Sunday training report

Larsen and I met with Cathy V. and Jeanne G. at Danny's for practice. Cathy has two clumbers, Humphrey and Zelda, who are working on Master titles. Jeanne's cocker Millie is working on her Junior.

I started Larsen with his "steady" drill. He did it very nicely. Later, his quartering work broke down, and so did my whistle work for that matter, as Larsen took to some self-hunting, ranging down the field to the birds. My challenge is to be crisper in what I want, and to keep him in a tighter box in front of me. This is a change for both of us compared to the looser restrictions I gave him at the Junior level and it frustrated Larsen to the point where he was disregarding me. There were some forced marches back to crime scenes and some six-foot "here, sit" drills. On these also, I have to improve my timing and whistling.

This more exacting level of obedience is necessary so that I can pull him off a fly-away expeditiously and otherwise demonstrate that he is under control at all times, which is what is required at the Senior level.

Later, Larsen ran a hunt dead and on a water retrieve. He loves hunt dead and does it well. He knows it and it is fun and relaxed. I put the bird 50 or more yards out, and about 10 yards into the woods while he sat and waited. I came back, said "dead", and then said "fetch." He took a hot line toward the area of the bird, scouted a bit, and then brought it to hand. Lovely.

On water, he put the bird down to shake, then picked it up, and brought it close to, but not cleanly to hand.

We will continue our Gentle Force Fetch practice and our steady drills this week. The GFF will help with the water retrieve-to-hand. The steady drills are intended to help with overall obedience. I also have to remember to go back to kindergarten and clear success more quickly when we reach any failure. He loves to do things he knows how to do, and we are both more relaxed. So I have to really think through what I want him to do in an exercise before we do it, and think about what steps I'll take if it breaks down. I also have to be quicker to identify an incipient breakdown.

One last reminder, and that is I should park the car and kennel Larsen in a way that gives him a less clear view of the field. His ability to watch me help the others and their dogs gets him wound up by the time it is his turn.