The Journal - "Yesterdays" (July - 2006)
      

July 1 day off - deliver boat to Chicago and too hot
July 2 day off - boys to O'hare Airport for three week vacation to New Orleans, rain  
July 3 (evening) Kooly ran a lining drill with orange bumpers = working on push/pull &
           locking on a target, Taffey ran two doubles (threw both & returned to the line) =
           working on leaving line with solid attitude
                  note: Kooly was excited about drill work = new first & did really well
                  note: Taffey fired on all cylinders (not a sign of any hesitation)
                  note: hot & humid, home to air conditioning & fan in five minutes
July 4 Taffey got the day off and Kooly ran four stand alone remote line marks at the
           Sand Ponds & carried a remote winger in to give him 6 other singles = good job
           on a bunch of unique, tough marks (two nice swimming water & several lunging
           water with severe terrain changes (the dogs love this place)
July 5 trained at BT's using remote wingers ran two doubles & a pattern blind
                  note: Taffey is still giving me some "no goes" on easy marks, heel forward/
                           nick & get your mark good takes her out of it, not making a big deal
                           out of this as it is nothing more than her not dealing too well with
                           the extra pressure at the line to sit still and be quiet
                  note: Kooly looked good
July 6 (morning) trained at BT's with Anne W. two remote winger Y drills with orange
           bumpers - no helping the dogs, first station straight out with second station off
           longer to the right as a distraction (work on head swingers) & all LONG Throws
                   note: first set - Taffey had a huge, long hunt on the first mark = paid the
                            price and next mark resulted in a more organized hunt, the last one
                            she stepped on, second set was much better (paid attention to fall)
                            one "no go" from Taffey with a quick repetition of the correction it
                            is now a small issue getting smaller
                   note: Kooly did much better, good corrections at the line 
           afterwards each dog ran the long pattern blind (Taffey scalloped terribly)
           (evening) right at dusk both dogs came back  to BT's and ran the pattern blind
           twice = Taffey again was scalloping (not quite as bad as this morning) came out
           for the second "go" and lined it, Kooly four whistled the first (kept square the
           hills, but he too line it after coming out for the second "go"           
July 7 took Taffey along with Brian to have a CERF update = passed again & no issues               
           both dogs had the day off from training
July 8 trained at Stoughton FT grounds with Chris, Bill W., Anne & Tim W. = ran Taffey &
           Kooly each on a long blind before anyone else showed, ran both on two remote
           winger water triples HRC style (bucket, duck calls, shot gun poppers at the line,
           real ducks), worked on line manners
                   note: got one "no-go" with Taffey & used same technique = quick correction
                   note: Kooly was distracted by the long delays after each mark, swam past the
                            memory bird in the second set and took a straight line to the other
                            side of the field trial ground finally the fence stopped him, whistled
                            him back to pick up the duck (it was hot but he wasn't stressed or in
                            trouble = another one of those strange, in a trance, straight line
                            "walk-abouts" (another 300+ yards on land after passing the 50 yard
                            water mark - STRAIGHT)  
                   note: Kooly had temporary diarrhea (staked out & ate too much grass)
July 9 left at 4:45 am to train at Bong Rec. Area with HRC group, ran Bumper Boy triple
          with a long blind, extra shooting at the line to again work on line manners = much
          better this morning, one mark became wind blown to the point of having to handle
          on it, Kooly handled well & Taffey was again scalloping.......a lot (and always to the
          closer shore), Taffey needs to do the "long water casting drill" on water
                     note: home at noon = 7 hours, 150 miles round trip & $30 in gas = triple
                              and blind for each dog plus atmosphere & fun......gotta' be nuts
 July 10 (evening) cool & cloudy = both ran the pattern blind at BT's through heavy
             alfalfa, drove to the Sand Ponds & both ran two long water cold blinds
                     note: both did well & Taffey did a complete summersault after plowing
                              into a wall of tangled in the alfalfa (came up running and it never
                              seemed to bother her)
                     note: Taffey's lines (land and water) were much better today
July 11 it was hot = at dusk ran the alfalfa pattern blind 
July 12 trained at Gallagher FT grounds with Brian & Ann W., I attempted to shoot some
            flyers  = new personal rules 1) don't use another person's gun (especially a
            pump - which I never use), 2) don't use a kick winger that is taller than me (I'm
            short), 3) insist that the flyers not be thrown into the sun 4) step out & hand throw
            the ducks, 5) forget about July the 12th and 6) remember the first four
                     note: needless to say my mood when finally ready to run Kooly & Taffey
                              was so bad (only hit one flyer, but sluiced a few on the ground) that
                              lets just say Taffey and Kooly finally picked everything up (3 singles
                              and two blinds) followed by a long old blind we ran last year
July 13 day off (after yesterday training was the last thing I wanted to do )
             worked in the neglected yard & met up with a visiting friend from the south
July 14 trained at Stoughton with David D. = ran three singles and two blinds across the
            technical pond (it was HOT this morning, but we parked in the shade), moved to
            swim-by pond and ran two more singles (one water) and a blind
                     note: used stickmen, primer pistols (ducks for water & roosters for land)
                     note: first series Kooly did OK & Taffey did her usual one "no/go", one run
                              "to" the gunner and stepped on the last mark (not bad)
                     note: last set-up had the first mark being one they had seen three-four
                              weeks ago (tough line) & they did really well on these two marks &
                              the blind
                     note: with the AKC hunt test at Horicon & high temperatures we had the
                              whole place to ourselves = nice relaxing morning of training (even
                              though it was hot), David had come north from Georgia for some
                              cooler training weather
                            note: took a few pictures (not enough) and I am kicking myself for not
                              getting a picture of Kooly and Hatch (David's Drake pup) together                   
                            

July 15 prediction of upper 90's today so took Taffey & Kooly (early) to the alfalfa field
            and ran the long pattern blind to stretch their legs a bit and then headed back
            to the air conditioning for the rest of the day (still in the 80's at midnight)
July 16 another very, very hot day - not a lot of time to train = set-up two more "sight"
            blinds which will turn into pattern blinds to make a set of three with the 225 yard
            already established (no range finder with for yardage, but the one up the middle
            I'm guessing is 350+ yards (with them being sight blinds Kooly & Taffey had no
            trouble doing them (remove "crutches" after running them two more times
                     note: pattern blinds = work on Taffey's scalloping & Kooly's speed off the line
                     note: weather for the rest of this week is going to be brutal.....hhhhooooooot!
                     note: fans full blast in the van & quick run back to the cool house = OK! 
                     note: 11:00 am = "temp" of 88° and a heat index of 104° (79% humidity) 
July 17 (evening) ran the three pattern blinds & Kooly worked on reviewing the sit to flush &
            shot plus whistle routine, both did two sets of Y drills with a remote line
July 18 too hot......day off
July 19 quick session of wagon wheels plus three blinds at the Square Pond DTA (hot day)
July 20 (evening) Kooly & Taffey ran the three pattern blinds and did two sets of Y drills at
            BT's alfalfa field
July 21 day off, drove out to Iowa to observe Daisy (600 mile round trip) 
July 22 Taffey & Kooly worked on a push/pull drill at the square pond & drove over to BT's
            where both ran the two "right" blinds, Kooly then worked on some walk-up drills &
            finished with six stand alone singles
July 23 Taffey (day off), trained Kooly at the Square pond - wagon wheel lining routine
            review & ran three blinds
                     note: originally way back in transition this drill was worked on when Kooly's
                              attitude was at an all time low, he's having fun with it now & getting
                              a much better feeling about "work"
July 24 (morning) Kooly ran a four bumper, two tiered wagon wheel drill at the Square
            Pond, then did a single walkup using a remote winger and primer report, ran
            three cold blinds and finished with a double with a walkup using remote wingers
            with primer reports
                      note: wagon wheels to raise standards on "look" and walkups to work on
                               solid sits (zero creeping) = excellent session & very good attitude
            (evening) too hot
July 25 trained at the Square Pond - first had Kooly "warm up" (ha!) with the "sliced"
            wagon wheel drill, moved to water & did walkup remote wingers double with a
            cold blind up the middle (used primer reports on wingers & shot .22 blanks at line)
                     note: Kooly was very good at the line and one whistled the blind (close!)
                              taking a great line right at it (had to stop him from running right by)
                     note: Taffey ran it OK (not nearly as well as Kooly)
                     note: temps not bad with breeze, but the humidity was really high
                     note: marks at 60 yds. (go bird) & 110 yds. (memory), cold blind at 132 yds
                              (preparation for Saturday's AKC Senior Test)

July 26 warm & very humid early, trained again at the Square Pond - Kooly ran two
            walkup remote winger singles with primer reports &and Dokkens (no collar, used
            heeling stick for any corrections, each single had a cold blind afterwards
                  note: Kooly went to the van after the first single and Taffey came out and ran
                           both blinds, Kooly then came out to run the second walkup
                  note: solid, brief session and home quickly
            (evening ) both dogs ran the three pattern blinds at BT's, actually they look quite
            different - one has four round hay bales to run past and through, the longest now
            angles across several long rows of raked hay and the last has more cut hay to
            go through and another hundred yards of very tall & thick alfalfa 
                  note: one has no visible stake and the other two have an orange marker                      
July 27 (morning) had to work only Kooly (both boys with dental appointments & I am the
            taxi man) ran a remote winger double with a blind at BT's using primer reports,
            real ducks & Kooly over ran each mark.......did a nice cold blind
                  note: Taffey helped take everything down and load up
 

July 29 AKC Senior Hunter hunt test at Horicon - Wisconsin Amateur Retriever Club 
                  note: leave at 6:00 am, 63 dogs entered - Kooly is dog #10  
            first series ran before noon and it was HOT, land walkup double with an out of
            order flyer and an honor, Kooly was very good at the line (went up expecting
            him to do well, aired nicely a couple times before and seemed under control
            and he sat nicely for the double, had a bad initial line on the blind, but
            recovered quickly and finished with a very much improved honor (good so far)
                   note: had every intention of picking him up early if necessary
             called back for water double and blind - again another out of order double
             with both up close, went to the holding blind well under control & with the honor
             and walkup out of the way the only thing left to do was to handle his adrenalin
             rush with the increased excitement of lots of up close quacking at the line and
             splashing ducks = he didn't - into the water on live flyer = "here/heel" followed
             by another into the water on the go bird with a second "here/heel" = judge
             said, "You can pick up the ducks if you want to, but you did recall your dog
             twice." = "Thank you sir, I'd rather not. I was going to pick him up in the first
             series if he did something like this, but he was good." Judge said, "We don't
             have many handlers willing to pick a dog up for manners, unless we tell them
             to." (or something like that)

             Another day at the line trying to get a dog to pick up "stuff" (or not). It was 6:30,
             hot and muggy and many more dogs to run (not going to finish them all today),
             but we were on our way home, Stick a fork in us.......training season for tests is
             over for this year. 

             Time to start scouting for dove fields. early goose & teal seasons and making
             preparations for the late October trip to North Dakota. When the mornings are
             a bit cooler, the dogs will be "roading" and come September.....Daisy will back
             home from Iowa.