Archive from Daisy's Journal       August - October -  2006  

August 5 basics cleaned up, well into transition ready for de-cheating, marking coming back nicely and looks
                 "good to go" for the winter trip
                     note: plan to pick her up August 25th with continued training at home, some dove & early  teal in
                              Illinois, a week trip to North Dakota in late October, tower shoots and some goose & duck
                              field hunting in November followed by the Jan-Feb training trip to Texas
August 21 Daisy is totally ready to come home with pro standards in OB and yard work - running patterns
                 this week & coming home the Friday (the 25th)  
Aug 25 spent a long 9 hours on the road, 575 round trip to Iowa = Daisy is home and sleeping well
Aug 26 (evening) set-up a big single T in a new area (closer) by using the walk-out blind concept (125 yards
            with full 40 yard side piles), she went as sent on the first three backs. but flared off some so she was
            handled back with no issues, then she ran the rest of the back pile with only a slight "banana", the
            four "overs" (two right and left with a back in between) were run hard and crisp with a long look
            pause before giving the casts = nice job for the first time in this new area (the bumpers were not
            visible from the apex, but she remembered there were some out there by the way it was set-up)
            (bedtime) worked on "down" in the dog hide (living room)
                 note: only run the back pile tomorrow and get the "banana" out (morning & afternoon sessions with
                          variety, next few days review T work and swim-by, establish casting standards (especially on
                          water) and re-establish her two sets of pattern blinds, start walk-out blinds and balance with
                          marking drills, begin systematic training on cover & water de-cheating, establish a three down
                          the shore pattern blind at the Sand Pond DTA
                 note: do as much water work as possible.......well into October
                 note: establish boat (Marsh Rat), layout field blind, dog hide and decoy routines for duck hunting 
                          (along with Taffey & Kooly)
 Aug 27 (morning) ran the new single T with stickmen making the "back' route a wide "up the slot", had issues
             at first which required some indirect pressure, she wanted to flare around, moved closer and sent
             remotely, finished much better, drove to Macktown DTA and Daisy was "roaded" 1.5 miles for the first
             time, did this without any other dogs and she was fine with it  
                 note: the older dogs went five laps and she went an easy two, made sure she ran on the off side of
                          the bike (away from the chain), at first an inexperienced dog may jump sideways and the
                          chain could prove to be dangerous
                 note: worked on the "down" command afterwards  
             (evening) ran four "walk around" blinds at the Sand Pond DTA (down the shore), ran five "stand alone"
             singles on the way back to the van, did a little playtime socializing with the neighbor's five month old
             Golden pup
                 note: scalloped some on the 125 yard down the shore, but tried hard & worked with me, repeated =
                          was much better, the next two were shorter and she did really well on those, the marks were
                          through tough terrain, and she stepped on all of them = nice, solid session tonight & she was
                          having fun, she was surprisingly very nice with the pup
                 note: water & land handling went really well (square sits on land, solid "treads" in water), no
                          pre-casting and took casts well (the only issue at first was the scalloping on water)
          busy day = back pile with an "up the slot" diversion concept (fourteen bumpers), "roaded" 1.5 miles
                            (first time), worked on the "down" command, established a set of "three down the shore"
                            pattern blinds, ran five tough terrain change singles & maintained long remote sit standards         
 Aug 28 (morning) ran the old single T with stickmen at Macktown, drove to Brian's = ran a pile drill through
             goose decoys & a wedge of cover (both directions), borrowed goose Dokken
             (evening) rained out  
 Aug 29 (late morning) ran the back pile through two tight slot stickmen first five bumpers issues at the line &
             took a five minute break next five were perfect, put back in van to wait her turn for the next session
             which was a five bumper wagon wheel casting from the pitcher's mound, another break and finished
             with an excellent session of walking baseball, threw a huge goose Dokken out for each dog and Daisy
             actually did better with it than the two older dogs, took an hour break and Daisy "roaded" 1.5 miles
             with the other two dogs
             (evening) worked at the Sand Pond DTA - ran two water pattern blinds & finished with seven singles
                     note: Daisy was a "bear" all day & finished the marks straight, aggressively and "on the money"
                     note: she handled nicely on the pattern blinds (not nearly as many casts needed today) & very
                              responsive to the whistle "sits" (drifts to the left on "turn/sits" which helps on down
                              the shores to the right)
 Aug 30 (morning) "roaded" Daisy, Taffey & Kooly together for an easy 3 miles at Macktown DTA, took a short
             shopping break at Menard's and ended up at the Square Pond DTA where all three dogs took turns on
             a remote or close up place board or in the Kwick Hide - honoring or retrieving a mallard Dokken, each
             dog was patient and there were zero breaks (but there were a couple of "twitches" from Kooly & Daisy
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             (evening) ran the two pattern blinds which were into a stiff wind tonight, afterwards ran 10 singles
             in a new area of the Sand Ponds DTA (this is a very unique area to train in) = the following link shows
             only a small portion of the possibilities  The Sand Ponds Training Day (Link)
 Aug 31 (morning)  trained with a group at BT's alfalfa field - ran four singles in a stickmen field with walking
             gunner/s, primer pistol and bumpers & finished by running two cold blinds
                   note: Daisy's marking was excellent (head came down for hunts, but was very close each time)
                            on the cold blinds = looking to see where we need work & casting is not very accurate so
                            we need to really work work on this
             (evening)  wagon wheel five bumper drill and walking baseball
 Sept 1  (morning) ran part one of the Definitive Casting Drill with a slight modification = no 20 yard "stop"
             all returns from the pile are via water (later the 20 yard will be added, but it is through water), the
             mark is thrown at 100 yards, the pile of bumpers is off to the left and the dog is run from the line
                   note: the water return & "poorman" bumper toss & walking back to the line created a memory
                   issue with the second mark (but she worked it out and ran the water returns nicely)
             finished with a "cheaty" water pile drill (which will later be the "20 yard stop") and throwing a few
             easy water singles across the pond
             (afternoon) trip to the vet's for heartworm check-up and weighing (lost 7 pounds on the  trip to Iowa)  
             (evening) did some heel/walking fetch/hold/drop with a fresh dove
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 Sept 2  (morning) re-established 2 of the 3 pattern blinds at Roscoe Rock River Park (did them, but had a
             no-go on the second shorter one, drove to the Square Pond and ran the Definitive Casting Drill =
             Daisy is running the mark with a big banana which I took as perceived pressure, then I got some
             no-go's which were corrected (reluctantly)  
             (evening) went on a short dove hunt mostly to use the Kwick Hide, Daisy was laying down in the
             hide and focused for the whole 55 minutes = very nice job & quiet
                      note: she's going to be very good in the goose field, boat and duck blind
                      note: backing off on the blinds for awhile - simplifying & no rush
 Sept 3  (morning) ran Daisy (with Kooly & Taffey) on five "stand alone" singles at BT's alfalfa field & then
             did two water singles at the Square pond
                   note: all marked well   
             (evening) short dove hunt planned, but rain came early
 Sept 4 rain = day off
 Sept 5 (evening) Daisy had another short dove hunt this evening & at sunset she ran three singles at BT's
            alfalfa field, this area has pine trees and a few doves here and there
                   note: Daisy has run honoring drills out of the Kwick Hide plus the transition time from the yard.
                            Our luck with being in the right place to drop a few doves has paid off in a strange way. 
                            she has had nothing to retrieve. At first, this was a bit frustrating, but she is relaxed and
                            just content to be laying there quietly in the blind near me. If were dropping doves regularly
                            this might not be the case. Therefore, this "quietness mode" may be a blessing for many
                            years to come. The "wild child" was calm....which was pleasant and strange at the same time.
                            Also, not shooting anything made little difference in the feelings we both had for time spent
                            sitting alone in the field. It is difficult to explain this to anyone who has not been hunting
                            with a dog of their own. .
                   note: Daisy's marking was "down right" exciting to watch (all three dogs were on fire after a
                            day-and-a-half off). As I sit here finishing today's journal, three yellow dogs are "sawing
                            wood" in the living room and we are content. 
   Sept 6  (morning) ran wagon wheel lining drill at the Square Pond DTA (right side - push & pull), ran the two
               pattern blinds at Roscoe Rock River Park with each dog alternating, drove to Rockton Road DTA & ran
               three singles with all three dogs, finished with a water handling drill at the Swim-by Pond DTA
                   note: the water handling drill was done with two dogs kept remote (5 yards behind the line) = each
                            dog ran the back pile, then each dog was sent back, stopped at the apex and given a right
                            angle back cast to another pile, then each dog took their turn doing a left angle back cast with
                            a finish of each dog running the back pile again = they all sat attentively and worked nicely
                            when it was their turn, afterwards Kooly & Taffey raced to pick up the left over bumpers 
                    note: Daisy handle this whole morning quite well & OB was excellent 
               (evening) 45 minute dove hunt at BT's, three doves buzzed us at 5 minutes before sunset, knocked
               down one, but Daisy didn't see it. This gave her about a 60 yard blind, she ping-pong a couple of
               times and then took the "back" into the pines. A few seconds later, Daisy came out with a cripple which
               was delivered and given up nicely. She was excited, but calmed down upon entering the hide. She was
               really scanning the sky then, but there were only Robins and Swallows at the end. I think the yard
               work with a dove the other day made a difference. She had a nice soft, mouth on the dove, and the
               feathers didn't seem to bother her.
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   Sept 7  (morning) "roaded" three miles with Kooly & Taffey at Macktown, ran the three pile casting drill at
               swim-by pond
                      note: the middle pile was in the shade and she wanted to line to the two "outer" piles, worked
                               at the line well and handled nicely in the water (good long casts & ran several bumpers),
                               gave at least a count of five or more for treading water in place waiting for casts
                      note: Daisy will lock and take a line on anything she sees, but she will not lock on and look out
                               at a direction yet (time for some five bumper "fan" cold blinds) 

                          Internet Dog Training Forum Post:

                   When training alone it is a pain to have to keep going back to the van to switch out dogs. I needed
                   to be able to take all my dogs to the area of the line for doing drills, running blinds or marking. The
                   problem was the two dogs "in waiting" were always getting an advantage by seeing the set-up and
                   the first dog's work. So a new command was required.......it's called the "No-Watch". This morning
                  Taffey was doing a water handling drill while the other two waited for their turn.
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Sept 8 "roaded" 4.5 miles with Kooly & Taffey, drove home and dropped off Kooly, Taffey, the bike and
           rack, ran four long singles at the Rockton Road DTA, finished with a water handling/lining drill at
           the Swim-by Pond (used nine orange bumpers at the two corner piles and moved the line around)
                         note: Daisy was running harder, longer, faster than the other two plus quartering out into
                                  the upland cover on both sides, singles went fine with a big hunt on the first one
                                  (thrown up a steep hill into heavier cover), the water drill went very well = taking
                                  long casts)
                         note: this is one "tough little cookie"  
Sept 9 ran two Y-drills at Macktown DTA - first at 150 yards & second about 100 yards, six singles total using
           a remote line and white bumpers thrown far, afterwards Kooly, Taffey & Daisy ran set-up a "fan" of
           five orange bumpers as cold blinds
                         note: aimed her as best she would take and sent her off the line, let her roll for at least
                                  75 yards and then handled her to the closest one, did well enough to pick up four of
                                  the five blinds FOCUS: leave side well, carry a line and handle 
                                                         ANALYSIS: just what she needed
Sept 10 rain = day off
Sept 11 rain again = day off
Sept 12 rained most of the day (evening) Daisy ran a two bumper wagon wheel casting drill via a place
             board at the pitcher's mound (Square Pond DTA & very slight mist) 
                   note: Daisy was very into it today and smacked every cast - excellent work                        
             drove to the Rockton Road DTA, ran three walking singles with a remote line and all three dogs
             taking their turn (easier marks = good pace for the day.....Daisy's marks thrown to the opposite side)
                  note: stepped on all three with speedy style (the two days off had a very positive impact)  
Sept 13 trained at the Square Pond DTA - ran an extended casting drill using two bumpers in a wagon
             wheel format, ran a few hand thrown blinds afterwards (using two bumpers) 
                  note: was sharp & attentive = almost perfect casts and fast (a wow! session)
Sept 14 trained at the Square Pond DTA - ran four "down the shore" singles (trimmed section of shoreline)
                  note: very good at returning to the remote line & each "down the shore" had her staying in the
                           water longer (pretty nice effort)
                  note: on the second mark she had an eye that appeared to get "whipped" by some tall grass,
                           the eye was red for about ten minutes (it cleared up, but will keep on top of it tonight)
             moved to the Rockton Road DTA - ran a "fan" five bumper cold blind set-up
                  note: initial lines were not perfect (but the drill doesn't have this as an expectation) at about
                           75 yards she was handled to the nearest blind
                  note: left the line much better, carried lines which were good enough, picked up all five blinds
                           and her casting was excellent = maintained an excellent attitude & started to "look out &
                           lock a bit, mostly didn't mess with it very much = lined her up & "kicked her off" quickly
            (evening) trained at the Sand Pond DTA - ran the two "down the shore" pattern blinds
                  note: Daisy's water entry on "back" was weak (need to re-think or re-do force to water) once in
                           the water she is fine, seems to be having some trouble with water getting in her ears
                           when turning to take a cast, ran two short lining blinds afterwards (same entry issues)
            afterwards she spent some time in the yard retrieving a very fresh nine pound Canadian goose,
            Daisy was very excited about that (picked it up with no trouble and returned to heel)
Sept 15 (morning) "roaded" 4.5 miles at the Macktown DTA and trimmed bank weeds at the Square Pond
                  note: Daisy had plenty left at the end & was quartering into the cover on both sides of the path
             (evening) using chest waders raked the whole south shoreline to check for any possible entry issues,
             trimmed a section of the shore on the north side, Daisy ran a set of five sight blinds across the pond
             with angle entries = the focus was on leaving the line smartly on "dead bird/back" & Daisy was
             flying into the water, finished by throwing fifteen duck decoys into the south end of the pond,
             Daisy picked up several hand thrown marks in and past the decoys plus out of pond on the other
             side (white bumpers)
                  note: it's been two weeks since a fall with the mountain bike, it was a nicer place to land (no
                           objects to hit), but the slight shoulder separation has been a real "pain" in more ways
                           than one, forgot today and threw a few bumpers (paying the price tonight)
Sept 16 (afternoon) trained all three dogs at the Square Pond - Daisy ran from the Kwick Hide, a single and
             a double with remote wingers were thrown, used the cap gun at the line (from a bucket) & each dog
             spent about fifteen minutes in the hide listening to the duck call (or nothing) with quite a bit of time
             waiting to be sent for the single and then the double.......the wait on the double got to Daisy and she
             broke, stopped her before the water and made her wait for awhile back in the hide (good lesson)
                  note: the reason for using white bumpers was to establish a distinct difference between the
                           "things to retrieve" and the decoys (the older dogs didn't need this, but thought it would be
                           best for Daisy) = tomorrow real ducks 
                  note: Daisy continues to show great enthusiasm and a zest for life (every waking moment)
                                                                             (left click on thumbnails)

                          Internet Dog Training Forum Post (slightly edited Dec, 2006):

             I couldn't train this morning and was sitting around thinking about the transition my pup, Daisy, is going     
             through. One thing for sure, I could not be more pleased with her attitude and progress. That being said,
             there are some steps in her training that dictate making “adjustments” before moving on even though
             Daisy is a manic trainer and loves the game.

             The basic instinct to “go after something” is activated by motion, odor and/or sound. In other words,
             retrieving uses the senses – sight, olfactory and/or auditory. For the trainer that properly enhances these
             traits, a dog will develop desire and style (if it is genetically there to begin with), but style comes easier
             for some dogs than others.

             In addition, Labs are expected to not only retrieve marks.............but to run blinds. Marks readily lend
             themselves to at least one of the senses linked to the “go get it” trigger. Successful trainers understand
             the order of appealing to the senses to maximize the ability of a young dog to mark and retrieve - sight
             first and nose second. When teaching blinds, the trainer utilizes another sequence called transition. The
             goal is to achieve a stylish “go get it” attitude without the readily obvious motivators of sight, smell and
             (or) hearing. One of the critical tools in the process of transition involves the use of force.

             Now given that a young dog has been taught and loves to use his eyes, nose and ears as motivators, what
             makes the smart dog feel like he would want to “go get anything” when not stimulated by these sight,
             olfactory or auditory senses? There is nothing to see, no odor and no sounds. My feeling is that the
             repetition of “going as sent” eventually builds an anticipation of stimulation by at least one of the senses.
             Basically, there is a tangible reward for going and the dog learns the “go to something” focus. The dog
             wants to. Therefore, in transition the balance of sending vs. going must stay on the side of “making sense”
             to the dog (pun intended). Positive anticipation is the key.

             Bluntly, stated the dog must have a motivation other than JUST force to make it through transition. The
             young dog must embrace anticipation...which means “I know if I go it will lead to the promise of triggering
             my exciting instincts.” Building anticipation must be the focus and maintaining a positive attitude is absolute.
             Too much “you gotta go” and not nearly enough “I wanna go” will build a barrier of negative anticipation.
             The dreadful alternative is that “dead bird/back” triggers the anticipation of something unpleasant which
             blocks the wonderful stimulation of finding the "fun object".

             The important point to make here is each dog is unique in how it deals with transition. It depends very much
             on how the dog learns and especially upon the depth of its instinct triggers. Working with lining drills, walk
             out blinds, bird boy blinds, sight blinds, and pattern blinds a trainer must read when to make the subtle move
             to cold blinds. It depends entirely on recognizing when the pup has made the jump.

             A thirsty dog will not look good when "sent to the water bucket" if the ONLY thing occupying his mind is
             negative anticipation. During transition, force must be properly applied....................so as to not stifle the
             building of positive anticipation. Style when running blinds is all about exciting, positive anticipation.

Sept 17 (morning) trained at the Square Pond over decoys using remote wingers and ducks = double out of
               the Kwick Hide, spent at least fifteen minutes calling and sitting before the double with lots of time
               between each launch, ran two cold blinds afterwards
                      note: Daisy was steady, ran some nice blinds & handled the ducks really well
                                                                             (left click on thumbnails)    

  Sept 18 (morning) Daisy ran two big pattern land blinds at the Roscoe Rock River Park = good "mo"
               (noon) did a cheating water lining drill at the Swim-by Pond DTA, ran about fifteen bumper/lines
               of 35-40 yards with angle entry/exits, cutting corners, parallel shore using right and left side heel
                      note: used white bumpers with the focus on the "dead-bird look/lock/good hand down back"
                               routine = looking for a solid effort off the line plus working on de-cheating
                      note: Daisy did super nice.......one of those Wow! sessions
               (evening) ran "two down the shore" pattern blinds - Sand Pond DTA & finished with 6 walking singles
                      note: water patterns showing steady improvement, marks were........."very, very nice"  
  Sept 19 (morning) ran a 125 yard fan cold blind set-up at the Rockton Road DTA using orange bumpers,
               stiff breeze and 55°, finished session by running two remote line Y-Drills with a white bumper thrown
               as far as possible from the gunner station (first set 150 yards & second set at 100 yards in different areas)
                      note: the fan blind routine shows improvement in line up, speed off the line and much better
                               casting (taking literal casts and dealing with sit issues when close to blind & winding it)
                               marking was terrific and returning to the line after each mark was outstanding
                      note: with five 125 yard cold blinds followed by six singles = Daisy was still ready for more  
               (evening) ran a Zig-Zag lining drill & walking baseball (worked on literal casting) at Square Pond DTA
                      note: question to think about = some of the bumpers in the Zig-Zag drill were not visible and
                               those that were ended up distracting her locking on a direction and/or taking the correct
                               line.......however, when running walking baseball all casts from the remote sit were taken
                               crisply and correctly to the bumpers which often are not visible
                      note: Basically, we are not getting a good solid straight ahead look on "dead bird" unless there
                               is something to look at. The exception seems to be in the five fan cold blinds.
                      note: getting off the line correctly is an issue at times
                      Analysis = continue to do lining drills and fan cold blinds while decreasing the visibility factor
                                       ingrain the "locking" position through repetition and anticipation = she likes the "fan"
                                       blinds and it is time to start using birds on these blinds regularly
  Sept 20 (morning) moved the zig-zag drill to a shorter grass area to be able to work on the "look/lock......send"
               routine, this went fine, used Swim-by Pond for water lining drill with two piles = One would remain
               visible all the time & the other would "disappear from view" once Daisy was in the water (on land
               about 15 from the shore which has a short sloping bank). Daisy was sent to the visible, suction pile
               first. Then she was cast to the "tougher" one. Once in the water she immediately turned to the other
               visible pile. After a short commitment, she was handled back to the correct line even though this
               other pile was out of sight. She was then lined to the "disappearing" pile until she kept a straight line
               to it even when the "disappearing phase" occurred. Next she was sent to the "easy" pile a few times, 
               then back to repeating the longer one.  Her "lock and look" was much improved today. 

               With two of the "visible" bumpers left, we moved over to produce a parallel & extreme cheat situation.
               The difficulty of the line was increased by making the entry from about 30 yards. If Daisy moved "off
               line" by three yards she could run the bank. First go she got out of the water about ten yards short of
               the pile.....not bad at all. She was stopped and cast back into the water. Second go was a perfect
               line......to and back....in swimming water three yards from shore.
               What a neat pup. I am pumped!    

               We then drove to the Rockton Road DTA and ran two Y-drills. The first was three marks (angled in and
               back) from a 175 yard gunner station using a remote line & the second set of three marks (again a
               Y-drill) were thrown from about 100 yards.
                           note: white bumpers and a 20+ mph wind had her marking all well except the angled in short
                                    one in the second set (over-ran big = time for some check down drills)
                           note: Daisy is sleeping soundly this afternoon
                           note: Went over to the Square Pond to remove the 15 decoys. A Count Down Rapala was
                                    perfect for "fishing" out each decoy. "Caught" four on the first cast and then it got
                                    more difficult. Good thing there were no snags or weeds in the pond.
               (late evening) ran the two "down the shore" water patterns, 2 long "out to sea" water singles & 4
               tough land singles at the Sand Ponds 
                           note: best job to date on the patterns, nailed both long water singles & did a good job
                                    on the land singles = two nice marks and two determined hunts "dug out"
  Sept 21 (late morning) trained at Gallagher's FT grounds = Daisy ran three singles and a 170 yard cold blind
                           note: missed the first mark (so did most of the other dogs) and did fine on the next two
                           note: her blind went very well, left nicely, got a little "hunty" before she hit the water, took
                                    a good angle back toward the blind, "ping-ponged" between the two points a couple
                                    times, but finally took a back, got sucked up on shore with attrition loosing, but took  
                                    the correction and got back in the water then took a cast to the blind = Now that might
                                    seem like a poor blind, but these were all new factors for her and she responded
                                    really well each time plus kept her composure as she dealt with each one
               (late afternoon) short nap, then off to the Square Pond for a five bumper water lining drill, the focus
               was to increase anticipation, therefore, the bumpers were visible from the line, but disappeared
               once she hit the water = she did  an excellent job of taking casts and her turn on the whistle was
               much sharper, as if to finally be eager to find out the right direction = transition approach validated!
                            note: "look and lock" noticeably better, off the line much faster, initial lines really
                                     improving and her attitude is great
               drove to the Rockton Road DTA = set-up a fan of six cold blinds (150-175 yards) 2 ducks & 6 pheasants,
               again the theme was to increase anticipation (using scent on this drill) = focus was to "kick her off the
               line" with any "lock" she gave me, let her roll for at least 75 yards and then handle to the closest blind
                           note: she lined one and took nice casts for the others = very upbeat and fast
                           note; consistently waiting for permission when near the blind
                           note: square turns and sit with at least 5 seconds before giving a cast = she is becoming a
                                    team player wanting to be shown the way........hooray for sequential training    
                                    and driven pups    
                           note: a week to remember!    (pictures later)
 Sept 22 - 23 rainy days & taking a short break
 Sept 24 ran six semi-visible blinds (faded white bumpers in short grass in short grass with bright sunlight)
              that disappeared from view once in the water = focus was on getting a "good lock" at the line and
              leaving with "mo", afterwards she was staked out with the other two dogs and ran an extended
              session of walking baseball
                      note: Daisy is leaving the line really well on land and water (issues cleared up)
                      note: seeing a tendency to go into a hunt mode when excited and she knows it is not far
                               away = time to move forward - away from lining drills to longer multiple cold blind
                               set-ups (tune up and fan cold blinds)
 Sept 25 day off 
 Sept 26 ran at the swim-by pond and worked the next sequence in the drill started Sept 20 (two piles = one
              of white bumpers close up on the bank back right side and another pile of orange bumpers back 
              off the bank about 20 yards on the left = last time both piles were white and visible from the line
              Daisy lines the white pile and then focused on "pulling" with the "here" command and moving the
              knee back, she is taught this cue to lock on the non-visible orange pile while ignoring the visible
              suction of the white pile
                       note: she is full of drive and runs the white pile, 2nd time appears to in the direction of the
                                orange pile, but veers to the white pile = handled to orange, 3rd time takes correct line
                                briefly, but after in water commits to the wrong line = handled to the orange pile,
                                4th time same thing with attrition making the correction, 5th time same veer into the
                                water and this time recalled with "no/here", 6th time lined up and sent = took the
                                correct line, 7th time repeated to orange pile, 8th time back to white with "dead/bird/
                                good/hand down/back", repeat orange and white to clean up the rest of the bumpers 
                       note: at first she had trouble staying in the sit position and wanted to move around because
                                I was "messing" too much with her at the line = persisted with "messing" and she got
                                use to it = then begin to get the idea of looking at one direction and being asked to
                                change her "look and lock" = which was the whole focus of the drill = next time we
                                will work on "push" instead of "pull" and switch the piles (white - short left and right
                                orange - long)
                       note: her drive and conditioning is almost extraordinary - 12 orange bumpers and 8 white
                                bumpers retrieved across a 30 yard pond including a 10 yard entry and 12 "outs" on
                                the other side of 20 yards each = during that time there is all the pressure to use the
                                "pull" cue and deal with "white pile suction" in something other than a wagon wheel
                                Daisy was "full tilt" the entire drill
                       note: moved to grassy area and did a walking baseball to get her dried off some - she wanted
                                more!
   Sept 27 day off (worked on ATV trailer)
   Sept 28 trained at Stoughton - ran four water singles two "cheaty" and two long up the middle, got away
                with a cheat on the first one, but marked all well, ran the triple set-up for the older dogs and
                1) sat and watched all three marks go down, 2) took the short bird first instead of the "go bird",
                3) picked up the long "go bird" nicely, then needed some time to recall the memory and needed
                handling which she did nicely
                        note: first triple and really not ready for it as far as multiples experience, but she did not get
                                 rattled and accepted the help =  we need to start teaching multiples
                        note: very steady with the round place board (keep using)
                                                                           (left click on thumbnails)

 Sept 29 (evening) Daisy ran an extended session of walking baseball at the Square Pond DTA using orange
              bumpers for the first time) with long throws - she's got the literal casting down really well now = verbal
              backs vs. silent angle backs are flawless (mixed in a few "overs", too)
                          note: she was  "fogging" on every cast and lovin' every minute of this drill (in fact, all three
                                   dogs are just plain thrilled with walking baseball)
 Sept 30 trained at BT's alfalfa field with Bill R. = Daisy ran an inverted W marking drill = five ATV singles with
              duck call, primer pistol and real birds (ducks and pheasants) using a remote line send 
                          note: Daisy stepped on all five and did better than Kooly or Taffey - flashy, too!
              ran a double - probably a bit too excited, just missed the go bird & went on a wild hunt, almost lined
              the memory bird, but came up just a few yards short, swung over to the old fall, stopped and took a
              long, perfect angled cast that she carried nicely and stepped on the memory
                          note: need to do more multiples 
              finished with a set-up of five cold blinds across the W singles field, first three to the right had her
              fading with the wind - responded to casts and picked them up, last two where the wind was less
              of a factor were straight lined with no hunting and lots of speed (70 yards and 120 yards)
                          note: she is exciting  
 

 Oct  1    excellent day to train, went to Stoughton FT grounds - Daisy ran an ATV water marking drill = five
              singles in a stickmen field, remote line, duck call, ducks and a primer pistol
                                               note: stepped on 1,2 & 4....over ran 3 & 5 (check down factor)

               Daisy ran two water cold blinds after all three dogs ran the marking drill - these were a huge step
               up in distance and difficulty for her
                                             note: looked out with confidence and FIRED off the line with nice initial lines,
                                                      responded to casts keeping her off land and went past the point with no
                                                      problems on the first one, tried to cheat the little cove at the end, but got
                                                      back in the water = very nice job of paying attention to whistles & casts
                                                      second blind started to hunt the wide point, but took casts and went over
                                                      on a nice line to the blind, began to "cave" to the land early, but took casts
                                                      and stayed out all the way to the blind - very nice responses and great            
                                                      attitude when finished = right blind first = 115 yards & left 135 yards
                                                      (these two blinds continued the ongoing theme of "down the shore")
                                             note: with her performance on yesterday's five land blinds and today's
                                                      challenging water blinds, it is definite that Daisy is ready to move on
                                  to the advanced "stuff", she is perfectly capable of running the master
                                                      level work that Kooly and Taffey are doing (need to work on multiples)
                                             note: we are going to have fun in North Dakota in three weeks                       

     Oct 2 day off
     Oct 3 trained at Stoughton FT grounds - ran some cheating singles using remote wingers, large black
              and white bumpers and primer reports, then set-up a winger double which didn't go very well,
              finished up with about five hand throw doubles around the edge of the pond
                         note: cheating singles went very well, got in the water on all and needed to handle on
                                  the second because she was too thin
                         note: not sure what happened on the double except it might have been confusing going
                                  across the lines of the cheating singles, need to shorten up and "school" some
                                  doubles to start with                         
                          note: Taffey's memory skills did not kick in early......so don't rush Daisy
                                                                                 (left click on thumbnails)    

     Oct 4 (late afternoon) cold breeze and overcast - trained at the Square Pond with Daisy donning a duck
              hunting neoprene vest, it was a bit too loose, OK today, she squirmed like a bunch of people were
              touching her all over, when the first mark hit the water she totally forgot about t, five more water
              singles and she was at ease, ran six walking singles on land (without the vest) to dry off
                        note: Daisy had fun with the "vest drill", measured Daisy, Kooly and Taffey for a vest fit
                        note: Daisy  = neck 18" and chest 27"  weight 56 lbs
                                 Taffey = neck 18" and chest 28"  weight 64 lbs  a large Avery vest is  18" and 28"
                                 Kooly  = neck 20" and chest 29"  weight 67 lbs  
     Oct 5 (near dusk) Daisy ran six walking singles - 100 yards out to almost 200 yards at the Rockton Road DTA,
              then did two simple doubles and finished off with three 40 yard cold blinds
                        note: Wow....again! kind of fun to stand there and run a pup while smiling the whole time
                        note: threw some marks for Bill R. as his Luke is getting ready for another Seasoned test
              Interceptor & Frontline Plus - trimmed nails
     Oct 6 (near dusk) Daisy trained at the Square Pond DTA - ran a left arm only literal casting drill, remote
              place board with piles at 90°, 115°, 140° & 165° plus 35 yards away = identified by walking around
              planting piles with her sitting on the place board - focused on teaching using attrition
                        note: a little hesitant with the piles not easily seen and long casts, did over and back piles
                                 first then moved to angles, moved up once to get better reaction and she finished the
                                 taking alternating casts = excellent drive and picked up 16 bumpers
              took a break as the others worked the casting drill and then did to "stand alone" Dokken doubles
      Oct 7 (near dusk) trained at the Sand Pond DTA - ran the two water pattern blinds and four singles
                        note: only a few casts today - best she's done, marks very good
                        note: watched probably 2000+ geese land in the moonlight as we walked out
      Oct 8 (near dusk) trained again at the Sand Pond DTA - ran the two water pattern blinds, ran four nice
               land singles with a tough up-a-hill concept, finished with two big out-to-sea water singles the full
               diagonal of the pond and then across it (both up on shore) - Wow she pinned both with long,
               straight swims
                        note: Daisy lined the long pattern blind & two whistled the short one (wanted to go long again)
                        note: she pinned both long water marks with long, strong swimming straight lines
               News Flash - Daisy's Dad is now..........FC Taylorlab Downtown Dusty Brown 
      Oct 9 Daisy was "roaded" with the ATV on the paths through area 11 at Blonhaven Hunt Club, Wow, she
               has a lot of "run" - going 10 mph she is whipping along 50 - 100 yards ahead and taking off into the
               cover on both sides - picked up some scent of two spooked roosters and trailed them to the woven
               wire fence by the road, they stepped through and went across the road & into a corn field
                       note: she is fast and tough
     Oct 10 trained at Stoughton FT grounds - using the ATV with Daisy staying at a remote line = four very big
                water and land singles were run using a large black and white bumper with a primer pistol,
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