August 1st (early morning) repeated the remote winger HRC double setup using ducks off the
                                   chain gang at the Square Pond DTA - focus on quiet & calmly moving to next gun
                                           note: Taffey was very "whinny", but steady
                                           note: Kooly was finally put away with no retrieves (noisy)
                                           note: Daisy was good at the line
                                           note: Gunny was actually the best at the line
                                   drove to the pond and setup three remote winger/stickmen singles for Gunny, focus
                                   was on locating the correct gun station and retrieving water-logged ducks in slop
                                           note: Gunny lined the first duck (it was low in the water), the second immediately
                                                    sunk out of sight, he went right to the correct spot, not visible, finally after
                                                    working the area and sticking his head down into the water, he came up
                                                    with a wing in his mouth (good tight, persistent hunt) and the last mark
                                                    was nailed (again low in the slop)
                                           note: with all the slop on the pond, he had a very good "lock on the spots"
                                   drove to the Rockton Sport Complex and set out four mallard cold blinds (Box Blinds)
                                   Gunny ran all four blinds and was working with me - nice job
                                   Taffey, Kooly & Daisy ran a single mallard cold blind (last day for these ducks) 
                                   Interceptor (for all)
                    Aug 2nd (early morning) "roading" at BT's hay field.....65º with heavy dew (perfect morning)
                                  Taffey & Gunny went an easy 2 miles.....Gunny was put away
                                  Taffey, Kooly & Daisy went a steady 10 mph for two miles and Taffey was put away
                                  Kooly & Daisy went another two miles
                                            note: year old went two easy miles & the three older dogs went four miles
                                            note: all were doing well.....in shape 
                    Aug 3rd  (all day) worked at the Madison Retriever Club field trial in the amateur & the dogs
                                  went along for the atmosphere - didn't do anything but air a couple of times
                                            note: all were quiet and well mannered = day off 
                    Aug 4th  rain & thunderstorms all morning = day off  
                    Aug 5th  (morning) trained first at the Square Pond - gave Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny free
                                  time to play in the water with each one going for their own bumper........very good
                                  diversion exercise and Gunny picked it up quickly (at first he could not figure out
                                  which bumper was his, drove to the Rockton Sport Complex - with all the wet dogs
                                  run free - a "whistle sit/bumper in the air drill" had three dogs honor the fourth,
                                  Gunny did fine with this and for the other three, it was nothing new  
                                            note: by the time we finished everyone was dry and relaxed
                    Aug 6th (morning) Taffey, Kooly & Daisy did a review of "hide" work next to my layout seat
                                 last night in the living room Gunny was introduced to the Kwick Hide........treats and
                                 kennel-up presented zero issues.....at the "grassy" DTA Gunny worked with Taffey and
                                 Kooly worked with Daisy after the dogs were in the hides, I sat on the layout seat and
                                 blew a goose & duck call.....occasionally a bumper was tossed close by which was
                                 retrieved later by one of the dogs, the routine was for me to remain seated, call a dog
                                 to heel and have them retrieve while the other watched and then re-enter their hide
                                             note: this is more difficult when there are two dogs....so when one is doing it
                                                      there is less pressure, they are more relaxed and it is easier
                                             note: Gunny was really OK with the whole routine (for the very first time, I
                                                      thought this was exceptional)
                                             note: Dremel nails                                            
                                                                                (left click on thumbnails)

                    Aug 7th (morning) Taffey, Daisy, Kooly & Gunny repeated the four mile "roading" routine
                                 with Gunny only doing two easier miles first with Taffey.....dropped the older dogs 
                                 off at home and ran Gunny on his KRD at the Industrial DTA using pheasants
                                             note: had to handle on all three blinds (a lot), he did not remember it
                                 (evening) Gunny ran the three pattern blinds from the KRD and added one short
                                 cold blind (with pheasants)
                                             note: no issues and different dog, rust gone? not sure why this morning
                   Aug 8th (morning) trained at Stoughton, WI field trial grounds 85 mile round trip (took ATV)        
                                first setup was three singles past a closer stickman, remote wingers, primer report,
                                real mallards after their singles, each dog ran a long blind under the arc (planted hot
                                with pheasants & quite a bit farther than the longest mark)...........moved the wingers
                                to the southeast pond and ran three singles across it with mallards
                                            note: arrived at 7:45 am and finished at noon (grear day with a good breeze)
                                            Taffey over ran every lan mark, but checked down with tight hunts, her blind
                                            was very good, the first two water singles were excellent, on the last one she
                                            started to "suck" to the gunner so I handled her back to the correct line
                                                   note: Taffey honored in the hide when Kooly ran = very good 
                                            Kooly was on target with each land single and ran nice blind, on the water
                                            single she again took great lines to the first two, but went a bit wide on the
                                            and ended up with a small hunt
                                                   note: Kooly was good at the line (no noise)
                                                   note: Kooly honored in the hide when Daisy ran = he was not good, broke
                                            Daisy was distracted by Kooly at the start of her marking session and was
                                            clearly concerned that the corrections for Kooly were meant for her, she did
                                            not see the first mark because of this, so I left it there and ran two blinds
                                            instead of one...she did well on the rest of the setup...nice marks and blinds
                                                   note: the extra pressure to sit quietly is working, but she shows signs of
                                                            worrying a bit.......mostly because she want to please so much,
                                                            but her high energy presents a problem.....calm, slow, quiet seems
                                                            to help her ease through the situations
                                            Gunny was a huge surprise on the first setup - stepped on all three and ran a
                                            very nice blind considering his lack of experience, on the first water mark he
                                            broke....came back and lined it, the second single when he hit the shore he
                                            made a quick left and hunted the shore...carryover from marks near the shore
                                            in previous setup on the Square Pond, called him in and ran it as a blind &
                                            he did it OK, last mark he stepped on.......he is very level-headed for his age     
                                                                              (left click on thumbnails)

                    Aug  9th (late morning) Gunny ran four box cold blinds with pheasants at the Rockton Sport
                                  complex = improving, good sits on whistles and taking most casts 
                                        note: early rain delayed a "roading" session until tomorrow
                                        note: need to do more walking baseball, start wagon wheel casting and begin
                                                 the Four Phase Drill
                    Aug 10th (morning) "roaded" early - four mile "routine" (2 with Gunny & 4 with the other three)
                    Aug 11th (morning) Gunny ran his three pile handling drill on water at the Swim-by Pond,
                                   did a short session of walking baseball afterwards & remained staked out while
                                   Anne W. and Kate worked on swim-by
                                        note: he is doing really well at taking casts (excellent effort with no issues)      
                                   Gunny ran seven increasing length "inlines" with a walking gunner at the Rockton
                                   Sport Complex (used 3" flagged Avery Flashers & duck calls)
                                        note: after getting out to 200+ yards he started fading away from the gunner, but
                                                 he is "getting out there" nicely (shows improvement) = worked on focus &
                                                 steadiness)
                                   Daisy ran a set of several two dog/gunner walking singles with Anne W. and Gina
                                        note: stretched out to about 150 yards and then did a few "checkdowns"
                                   Taffey & Kooly an a set of three two dog/gunner walking singles with Anne W.
                                        note: Taffey was good........Kooly was "noisy" 
                     Aug 12th - day off for everyone
                     Aug 13th (early morning) "roaded" Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny.....four mile routine
                                        note: Gunny only two miles 
                                    (dusk) Gunny was introduced to the place board position for wagon wheel casting
                                        note: by the end of the session he was casting back to the place board for the
                                                 next cast (not real snappy, but just beginning to understand & get there,
                                                 casts were silent (mostly) with verbal backs (never missed a cast)
                     Aug 14th (early morning) Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny ran a wagon wheel casting drill using
                                    the "place" command to return to a place board at the pitcher's mound 
                                         note: Taffey again had trouble with straight backs and was sloppy on other casts,
                                                  went around the circle twice using attrition (with fourteen bumpers total)
                                         note: Kooly started out fine, but soon lost his focus and effort fell way off,
                                                  mild corrections made him pout and get even worse, a few stiff corrections
                                                  had him acting a bit "bolty", but that didn't work......he finished alertly
                                         note: Daisy did very well and kept after it, she went around the cycle two times
                                                  and responded nicely to attrition on her few miscasts
                                         note: Gunny used only two bumpers at the angle "ins" first, "overs" second and
                                                  "angle backs" last.....stayed with each position until he did them correctly
                                                  with silent casts, his cast back to he "platform" is improving and he had a
                                                  good attitude during the entire drill (it was not a short session)
                       Aug 15th (dusk) everyone repeated yesterday's wagon wheel casting drill
                                      Taffey was much better = sharp
                                      Kooly was much more tentative which got him zero sympathy.............fell into his
                                      "worrying" mode and tried to shut down......but that didn't work either......finished
                                      by grudgingly going through the motions.....it is now clear he hates this drill...there
                                      must be some cat somewhere in his genes.....switch to walking baseball to "de-funk"
                                      Daisy was must down right "flashy"........super energetic and precise, and we worked
                                      slowly to allow her to gather her composure each time (sitting on the place board &
                                      delivering)
                                      Gunny consistently took "place" casts back to the board and continued to work with
                                      two bumper positions at a time = good focus, square sits, usually accurate casts, willing
                                      to take whistle sits to make a few casting adjustments......again showing good progress
                                      with a great attitude........he is always trying and never seems flustered  
                       Aug 16th everyone had the day off, cleaned out the van and garage, finished getting boat ready
                       Aug 17th (early morning) Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny finished off the second week of the
                                      "roading" program.....afterwards, drove to Stoughton FT grounds to train with a group
                                      Interceptor for everyone except Kooly
                                                                                   (left click on thumbnails)

                                      Taffey, Kooly & Daisy ran a set of three long cold blinds with orange bumpers (first)
                                             note: all three did an adequate job
                                      Daisy ran an HRC land triple with a blind (with pheasants)
                                             note: steady, but had some trouble swinging the each bird
                                      Kooly ran the HRC land triple (not the blind)
                                             note: "noisy", animated at the line.....generally "way too busy" 
                                      Gunny ran the three land singles with a BB
                                             note: picked them all up....small hunts on two
                                      Daisy ran an HRC water triple with a blind and diversion (ducks)
                                             note: really nice for her first water triple, especially at the line, good blind
                                      Gunny ran the three water singles and the blind
                                             note: two short marks.....right on them, longer mark "up and out" = hunt, the
                                                      blind turned sour at the far shore......could not drive away and past the far
                                                      shore of the pond without a lot of "ping-ponging" and hacking 
                       Aug 18th (morning) Gunny & Daisy ran a set of long "inlines" at the Rockton Sport Complex
                                      between two stickmen placed at about 60 yards, each were stretched to 225+ yards
                                             note: Gunny was fine until the last mark (faded wide again)
                                             note: Daisy fogged and pinned all of the marks
                                             note: Taffey & Kooly got the day off 
                       Aug 19th (morning) Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny did the first session of "roading" in the 3rd
                                      week of the conditioning program, dropped the three older dogs off at the house &
                                      Gunny did a long session of walking baseball using orange bumpers for the first time
                                      (at the Square Pond "grassy" area
                                      (dusk) Gunny ran a set of three pattern blinds (pheasants) 
                       Aug 20th day off for all
                       Aug 21st (very early morning) Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny did the second session of "roading"
                                      in the 3rd week of the conditioning program
                                      Gunny did a nice job on walking baseball with orange bumpers (big improvement)
                                             note: changed oil in lower unit of duck boat motor, installed the battery for the
                                                      running lights, dyed some bright yellow raffia (used on the layout blind)
                                                      to a dark green for early goose season (need more for the dog hide)                      

                       Aug 22nd day off for everyone 
                                                note: dyed some raffia to a darker color with brown Rit, cleaned popper gun
                       Aug 23rd (early morning) Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny did the third session of "roading"
                                      in the 3rd week of the conditioning program
                                                note: just beat the rain, check for Johnny House bird prices 
                                                note: the Avery Power Hunter goose blind came in today, easy to set up and
                                                         the comfort "issue" was taken care of by using the field layout seat, could
                                                         stay it for a long time with this combination, kind of comfortable in the
                                                         living room watching the Olympics
                                       (dusk) Gunny ran a wagon wheel casting drill working on straight back casts (left &
                                       right) vs. "overs" & angle "ins" (next time work on straight "backs" vs. angle "backs")
                                                note: used small orange bumpers, Gunny returned to and cast off a place board,
                                                         did a good job, especially sitting straight and looking at me 
                       Aug 24th (morning) trained at BT's hay field.....Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny ran a set of four
                                      cold blinds.....set up a remote winger wide double (HRC - 170º) using pheasants, bucket,
                                      duck call and popper gun and each one ran the double
                                                note: Gunny did extremely well on all his blinds and the double, except his
                                                         heeling to pivot to the memory took a little coaxing
                                                note: Taffey, Kooly & Daisy had some difficulty pivoting to the memory which
                                                         is why they were all are doing this "drill" 
                                                note: Kooly vocalized once, "muzzle grab" correction, quieted down
                                                note: these marks were very easy, it's the "work" at the line that was needed
                                                                                   (left click on thumbnails)

                      Aug 25th  (early morning) Taffey, Daisy, Kooly & Gunny did the first session of "roading" in the
                                      4th week of the conditioning program
                                      Gunny did a fifteen bumper handling drill (three piles) at the swim-by pond
                                                note: on the thirteenth bumper a frog near the shore was right in his face and
                                                         spooked him from re-entering the water in that area, had to "get after" him
                                                         some with force and finally did a remote sit & call from the shoreline plus
                                                         a hand thrown bumper to the same spot
                                      Gunny did a set of five "inline" singles at the Rockton Sport Complex 80-225+ yards
                                                note: ran wide looping lines to the marks = not marked very well
                                                note: need to do shorter marking drills with stickmen stations (like ABC drills) 
                                      Gunny & Daisy did two easy (short) HRC doubles with a gunner and hand thrown bumper
                                      from the line (sitting on the bucket with duck calling
                       Aug 26th heart worm tests on Daisy & Taffey....Tuesday 8:00 am = both negative
                                      (evening) Gunny ran 6 easy singles (a la "poorman") and cast back to the line with a
                                      pheasant.....good job for the first time, however, he has done a lot of casting to a place
                                      board in wagon wheel casting drills.....now casting from greater & different distances
                       Aug 27th driveway sealed today everyone got the day off
                       Aug 28th van rewired for both trailers at Finnigan's RV all got the day off
                       Aug 29th (late morning) reduced "roading" session = Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny ran together
                                      and only ran 2 miles.......it was warm, used the ATV winch to load up the Johnny
                                      House & brought it home to power wash clean...whew! not easy and physics helps 
                                      (dusk) trained at BT's hay field = Gunny ran 8 singles from 50 - 150 yards, primer pistol
                                      and pheasant.......he was cast back to the remote line where there was a stickman
                                      handler & place board
                                               note: did a good job of remaining steady, marked well and I got a very unique
                                                        look at how he runs marks = powerful and fast with a very good balance
                                                        between nose & eyes........he just needs more experience with a gunner
                                                        in the field            
                       Aug 30th  (early morning) Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny "roaded" - three older dogs went five
                                       miles and Gunny went two miles, with the cool temperature and heavy dew on the
                                       grass they were easy with it (finished by 7:30 am)
                                              note: wore a sweat shirt and could have used some gloves
                                       Gunny went for a boat ride up the Sugar River, fished some and caught three small
                                       channel cats, checked on Chukars & found some for a very good price
                                               note: checked for quail = $4 & chukars = $6.45
                       Aug 31st   (morning) trained at BT's hay field....Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny ran six singles
                                       each off two setups - a Y Drill and an inverted W Drill...,,,,,,,.each setup was done
                                       "poorman" with every delivery done in the field.......followed by the dog being cast
                                       back to the line & running from a place board
                                               note: quite a bit of walking for me........need the exercise for South Dakota trip         
                                               note: with four dogs running each setup there was plenty of time for a breather
                                       Gunny ran five marks off an ABC Drill.........same "line routine"
                                              note: standing near a stickman the gunner/BB (that would be me) threw a hen
                                                       pheasant after a primer report.........many times
                                              note: after throwing 29 pheasants, the gunner had to ice his elbow later  
                                                                                   (left click on thumbnails)