Lining /Casting drills--

[SeniorCoot]

Yesterday I put the Brush Hog on my tractor and cut Paths in pasture for some lining drills and baseball/T drills. I cut three 100yd lanes that diverge from one spot and run about 2-3 yds apart at the start and maybe 10 yds at far end. I also cut some lanes at right angles to these for overs.
Well I brought all three dogs(10, 7, and 1) out and smart butt I am, thought I'd just sit them all and not bother to put two on chain whilst working first dog(10) and had a problem at first with young dog who wanted to have a turn-NOW-- well I didn't get too frustrated and after one or two ret for old dog he stayed where I put him-- good and steady-
one other problem I had was none of the dogs had worked three lanes like these and I had put out 4 bumpers on each lane-- all dogs tried to cross lanes to get first bumper spotted-at first at least but by end of session they were all going only down lane sent and back-- I think it will be a good drill for them running straight to bumper as sent and also with all three in area good for steadying pup and keepin old boys honest. I'll see in a few minutes if I'm right.

[Herne]

Is this what I would call marking to shot and folowing hand signals.

I had my first springer, fat Widger, and she would do a figure of 8 for you? Sit, move right , sit move out sit move left etc. she was a bright dog, and she would follow hand signals in water, or even at very long range on an island (duck shooting).She always had that knack of keeping an eye on you, so as soon as you gave a signal she'd swing on it, without whistles and shouts, even from very young..

Her great thing was at 9 months, which was pretty good for a springer, on her first ever formal day out at driven grouse, which is pretty up market shooting. first drive and I had 9 birds down, 5 in front and 4 behind. She got one command - Hi Lost. And off she went - 9 trips 9 birds, in the order they had been shot.

Always was a hell of a dog that one- every now and again a 110% dog comes along, and she was one of those. Best $100 (£50) I ever spent.

[SeniorCoot]

Herne--This is just teaching lining-- or going straight to bumper/ bird--I place them out along lines and then send dogs- in this case I use three staright lines of bumpers from 20- 100 yds-thing i want to do is make sure pup and older dogs go on line i want not cross obver etc so when hunting upland or waterfowl and thet do not see bird fall they go where i send them and not fart around all over the place

[Herne]

Oh Ok. I must admit, all I ever did in that line was to start indoors over a few feet distance with a dummy or sweet behind furniture. I would point, and wife would be hidden to call. Once they had learned (as a tiny pup) that pointing meant a direction, and that following that point meant something nice...

After that and we got outside the dog got dropped as soon as it deviated off line, and so after a bit it learned to keep going straight, even over water. I wish it was as simple as all that, but constant repetition helped.

Even in the off season, before the annual buff up came round, every time we went for an ordinary walk, near rabbits and nesting birds and so on, I still did the fig 8 and circles hand signal exercise. I also always made a point of putting temptation in the way, so hopefully I knew what was coming and could nip it in the bud (or have a scene when it didn't work :) )

They'd cast out 2 or 300 yards to find a bird which had glided. Of course springer work isn't quite like pointers, but there were some places after snipe in the bogs where they had to search well away, simply because you'd sink if you tried to go in there.

The only thing is that I'm not so convinced personally, about old dogs teaching young dogs! I've always found that the young dog makes the old dog worse because the old one is experienced, knows what is out there and becomes jealous.So I never used the one as a teaching tool for the other.

[SeniorCoot]

What is the purpose of Figure 8's?? i don't have the older dogs try to teach much except for steadiness and lately quartering and it has worked well in both instances.

[Herne]

Just an exercise in following hand signals. If a dog will do a figure of eight, then any other cast in the field is pretty simple for it.

I'm a great fan of hand signals, especially say after a drive where the dog is put onto something which it has not seen down. or like maybe duck shooting where its been in a hide, and you are now trying to retrieve a duck the other side of a tidal creek.(May not even be one you shot). So being sure that the dog can cross an obstacle,and be got reasonably close to the spot and downwind of that spot has been very useful, especially when that spot may be a couple of hundred yards away and on tidal flats or somesuch, the handler is not going to get any closer.

[SeniorCoot]

OK--I have been using Vic Barlow's book-Brit. training for American Retrievers and I like his methods-I use hand signals quite a lot although some are now traditional but as long as dog knows what i want it's OK.

[Herne]

What kind of dogs you got?

I've always loved Springers, because they are so good for my kind of walked up shooting - if you keep them close in, there is nothing better for hunting up a hedgerow or cover, without having to head into wind which pointers prefer. Labs are quieter and better for sitting at a formal shoot, but don't usually face cover as well as a Springer. Better for ducks and geese though.

So I ended up with black and white springer bitches, and which were all great friends to go shooting with.

[SeniorCoot]

We have three labs--2 BLM's 10 & 7 and the heir apparent a YLM almost 1 yr. The 10 yr old acts and hunts like a 5 yr old but the 7 yr old has had Lymes Disease and arthritis so he is slow but still tries. The pup is coming along opretty well .

[Hi Ball]

Old COOT! Yes I too have cut lines in the field for the dogs to run with ease and pick up bird scent a little easier and it also helps me as well by being able to see what he heck is going on. You know that K-31 and various other grasses get 4 ft tall this time of year. So I simply have those paths cut and all is well for dogs and myself.

[Herne]

I haven't quite followed this.

Surely the object of the excercise is to get the dog to follow hand signals to go where you want it to go to? Isn't that what one is trying to achieve - so you can guide it out, back, around obstacles over, water, to jump over a fence on the way out under command, and so it doesn't go along it etc.

Hi lost means go retrieve something.(Ignore unshot game) Hi seek means search for unshot game, so the dog knows the difference.

So I don't quite see how these lanes help in that, but I may not have the idea in my mind.

[SeniorCoot]

Greetings hi ball- how you doin these days?

[robot]

well tell me whats the total procedure of the dog tanning if some one know share with us .

[SeniorCoot]

Ain't enough time/ space to teel it all- Best you get book=- program-Mentor and start- it can take 8 mos- 1 yr for OB and initial stuff, 2 yrs to get a good hunting partner, and more for a Top Dog.