind, get the dummy, get the game. The blind took a few handles as she thought it would be in the water - but she trusted me eventually and was rewarded for her efforts. By rights she should be exhausted but needed another sprint on the back block (3 already today) to settle her down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fetchindawgs Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 The most trying part of being in season is behind us - her early morning wake ups and manic hunting - so we are getting back into some more serious training. Yesterday was some lining on the lawn whilst Zig was out having a walk with Mr TSD and this afternoon I took her out for some water work. First up was a hot blind channel swim on game through heavy reeds. 2 left backs to keep her on course when she was looking for a way through the reeds but then she did the rest without a command - lots of "good girl!" Found another favourite spot and dropped two items of game - a long walk around to the other side set it up for an easy swim, then a decent run to the retrieves. A hand thrown memory mark in the water to work on selection as well - a dummy the first time was easy, game the second time was a lot harder for her. Was very pleased that she tackled some cover in the water instead of swimming around and took really good lines through the cover to the memory marks. Threw a couple of happy bumpers in the water for fitness and dropped a game item near a tree as we walked back to the car. 2 hand thrown memory marks either side (1 dummy, 1 game), get the blind, get the dummy, get the game. The blind took a few handles as she thought it would be in the water - but she trusted me eventually and was rewarded for her efforts. By rights she should be exhausted but needed another sprint on the back block (3 already today) to settle her down. Ah, the joys of having a springer ?! We have one down the road from us and he is a fetching freak; will not stop. Bet you are taking a break during this hot spell in Vic, TSD. We have had the hot weather here, but today is beautiful and in the mid 20's. Took the 3 dogs out for their first real training session at the gully dam this morning. Di and Tick very good, Whiz just good, with her usual testing to see if she can get away with little disobediences. We go through the same thing every year !! 3 months till our first trials so I have plenty of time to get them back into shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fetchindawgs Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hi All, I've been doing some research and gathering info on placeboard training and gundogs to improve delivery, directional work and steadiness and spent the break over Christmas building my boards and I'm about to start the training, Just wondering if any of you other gundog types have used it? did it help? any drills that you found particularly good? Have never used placeboards in training Luke. I wonder how many in Australia do ? I used to do walking baseball drill quite a lot, but haven't for a while now. It was good for casting. So many good drills to choose from you really need to pick what suits you, your dogs stage of training, and even how much area you have to use in training. Plenty can be done on a sports oval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 The most trying part of being in season is behind us - her early morning wake ups and manic hunting - so we are getting back into some more serious training. Yesterday was some lining on the lawn whilst Zig was out having a walk with Mr TSD and this afternoon I took her out for some water work. First up was a hot blind channel swim on game through heavy reeds. 2 left backs to keep her on course when she was looking for a way through the reeds but then she did the rest without a command - lots of "good girl!" Found another favourite spot and dropped two items of game - a long walk around to the other side set it up for an easy swim, then a decent run to the retrieves. A hand thrown memory mark in the water to work on selection as well - a dummy the first time was easy, game the second time was a lot harder for her. Was very pleased that she tackled some cover in the water instead of swimming around and took really good lines through the cover to the memory marks. Threw a couple of happy bumpers in the water for fitness and dropped a game item near a tree as we walked back to the car. 2 hand thrown memory marks either side (1 dummy, 1 game), get the blind, get the dummy, get the game. The blind took a few handles as she thought it would be in the water - but she trusted me eventually and was rewarded for her efforts. By rights she should be exhausted but needed another sprint on the back block (3 already today) to settle her down. Ah, the joys of having a springer ?! We have one down the road from us and he is a fetching freak; will not stop. Bet you are taking a break during this hot spell in Vic, TSD. We have had the hot weather here, but today is beautiful and in the mid 20's. Took the 3 dogs out for their first real training session at the gully dam this morning. Di and Tick very good, Whiz just good, with her usual testing to see if she can get away with little disobediences. We go through the same thing every year !! 3 months till our first trials so I have plenty of time to get them back into shape. Hey fetchin'! Yes, they can be crazy little devils but when Em's in season she's just manic! Lots of fun though. Yes, way too hot this week to even do much water work as the water is very warm. I'm keeping her inside so she doesn't give herself heat exhaustion and just doing a few mins of shaping/agility tunnels early in the day or very late to take the zing out of her. Good to hear you are having a break in the weather and training is going to plan. I've entered our first AA trial weekend after next...a bit excited but if the weather is awful I won't go. Just not worth it. I entered my Dally in the January mini jumping trial this weekend (which starts early and finishes by 11am) and the weather forecast is 22C thank goodness. Stay cool fetchin'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 (edited) Finished our first AA trial today! Some bits were a bit crap and some work was sensational so lots to take away. Enjoying wine, Brie and olives in as the sun goes down. Falling asleep sitting up... And I'm not far behind...big day for us both. Edited January 25, 2014 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubyroo Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Well done TSD!!! What a great weekend for you both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poocow Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Well done TSD Moo and I had our first retrieving lesson this arvo, very impressed she picked it up quickly, can't wait until next week now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Thanks - went out on the final bird of the 2nd run today but not before she did a tough 1st run. So so pleased - she tried so hard. Lots to work on but more on the runs later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 (edited) Wow. What a huge weekend. Saturday. First foray into AA and I was unusually nervous. Em was a bit underdone in terms of marking practice but we will work on that. 22 dogs. 4 scratchings. Run 1: Double memory mark and rabbit blind. Get the blind and pick up in any order. Leave dog in hide. Shoot at blind. Reload. Call dog. Long mark left to right. Shorter mark left to right (to the right of first mark). Blind to the left of the first mark. Em saw the marks well and she wanted that first mark badly. It took a bit of handling to get her on the blind but then she took a super line back and picked it up. Sent her for the long mark (had to keep her off the short mark) but she'd lost a bit of confidence after all the "leave!" commands and wasn't sure she should get it. Not unusual for a dog new to AA. But we picked up both marks and I was delighted! Lost 5 dogs on that run. Run 2: Memory mark (left to right) across a sliver of very cheaty water. To the left of that another mark went up. Send your dog. Double fall went up. We managed to turn this into a memory mark and double blind damn it! She saw the memory mark well and I lined her up for the next mark and she looked back towards the first mark at an inopportune moment and missed the lot!!! I wasn't 100% sure what she had seen so sent her but had to handle immediately. Of course then I missed the double fall go up and was super late firing so had to handle that too! Sent her for the memory mark and she hit the water, swam over, picked up the mark very cleanly and ran back through the water - probably was the straightest dog out and back on that retrieve - I was delighted with her! I think we lost a couple of dogs on this run. Run 3: Hard work for both of us this one! Move to peg on river bank. Fire at mark on other side of river. Reload. Move to second peg - fire at short walk up mark on our side of river landing in reeds. Fire across river at blind (to the right of first mark). Move to pegs. Send for blind. Send for long mark. Send for short mark. I'm super proud of our effort on the water blind - for it was a true team effort. I blew quite a few whistles but, as the judge told me, I challenged the line and kept her right on target. It was bloody hard though with all the suction. At one point she was on the land and either saw or smelled the mark so it was a calm "leave" and send right. Phew! Then I had to send her for the mark and there were a few nervous moments as I could barely see her through the thick cover. The relocation really threw her. The short mark was easy after all that and she cut through the water and enjoyed hunting that up in the reeds. So we finished our first AA. I was on Cloud Nine but absolutely exhausted! It's such a long time to be at the pegs. 10 mins sometimes. Sunday. Still nervous and feeling tired but Em was ready for more. Run 1: Crikey - what a way to start! Double water blind. Leave your dog in the hide. Fire at blinds. Call dog. First blind was across water and second was a long channel swim with lots of suction including the area of the first blind, a "poison" rabbit and several tempting river exits or "points". I heard the judge comment to the steward about Em's madly wagging tail whilst she was in the hide. That made me smile. Sent her for the first blind and was very pleased - one command. Most handlers sent their dogs to the easy exit point but, in typical Spaniel style, I could see Em wanted to tackle the heavy timber so I let her go as she really enjoys it and it was on the correct line. She picked up the game and came back the same way. The bank was steep and she struggled to get up but worked it out ok. Sent her for the second blind. I didn't see this coming but she ended up parallel to the bank and I had to handle to get her back on line. I think the steepness of the bank threw her off her line when she entered the water - someone commented that it wouldn't help being so small! Anyway, got her back and I heard the gallery laugh when, instead of swimming under or around the dead branch in the water like every other dog, she climbed on top of it and stared at me like a Meerkat! Kept her on the line and when she finally hit land she hunted out the retrieve beautifully on her own. Phew! We lost 4 or 5 dogs on this run - always the channel swim. Run 2: Double memory mark split by a rabbit blind. Leave dog at pegs. Proceed to firing pegs. Fire at blind. Reload. Call dog. Fire at short mark thrown left to right (right of blind) landing in clear ground but behind heavy cover. Fire at long mark to left of blind (thrown right to left). Pick up blind, long mark then short mark. Blind wasn't too bad but I had to push her deeper a few times before she got the idea. She was pulling up short and swinging back to me. Long mark - not sure if she really saw this. I had to handle her and she left my side rather uncertainly. Had a face to face with a cow whilst she was out there. Sent her for the short mark and she had completely forgotten where it was. I handled her and she took a lovely line into the deep cover but then I couldn't see a thing. Thought she should be on top of it but she appeared way out to the left. Got her back and did the same thing but evidently she was not pushing back deep enough and she appeared in the same place. Judge said to call her in and I was happy to as she wasn't going to get it. I recall her doing something similar when she was confused like that back in Novice. I think a couple of dogs went out on that run but there was some super work. Run 3: Caught some of this once I packed up my camp. Double rise in water and a blind further on that would have caught out dogs that tried to cheat. Some great work here as well. So! 5 runs and 13 retrieves over 2 days is a LOT of experience so I am thrilled to bits. Her handling was really good. I need to stop her more quickly and send her more slowly. We need to work on harder marks. Her lining was sometimes great and sometimes crap but that is better than always crap so we will continue on with what we're doing. Had such a nice weekend with lots of supportive people who were as thrilled for us as I was. This time last year I was in the USA and Em was in Novice still - first trial for the year wasn't until April so it's been a huge 12 months. Edited January 26, 2014 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poocow Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Can you buy training bumpers from anywhere in Oz? Or do we have to buy them from the US? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Can you buy training bumpers from anywhere in Oz? Or do we have to buy them from the US? Two local options are: http://www.specdog.com.au or http://www.sportingoutbacksupplies.com.au/home.php?cat=279 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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