Sunday steadying

On the plus side, I'm walking onto the field with a plan in mind. I have a clearer understanding of what's required of the "3-bird drill." I'm starting to understand how Larsen will react to the flush (and how I will react as well), so I'm intervening and blowing the sit whistle with greater confidence, which is to say at the right time and not necessarily with greater gusto. My timing is improving a bit.

On the negative side, I still have a long way to go to be proficient in how I address Larsen when I tell him to sit on the flush. I have to work on his sit so that he sits all the way down at the instant I tell him. I have to quietly approach him to pet him without having him start away from me. This is a surprising development and I can't figure out if he is getting the signal to go, or if he thinks I am coming to correct him. I have to remember to softly pip the sit whistle to remind him to stay steady. I have to quickly but carefully consider whether I will send him for a bird or collect the bird myself. If I send him, I have to decide whether to send him from where he sits, or call him to me and then as he arrives, command him "back" to the bird.

As for the lighter moments, did I mention our hunt dead practice?

After one successful HD, I put the bird in a different place. It turns out that new place had a covey of quail, which Larsen found on his way home with the dead bird. Any pretense of obedience was completely gone, as he tried to herd his captured quail. He couldn't figure what to do with the quail in his mouth when he came upon the others in the broom sedge. Some exploded into flight, and others scurried to deeper grass. At one point, Larsen came half way home and then put the bird down. He turned and went after another, but in full stride, reversed his course to return and make sure that the first bird was not walking about. As painful as it was to watch a weekend's worth of work unravel, it was funny to see that dog try to figure out how he was going to get all of those birds home. I shut down the commands and whistle and just walked to try to collect him.

Something to work on: have him trust me enough that I have some good plans for him and that he should come all the way home and deliver the bird to hand. Let him understand that I will then resend him.

I'm sure that in those last minutes of practice I undid the day's work, but we'll have a better idea of that at next week's practice.