We have had a flurry of activity in the training department lately. Have been practicing obedience with Slater on days we don't do field. He is getting proficient at heeling, very enthusiastic, keeping his butt in, and we are starting some new things to keep it interesting, bounces in place, nosebridge (what we call "bishop") while heeling, spins while heeling, etc. Will post a video soon.
Anyways, on Thursday the Mid-FL GRC had an informal training day in Williston for participants of the WC/X which was held at the same place on Saturday (yesterday). Usually I have to drive 2+ hours south to attend our field events (and most other club events, near Orlando) so just a half-hour drive is wonderful! Anyways, we had a nice day on Thursday, training with some folks I've not trained with before, all are basically junior level but working on their WC or WCX. Most of the dogs did just fine, most of the handlers need to learn how to set up and send their dogs on marks
Saturday was our WC/X, the weather cooperated and was beautiful. The test ran smoothly, we had 6 out of 16 passing the X and I think 5 passing the WC out of 11. Slater passed the WC, despite pretty much hating pigeons, and by the time they did the WC the pigeons were pretty beat up.
One of my golden friends from Miami stayed an extra day and met us today to train. We set up a really nice series, many thanks to the fact that between us we had 5 wingers, and hers were the big ones that really launched the birds. We were on the water, set up a mom-and-pop where the left bird was short and landed behind cover on an island, the right bird was the big launcher that threw it angle back onto the land, so after the dog got out of the water he had to traverse a spread of goose silhouettes and go about 35 yards onto the land. Then you swung all the way back to the left and the go bird shot from the left shore out into the pond, so an angle entry with a lot of muck and cover. Then there was a long shoreline blind under the arc of that mark. I am loath to do mom-and-pop because I think they are lazy, but you see them at tests all the time. Everyone did GREAT -- was very pleased! Fisher was launching into the water on all of his birds -- after getting to do nothing the day before he was ready to go! After we picked up the equipment we put out three blinds that crossed a narrow channel, starting with a square entry, then about a 45º entry, then a very narrow entry down the channel. I squared them up a little big more than that for Slater, but I was very pleased because on the longer/most narrow entry one, he squared the entry, I stopped him in the water (just a narrow channel, probably 15 feet wide), gave and over and he took it and went straight down the channel! Good dog!!
Fisher did just fine on the first two blinds, then jumped in early on the narrow entry blind. I stopped him and called him back, for Fisher this is typically a recipe for freak out time as he hates to be wrong, hates to be nitpicked, tries to take more water which is the wrong answer, basically we have had some battles on angle entries. I was really happy with him, as when he returned to me after being called back, I took his tab, heeled forward about 3 feet in the direction of the blind, very calmly got him lined up and sent, and he took a beautiful correct angle. Whew!
We train again on Tuesday.
