TRAINING TO RETRIEVE
Training to run lines to 'blinds'
Once your dog has its Novice Retrieving Dog ( NRD) qualification it
must compete at Restricted level which requires them running a line to a
blind or unsighted bird and to obey directions from the handler.
Training to run lines can commence at puppy stage and should not be
left until the dog is ready to graduate from Novice. However it is most
important that this training should be done quite separately from
directional training for left, right, and back. All of these things can be
taught when the dog is the same age, but they should not be taught in the
same sessions - regardless of how tempting it might be to show off and
have your dog run out, stop on whistle and turn - otherwise you might
finish with a dog which stops or 'pops' consistently looking for
instruction.
The objective is to have a dog, which runs stylishly and confidently
off the handler’s hand up to about I50 metres over various types of
terrain, and in all types of cover, including water.
Some handlers like to use a different instruction for this retrieve
than for a mark. For instance if a dog is sent to a mark with the
instruction 'fetch', then the word for a blind might be 'back' or 'go on'.
Also the instruction might be preceded with the words 'dead bird'. The
objective is that in a trial, when a dog has seen a mark but is being sent
instead for a blind, then (apart from being pointed in a different
direction) it also receives a totally different command.
Here's how to start. In the passageway at home, or down the side of the
house, or on a laneway, place a number of retrieving dummies on the
ground. The dog must have seen you place the dummies in position. Take the
dog (say) I0 to 50 feet away - use commonsense, this is not a test, and
the distance will depend on the age and tenacity of the dog. Have the dog
sitting at heel, (or with a puppy, kneel down to steady it). Hold your
left hand fully open in front of the dog's nose lined up in the direction
of the blind. Go through your routine; calmly say "stay",
"dead bird" and then "go on" in an urging tone.
Initially the dog may not have a clue what you want- why should it- so you
should cajole, run with it, say 'fetch' etc whatever is needed to
encourage it to pick up a dummy and run back with it. The narrow
restricted area that you have chosen should help to keep the dog focussed.
It shouldn't be more than a few sessions before the dog has the idea. The
younger the dog the shorter the sessions should be. Always stop before
your dog tells you it’s had enough! And always finish on a good note.
When your dog is doing this well find a quiet area in a park (a track
is a good spot) which has short grass and start the routine again. Once
again start with short distances and as the dog catches on, move
progressively further away from the dummies. Next move is to an area where
the grass is longer. Let the dog see where you put the dummies but it can
not see the dummies from the position it is sent because of the grass. Try
to always send your dog to the same spot, and progressively increase the
distance by moving back.
After you have been working to the same spot a few sessions, peg the
dog out of sight and place a couple of dummies in the usual position.
Bring the dog up and send him for dummies from one of the shorter
positions. It should confidently complete its first 'blind'!
Here are some training tips;
Move away from the blind, rather than moving the blind away from you.
Otherwise the dog may potter where the previous blind was.
When you have mastered the exercise in one location move to another.
Sometimes a dog identifies with a particular location rather than the
instruction.
Don't put a blind in a location where your dog will confuse it with one
it has already done.
Go back to short distances when you first introduce obstacles like
undulations, rushes, creeks, logs etc. Start double blinds I80 degrees
apart and progressively bring the angles to about 90 degrees, so there is
no chance of swapping game.
When giving a line to a dog, always make sure its backbone and head are
lined up with the blind.
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