tune-up drill to work on initial lines, review cheating and sharpen handling
The Journal -
"Yesterdays" (August 1 - October 18, 2005)
Aug 1 walking "poorman" singles alternating with Kooly at Macktown DTA
note:
got warm early today
Aug 2 introduced a 2-dog, remote line X-Box doubles drill to Kooly &
Taffey used stickmen for
"handler" &
"gunner" with place boards for both dogs (used close alfalfa field),
followed
drill with a 240
yard cold blind.
note: Taffey did the drill like it was "old hat" (honored, marked and ran
the
cold blind with five whistles (her first angle backs were backs which then
(which attrition) changed to two over compensations zig-zag mode)
note: even at 8:30 am it was warm, Taffey hung in there & finished strong
Aug 3
repeated the drill in a different area of the
alfalfa field with stickman at 85 yards, ran 200
yard cold blind (new),
ran six water marks for conditioning with each dog (did them at the
same time - one out as
the other was returning), tandem OB in the yard finished off the
morning training
note: Taffey is noticeably slower and out of shape, but she digs and tries
hard,
her memory on the doubles puts the "Punk" (Kooly) to shame
note: Taffey's cold blind was even better than Kooly's good job
Aug 4 repeated the drill throwing two doubles - land/land, land/water and a
water triple and
finished
with difficult water cold blind - angle entry, over two points and long swim
(more difficult
than Kooly's)
note: Taffey marked very well and ran an excellent blind (after we got the
initial line issue taken care of - must run and angle entry using the side
that "blocks" squaring the shoreline
Aug 5 walking doubles and singles with Kooly at the alfalfa field
Aug 6 ran singles long & short working on check down marks
note: Taffey has definitely lost some of her flexibility and fluid speed,
but the
desire and focus is still the same
Aug 7 day off, working field trial
Aug 8 ran eight land singles in rolling terrain using an orange bumper & a
check down
theme (long/short
alternating), finished with two cold blinds
note: ran a bit "easier" today, marked well and ran the blinds OK (scalloped
a bit on the first one - suction the to parallel cover)
note: ran early as the "temps" will be in the 90's to day
Aug 9
ran eight more singles with orange bumpers
50-200 yards in a rolling short mowed hay
fields (focus on
depth perception and running to area of the fall) ran two long, new
pattern blinds)
note: yesterday Taffey ran more freely = after day off, today (with no day
off)
she ran kind of choppy again = the whelping process has physically set
her back somewhat and working everyday makes it like pre-season
practice all over (marking is super! and blinds are going well - just not
as speedy as before)
Aug 10 went to Bong Rec Area in Wisconsin to 1)
see how bad the water is getting from the
drought & 2)
train ran two X-Box remote line drills and three cold blinds on the
gravel pond
note: the water was worse than I've ever seen it (see Kooly's training
journal
note: Taffey marked really well, her blinds were in lunging water and she
squared weed beds and points & continually scalloped every cast
note: Taffey did not respond well to the heat, but kept at it
Aug 11 day off
Aug 12 trained at BT's with Brian introduced the HRC bucket standard with
the "breaking
bird drill",
then ran a two short HRC bucket routine doubles
note: Brian ran Taffey as he will be running her at the HRC tests in a week
Aug 13 trained again a BT's in the dry bed area with Bud and Brian, full HRC
land triple
with wingers,
decoys, honor, diversion and blind up the middle
note: Brian ran Taffey
Aug 14 trained again with Bud and Brian at Rock Cut Park's DTA and ran an
HRC triple
with wingers
off a bucket with a long, "cheaty" water blind, walked to the
area with all
the dogs (eight) and they were staked out, nice day and overcast
note: Brian ran Taffey and she left with him for the rest of the week
Aug 15-19 Taffey was with Brian
Aug 20-21 Taffey ran and passed two Finished HRC tests at Bong Recreational Area
Wisill HRC - Saturday & Badger State HRC - Sunday
Aug 21 Taffey is home and sleeping "real good" tonight
Aug 22 day off
Aug 23 treated for severe diarrhea - probably from the lousy, low water at
Bong
note: Another dog from our training group is sick, too.
note: the vet said to treat her with Immodium and no food today
Aug 24 Taffey is much better, but another day off
Aug 25 day off
Aug 26
ran four remote line walking water singles (alternating with Kooly) at
Stoughton
(middle pond), ran
a tune-up drill in a small bay of the north pond
note: sharp and smooth
|
tune-up drill to work on initial lines, review cheating and sharpen handling |
Aug 27 day off
Aug 28 trained at Gallagher's and ran a remote winger water double as a
breaking
drill (used
the "choker and tab", Taffey was solid and did not go back
to the
tie-out area, she then proceeded to pick-up the marks from Kooly's
corrections
(five times back to the tie-out area), Taffey was really up
to do these
retrieves - so after every pick-up she was re-heeled to the
opposite side
of the delivery to work on control issues
note: this session went well and accomplished much for both dogs
note: drop Taffey off at Brian's tonight - train all week & run AKC Master
next weekend at Madison
Aug 29-Sept 2 with pro Brian Moyse getting ready for an AKC Master Hunter test
Sept 3-4 Taffey picked up her fourth leg on the MH title (needs one
more)
note: Brian Moyse did a great job of handling her (29 out of 60 passed)
Sept 5-9 with Brian Moyse - two Finished tests Land O'Lakes HRC, MN Sept
10-11
Sept 10 Got the phone call tonight and Brian strung me along "real good". I
usually
can
tell when he is "pulling my chain". After a long list of things that
went
wrong
it sounded bad HA!, he told me she passed. HRCH has a nice
ring to it!
Sept 11 Taffey picks up another HRC Finished pass (four HRC Finished and one
AKC
Master
makes it 5 for 5 in three weeks)
Sept 12-13 couch potato, Wednesday went to
vet's to check on isolated incidences of
uterine
discharges, diagnosis - subinvolution of placental sites (SIPS) & next
heat
cycle should take care of this problem, not sure we are going to breed
Taffey
again (wait and see option just fine)
Sept 14 ran 4
two dog remote line "poorman" marks at the alfalfa field with Kooly
note: relaxed and sharp (cool evening)
Sept 15 train at
BT's with group, ran double & got a no go on the memory - probably
because
1) in ran her from the left side and Brian has been running her from
the
left plus 2) under those circumstances she was maybe thinking it was
a
poison bird and expected "dead bird/back" and all she got was Taffey
note: with her - no big deal
Sept 16 ran easy remote winger triple with stickmen at the Square Pond
Sept 17 maybe road this evening
Sept 18 run a bunch of long remote marks for conditioning
Sept 19-23 in training with Brian Moyse (Sunrise Retrievers)
Sept 24-25 AKC Wisconsin Amateur Retriever Club Master test at Horicon, WI
Sept 24
Brian called with
the day’s results. The first land series was a delayed quad with
two
blinds and an honor. Taffey was excellent at the line, "smacked" the all the
marks
and LINED BOTH blinds (no whistles and ran right into the blind
pole on the
second). This series ended with an honor. One of the judges commented, "That
was
absolutely perfect."
The
second water series was a walk-up triple with a
blind. After
nailing all the marks, Taffey three whistled the blind.
Sept 25
Sunday morning just before noon, the good news. Brian was on the way home
with
another
Master ribbon and the MH title. The third series was another delayed quad,
Taffey needed
a quick one whistle handle on one bird (didn’t see it fall) and picked
up the
others including the tough memory bird earning her AKC Master Hunter title.
note: Brian did a fantastic job of handling and training Taffey for this
five week
run
MPR UH HRCH
Kwick Taffey of Joemac's
MH
Sept 25 day off
Sept 26 Taffey, Kooly and Lick all went to the alfalfa field for a bunch of
short Dokkens
Sept 27 Taffey and her above "sidekicks" started "roading" by doing 2+ miles
at the
Macktown Forest Preserve DTA
note: everyone is in pretty fair condition, increase to five miles by next
week
note:Taffey needs to drop at least four-five pounds by the middle of October
 Taffey, Kooly & Lick |
Sept 28 "roaded" 3+ miles today
(harder on me than then dogs - knees and hip issues)
Sept 29 repeat of yesterday
Sept 30 day off
Oct 1 "roaded" 3+ miles. 70°
and sunny - did fine
Oct 2 day off, way too hot,
Interceptor & Frontline Plus
Oct 3 family issues - day off (children)
maybe a short run of fun bumpers tonight
Oct 4-7 other things to do - dogs keep the carpet on the floor
Oct 8 three
dog walking "poorman" marks at the alfalfa field
Oct 9 start on "The Plan" to reprogram Taffey's upland
"roaded" all
three dogs 4 miles & walked heavy cover for about 45 minutes
Oct 10 ran all three dogs in areas 1,2,3 at Blonhaven, didn't say one
word to them
for the first
45 minutes and they hunted "for me", then Lick found a winged
rooster that
kept jumping up a few feet above the sorghum = that got all three
pretty "hot",
ran another 45 minutes and got up three more roosters and two
hens (no gun,
just working the dogs), plenty of dew made it a really nice
session for
cool dogs
note: ran two cover factor blinds and some angle back piles afterwards
Oct 11-13 easy days around the house & some quick fun bumpers for all
three dogs
Oct 14 day off
Oct 15 ran the cover in area #7 at Blonhaven, very warm and dry,
didn't stay in the
cover very
well until Daisy came out and made a pest of herself, ran the
pattern blind
drill, Taffey did not handle the heat very well today
note: she needs birds!
Oct 16 ran the heavy cover at BT's for an hour at dusk, crisp and nice
sunset
Oct 17 ran four long marks with Kooly and Lick at the alfalfa field
Oct 18 ran eight long marks with Kooly and Lick at the alfalfa field,
last day...winter
wheat planted
ended for the hunting season 2005