Archive from Daisy's Journal       April 16 - May 31,  2007        

 April 16  (morning) wagon wheel segment drill - two white bumpers with a longer orange pile up
                  the middle (run orange pile first then add white bumpers = start wide and then narrower)
                  Industrial DTA - grassy area
                            note: grass was a bit too high & she couldn't see the white bumpers, but she did
                                     a nice job lining up on the bumpers & pile ("fired hard" on everything)
                  (late morning) start the Definitive Casting Drills - step #1 - Square Pond grassy area)
                            note: ran to the side pile on one cast first two stops & had to kind of hack her
                                     there on the last two (not all that unusual) = after four stops and casts to
                                     the "side" pile the memory mark was  a bit hazy, but she picked it up,
                                     pretty good for the first day  
                  (late afternoon) trained at BT's - OB first, holding blinds, ran two sets of 4 remote winger
                  singles, primer reports, hen pheasants - "4 down the levee" & "4 up the cover check downs)
                            note: Kooly and Daisy stepped on all the "4 down the "levee", but had two big hunts
                                     on the "check downs" (need more work on this concept - two singles at a time)
                                                                  (left click on thumbnails)             

     April 17 (late morning) train with Ann W. at BT's, OB off the van, used van for a holding blind,
                  set-up four remote wingers were in matted cover with 18 Avery Full Body & Shell decoys
                  ("real motion stakes") - focus on no motion at the line, the winger "runner" shot a primer
                  pistol off to the side (hen pheasants)
                           note: Daisy got taken back to the van once, then did two solid sits at the line
                           note: Kooly got taken off the line for a motion and whining, he was good then
                  afterwards, ran two cold blinds through the decoys (ducks)
                           note: breeze changed and was quartering in so that the first blind pile supplied
                                    scent the the next longer blind - Daisy and Kooly got taken in by this and
                                    were not very responsive on whistles (need to work on this)                    
                  (afternoon) at the Square Pond DTA ran a remote winger double with mallards, the go
                  bird was very "cheaty" and Daisy and Kooly tried to cheat - whistle sit and cast into the
                  water, Daisy did not cheat on the way back, Kooly tried to cheat on the way back (ducks)
                           note: repeat set-up in about two weeks, mean while do "cheaty" tune-up drills 
                  followed with a session of walking baseball to dry off & warm up
                  Interceptor (all three)
                                                                 (left click on thumbnails)  

     April 18 (late morning) since we had an appointment to pick-up Kooly's allergy series (shots),
                  Stoughton's field trial grounds were close by, ran two sets of "cheaty" remote winger
                  marks using white bumpers, all three ponds were totally out of their banks so we got
                  a very different look, the second mark was made more difficult by moving the line over
                  and making it more "cheaty" (use the "big" swim-by pond)
                          note: Daisy cheated the easy first one and then did fine on the more difficult second
                                   one, in her second set it was a bit easier with no point in the middle = no
                                   cheating, Daisy was kept at about 150 yards with a 100 yard entry
                          note: Kooly cheated big time on the second one (first series) and the easy first one
                                   in the second set, nailed the difficult second one on the second set, his marks were  
                                   were run from about 175 yards with a longer entry than Daisy's
                  Daisy and Kooly ran a session of walking baseball after each set to dry off & warm up
                                                                    (left click on thumbnails)  

                  (afternoon) repeated step one in the Definitive Casting Drills with Daisy  (Square Pond DTA)
                          note: almost perfect this second time, no confusion, full out "go" - only issue was
                                   two casts on the last stop to get her to the pile before picking up the mark,
                                   very sharp (repeat tomorrow)
                  (evening) drove to Soggy Acres to train with Badger State HRC = area in southern WI with
                  a lot of very nice water, Daisy and Kooly ran an over the point cold blind (literally very cold)
                          note: with a floating Dixie Cup 10 yards off the line near the end = it was interesting
                                   Daisy was all business and didn't mind the cold water at all
                          note: the big thing was to get Daisy out and into a crowd, she was oblivious of everyone
                                   when she was watching another dog run the blind, sat there like a statue staring
                                   at the action = very intense, as soon as the dog was finished, she went right back
                                   to looking for attention & acting like a puppy - very worth while evening for her
                          note: Kooly on the other hand was not thrilled with the cold water - at all
    April 19 (morning) trained at BT's with Ann W. and set-up two Y-drills the second was much harder
                 than the first because of a change in cover and visibility
                         note: Kooly and Daisy did fairly well with the first Y-drill and Kooly did much better
                                  on the second one than anyone else, Daisy ended up with some winger problems
                                  and we quit for the session
                                                                                        (left click on thumbnails)  

                 (late afternoon) Daisy trained at the Square Pond DTA -  ran a water tune-up drill, then turned
                 around and ran the two west side bean field pattern blinds to dry off, moved to the "grassy 
                 area and finished off with a repeat of the first Definitive Casting drill
                          note: the tune-up had a great diversion - an angry Goose trying to keep Daisy away
                                   from his "lady" sitting on a nest at the other end of the pond, the tune-up went
                                   OK considering the goose pest - Daisy wanted to take him on
                          note : the two pattern blinds went fine after overcoming her suction to the goose - she
                                    still want to take him on
                          note: the definitive casting drill was a tough one today, the final mark was clearly
                                   visible from the line and had to blow the whistle 10 yards sooner to give her
                                   time to stop - SHE WAS FLYING! casts to the pile were not carried far, and
                                   we just avoided picking up the mark before the last cast because she was so
                                   close to it (may need to give her more than 20 yards between the markers),
                                   this was a good example of dealing with a "high roller" = when drills are
                                   exciting!   repeat this until she takes a single cast at each of the four stops
                          note: Daisy has obviously become a training "junky"  
    April 20 (morning) trained at BT's - ran two sets of three singles ala Y-drills with a real gunner and
                 then ran four cold blinds down the levee from the east, trained with Anne W. and there
                 was plenty of time for each dog to rest between "goes"
                          note: Daisy continues to improve going to the line and sitting very focused for marks,
                                   her marking was very good today and no mouthing (this is really getting better)
                                   still not getting a real good straight ahead look on blinds (need more lining drills)
                          note: Kooly marked really well and ran some nice blinds
                 afterwards drove to the south side pine trees to run the "big" 374 yard pattern blind, neither
                 Daisy or Kooly have run this since the first week in January (four months ago)
                          note: Daisy had a slight banana to the right and then a slight one to the left - but she
                                   didn't need a single whistle, Kooly lined it as straight as an arrow
                (evening) Daisy was introduced to a "split" lining drill at the Square Pond DTA  
   April 21 trained heavy seven straight days - Daisy and the rest of us took the day off 
                          note: beautiful day to train..........but a rest will have more value
   April 22 (morning) trained at the Sand Pond Lake - Daisy (only) = carried in a remote winger and ran
                three "big" water singles (125, 196 & 210) used black & white bumper with flags (30 mph winds
                out of the south & very warm), water part of blinds were 75, 110, 136 yds = long water entries
                                                                       (left click on thumbnails)  

                (afternoon) swung by the house and picked up Kooly so both could run a simple mallard
                double at the square pond (remote winger with primer report and stickmen)
                (evening) repeated Daisy on the Definitive Casting Drill #1 & ran Kooly on the "split" lining drill
   April 23 (morning) picked up six mallards early & weatherman was wrong - trained at Gallagher's FT
                grounds, shot four flyers for Daisy and one for Kooly, then ran a set of doubles for each
                ran two long singles with Daisy and she nailed those
                         note: Daisy did really well on the flyers, tried to cheat once
                         note: Kooly was "howling" when Daisy got the first one, had to put a bark collar on him,
                                  did fine on flyer and picked up the double with a hunt on the go bird (squared the
                                  water entry and it pulled him off line)
                         note: Daisy picked up the "go bird" no problems & completely missed the memory bird,
                                  put on an ugly hunt (one thing wrong with wingers = no one out there to help)    
                (evening) trained at Whitewater = entry in journal will be just "no training is better than bad
                training" = bumpers after mallards in the morning started it off on a "down hill slide" 
  April 24 (morning) 2 trained at the land Square Pond DTA in the bean field across erosion strips,
               remote wingers, primer reports, stickmen and hen pheasants
               (evening  trained at the Square pond - ran a mallard duck double, but delayed picking up
               the memory duck by running a land single with a hen pheasant off to the right - thanks Dan
                      note: Kooly had the day off, the allergy desensitization shots seemed to have affected
                               his attitude, so I'm going to move slower with him for a few weeks
                      note: Daisy pinned the land doubles in the morning (good focus was what we were
                               looking for = got that, the (early evening) Daisy had to wait longer for the memory
                               bird = first with the "go bird" swim and then the land single, when sent for the
                               memory see wasn't quite clear for the first two strides and then it clicked in
                               (good day of training)
  April 25 (morning) trained at the Square Pond - three remote, hidden winger singles, holding blind,
               duck call at the line HRC style (bucket) using the cap gun "shots/pointer" at the line, hold on
               to collar and release (hen pheasants)        (evening) rained out
                       note: Daisy thought this was fun and easy
               Kooly ran it as a triple and focused on no whining (some improvement, but need to do this
               more with him = zero is the goal, if it takes all summer)
  April 26 (morning - taxi-driver and errand mode = rained all morning
               (evening) wet ground and sporadic drizzle - using radar & trained at the Square Pond grassy
               area and did the "split" lining drilling = good exercise, dogs like it, focus on heeling - both
               sides, delivery, switching sides afterwards and setting up in a good body position (looking
               straight ahead repetition)  
  April 27 (morning) trained water at Cherry Valley with pro Brian Moyse and group = ran two tough
               down the shore and over a high peninsula (which made for two water entries)
                      note: Daisy started to go long on the first on (gunner "hey hey" took care of that), took a
                               very good line to the last one after going "sideways" to the end of the peninsula,
                               for some reason was dropping the birds on delivery = stiff corrections
                      note: not sure Kooly even saw the short one, went as sent and started long = handled,
                               long one he ran a beautiful line right to the mark
               afterwards, both ran a blind starting over a mound = which neither did well, Daisy was
               "zig-zagging" all the way down the shore - not pretty & Kooly had the momentum of a slug
                      note: Daisy was giving good effort, but that initial mound confused her
                      note: Kooly has been very quirky since we started the allergy desensitization shots,
                               not consistent = looks good at times and then not 
               (evening) trained just Daisy at the Square Pond did a water walkout pile drill, 75 yard water
               entry with a 125 yard parallel to the shore swim (three orange bumpers)
                      note: Daisy was straight and honest (out and back)
                      note: in the picture is the big male goose acting to "decoy" away (or fight with) Daisy
                               if she threatened his nesting mate's nest the on opposite side of the pond, swam
                               out, made a log of noise and stayed in between Daisy and the eggs
                              (left click on thumbnail)  

        9:00 pm   DARN! Daisy is in heat. This explains quite a bit of the erratic "stuff" lately. 
April 28-9  Daisy was supposed to run Wisill/Fox Valley HRC = easy weekend for Daisy & Kooly
                          note: did not pass the bitch check = two good "things" - got an $ 80 refund and
                                   know she won't be in heat when we go to the Stuttgart "Trainin' in the
                                   Timber" seminar    (didn't do anything either day)
April 30  trained at the Rockton Road DTA - set-up two sets of delayed triples (as before) one north &
              the second farther south
                      note: Kooly marked fairly well except for the first go bird
                      note: Daisy marked the singles well, had a tight hunt on the first go bird, but was
                               not very clear about the memory bird (second set better than the first) the heat
                               cycle has her pretty confused
  May  1 trained at Rock Cut State Park DTA - area mowed and looked very good, set up a delayed
             triple (as before) throw double pick up go bird, run single off the the right and then pick up
             the memory bird = had remote wingers for the go bird & a gunner threw the memory &
             then walked to through the single (used Dokkens & a primer pistol)
                      note: Kooly did well on this and was quiet at the line
                      note: Daisy seems to be getting her wits back after the initial "rush" of her first heat
             afterwards ran four singles down the east edge of the grounds = Kooly went short to long &
             Daisy went long to short (walking gunner in white coat)
                      note: Kooly went "inside out" to pick up each mark
                      note: Daisy flared right on each of the four marks (not sure whether it was the wind,
                               hill or suction to the previous singles which cause this for her - now that I
                               think of it, suction on Kooly's "routes" were doing the same thing in
                               reverse   
  May  2 trained in the front yard off the new "Kwick Platform" - easy day
                      note: Taffey's ultrasound found at least one Dusty pup (time will tell if more)
                                                                    (left click on thumbnails)   

May 3 day off
May 4 (evening) trained at the Square Pond DTA - Daisy ran the Definitive Casting Drill
                 note: almost good enough to start the next step (repeat in different area) 
                 note: Kooly took the last shot of the "first phase" of his allergy desensitization series &
                          had the day off
                 note: Daisy's heat cycle has progressed to a very light pink, almost clear discharge with
                          less volume
May 5 (morning) Kooly had a short yard work session of OB to speed up his slow sit (used stick &
          and no e-collar) drove to the Industrial Park DTA and ran Daisy on the Definitive Casting Drill
          Step #1 (different area - same drill), then drove to the Rockton Road DTA and ran seven remote
          line Dokken singles (primer shots - 125 yards out to -  250 yards with the first four on the east
          side and checked "back down" on the west side with the last three
                  note: Daisy did fine with the Definitive Casting Drill even though it was a new area,
                           her lines were straight, high head and driving (lots of zip with two very small hunts)
                  note: Kooly was sharp & nailed everything, but his "zip" wasn't nearly as good as Daisy's,
                           even though she had run the casting drill a half hour earlier & he hadn't
                  note: vet mentioned something about the Loratadin antihistamine (need to look that up,
                           low incidence of fatigue which seems to be something Kooly is demonstrating - just
                           been acting more laid back.....at times) after finishing the series of desensitization |
                           shot might take him off the Loratadin (Claritin) for a week or two to see if there is
                           and change     
           (evening)  Daisy ran step #2 of the Definitive Casting Drill in a different area of the Square
           Pond DTA - pile to the left
                  note: did this "poorman" tonight -she is really smart about the little variations, fogs on
                           marks, sits smartly, takes the cast away from the second mark with no questions &
                           then "fogs" to pick it up later - neat drill and teaches patience (she is learning the
                           mark will always be there when it is time, no need to repeat step #2 as #3 will
                           not be much different for her (do Sunday night after field trial) 
                  note: heat cycle negative effects seem less now, she is much calmer & more focused
                  note: Daisy will stay home tomorrow - working at the field trial and her being there is not
                           a good idea
May 6 worked the Madison Retriever Club's field trial (Daisy stays home), ran Definitive Casting Drill
          #3 in the evening - Daisy at the Square Pond DTA (different area), drove to the Rockton Road
          DTA and ran a "poorman" delayed triple - Daisy picked up the second a third birds, but had
          trouble finding the memory bird (still in heat), drove to the Rock River Park in Roscoe and ran
          two pattern blinds (just barely enough light) 
May 7 ran all three dogs on the two bumper lining drill - yard work focusing on lining, "noing" off &
          delivery on both sides
                   note: all three were sharp and had fun
May 8 since Lick needed some continuing blood workups (age is getting the best of her) the vet's is
          close to the Stoughton field trial grounds and gas prices so high - trained Daisy and Kooly = ran
          two tough water singles on the technical pond (stickmen, mallards, remote wingers with 209
          primer reports and both at about 180 yds from different lines)
                   note: Daisy marked each well, long swims and did not cheat the shore   
                   note: Kooly lined the one on the left, but got thrown off course on the way to the water by
                            something in the lunging water that "grabbed him" before the entry, needed to be
                            handled back to the correct line (ok after that)
           moved to the bigger pond and ran a meaty "down the shore" double = memory bird long entry &
           another hefty swim while the "go bird" was very "cheaty" (175 & 100 yds)
                   note: Daisy was as straight as an arrow - excellent double with good memory (heat cycle
                            issues are over - whew!.....maybe?)
                   note: Kooly nailed each mark, but he took a huge banana swim right to the memory bird
                   note: this was a "feel good" training day, ponds way out of their banks for a much different
                            look & a lot of lunging water leading up to the normal pond shorelines, both dogs were 
                            relaxed and ready, the grass was greened up and lush, sunny with a good breeze that
                            kept the "nasty" little Stoughton black gnats at bay, just a gorgeous afternoon  
                                                                        (left click on thumbnails)   

May 9 (morning) trained at BT's with Ann W. - ran line manners drills with cold honoring, HRC popper
           shooting, duck calls and mallard out of "in your face" remote wingers we picked up the first duck
           making in a cold honor for each dog. then each of us turned and threw a Dokken off to the side, put
           those two up and did the next two, brought the first two out and then alternated which dog would
           pick up a duck, holding blinds, handling the shotgun, back to the truck or off line for corrections, all
           the "line stuff" that can cause problems at a test were worked on, the dogs got better when this
           WAS THE FOCUS, finished with each dog getting a mark off a remote platform with the handler
           in the holding blind
                   note: this was the first time in a training session where Kooly's noise issues came up = good
                            corrections and message understood, still a ways to go
                   note: Daisy was "amped" more than usual and corrections were elevated to get across the
                            point
                   note: at normal excitement levels a two/nick on the collar is sufficient, a three/nick would
                            get a "yelp", today a four/nick only got a "OK, I felt that.....big deal!" look.

            Interesting comments came up afterwards. In a regular training session the focus is on marks
            and blinds. Behavior is reduced to being a nuisance. That's not good. As today's lengthy session
            progressed marking was of little significance and line behaviors became EVERYTHING. After
            awhile both of us seemed to relax and were more effective. All four dogs changed for the better.
            They were not  perfect, but noticeably different and a corner has been turned.  We're doing this
            again as a routine so that it becomes a mind set in all training sessions.  
May 10 trained at BT's with Brian (pro) and group - ran "chair" marking drill (stickmen and chair stations)  
            four ducks and two extra stations, slight angle giving marks from 100 to 160 yards
                   note: Kooly pinned a couple and got the other two quickly (deep alfalfa = tough running),
                            still some whining at the line = corrections on first bird & kept the ducks in his
                            mouth on the next three until sent (that kept him quiet), I might stick a bumper in his
                            mouth to begin with = saw that a few years ago and just remembered it
                   note: Daisy is still in heat as Grady broke loose from his tie-out and came to the line for
                            some action, I told Daisy to "kennel up" and she barreled to the van and flew into her
                            open crate, Grady figured his "chance was over" & we started over, Daisy pinned one
                            mark, had two small hunts and ran around quite a bit on the last one
            after the chair drill, the next set-up was a double - double, one double was "down the path" with
            the long bird the memory, the second double had the gunners almost in line with the go bird long
            left and memory bird short right
                   note: Kooly was again "noisy" got another correction which was effective = these two double
                            he did fine with
                   note: Daisy had a short hunt with the first go bird and had some trouble (at first) recalling
                            that there was a second bird (but worked with her and it came back), second double
                            she had a huge hunt (it was hot, too) finally figured out it was a long throw, but she was
                            right on task with the memory bird (thought this would not happen given the long hunt,
                            what she did with the memory on the first double and the heat of the morning (no pun
                            intended)
            (evening) trained at the Square Pond - "in your face" splashing mallards from wingers on the
            north side of the pond, Kooly was first - any motion of whining resulted in corrections and taken
            off the line, put a bumper in Kooly's mouth to start with, all four wingers were unloaded for Kooly
            and he "got nothing" (back to the van) and Daisy came out and picked up all four ducks, wingers
            reloaded & Kooly back to the line, got three this time = didn't move and whined on one, then
            Daisy came out an did a nice job on two = no motion and focused
                 note: will do this twice a week
May 11 Kooly got the day off, Daisy only trained in the evening - ran Definitive Casting Drill #4 with a long
            angle back, these are started with the first mark being a "remote line poorman", then on the 2nd
            Daisy waits until I walk back to the line
                 note: ran the first one by identifying the pile (orange bumpers) = ran the casting part of the
                          drill three times - only two whistles on the 80 yard angle back cast and "fogged" fast
                          on all the marks (nice job & repeat in the morning)
            drove to the Rockton Road DTA and introduced a stickmen slot drill = two stickmen three yards
            apart with an identified pile of orange bumpers 20 yard beyond the slot, backed up in a ladder
            technique out to about 100 yards, Daisy only tried to flare once and was stopped and cast through,
            she was doing it so well, I was afraid there wasn't going to be any teaching of "No, that's not
            right." This drill will be lifted to somewhere else and lengthened.  A jump will be added and
            transitioned to logs, short cover strips and natural slots.  
May 12 (morning) repeated Definitive Casting Drill #4 (same place) Taffey spent the morning running a few
            blinds to finish off the remainder of the piles and "helped" set up and take down "stuff"
                        note: Daisy did it well with a lot of style this morning
                        note: ran it cold with Kooly - hasn't seen this for about two years - sharp 
                                                                     (left click on thumbnail)             

            ran the 164 yard pattern blind at Roscoe River Park through a 3 yard Stickmen slot (identified
            first), moved back and ran, then put the jump in (both know this) - ran it again, moved back full
            distance and finished (Daisy and Kooly)
                        note: again Kooly wanted to cheat, but adjusted quickly with attrition
                        note: Daisy was solid with only on "no-no" attrition after she got over the fact that the
                                 "camo" cover was still saturated with chukar scent (used it to cover the bird cage),
                                 the "wall of scent" stopped her in her tracks a couple of times, but after step 4 when
                                 we moved out to the full distance she could not drive over the jump, had to move
                                 up and deal with that a couple of times, her last run was fast (she started a banana to
                                 the right and corrected back over the jump (she was feeling quite a bit of pressure
                                 from this drill = still in heat didn't help)
                                                                      (left click on thumbnails) 

            drive to BT's DTA work on the "up and over a mound" & through a slot (took "weed whacker",
            cut grass and clear off mound) first sit dog on each side of mound and call over, then identify the
            pile = run moving back in increments (stickmen slot 30 yards form mound & pike at 60 yards in front
            and end up running from 30 yards behind the mound)
                       note: Kooly wanted to cheat more coming back, cheated first time going out - adjusted
                                quickly with no issues (good job)
                       note: Daisy was determined to cheat and started to bug with a couple of "no goes", it took a
                                a few higher collar corrections and her whole attitude changed (decide to quit
                                slacking) = "OK, I got the message........was just testing you. HA!" Her last two were
                                perfect and fast.
                                                                      (left click on thumbnail)  

           (evening) train at Rockton Road DTA - ran remote winger double/double same set ups & it did 
           go well, winger #1's new wire release ended up too long and the cover was too high
                     note: Kooly did much better than Daisy because he takes a good initial line on a mark,
                              carries it and is taller, Daisy is still a bit spotting so her heat cycle is not over by
                              any means, this was one of those training sessions that would have been better
                              is we'd missed it 
May 13 (morning) ran Daisy on Definitive Casting Drill #5 & ran a Water Casting Drill
                     note: Daisy too a single cast to get the blind and nailed the mark on the "DCD5" drill
                              (sharp)
                     note: identified the pile (orange bumpers) on opposite bank & Daisy took two whistles to
                              head into the pond & memory wasn't enough to fire hard but she kind of knew and
                              then picked up speed  (very good for a new presentation, poison birds will be easy)
                                                                       (left click on thumbnail)  

            designed and made PVC supports for the two 6'x12' ProSelect Solar Canopy screens on van
May 14 (afternoon) day off, picked up ATV winger basket from welder
May 15-16 Taffey's second ultrasound confirmed there is only one pup......due June 2nd, took two days
            off as we are down to one vehicle for a few days, painted and mounted the new ATV basket
           
            Finally, the “basket” is finished, mounted and loaded. I bought a sheet of expanded metal,
            gave the design to a welder and he built it. The welder has a great name......Rusty. His friend
            sheared the metal and formed the box. Then he welded it together and added brackets. 
            Rusty said he could mount it on the ATV, but it would cost quite a bit more. I think he wanted
            me to do it because there were several outboard props on his bench begging to be repaired.
            I work cheap. After painting and mounting it to the ATV, the decision to do this myself was the
            right one. Can you say…….several hours? It is 33" wide x 24" high and 16" back, and four Kwick
            Wingers fit with plenty of "wiggle" room. The top edges of the basket are covered with mitered,
            split and zip-tied black heavy duty washing machine hose sections.
                                                                         (left click on thumbnails)  

 May 17 (evening) training van back from garage, trained at the Square Pond DTA grassy area, Daisy
             ran Definitive Casting Drill #5A and Kooly ran two easy cold blinds, Taffey helped set-up &
             picked up extra bumpers afterwards
                    note: Daisy was sharp on this, sat 15 yards before the mark, took a hard angle back cast
                             to the pile, but sucked back at the close visible bumper, quick whistle and took a
                             perfect, long cast to the pile, after delivery = "fogged" to the mark (repeat #5A one
                             more time, some where else, and this step is finished)
                    note: Kooly was straight as an arrow on the first cold blind typical "mo", second was must
                             faster and a fun bumper was a good ending
May 18 (morning) trained at Rockcut State Park DTA with Anne W. - ran a "schooled" double and picked
            up a cold blind in between the "go and memory" Dokkens (remote wingers on the memory,
            primer report & stickmen), real gunner at the short go bird which was inline with the memory
            (had to run through the old fall)
                    note: Daisy missed the "schooled" mark on the wrong wind side and had an ugly hunt,
                             when the double was thrown, she had some trouble at the line looking past the short
                            gunner station (motion), picked up the go bird OK, but wouldn't work with me in
                            lining up for the cold blind = I waited her out and got her to calm down, cold blind
                            four whistled (falling off the side hill) not bad, memory bird not much "mo" off the line
                            but the picture came back and she got the mark (first time set-up with blind & double
                            not bad), after the heat cycle, it is apparent line manners have taken a hit  
                   note: Kooly focused well and marked even better, two whistled the blind and had no
                            problems with the memory bird = nice job
                   note: Taffey helped pick everything up
             (evening) yard work - mow the lawn     
 May 19 (afternoon) trained at the Square Pond - four "in your face" remote winger marks (two
             mallards & two Dokkens) used HRC bucket style and a cap gun with a long barrel
             any motion or noise back to the truck - the other dog comes out of the van & picks up
                    note: Kooly was too animated and whining = took off the line after each mark & he
                             didn't pick up any = back to van & Daisy picked up Kooly's marks
                             Kooly came out again after Daisy's turn, did some OB including an extended
                             down & he made no noise this time.......so he got his marks
                    note: Daisy was solid and did a good job on her "in your face" marks  
                                                                     (left click on thumbnails)  

             was going to run the shore water pattern (125 yard swim), but the wind was in the wrong
             direction so each ran it as a "kind of" cold blind in reverse
                    note: Daisy was having trouble with water getting in her ears, many whistles
                             Kooly was better, but the problem was that this blind was placed about 10 yards
                             away from an old pattern blind from last year (he remembered it)
             (late afternoon) Daisy did the water variation of the Definitive Casting Drill #5
                    note: took four whistles to get her off the mark and to the pile = she did it - this was a
                             difficult drill = pretty good  
                                                                          (left click on thumbnail)  

    

 May 20 (morning) train at Hook Lake, WI with hunt test training group, got there early IT WAS COLD!
             ran a lining drill = across the road, past an angle log, over a log and between two stickmen
                    note: had some issues 1) wanted to go over first log which threw her off course = moved
                             up, then after jumping the second log she wanted to go outside the two stickmen,
                             put her up (Kooly ran) brought her back out and she ran two in a row correctly
                    note: Kooly insisted on flaring the log, I persisted to tell him "no" and switched to flaring
                             the stickmen with couple of "no's" and insisting Kooly ran two straight correctly

             after rowing out to the bog & planting a blind, rest of the group arrived & the set-up = a the
             cold blind ran as either a poison bird, delayed poison bird or a cold blind with a diversion
             (orange bumpers on the blind and a remote Zinger Winger thrown black & white Dokken,
             two holding blinds and a popper gun
                    note: Kooly ran it as a poison bird = did nice job
                    note: Daisy ran it as a delayed poison bird to fit in with the "test" of her Definitive Casting
                             Drills = she wanted the poison Dokken "real bad" a few whistles even though is was
                             very close and the mind set established in the drills kicked in = nice job
             group then drove to the Stoughton field trial grounds (ten minutes away) and set-up a delayed
             triple (which is actually two singles and a delayed memory plus two blinds off to the right
                    note: Kooly was too animated the line, whining and one bark = back to the van, after
                             Daisy ran he was brought out with a Dokken in his mouth = ran it OK, marking not
                             all that great
                    note: since Kooly was "so not paying attention to me" decide to see just how "amped" he
                             was = normally a 3 momentary on the collar make him yelp and get "slinky", but a
                             4 continuous when the shot were going off and ducks falling hardly phased him,
                             which means he is going have to start paying attention to me = the question is "How
                             do I become continuously "visible" at the line? 
                    note: Daisy was OK at the line and didn't mark all the well (big hunt on the go bird = just         
                             missed it) memory bird she left not all that sure, started to switch and with gunner's
                             "Hey!" came back and picked it up, ran blinds OK (had trouble blowing through a
                             strip of cover
             Interceptor & Frontline Plus
 May 21 (noon) Dr. appointment (morning) - afterwards ran each at BT's used the Retriever-R-Trainer
             and made Kooly watch all of Daisy's marks without a bark collar on
                    note: Daisy took excellent initial lines on all the marks down off the steep levee, then she'd
                              loose the line and end up hunting (on the earlier marks) as the marks progressed she
                              began to hold a better line and carry it to the area of the fall, put her up after about
                              8-9 short singles (50 - 100 yards), brought her out again (after Kooly) and ran 5 more
                              noticeable improvement focus and attacking the area of the fall
                     note: Kooly's intensity and focus on the exact spot of a mark is not much of an issue if he
                              is not too animated or being corrected for whining, so his work was more directed
                              at "noise" = there was improvement and demanded from an awareness that "I
                              was there!" used heeling stick & no e-collar corrections
                     note: both dogs were hot when finished but not in any stress            
 May 22 (noon)) ran Retrieve-R-Trainer marks off the northwest mound at BT's
                    note: Daisy ran six different singles - took a break - ran two singles & double
                             her marking has made a huge turn around in two days, the concept of the area
                             area of the fall has returned & she is really focusing
                    note: today Kooly has finally become aware that whining is a issue, after making him
                             sit and watch Daisy's run, he came out ready to "whine" = took him off the line
                             five times with stick-quiet-sticks, stick-sit-sticks and stick-down-stick, ask him to
                             pay attention to me and finally he quit whining - five straight singles and verbal
                             reminders seemed to register, came out after Daisy's second go and did fine
                             until I tried to call swing him to the go bird off a short memory = he barked = off
                             the line with the same corrections and into the van, picked up memory bird and
                             ran it again = no noise and aware of me yet focused on he marks = big change
                    note: trained at noon for the warmer temperatures - Stuttgart is going to be hot                         
             (evening) split lining drill & three long cold water blinds at the Square Pond
                             (just Daisy)

The new training adjustment technique is working. I've not been thrilled with Daisy's marking or
Kooly's noise at the line. Two areas need to be dealt with on Daisy 1) mostly focus and 2) some
control issues.  Kooly's problem revolves mostly around responsiveness.

The reason for using the Retriever-R-Trainer is that it will help Daisy to focus, and it will cause Kooly
to get so "amped" this will create the whining and barking issues. As his responsiveness "goes in the
tank", I can deal with it by making him more aware using specific, well timed corrections. The
proper repetition will build new expectations (in theory).

I decided to take everything out of the field. The only thing will be the bouncing canvass or foam
bumpers. The wide variety of of grass and terrain changes in the levee area at BT's provides ample opportunities to "spot" or get a "good picture" of the fall area for Daisy.  Not only that, but the "moving bumpers" provide a larger "scented area of the fall" than any other presentation.  She was more
consistent the second day and shows steady improvement. Kooly's behavior was predictable and
contained by the plan.
This is working with both dogs.  

 May 23 (noon) ran 4 R-R-T land singles and two doubles at BT's  at noon because I knew the
             weather in Stuttgart was going to be very warm
                 note: Daisy did fine and picked up four blinds on marks Kooly didn't get
                 note: Kooly got put back in the truck on four singles for whining especially on
                          a reel heel (heavy stick corrections)
 May 24 (early morning) quick training session to take the edge off the dogs for the long trip & get
             them "emptied out" (left for Arkansas at 9:00 am)
                 note: ran Daisy on the split lining drill
                 note: ran Kooly on the walking baseball drill
             (late evening) arrived Stutrgart Best Western Motel - 668 miles & 10 hours 50 minutes  
 May 25 Daisy attends the Avery “Trainin’ in the Timber” Seminar in Stuttgart, AK 
             met at Mack's Prairie Wings at non and drove to Avery's Lodge which was about 15 miles
             out (with some mighty dusty roads along the way) after intros went off with Rody Best who
             was the pro trainer for the transition group - ran a land set-up and a water set-up to see
             where all the dogs were at (marking, OB, attitude, skill levels) to have a better idea of what
             to work on Saturday and Sunday
                    note: Daisy did about as expected and gave a good read to Rody Best (the pro working
                             with the transition dogs)
             finished the evening off with a great meal, followed by a lot of great socializing, I was ready
             for a good night's sleep and got it.            
 May 26 up early for a great breakfast and training day = lots of drills with one on one (more to follow)
             1) in line breaking drill with five dogs and a rotation, 2) circle breaking drill with five dogs,
             3) over the brush pile lining drill, 4) push/pull work using three (similar to our split lining drill)
             and used  ATB's, 5) turned around and used three piles for a "lining the head and spine"
             drill and 6) did a BB blind drill to work on getting off the line, square sits and literal casting
             work = during all this work we worked on the mechanics and improving the dog's control with
             emphasis on timing, finding the proper type and level of corrections while paying attention to
             consistency and concerns for motivation

                                        keys = timing, consistency and motivation
                  note: These integrate right into the five keys from the Kentucky seminar = responsiveness,
                           retrieving, "birdiness", focus and control

             had lunch at Mack's Prairie Wings and then went back out to run some more setups 1) inline
             singles alternating sides and increasing in length and 2) long single up the middle with a wide
             double afterwards and a cold blind up the middle (to the left) was a real indicator of how far
             we had come and what we needed to work on
                  note: given how warm it was the dogs hung in there and gave a good effort  
             then each of the transition group drew numbers to run one of Rody Best's SRS dogs on a
             triple with a cold blind = this was fun
                  note: the meal, shower and bedtime were a welcome relief to the long day we put in
                  note: Daisy and Kooly could not have been any better travelers on this trip - easy and
                           very cooperative                
 May 27 up early with a good breakfast and a morning of watching all the dogs from each group
             participate on a set-up which was a triple and blind for advanced, single/double/blind for
             transition and three singles for the young dogs, finished off with pros running a dog with
             setup changed to add more difficulty (got to watch Dusty run)
             Great Weekend!
 May 28 day off - mow back lawn
 May 29 Taffey x-ray shows one pup = due June 2nd, worked on Daisy's hold of the Avery ATB
 May 30  hot morning, finished mowing yard, trained in the evening at BT's down the middle of the
              dry pond - ran a four remote winger inline drill - short to long (cover was a bit taller than
              I wanted) = both dogs did fairly well with tight hunts on the ones they missed  

 

    Reflections and Internet Posts - Avery  Trainin' in the Timber seminar

May 31 (morning) train at BT's with Anne W. - ran the four winger inline long to short off the mound at
            BT's = Daisy and Kooly had big hunts on the long mark (too much tall cover off the bottom of
            the mound first time out) the last three marks were better (run next time in short cover)
              note: ran a cold blind and both Daisy and Kooly took a single, long angle back first cast to the
                       blind = very nice!