(Gunny)                                                                                         "10 mini-pile"

                Apr 7th - (afternoon) Taffey, Daisy and Kooly did off lead OB with healing stick wearing an e-collar
                              did the "usual" plus worked on "remote drop" = all three were sharp
                              Gunny did the "usual" OB drill with 2X's efforts on the right side, including front sit "drops"
                              (into my hand) of a bumper during the "responsiveness" drill, OB is very sharp
                                         note: pinch collar and Flexi-lead
                              (early evening) 1st Zig-Zag at the Industrial DTA - cold and windy
                              Taffey was eager on the 1st Zig-Zag = good lines some handles
                              Kooly was very sharp and took great lines = focused and happy
                              Daisy was clueless at first, poor initial lines, swerved to previous lines, would not "lock" &
                                       too "amped" = repeated & 2nd time she was much improved...good lines and now
                                       thinking = the edge was off & glad I repeated
                                               note: maybe run a cold blind or short drill before every "real" training session ?
                               Gunny worked at the Industrial DTA cold......west wind, 40 yard leg established = pile
                               with bumpers visible from 20 yards, fetch/back from side & picked up two, moved back
                               in small increments to 40 yard distance with a little confusion on bumper #7 = moved
                               up, no issue and he fired on the eighth bumper at 40 yards full of spirit (he was having
                               fun and giving up the bumpers nicely on the "drop" command 
                                         note: changing over from "fetch" to "back" (been using both with "fetch" first
                                                  followed by a quick verbal "back")   
                Apr 8th - (afternoon) trained all 3, ran orange bumper wagon wheel at the Rockton Sport Complex
                              (before running their singles at Macktown) once around on left (push) and second round
                              from the right side (pull)
                              Kooly is did extremely well on this, he is giving me 10º "clicks" on push & pull and runs
                                        consistently straight
                              Taffey lines up straight, but her eyes tell me more = they don't always look straight ahead
                                         and she wants to scoot forward too much
                                               note: need to focus on stopping this motion & paying more attention to her eyes
                              Daisy did much better on this drill vs. yesterday's Zig-Zag = Daisy has to be lined up straight
                                       and "kicked off" as quickly as possible, the more I "mess with her" on the "lock" the
                                       worse she gets (this will improve) the Macktown DTA and ran three remote winger
                                       singles in a three down the road setup with stickmen ("3" Avery Flashers)
                                               note: OR "mess" with her more in training and get her "over it" - don't make
                                                        excuses
                              moved to the Macktown DTA and ran three three remote winger singles along the "road"
                              Daisy ran first and went long to short ("up the road") longest angled much more than
                                       shortest, all marks required crossing the gravel road
                                               note: nice job and straight as an arrow on the two longest, on the last mark she
                                                        popped at the edge of the road, sat there as I gave her the long stare which
                                                        means "FIGURE IT OUT!" After about ten seconds, she wheeled and went
                                                        across the road right to it. After Kooly hesitated at the cover and ditch on
                                                        this side of the "road", It may have appeared to land right behind the cover
                                                        (and not across the road). She popped because it wasn't there.....Kooly
                                                        took his own initiative and quickly figured it out. 
                              Kooly was just simply terrific, his marks were "down the road"
                                               note: great lines & stepped on each one (had slight hesitation at the ditch on one)
                              Taffey went last and it was starting to rain = picked up the long winger, moved back and over
                              making the first 2 marks longer & very tight with extreme angle entry/exits
                                               note: she lined each of them (no rust)
                               Gunny ran three 60 yard remote winger singles with stickmen at 90º, using choker tab to
                               work on steadiness, he "jumped" on all three and was very focused......rain later in the day
                 Apr 9th - (morning) Taffey, Kooly and Daisy repeated Tuesday's OB drill work - wearing choker tab
                                               note: did OB lesson as each one was brought out of the house to go in the van
                               did the honoring/steadiness drill at the Square Pond = Daisy's feet were busy to start with,
                               but then they all settled & did a solid job (no issues)
                               moved to Macktown DTA all three ran a set of four cold blinds (in the old nursery)
                                               note: no real issues with Daisy, Kooly or Taffey (Taffey's initial lines were very
                                                        good) each had noticeably different attitudes at the line - experience is part
                                                        of that, Kooly is the easiest to work with, Taffey and Daisy require quicker
                                                        whistles based on precise anticipation
                                               note: used all orange bumpers at 100 - 150 yards 
                                                                                  (left click on thumbnails)

"first three blinds"

"fourth blind"

"Taffey"

"Daisy"

                                         (morning) Gunny repeated Tuesday's OB, need to work on "looking" at me on remote sits
                               (early afternoon) Industrial DTA ran four bumpers on the first leg = super, put 8 bumpers
                               at the second leg & picked up 2 bumpers from about 25 yards & moved back to the line
                               (50 yards) = he picked up 3 more
                                         note: quit after 5. good at line = "dead bird"/hand down/"back" 
                               (afternoon) trained at the Industrial DTA & ran three 50-75 yard remote winger singles
                               spread over about 135º, at first he was looking at the previous stickman, but picked up
                               the correct one and focused
                                        note: fired hard & line each one = lots of enthusiasm
                                        note: using 3" Avery Flashers with flags
                 Apr 10th - Taffey, Daisy & Kooly had the day off - rain
                                 Gunny started the "look" drill & did it twice plus OB indoors (because of rain)
                 Apr 11th - (afternoon) trained at the Industrial DTA and worked the Zig-Zag drill orange bumpers
                                 Taffey was not as good at lining up today = body line good........eyes lying 
                                 Kooly was very consistent and lined well = once around was enough
                                 Daisy was much better today (see April 7th) tossed bumpers back to original positions and
                                         ran the set at least three times, looking for more precision and "messed" with her
                                         until she got the right line, she continued to improve as the "extended" work
                                         challenged her, many repetitions seems to be a good approach for her (she loves
                                         to train)
                                 Gunny trained at the Industrial DTA...ran one bumper on the south leg, two bumpers on
                                 the west leg and established the north leg, then turned around and ran each leg again
                                        note: had to move up on one "go" for the new leg the second time around (he
                                                 was confused & once was enough)
                                 after training the older three dogs Gunny ran three remote winger/stickmen singles on
                                 east side of the property (just beat the rain)
                                        note: Gunny did a much better job of returning to heel, did three-legged pile work
                                                 ahead of these and evidently some of the "steam" had been released 
                                 (evening) Gunny did the "look" drill in the living room - improving & working
                April 12th - snowing - day off for all
                April 13th - day off for Taffey, Daisy and Kooly
                                  (morning) Gunny did his OB lessons in the field at the Industrial DTA = short and sweet
                                  put two bumpers at 50 yards for the south & west legs then four bumpers at the west
                                            note: Gunny had no issues, went on every "back" and return to heel again shows
                                                     gradual improvement (repetition is "winning")
                                            note: there was some "smoothness" today = he is slowing down to do the
                                                     "wheel to heel" routine & almost remaining on the "sit" after "drop"
                                   after the training at the Industrial DTA, drove to the Square Pond DTA and did the
                                   second lesson on the right & left "back" casts as the intro-prep for three-handed
                                   casting = this went much better today - he does remember the previous lesson
                                            note: intro lessons should be simple & short to give him time to assimilate, it
                                                     was interesting to see the huge difference one day made & "fetch/back"
                                                     registered today
                                            note: the next lesson will be off a remote place board
                 April 14th - (morning) Taffey, Daisy & Kooly - OB review in driveway before loading up for training,
                                   moved to the Industrial DTA & did a session of walking baseball
                                           note: spent extra time with Daisy and she showed improvement as the session
                                                    progressed
                                           note: Taffey is still refusing to take straight backs unless I wear her down
                                           note: Kooly appears to handle very precisely, but he is a "cheater" his
                                                    memory is so good, that even if he is moved he remembers where the
                                                    previous bumper was thrown 
                                    (afternoon) at Rock Cut State Park DTA.......group training - five singles in a W            
                                    marking drill with two real BB
                                    Taffey ran them all with a remote line & I threw in the field = perfect job for her
                                    Daisy ran a short blind first & afterwards marked all 5 singles sharply & her feet
                                              were not busy at the line
                                    Kooly was taken to the opposite side heel and ran a short blind after watching
                                    each single fall = great job
                                    (morning) Gunny did his OB lesson at the Industrial DTA - good job
                                              note: after the afternoon group training session it is clear that Gunny needs
                                                       a ton of more exposure to "greeting" other people with respect to his
                                                       manners (mostly jumping up on them)
                                   Gunny ran two bumpers at each leg and he ran them smoothly & returning to sit
                                   positions (both sides) more like a habit than being enforced
                                   (afternoon) Gunny worked on the intro to 3H Casting at Rock Cut State Park DTA
                                   while waiting for the rest of the group = he is getting it now, but still having a bit
                                   of trouble staying on sit before taking the "back" casts (left and right almost equal
                                   now in terms of rotating)
                                   group training session at Rock Cut State Park DTA - ran three stickmen/BB marks,
                                   first real marks in cover which was matted down some, 1st mark missed it and went
                                   another 100 yards, got disorientated and found a rabbit hole that smelled good, finally
                                   came back and picked it up.....with the help of the BB, 2nd mark running right for it,
                                   but the gunner/BB tossed another one (not my idea) and he veered over to pick that
                                   one up, 3rd mark taking a good line then got a whiff of the bucket full of bumpers from
                                   the previous station & checked that out before then running around to find the mark
                                              note: Gunny was kind of like a "bull in a china shop" today, but pretty "
                                                       good at the line (wanted to jump up on everyone)               
                 April 15th - (afternoon) all three ran 3 cold blinds at Macktown DTA
                                   Taffey - ran OK, initial lines fair, need to correct for poor square sit several times,
                                                   she just didn't line her body up as well as usual, she was very "hacky" right
                                                   at the end of each blind = high wind? coming in heat?
                                   Daisy - good initial lines = big improvement in "looking out" and "locking" = sharp
                                   Kooly - takes each detail in stride and runs very nice blinds with long "carrys", not
                                                  as fast as Daisy or Taffey, but looks stylish with a purpose
                                                                            (left click on thumbnail)

three cold blinds

                                   (afternoon) Gunny (at the Industrial DTA) ran one bumper at each leg with no issues
                                            note: retrieving routine is getting better every day
                                            note: have to remember, winter weather shut us down on field work for 3 months
                                   then at Macktown Gunny  tried to do some winger singles in cover, too much wind with
                                   lots of distractions had him not focusing on the station = two good marks and the other
                                   two were not seen
                                                  note: stick to the plan.....start with BB in the grass and stretch him while
                                                           working on the focus - Noah (grandson) is going to help me with
                                                           this over at least the next four weeks.
                                  (late afternoon) Gunny worked on "greeting people" with my grandson & had to go to stick
                                  sit with a pushing knee to the chest when he jumped......message much clearer.......later in
                                  the day Gunny was introduced to Daisy in close quarters......little did he know what would
                                  happen if I were not there.......she would give him a quick lesson......however, she was
                                  tolerant and his understanding of stick corrections for bad manners had some
                                  "carryover" - he just needs to know what is not acceptable = good day       
                April 16th - day off for Taffey. Daisy & Kooly = too warm & the "program" has become more relaxed
                                   (morning) Gunny repeated the three legged pattern = good job
                                   (afternoon) Gunny trained at the Industrial DTA (short grass) & Noah threw five singles
                                   at about 75 yards.........the purpose of today was to getting him looking for a BB/gunner,
                                   after hearing and seeing a "real" gunner, he picked every mark up with enthusiasm,
                                   in addition he learned the retrieve doesn't go to the BB
                                               note: much learned today and the "right stuff"......good on deliveries 
                                               note: huge change in the weather.......sunny, 75º and windy & it was good to
                                                        get him back in the house right away (much cooler & out of the sun)
                                   (evening) two sessions of not jumping up on anyone, Noah's lesson from yesterday had
                                   some lasting impact, he was quicker to respond today & stopped jumping after just a
                                   few "knee'ded" reminders
                April 17th -  (morning) trained at the Square Pond DTA - ran a set of 4 inline singles with stickmen
                                   Taffey ran as my test dog - wingers working, mark visibilities, factor issues & all
                                              was working well - she nailed each one because it is easy
                                   Daisy ran a cold blind first, the focus was to settle her down some with the blind,
                                             today use verbal and collar corrections for sit as indirect pressure for her
                                             busy feet. she was very good
                                   Kooly was to be "checked" at the line to continue work on responsiveness, one
                                             backward heel before sending, another longer than usual wait before
                                             sending, one very quick send and the last one had him "no/here/heeling"
                                             to have him run a short cold blind before picking up the last bird
                                                            note: his marking drills will primarily have one theme - keep him
                                                                     off balance with no predictability to increase responsiveness
                                                                     and exterminate or at least get control of his vocal issues, no
                                                                     more "ready....set.....go" 
                                                            note: easy = 45 - 115 yards
                                                                              (left click on thumbnail)  

"four easy inlines"

                                   (morning) Gunny trained at the Square Pond - started with a short session of heeling
                                   and sitting using the choker collar Gunny ran the four inline singles that were the
                                   set up for the older dogs, marks were shortened up & the number three bumper
                                   was changed to an all white bumper to increase visibility
                                               note: Gunny was looking out and saw each mark, moving up helped and he
                                                        will soon be able to run a similar setup more easily next time 
                                                                                (left click on thumbnail)

Gunny's 1st inlines

                                      (evening) Gunny ran the three legs fast except a large piece of white paper pulled
                                 him off line for a bit on one = good job.......continued at the Industrial DTA after
                                 running the three legged pattern, worked on right and left "backs" as in three-handed
                                 casting....tossing the bumper to the "spot" while having him sit at heel (kind of like
                                 identifying the pile.........then re-heeling him in the correct position, I walked away
                                 leaving on a sit facing me.....then made the cast easier by standing toward the correct
                                 side.....he was very good with these today = looking right at me, sharp turns and the
                                 right way  
                                   note: Gunny turned a corner today - noticeably more attentive
                                            note: still need to start getting the place board into this routine & up until
                                                     he was still in the "keep it simple" mode...he has made the connection
                                                     between a verbal "back" with the visual back cast 
                                Frontline Plus -  Taffey, Daisy & Gunny    waiting for Preventic collar on Kooly            
              April 18th - (afternoon) Taffey, Daisy & Kooly trained at the Rockton DTA - cover was short & matted
                                down, but there a lot of wind blown paper debris that needs to be picked up, ran 9-10
                                walking poorman singles, each had to honor the other two, Daisy reverted to "looking off"
                                the mark for a release & she will get no more of this type of mark, other two were sharp
                                                 note: all three were distracted by the fresh, tasty new grown grass
                                (afternoon) Gunny ran five "poorman" marks and is getting better with sitting for the
                                release.....afterwards drove to the Industrial DTA and he was sitting on a round place
                                board for left and right "back" casts = did them all correctly, through a bumper out to
                                the left and right to imprint the "over" casts = did those correctly, too
                                            note: "intro imprint" to 3-handed casting is over
              April 19th - attended pro Brian Moyse seminar at the Madison Retriever Club Stoughton FT area
                                            note: Kooly walked around on leash and sat near the line for exposure of action
                                                     without doing any retrieving
                                            note: Daisy did the same thing Kooly did except they needed a dog to run a
                                                     mark so another dog could do a cold honor = she did well, except for her
                                                     habit if looking back at the gunner after the mark goes down = her line to
                                                     the mark then splits the difference = need plan to permanently correct this
                                            note: Taffey took a couple of long airings during the day
                                            note: Gunny did the same as Kooly & got some "jumping up on people" training
              April 20th - Taffey, Kooly & Daisy - day off
                                (nearing dusk) Gunny took a long romp at the Sand Ponds DTA = got wet          
              April 21st - (early morning) Taffey, Kooly & Daisy did a split semi-wagon drill at the Industrial DTA,
                                4 white & 3 orange bumpers, drove to the Rockton Road DTA and trained with Anne W.,
                                setup was 5 inline singles angle toward the pine trees on the northwest (75 - 135 yards)
                                            note: Daisy ran the split drill to increase her lining skills, but also imprint the idea
                                                     of "no'ing" off and targeting something else, this was to lead into the inline
                                                     marking drill later.......for the inline marking the holding blind was used
                                                     often working on the "process" of going to the line, at the line the BB
                                                     threw the mark and immediately turned to go to the next station which
                                                     was straight back, this was a planned distraction....Daisy was "no'd" off
                                                     looking at the BB with a "no" and a "push" with a "get your mark" followed
                                                     with a "good" if she did.....any looking back at the BB resulted in a "no"
                                                     correction, a "push" cue and a "good" if she locked on the mark = this must
                                                     have been clear cut to her because she ran lines either right at the mark or
                                                     wide without a showing any suction to the BB = this looks promising, she
                                                     ran short to long and did well
                                            note: Kooly ran long to short (check downs) & his holding blind work was good
                                                     because he was responsive, got one correction for motion at the line and
                                                     came back to run that mark after being taken to the holding blind
                                 (early morning) Gunny established a back pile (final distance 100 yards) ran 8 bumpers
                                 and ended up back about 75 yards, for the inline singles moved up some after each
                                 one and ran four marks = needed some help on the last one (broke down just before
                                 getting there and another bumper was quickly thrown by the BB)
                                            note: it was getting warm and four marks was enough - better focus at the line
                                                     and hid delivery is beginning to show some consistent routine to it
              April 22nd (early morning) Taffey, Kooly and Daisy trained at the Industrial DTA = each did a basic
                               remote winger poison bird blind (quick session to beat the rain)  
                                            note: the mark was too wide of the path to the blind from where Taffey ran it,
                                                     so moved line to make it more difficult for the next two, Taffey still needed
                                                     four whistles to get her "off" the poison bird
                                            note: Kooly was at first difficult to pull off the mark, then he was OK three whistles
                                            note: Daisy was fine with pulling off the mark (re-heeling to the other side) and
                                                     lined the blind = great job! she's finally catching on to the directional aspect
                                                     of line and paying a lot more attention to me
                              Preventic collar for Kooly US Priority, good for up to 3 months = change every 2.5 months
                                              (order first week in June)
                               

"easy poison bird blind"

                                Gunny did a short OB lesson before running a four bumper back pile from 75 yards & did
                                them with enthusiasm, took a break while the other three ran & came back out to work on
                                a two bumper back casting drill, first four left and right back casts were fine, then he started
                                over-whirling to take the wrong bumper = switched to one bumper & his casts were good,
                                ended with a remote sit and a bumper tossed half-way to the first pile of the three legged
                                drill, one remote sit left back and on remote sit right back casts done well = he turned the
                                correct way almost every time today (90%)
                                             note: needs birds
              April 23rd - (morning) Taffey, Daisy & Kooly trained at the Macktown DTA (the controlled burn area is
                                now cover with grass) ran a Y-marking drill with large orange bumpers and afterwards
                                each dog came back out to run two cold blinds - under the arc to the left and wide of the
                                two singles on the right across a corner of natural, matted down, grassy cover (not burned) 
                                    Taffey ran first (test dog) marks were good (everything was set-up right) and she did a
                                    good job on the blinds = ran blinds from a different line than the marks
                                    Kooly marked well and ran his blinds with good control
                                    Daisy was run about twenty yards closer to make the marks a bit wider and cause more
                                    conflict with looking back at the "moving" stickmen (wind and loose sleeves) = first mark
                                    she got "the routine".......looking back at the BB/wingers gets a "no/choker tab snap/no"
                                    followed with a "get your mark" cue followed by "good" the routine in in place and she
                                    understands it = when she is locked on the mark the hand is held in place longer than
                                    normal before releasing her, second marks were done without her looking back at the
                                    winger/2 stickmen station, her blinds were extremely good along with a much better
                                    or confident look to the right initial line, second blind she carried the last cast at least
                                    80 yards right to the blind
                                (early morning) Gunny trained at the Industrial DTA - did a short OB lesson first and the
                                75 yard pile four times and all four "goes" were a "banana" to the left (feeling pressure),
                                then he did four back casts from a remote sit (2 left and 2 right) to a pile place at the first
                                leg of his original 3-legged pattern (ran from both sides)
                                               note: after the first cast & retrieve when I cast him back, he came roaring right
                                                        straight forward and picked up the first bumper I threw on the ground
                                                        behind me = went and got the bumper bucket and no issues after doing
                                                        that (lazy take longer)
                                                note: beginning to slow the casts down and make him wait a bit, he is showing
                                                         some anticipation and is anxious to fire
                                                note: a little conditioning work is needed = "road" some twice a week
                                Gunny ran the y-drill marking setup (Macktown DTA) from the same line Daisy did (short),
                                but the bumpers were 3" Avery Flashers with flags (not orange) = wanted to work on the
                                "watch"/focus on the fall & steadiness/"Gunny (release)" and delivery routine = good job
                                (evening) Gunny took a long walk to the Square Pond with Taffey, it was warm and the
                                water is just beginning to warm up, threw a bunch of short marks for Taffey and Gunny
                                was getting "amped" watching Taffey retrieve, after several I started throwing a second
                                bumper behind Taffey which teased Gunny into finally getting the idea, he made several
                                full swimming water retrieves on his own........it has been almost six months since he
                                was last in the water and he was very little then.......this worked perfectly
                                                note: used the smaller 2" Avery Flashers which are easy to "grab" in the water
               April 24th- (morning) Taffey did some water marks to help get Gunny more into "hitting the water"
                                Daisy & Kooly ran two remote winger/stickmen singles & two cold blinds through a corn
                                field and across an erosion strip
                                                note: Daisy ran a blind after each single - did very good on both & her
                                                         marking focus has really improved
                                                note: Kooly picked up the blind then the single (both times) - did fine
                                (morning) Gunny ran some short water marks along with Taffey at the Square Pond,
                                drove to the Industrial DTA did a short OB lesson and then his first FTP drill using the
                                initial leg of the 3-legged pattern and four bumpers = 1st bumper gave two verbal
                                "back" commands en route (no force), 2nd bumper gave two level 2 "back/nick/back'
                                en route, 3rd bumper gave two 2½ "back/nick/back" en route plus a verbal & arm back
                                cast (de-popping direction) when he tuned to look at me right near the end.....Gunny
                                reacted immediately to the quick de-popping cast/verbal "back" to finish driving to the
                                bumper = timing was perfect, 4th (and last) bumper  was a "freebie" with no issues
                                                note: good attitude afterwards!
                                                note: the two "Endless Breeze" fans on high had Taffey & Gunny almost dry
                                                         after a short drive to the Industrial DTA
                                Gunny had five "poorman" singles (as I stayed in the field & tossed.....while he
                                retrieved) = good job at staying steady remotely
              April 25th - (morning) severe thunderstorms - Taffey, Daisy & Kooly - day off
                                (evening) Gunny did the "responsiveness" and "look" drills indoors 
              April 26th - (afternoon) windy and cold Gunny did first full FTP session, he was confused with the
                                "back/nick/back" switched immediately to "fetch/nick/back" which was better....but he
                               was hesitating on the nick, then got "bolty", simplified & worked with a shorter, identified
                               bumper, reviewed pinch/fetch which he put up a short fight over, then the message was
                               clarified, finished with left and right back casts with a "back/nick/back" on a couple and
                               quit, did four "poorman" marks afterwards and stretched him out some = good marks
                                            note: unthaw ducks tomorrow.......mostly for Gunny
                                            note: will do a review of "aggravated" collar fetch indoors tomorrow (bumpers)
                               (evening) Gunny did a review of pinch/fetch & e-collar/fetch, then did some remote sit
                               "fetch/nick/fetch"  followed by some "back/fetch/back"
                                            note: he was tough to start with and need some stick corrections to sit properly,
                                                     tried to bite me once and got "bolty", this was "sorted out" and he was OK
             April 27th - (late afternoon) Taffey, Daisy and Kooly ran 3 remote winger/stickmen inline singles at
                               the Rockton Sport Complex at 50-150 yards = tall grass with 3" flagged Avery flashers
                                                          note: all three did very well, especially improved was Daisy
                               Gunny ran the same set-up......picked up the first one nicely, little hunt on the second,
                               moved up 40 yards on the last one and he broke down early = big all over the place hunt,
                               picked all the equipment up and brought Gunny back out, he ran three walking "poorman"
                               singles and had a extra bumper if he started to break down, the first was 150 yards which
                               he lined, the second was another 150 yards which he did nicely, the last was back to the
                               van at 175 yards which he missed to the left by about 10 yards = second bumper worked
                                           note: Gunny needs stretched out and wingers are not the answer for this, need
                                                    real BBs in the field or "poorman" if necessary, start using real birds & salt
                                                    the AOF
             April 28th - (morning) cold, rain (snow for a short period) = day off
             April 29th - (morning) 9:00 am - 39º and sunny
                               (noon) Daisy, Kooly & Taffey - "roaded" 2½ miles at the Square Pond DTA & ran 3 cold
                               blinds at the Macktown DTA
                               Gunny "roaded" 1½ miles alone same place as "the three" and all short grass, did a
                               two bumper drill on left and right "overs"......3HC work at Kelly Myer "field" & did 8
                               "white coat" walking "poorman" singles, extra bumper took care of 2 "broke down
                               up short" marks & rest very good, last single was about 125 yards & he "arrowed"
                                            note: Gunny was really trying in the casting drill & was a good student = got
                                                     the idea in the first lesson, ended using two bumpers throw last one
                                                     retrieved in the opposite side to next cast
                                            note: his marking was very focused and he is using his eyes very well on the
                                                     way out........burned over area with ankle high grass with well spaced
                                                     shrubs and a few "islands" of slightly taller grass.......each mark was
                                                     tossed to "targets' which his "picture" could include
                                            note: not only was he focused, fast and straight on the way out, but he
                                                     appears to "know" where each mark fell (tight area of the fall) 
             April 30th - (noon) trained at Brian's with Jeff - four marks in a 7 station setup, two marks were
                               "up the slot" past & through an old fall, primer reports and throwing real ducks plus
                               a holding blind to work out of
                                Taffey was "hot" at the line because 1) we were using real ducks and 2) I think she
                                recognized where we were training = marks were OK, but her nose was a big help
                                Kooly was "amped" because of the ducks and primer report, couple of good marks,
                                one "big time fly-by" which he finally worked out and then the last was a "nose job"
                                Daisy was really high at the line, handled the ducks better than I figured she would,
                                and marked as well as the two older dogs.
                                Gunny had ducks for the first time in a marking drill, did the two short ones OK, but
                                broke down on the 2 long ones, short fall scent did not help & he has no experience
                                with this, he handled the ducks as well as the three older dogs.......if not better
                                stopped at Kelly Meyer Park and did another session of three-handed casting using
                                the Flexi-leash.........a few right & left "overs", followed by a few left & right "backs"
                                (very accurate) we moved right into the two bumper three handed casting drill with
                                zero mistakes....wow! that was slick.....he is a quick study, focused, thinking & calm
                                            note: all four dogs worked out of a holding blind