The Journal - "Yesterdays" (April, May, June - 2006)

       April 18 trained at Stoughton with group (white coats), ran an X-box drill with a strong cross wind, second
                     session wide triple, third session a set of five cold blinds in a big W shape with a steady increase
                     of a cross wind factor
                               note: Taffey and Kooly ran the marking drills well
                               note: Taffey's blinds were outstanding
                               note: Kooly took good initial lines & his casts were very good, but his momentum is mediocre
                                        (bumpers just don't excite him enough)
       April 19 trained at Stoughton with Brian (pro day), four in the group and about 15 dogs first set-up three singles
                     with two "cheaty" water marks and the second four land singles with a cross wind two short & two long
                               note: both Kooly and Taffey tried to cheat some on water and marking generally good Taffey's was
                                        better today, Taffey handled to casting to correct better than Kooly
                               note: both need to do some "cheaty" tune-up drills
                               note: line & holding blind manners are improving for both (Kooly's big problem is his stud nose)
                               note: thaw out five ducks  
       April 20 (morning) ran four X-box singles at Macktown
                              note: Kooly pinned two marks, one small hunt and one huge one
                              note: Taffey did the same thing (used 2" dirty bumpers in cover)
              (evening) ran five short blinds (100-125 yards) with an increasing cross wind factor (ducks in alfalfa field)
                             note: both did very well one or two whistles with good, long initial lines, Taffey was like a sports
                                      car & Kooly's "mo" was better (for him)
       April 21 (morning) ran a two winger, one duck thrown from then line triple at Rock Cut State Park DTA
                     (90-125 yards) finished later with two cold blinds (125-175 yards) strong cross wind factor
                             note: Taffey ran right at both wingers & then curved over to pick up ducks, did fine on the blinds
                             note: Kooly had a short hunt on the first mark and pinned the memory, blinds gave in to the wind,
                                      but took correct casts, "mo" just OK, resisting the urge to revisit FTP
       April 22 both Kooly & Taffey worked on an experimental "enhancement" lining drill (kind of an experiment) a
                    quick trip to BT's alfalfa field had all three dogs doing a remote line "stand together" singles, using a
                    Dokken &,22 NEF each dog was released for his/her mark, five singles for each dog (50 -200 yards),
                    Daisy had always been last in this routine until today, varied first, second and last, the session went
                    smoothly with each dog getting to honor or get a no-retrieve twenty times
                                note: Kooly & Taffey marked extremely well
                                note: all three dogs got five marks in & home in about an hour
                                note: neat sunset, cool breeze - relaxed, fun session
       April 23 (morning) drove to Eagle DTA and ran about 8 Retrieve-R- Trainer singles with each dog, all four us
                     walked back to the training area and there were always two dogs honoring the retrieve of the third,
                     Taffey and Kooly marked well and helped quite a bit with developing Daisy's understanding of the
                     "no retrieve" and honoring
       April 24 ran the "experimental drill" with Taffey and Kooly at Macktown DTA, drove to BT's alfalfa field and ran
                     three "standalone" singles with each dog in a remote line
                                note: all marked well, but Daisy actually did the best 
       April 25 day off
       April 26 Taffey and Kooly ran two R-R-T triples BT's in the dry bed area
       April 27 trained at Stoughton FT grounds with Anne W. & Steve D. ran a straight forward triple with ducks
                    using remote wingers with a gunner station up the middle with only Kooly set-up a remote winger
                    water double with ducks, Taffey ran the blind after both marks were thrown = did well, Kooly ran
                    the blind after getting the go bird, memory bird tangled in winger and did not go far = handled to
                    it Kooly had very little "mo" after no'ing off the memory bird = need to go to all shackled pigeons
                    on cold blinds from now on
       April 28 trained with Brian M., Anne W. & Bill R. at BT's, first set-up HRC triple with a breaking bird, diversion
                    and a blind
                                note: Taffey marked everything well, but she ran the longer winger bird by going right at the
                                         blind hiding the winger (need to set this up a few times more In training = should have
                                         brought her back after correcting, did not run Taffey on the four station marking drill
                                note: Kooly vocalized at the line corrected him and put him back in the van & ran Daisy, After
                                         returning to the line (using stick corrections) he ran the triple & blind with a lot of
                                         momentum, the four duck marking drill he stepped on three and just missed one (short
                                         hunt), he was really "jacked-up" compared to yesterday, the three marks he stepped on
                                         were "spot" marks ( he seems to know "which blade of grass" the ducks land on, the one
                                         he missed was in cover that was at times stopping him from keeping track of his "spot")
                                note: one theory abut marking is that a dog takes a snap-shot of the area of the fall and can
                                         recall that photo clearly appears to be valid here, Kooly is up on a dry bed levee and after
                                         the duck falls, he must go down the levee to the dry bed & looses sight of the AOF, but
                                         when back up in the alfalfa field he appears to slightly adjust his line so as to aim at the
                                         "spot" he "sees" in the memorized snap-shot (in theory) with multiple falls, a dog will take
                                         several snap-shots and file them away, some dogs have a knack for retaining and recalling
                                         these photos on demand for a long time (i.e. patterns blinds) there is another theory that
                                         memory is enhanced by adrenalin, when Kooly is "jacked up' at the line thus really focused
                                         on the marks = his marking and memory is exciting which supports the adrenalin/memory
                                         theory 
                                note: it is time to test the adrenalin theory, using it to improve Kooly's momentum on cold blinds,
                                         right now his memory is ingrained with "it is not fun" with too much running "from"
                                         emotion, therefore it is time to up the "run to" and fun mentality meaning ducks, shackled 
                                         ducks & clipped winged pigeons ONLY 
       April 29 trained at Macktown DTA - Kooly ran to a pile of ducks, cold first (but he knew they were there), used
                    lots of animation & he was "amped" = the result was he fired off the line and "dead bird/back" was
                    exciting (LOTS OF "MO") = significant session   Taffey ran two cold blinds, the second came right as
                    the wind shifted & when I said "dead bird"/back" she was wafting the duck from 100 yards = needless
                    to say she lined it    beat the rain
       April 30 rain let up this morning for awhile & ran at Macktown DTA Kooly ran ten sight blinds  with ducks
                    (longest 100 yards) and his "mo" was good Taffey ran four cold blinds (63, 145, 154 & 210 yards) didn't
                    take angle backs on the third = good correction & no more issues after that
                                note: solid training session for both (need fresh ducks) = rest of the day off

  May 1 day off
  May  2 (evening) six long singles - remote line "poorman"/honoring included Daisy, with Kooly & Taffey
             in the thick alfalfa at BT's
                     note: Kooly had an honoring "melt down" on mark #2, stiff correction and then cast all the way
                              back to the line (he knew it too = one cast and he went 180 yards straight back - perfect line)
                     note: Taffey did the same thing on the last 200+ yard mark, but it took more back casts to get her
                               there (did not want to go all the way)
                     note; the pup out did them = marked better and didn't melt down Interceptor
  May 3 Taffey & Kooly trained at Macktown and ran an X-box marking drill with remote wingers = two left across
             angled road and two right into the shorter grass
                     note: Kooly marked well and Taffey had one big, ugly hunt
  May 4 day off-  Kooly & Taffey = lawn mowing (Daisy had early and late sessions)
  May 5 (morning) ran "sliced" wagon wheel drill (Kooly & Taffey)
                     note: drill used for lining with focus on dog's eyes looking out at target 
            (evening at BT's) Kooly had three R-R-T triples and Taffey had two, afterwards each ran a 225+ yard
             cold blind through a rolling field with calf-high alfalfa 
  May 6 spent the day in the van = working a field trial, afterwards all three dogs aired at Stoughton and had
            a few funny water bumpers in and over the swim-by pond
  May 7 Kooly & Taffey repeated the "sliced" wagon wheel drill at Macktown (easy day) Frontline Plus  Taffey
            weighs 68 pounds & Kooly weighs 67 pounds Kooly had his Lyme & Lepto Vaccines (all shots up to date)
  May 8 both ran two easy blinds at Macktown = Kooly lined both & Taffey two whistle the second, rainy day
  May 9 trained with Brian late morning - stickmen field walking singles with ducks and primer pistol - four
            singles excellent cover at BT's, ran blind past crated duck & up through the middle of the stickmen field
                   note: good change of pace for both
May 10 day off = cold, rain & wind (nasty weather - great for the low ponds)
May 11 25 mph NW wind, 39° and drizzle, trained quickly at Macktown by running Daisy's Super Diversion
            drill, Kooly nailed it with no mistakes, Taffey had issues with the big, straight "overs" = just don't
            come up on her cold blinds (wanted to scallop and drive, after a correction = a solid straight over)
May 12 day off - rain
May 13 again more rain, worked on wingers = new rubber bands and improved primer report device enter
            Kooly in Senior - Wisconsin Am. Hunt Test May 27 (Saturday at Horicon) 
May 14 ran an easy angle lining drill across the road at Macktown
                    note: CNM test swabs taken for Taffey at "Dr. Dan's" clinic
May 15 Taffey & Kooly ran a steadying drill with in your face ducks and primer pistol, Taffey was taken off
            the line twice and put up after the third go, Kooly wasn't much better and got vocal, used choker &
            tab = better, Kooly ran walking singles and marked well, Taffey came out to run a short series of
            bumpers in a lining drill = trained at RockCut State Park DTA with Ann W.  started in the rain soon
            cleared up and all dogs trained
                    note: all wingers new bands and treated with 303 Aerospace Protectant, all now have newly
                             designed primer pistol devices
May 16 both were staked out in full view of the line at RockCut DTA, used four wingers, first time around
            each got one duck, used duck call and primer pistol at the line then duck launched with primer
            report (in your face distances), second Kooly got his two ducks and Taffey watched, left dogs staked
            out & casually broke down the set-up & put things away. making the dogs wait and watch, afterwards
            each dog was allowed to run free for a bit (one at a time) and then loaded in their boxes = excellent
            attitude from the dogs as they seemed to understand their place and the routine, they were relaxed
                     note: need to do stake-out training sessions more often
                     note: Kooly had the bark collar on when staked out and got a very good correction when he
                              barked at one of the launched ducks for Daisy, Taffey was "whinny" as usual, but stopped
                              working with the dog at the line and walked over to correct her
                     note: focus was on working slowly with precise OB expectations and proper bird handling
                              manners - excellent session
May 17 trained at Gallagher FT grounds, Kooly & Taffey ran long water blind across two points & then a
            tough inline double = neither one looked very good on the memory bird, Kooly got pushed off line
            by the wind and got "lost" & Taffey acted as though she never saw it
                     note: entered Kooly in the Wisconsin Am RC Senior hunt test for May 27
May 18 both ran a triple at BT's trained with Brian M., Ann W. and Bill R., got there early and ran a 200 yard
            cold blind
                     note: Brian ran Taffey off the bucket HRC style
                     note: I ran Kooly = marked well with AKC format
May 19 (morning) trained at Cherry Valley DTA with Brian, Anne W. and Bill R. - ran tough three singles &
            afterwards ran a cold blind from behind a mound
                     note: had to handle Kooly off the "cheaty" shore & Taffey kind of got lost near the end of the mark
                              up the middle = learned a lot - many difficult factors on a very "busy" & tight piece of water
                     note: Taffey's blind was nice & Kooly got really frustrated by the the mound & fell off the bank
                               with no goes and a lousy attitude = got after him with corrections and forced on back,
                              decided with the factors and issues to re-run this blind = he flew out and over the mound
                              with very good momentum and completed it nicely (not concerned with getting the blind as
                              much as him realizing "going out fast" and trying was important - big plus with this session
            (afternoon) went to the swim-by pond where he had all kinds of issues = not sure now he would react,
            but he did a very nice job on the orange bumper tune-up drill and finished up doing some walking
            baseball to dry off = nice effort and excellent attitude

May 20 trained at the close pond = Kooly & Taffey both ran a "cheaty", lining & handling drill & finished with
            some walking baseball to dry off & have some fun, all dogs were staked out during the entire session
                note: Taffey "fogs" every cast and never lets up, while Kooly runs kind of casual comparatively
                          speaking, good sessions for both
          drill description: run three short white bumpers and demand exact line out and back, then run longer
          orange bumper pile at least three times, finally stopped at first pile spot and give a long over cast with
          a tough line close to shore at a second pile of orange bumpers, not surprisingly toward the end cheating
          was more of an issue, good responses to demands for taking the correct lines

May 21 trained at Gallagher FT grounds = land triple with several tough factors - tight, sloped to the left, wind
            pushed to the left, close gunner go bird pulled to the left while there was lots of scent which pulled to
            the right & two of the marks were thrown on top of mounds, used wingers at the short mark and had
            gunners at the other two with the long marked tossed with a powerful launcher, afterwards two long
            cold blinds were run up the two slot (past longest mark)
                   note: neither Kooly or Taffey marked very well - blinds just barely OK, water went better for
                            both = another triple with multiple entries
                   note: Taffey again was the test dog & this set-up seemed easier for all 

May 22 day off - Kooly gets an easy week with live, shackled birds for blinds & a flyertuning up attitude for AKC
            Senior test the 27th
May 23 trained with Brian at his place = Kooly got a flyer double and Taffey got four ATV singles
May 24 day off (some rain & things to do), picked up six pigeons for Kooly's blinds
May 25 trained at Brian's with Ann W. ran two doubles = one a check down memory & the other was a short go
            bird and long memory = neither Kooly nor Taffey did close to an OK job, rainy day and got worse after
            5:00 pm - no time to do Kooly's clipped winged cold blinds
                   note: Taffey's CNM test came back clear received CNM database registration # LR-CNM06-635-F-PIV
May 26 Kooly did two winger flyer simulations at Stoughton (wingers &clipped winged pigeons), drove to
            Gallagher where he did six clipped wing pigeon cold blinds & 7 remote line water marks (duck call,
            pistol and duck), drove to Stoughton (FT group now gone) Taffey did 4 long water marks (remote line)
                   note: Kooly worked hard and gave a good effort right to the end, Taffey's marks were excellent
May 27 Wisconsin Am. Senior Hunt Test at Horicon, Wi - Kooly passed for his third leg - ironically his blinds
            were the best part of his work, on the land blind the judge's compliment was "That was a very nice
            blind."......marking was OK with no handles, but his line manners were terrible = "creeped" enough
            in first series to need re-heeling, honor ended up 6 yards out and in the water series had a controlled
            break on the flyer Taffey was the pick-up bird on the water series and got four retrieves
                    note: it was a hot day, but the new fans and trolling motor battery kept all three dogs comfortable
                             and relaxed with the van sitting out in the hot sun, did get some cloud cover late in the
                             afternoon, borrowed sun screens tarps helped a lot, too
Short Story

Yesterday, Kooly ran his first hunt test of the year on Wisconsin Amateur Retriever Club's grounds near Horicon,
WI. He is three out of four and needs two more passes for his title. Last fall, on his second pass, he was easy to run.

Kooly has been an interesting "project" and shows that when you accommodate one personality trait, another
becomes a problem. He has always been very sensitive. His marking drive and talent cannot be faulted, but his enthusiasm for cold blinds in training has been........"not fun".  We've spent quite a bit of time making him brave......so to speak. However, most of the time his drive on cold blinds in training could be best described as mediocre. The day before the test I ran him on some clipped winged pigeon cold blinds. He liked that!

So we get to the test and the land series is "meaty". Both marks and the blind are across gravel roads with the flyer having a very "cheaty" cattail strip blocking the path. As luck would have it, some of the areas I train in have gravel roads which are used often in drills, blinds and marks.

As I was saying, we have spent quite a bit of time braving him up. I get to the line and he ends up 6 yards out in
front of me on a big "chested" creep. Re-heeling is not what he wanted, and he barked a couple of times. The dog
from "Hell" has made his appearance. He picks up both marks with no problems (except for a big cheat on the cattails).

Now for the dreaded blind......he takes a great initial line with good "mo" (for him) and at about fifty yards starts a slight fade right......quick whistle/sit (maybe 3-4 yards off line) and takes a nice left angle back......crosses the line slightly.......tweet/sit and a takes an angle back right.....but not quit enough........quick whistle/sit.......another slight angle back was just right........tweet/sit and he looks at me........tweet-tweet, he takes one step and picks up the duck. The judge said, :"That was a very nice blind". As for the honor, let's just say he got a better view of the next dog's marks than I would have liked. How ironic that my sensitive dog whose line manners in training have been pretty good and his cold blind work so bad, flip-flopped the two in the test (big time).

Well, water is next........Wow! he was on fire. It is a walk-up and he ends up five yards out on the first bird......then blows off the line breaking on the flyer. A quick whistle gets him to sit and he re-heels. Kooly picks up both marks easily. As he gets back to the line, the blind is "shot" followed by two more shots from a near-by master test. Kooly is strutting around me looking for the next mark. Finally, I get the duck and was thinking about my leash because I figured we were done.......fully expecting "Leash your dog, sir."

But no we get to run the blind. You know.......the thing that he is so terrible at. Surprise! He runs a nice blind again..... taking every cast on a tight line and right to the duck. Now.....we were done and my feelings were simply "stick a fork in me".

Not having run any tests since last year, it didn't dawn on me until much later that in AKC if you get to run the last blind........you are still passing, and since he ran the blind so well........we passed.

Geez, do we need to make some changes in our training routine or what?

May 28 day off for all - Kooly is not on total Flexi-lead & choker collar maintenance 24/7, aired at 11:30 pm and
             would not take care of #2 (not free enough) 
May 29 5:30 am Kooly is complaining, choker collar on and heel/sit "lessons" with a heeling stick to the airing
            area and he was perfectly willing to take care of things where I placed him followed by "heel/sit"
            "exercises" back to the living room
                  note: Kooly will not have one "free" minute out of the day (we'll see how that impacts his next test)
May 30 trained at the swim-by pond, Kooly had the day off & Taffey ran an angle back water drill, rain and
            lightening ended the session
May 31 Kooly was neutered today - reasons 1) retinal folds, allergies, very soft, not going to breed and two
            females in the kennel (everything went OK) Taffey trained at Rock Cut State Park DTA = ran four
            stickmen singles (one was a  check down mark) & a double blind off a short poison "Dokken" mark
            (second blind run after running first blind and picking up the poison bird = Taffey did well (the cover
            is just about too high to train there)
                  note: used a holding blind & chair at the line
June 1 trained with group - Brian, Chad & Anne at BT's = ran four ATV singles in a six stickman field with
           ducks thrown in tough areas (high grass/weeds) to dig out
                  note: Taffey went first, ran nice lines and looked good
                  note: Kooly is "out of work" for about seven more days
June 2 both Taffey and Kooly got the day off, Kooly is feeling good and eating, but the Rimadyl does not seem
            to agree with him (vomiting)
                  note: Kooly went or a long walk today and moves easily
June 3 day off for both
June 4 attended Dog Training Seminar at New Milford Hunt Club near Johnson Creek, WI Pro Brian Moyse worked
            with Badger State HRC members, Kooly ran loose for a bit with no ill affects (he's doing well), Taffey ran
            three singles and had a lot of holding blind & line manner work with a crowd present = went well
June 5 Taffey ran Daisy's 186 yard pattern blind as a cold blind & ran  the 164 yard one as a cold blind, too
                 note: vet says Kooly still needs more time off from surgery - Friday (maybe) 
June 6 radar says heavy rain in one hour - loaded up quickly & Taffey ran the two pattern blinds again (two
            whistles each - seems to be locking on to park "garbage")
                 note: just beat the rain
June 7 trained with Brian and Anne at Hook Lake (Stoughton and Gallagher too busy, two sets of singles
            (3 and 2) plus a blind Training Day Pictorial (Link)  
                 note: Kooly still sitting out &being a good boy
June 8 trained on the "Gravel Pond" with Brian & Anne at Bong Rec. Area in WI, set-up three marks to be run
           all the way from a delayed quad, triple with diversion, double and a single plus use of a diversion, cold
           blinds ran separately
                 note: Taffey ran three singles middle mark she swam toward the gunner blind, wouldn't take casts
                          off that line, solid corrections resulted in not doing that on the left mark
                 note: Kooly hasn't run for 9 days (neutering), ran the right mark first, then ran the middle mark
                          using the diversions bird for a breaking bird double = got good correction on the line (short
                          tab and choke collar), picked up both nicely (Brian's idea & worked perfectly)   

       June 8 day off for Taffey & Kooly (R&R around the house)
       June 9 day off for both (rain)
       June 10 introduced Kooly to the "slice of two tiered" wagon wheel drill = two piles of white bumpers with a
                    longer pile of not visible orange bumpers up the middle, used push/pull on right & left heels focusing on 
                    getting a "lock" up the middle non-visible orange after picking up (replacing) white bumpers shorter
                    on the left & right
                              note: Kooly was animated and having fun (wheeling in the air sits)
                    Taffey ran an orange bumper walking baseball focusing on taking correct angle backs and straight backs
                              note: Taffey was her usual "flying hard" self, doing better at differentiating
                                       angle vs. straight backs
       June 11 day off
       June 12 trained at BT's alfalfa field (just cut) & ran five singles one to the right and the other two check-down
                    "inlines" in a stickmen field using the remote line return technique, Dokken and a primer pistol
                    (163, 196, 155, 123, 90 yards), then left the stickmen up and an old 225 yard pattern blind back the
                    other way  with the singles return line being about 80 yards off to the left
                      note: Kooly's marks were solid (right on), Taffey seemed to drift left on every mark & then curve
                               back in or go past and come scent
                      note: Kooly lined the blind & Taffey seemed to let the wind push her to the right, correction and
                               then took a long perfect angle back right to the blind (lazy mind day, still fast but not accurate)

       June 13 trained at Square Pond DTA, Taffey did the place board at the pitcher's mound wagon wheel, she is
                     not really paying attention to my literal casts, turned out to be the right drill as she was taking
                     whatever cast she wanted to = lots of "no/place" attrition until she finally relented and tried to make
                     the right casts = like pulling teeth for awhile Kooly pretty much fell apart with confusion and
                     hesitating, decide his "whimpy" attitude was more of an avoidance and feeling sorry for himself =
                     "upped" the pressure and got after him in an extended way to give him some much needed pressure
                     conditioning......enough is enough Kooly......even forced him on the return if is wasn't fast enough,
                     afterwards did some heavy OB and tempted him with an open van and crate, but he remembered the
                     de-bolting lessons & resisted
                          note: Taffey and Kooly had tough sessions
       June 14 group training at Stoughton field trial grounds - Brian, Anne, Chad used east pond and ran four singles
                     with stickmen, inline land set, one "cheaty" water and down the mound in and out into high cover, 
                    none were easy moved to big pond and Kooly ran the marks shown in the picture
                         note: Kooly marked fairly well with some small hunts, Taffey took a nice line on the "cheaty" mark,
                                  upon leaving the water took a left turn right at the gunner, got a stiff correction (she's been
                                  running the gunners and then hunting - lazy!), lots of whistle refusals and total blow-up on
                                  the return from the long mark - avoiding cover, dropping the bird when corrected and
                                  coming fast on the sit whistle - didn't run the second set of water marks
                         note: most of the dogs had trouble with these marks, about 15 decoys up the channel behind one &
                                  birds 1 & 3 were place along an angled back bank, bird 2 was up on the mound and bird 4
                                  had a lot of room to run "far" on land, bird 1 was the toughest   

       June 15 trained at BT's hay field with Brian M. & Bill R. - six stations and singles from three with an "up the
                     long slot" concept - Taffey was going to be run by Bill, but she would not leave the line for him (funny
                     thing = we had been talking earlier about how a dog might not "leave" with a different voice & then it
                     happened) Kooly ran the marks with no issues
       June 16 day off
       June 17 "Hot Morning at the Swim-by Pond" (Link)
       June 18 Taffey ran the two pattern blinds at Roscoe River Park, on the 186 yard one, see was determined to run
                     at the position a "Pitch It In" barrel had been placed, it was 50 yards off to the right = got into an
                     extremely rare refusal with missed casts, zero indirect pressure response & called back to get refusals
                     on recasts from the line including attempts to bite me, walked out and finally got her to it, replaced it
                     and made her run it again = one whistled, the other blind she ran without any issues and had good
                     momentum = is she coming into heat? because she can become almost ridiculous on those some
                     occasions, told Brian about her behavior and before I could respond he was saying "Another month
                     and she'll be in heat" and pointed out her weird "attitude" in one of last weeks training sessions, picked
                     up two bags of Eagle Pack 30/20. drove to BT's to do a Retrieve-R-Trainer three dog honoring drill, place
                     board, chair and dogs sent only when not moving = Kooly was hyped and all three marked well, each
                     spent time in different positions = right and left side heel plus place board

       June 19 Taffey ran the two patterns at Roscoe Park, on the 186 yard one she ran straight for a "Pitch It In"
                     barrel off to the right and would not take any correcting casts, resorted to pressure, closed distance
                     and she became strangely obstinate to the point of shutting down, got her through it and re-ran it = one
                     whistled = coming in heat soon? Kooly had the day off and his allergies appear to be coming on (loosing
                     clumps of hair)
       June 20 rain and day off
       June 21 rain again day off
       June 22 (early evening) trained at Stoughton - five stickmen singles on the tech pond & ran three cold blinds
                     back to the north across the marks, remote line place board & cast back to the line
                          note: Kooly's heart was not in the session, did it with little enthusiasm
                          note: Taffey showed a ton of drive - beginning to end

       June 23 trained at BT's alfalfa field with Anne W. - 1st session was a triple with a blind up the middle = used
                     the Retrieve-R-Trainer with the focus on line manners (a lot of action at the line), easy, short marks
                          note: Taffey has been showing steady improvement
                          note: Kooly was very good except for one small whine (corrected for that)
                     2nd set was two inline check down singles with scented areas in short, holding blind for dog and
                     handler as gunner was walking (long/short & long/short)
                          note: Kooly was smokin' today with sharp marking
                          note: Taffey was right on target = these sessions went well
      June 24 day off
      June 25  trained at the Square Pond - just some quick marks with the R-R-T (took Lick along to get her some
                    exercise) ran Kooly five singles and a triple, one water mark to get him wet, Taffey ran three singles
                    and a wet extra one, stopped on the way out for a session of walking baseball to dry them off
      June 26 again trained at the Square Pond using the new round place board, Kooly ran six singles, one triple
                    and finished off with a "five spot" with first one a water, he picked all five up = good memory, Taffey
                    was worked at an extremely slow pace = no forging, whining or jumping around, sat on the place
                    board with no noise or corrected, sat motionless and used long pauses = she calmed down & did her
                    marks efficiently, put her back in the van once and came back out
                         note: way slower than ever before with Taffey
                         note: zero tolerance on noise or movement for Kooly, too
                         note: Lick got in some water and land singles for more exercise
                         note: Kooly was sharp and "up" again plus trying hard at the line to
                                 work with me
      June 27 trained at BT's - set-up a remote winger double with a diversions and cold blind, holding blind, duck
                   call, chair, gun stand and popper gun - did HRC style = both dogs ran it nicely
                         note: took a lot of time getting to the line and sitting quietly
      June 28 trained at Gallagher FT grounds with group - pro Brian, Anne and Chad ran two doubles north east
                   pond HRC style, then  moved to the south pond and ran three, stickmen water singles that turned out
                   to to tough for most dogs
                         note: Kooly did fine and Taffey had a lot of "no-goes", her problem may be the pressure placed on
                                  her to calm down at the line i.e. going very slowly, placed back on truck, no noise or
                                  movement plus the possible side issues 1) too much honoring on marks with other dogs
                                 2) vision issues - checked this out with a short tosses later got a no go with Brian, picked up
                                 a short splash water mark which was exciting and the a no go on a short mark on the other
                                 side of the water = conclusion maybe just to much pressure on her - she's older (not  quite
                                 as "amped") and not as confident at times
                                 conclusion: don't back off on expectations, but make marks short and exciting with lots of
                                                    singles with no more honoring, set up an appointment for this year's CERF
      June 29 day off
      June 30 trained at BT's with Brian and Bill - set-up was three marks
                       note: Kooly ran it as a triple HRC bucket and popper gun style, the long mark was the memory
                                and not easily seen (handled on memory)
                      note: Taffey ran it as a double and single = to work specifically on the "no-go" issue (which is being
                               treated as a pressure issue) = "no-go" gets step forward heel/nick/heel - get your mark/good,
                               "Taffey!" needed to do this for the go bird on the double and for the single = result each time
                                was a clean, correct no hesitation response = keep the pressure on for high standards at the
                                line and treat any "no-goes" with this clear and predictable correction after the marking there
                                were two cold blinds - one short with a pile to tempt on the long one past the middle station =
                                both did well on all casts (Kooly took a bad initial line on the second one from the right side =
                                called back, then OK)