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Sep 1 trip to the vet's for heart work tests on Lick, Taffey and Daisy
note: weight of dogs = Kooly - 66 lbs, Taffey - 64 lbs, Lick - 74 lbs,
Daisy - 52 lbs (down from 59 lbs two months ago, but she looks
good - no ribs showing)
(evening) short
dove hunt Kooly & Taffey had about an hour - sat for 20 minutes
trying to spot any,
half hour to go saw five fly up a lot which we moved to, sat
by a tractor and
dropped the first one we saw, sent Kooly and he had no idea
what he was looking
for, when he finally realized it was something I wanted,
he brought it back,
one more flew close enough to wave the gun at, used the
dove later with a
heel/walking fetch/hold/drop training sequence in the
driveway with
Taffey, Kooly and Daisy (for Taffey it was review, the other
two had never seen
a dove
note: Kooly and Taffey sat and scanned the sky quite well once one was
dropped (they didn't like that some birds were not shot at)
Sept 2 Kooly & Taffey ran two of the three pattern blind at the Roscoe
Rock River
Park & both rode
along to listen to Daisy's dove hunt in the evening (her turn)
Sept 3 ran Kooly & Taffey (with Daisy) on five "stand alone" singles at
BT's alfalfa
field & then did
two water singles at the Square pond
note: all marked well
Sept 4 rain = day off
Sept 5 (evening) Kooly & Taffey ran three singles at BT's alfalfa field
note: after an unusual day and a half off = they were on fire & looked
very sharp
Sept 6
(morning) ran wagon wheel
lining drill at the Square Pond DTA (right side - push &
pull), ran the two
pattern blinds at Roscoe Rock River Park with each dog alternating,
drove to Rockton
Road DTA & ran three singles with all three dogs, finished with a
water handling
drill at the Swim-by Pond DTA
note: the water handling drill was done with two dogs kept remote (5
yards
behind the line) = each dog ran the back pile, then each dog was sent
back, stopped at the apex and given a right angle back cast to another
pile, then each dog took their turn doing a left angle back cast with
a finish of each dog running the back pile again = they all sat
attentively
and worked nicely
Sept 7 "roaded" three miles with Kooly & Taffey at Macktown, ran
the three pile casting
drill at swim-by
pond (see Daisy's Journal)
note: each dog waited their turn, Taffey "fired" and ran well
, this was
work for Kooly and he did it (slowly)
Sept 8 "roaded" 4.5 miles with Kooly & Taffey (plus
Daisy) at Macktown DTA, "temp" 70°
note: Taffey was not as energetic as usual (keep an eye on her)
Sept 9 Kooly and Taffey ran a Y-drill at Rockton Road DTA (150 yards -
remote line)
note: three singles, long throws with white bumpers in short cover
Sept 10 rain = day off
Sept 11 rain again = day off
Sept 12 rained most of the day (evening) Kooly and Taffey worked on some
handling
via two
bumpers and a place board at the Square Pond DTA
note: Kooly's focus was to make it short and fun, so I was animated,
vocally excited and "whooped it up" = he got sucked in
note: Taffey needed work on making a distinction between straight back
vs. angle backs (straight back is verbal and angle back is silent) =
it was a struggle of attrition, identification and some indirect
pressure, but it eventual became clear she must be precise
drove
to the Rockton Road DTA and ran three walking singles with a remote
line
and each dog taking their turn (easy marks & a good stretch for the
day)
Sept 13 trained at the Square Pond DTA - Kooly ran a spirited session of
walking
baseball, Taffey worked on the angle back vs. straight back issue from a
remote
place board (finally made progress)
Sept 14 trained first at the Square Pond DTA, Taffey ran four water
marks = "down the
shore",
Kooly did three "down the shore" singles
note: Kooly was not very enthusiastic, but accurate
Taffey the first three marks fast, but each time was sucked short
by the gunner, ran the last long mark four times and handled to
the correct line, corrected for getting out early and finally she
the correct line (the habit of looking at the gunner and not the
focusing on the mark keeps her form lining marks
drove
to the Rockton Road DTA and ran a set of five cold blinds (fan shaped)
note: Kooly ran some very nice blinds (good "Mo")
note: Taffey was very sharp - back & angle backs were precise (very few
whistles & lined two)
(evening) both Kooly and Taffey did a quick study of retrieving a very
fresh
nine
pound Canadian goose
Sept 15 (morning) "roaded" 4.5 miles at the
Macktown DTA and trimmed bank weeds at
the
Square Pond
(evening) wear chest waders, locate the hidden stump by the south
shoreline,
mark it
& put out several duck decoys = run a few marks through the decoys
Sept 16 (morning) trained all three dogs at the
Square Pond - ran from the Kwick Hide,
a
single & a double with remote wingers were thrown, used the cap gun at
the
line
(from a bucket) & each dog spent about fifteen minutes in the hide
listening
to the
duck call (or nothing) with quite a bit of time waiting to be sent for
the
single
and then the double.......Kooly and Taffey were very steady from the
hide
note: the reason for using white bumpers was to establish a distinct
difference
between the "things to retrieve" and the decoys for Daisy (the older
dogs
didn't need this
note: real ducks tomorrow
(left click on thumbnails)
Hunting "Prep"
Single & Double |
Kooly
Exiting |
Taffey "Pre-Air" |
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Sept 17 (morning) trained at the Square
Pond over decoys using remote wingers and
ducks =
double out of the Kwick Hide for both Kooly & Taffey, spent at least
fifteen
minutes calling and sitting before the double with lots of time between
each
launch, ran two cold blinds afterwards
note: both did super with today's easy "hunting drill"
Double Ducks
Sept 18 easy day for Taffey & Kooly - ran
two big pattern blinds at Roscoe Rock River
Park =
both were relaxed & got in two nice hard runs
Sept 19 (evening) both ran a session of walking baseball at the Square
Pond DTA
note: Kooly's focus was on having fun and keeping it up beat
note: Taffey worked on silent angle backs vs. verbal straight backs
Sept 20 Kooly and Taffey ran three long "stand alone" walking singles at
the Rockton
Road
DTA, after a short break of being a taxi driver, we "roaded" 4.5 miles
at
the
Macktown DTA, "pushed the pace" with six well spaced ½ mile sprints
at 16
mph (nice breeze & 60°)
note: didn't run the pup with the two older ones because I'm not
comfortable with riding fast on a gravel path with three dogs
Taffey and Kooly handled the sprints well (not stressed)
Sept 21 the plan was to train at the Stoughton FT grounds, but it was
occupied = moved
to
Gallagher FT grounds and the "big" pond there had part of the shoreline
"shaved" back so it was like a new pond, Kooly and Taffey ran three
water
singles
and a long cold blind
note: the first mark ended with four out of five dogs making huge
extended
hunts, the other two marks were longer, but both did better on them,
but Kooly's marking and focus was abysmal
note: on the blind Taffey turned into the "scallop queen" and Kooly went
on
a water version of the Australian "swim-about"
note: "all-in-all" a day to forget (except for Daisy)
Sept 22-23 days off rain
Sept 24 Kooly & Taffey ran four cold blinds across the Square Pond
alternating square
vs
angle entry/exits
note: Taffey takes good initial lines and then tends to scallop to
square the
opposite shore her best trait is drive
note: Kooly takes better lines and holds them, not as much drive (but he
is
improving in that area)
staked
each dog out and then ran a walking baseball drill to dry off, worked on
specific casts with Taffey - verbal backs vs. silent angle backs...Kooly
is very
consistent at taking correct casts and holding them
Sept 25 day off
Sept 26 Kooly and Taffey ran the same lining drill that Daisy did at the
Swim-by pond
two
piles (one orange the other white) = lining drill focusing on fine
tuning the
"pull"
cue on blinds (all right side heels)
note: Taffey is still very, very susceptible to visible suction
note: this was "work" for Kooly which means slow - pom-poms & cheering
helped, he does take nice lines and carries them
note: both Kooly and Taffey were sat and "downed" apart from each
other in a grassy area to dry off while Daisy ran the drill = both did
just fine (neat to not even have to stake them out)
Sept 27 day off - worked on making a stake bed for the ATV trailer
Sept 28 trained at Stoughton FT grounds - Taffey ran four water singles,
stickmen, primer
pistol
and ATV singles two long up the middle with the 1st and 4th short & "cheaty"
Taffey
ran hers as a remote line "demo" (did really well), Kooly was handled by
Anne W.
- when he came out of the water on the 2nd mark, he had no idea where
he was
= big, ugly hunt, but the other three he marked well (no cheating
either)
pressed
for time so Taffey did not run the land triple, Kooly did and although
he
had a
big banana line to the long "go bird", he stepped on the short check
down
and
then stepped on the memory = outstanding!
note: Taffey had severe case of diarrhea in her crate on the way home,
stopped an cleaned up some, took her to the Square Pond for a
quick cleaning (good excuse to take all three Ainley crates out
and power wash them tomorrow, gave her some Imodium & did
not feed her tonight
Sept 29 Taffey seems fine today - both dog did a long session of walking
baseball at
the
Square Pond DTA = good exercise and sharpens handling plus both really
love
the drill (used long throws with orange bumpers)
note: Kooly is extremely accurate on his casts, Taffey is still taking
an
left angle back on the straight back verbal - going to have to go
back and break it down into a simple three pile drill & de-program
her as attrition and indirect pressure has come up blank = she just
doesn't get it, what is peculiar is the right turn casts are correct
Sept 30 trained at BT's with Bill R. Kooly and Taffey ran inverted W
marking drill = five
ATV
singles with duck call, primer pistol and real birds (ducks and
pheasants)
using a
remote line send
note: Kooly marked all five very well (stepped on four & slightly
overran
the other - nice job!
note: Taffey marked all birds thrown to her right because she lined
slightly
toward the gunner and winded the bird on the way by, those birds
thrown to her left she blew by because again she line slightly toward
the gunner & ended up on the up-wind side (at least she is consistent)
Kooly
then came back out to run a double - over ran the go bird & had a small
hunt on
the memory
Oct 1 trained at Stoughton FT grounds - ran five ATV water singles
with the same
routine
as yesterday (see Daisy's Days for a picture)
note: Taffey's marking was very good today, Kooly stepped on three &
over ran two of them (big time)
finished by running two blinds, one was from the set that Daisy ran and
the
other
was a very tough blind run in an Amateur I worked in this summer (we
ran it
from the top of the mound though instead of way back behind it)
note: both did a nice job (Taffey's was better)
Oct 2 day off
Oct 3 trained at Stoughton FT grounds - Kooly and Taffey ran the same
cheating
singles that Daisy did & both
were "good to go"
Oct 4 (late afternoon) cold breeze and overcast - trained at the Square
Pond with
Taffey and Kooly wearing a duck
hunting neoprene vest, review for both,
the vest fit Kooly fairly well,
a little loose on Taffey, four singles in the water
and then five walking singles
on land (without the vest) to dry off
Oct 5 day off - handler's day to catch up on the yard work - like in
mowing, etc.
Interceptor & Frontline Plus - trimmed nails
Oct 6 (dusk) trained at the
Square Pond DTA = ran a left arm only literal casting drill,
remote place board with
piles at 90°, 115°, 140° & 165° plus 35 yards away
note: Taffey picked up all 20 bumpers, worked hard and got better as
the drill progressed
note: Kooly was kept going with the pom-pom cheerleading act & did
a very good job (picked up 12 bumpers)
Oct 7 trained at the Square Pond - Kooly and Taffey did some work on
right arm
literal casting
Oct 8 day off
Oct 9 trained the dogs with a free run through area 11 at
Blonhaven with the ATV,
Kooly and Taffey ran
individually - spent a great deal of time in and out of the
cover - cool and overcast
= fast pace, a few roosters were spooked by the
ATV and couldn't hide so
they ran = fun morning
Oct 10 Kooly and Taffey were "roaded" together on the path around the
Stoughton
FT ground, they ran
2 fast miles, Kooly found time to find some nasty smelling
"stuff" and rolled
in it - whew! (started to rain, went home an used a handful
of baby wipes)
Oct 11 forecast was cold rain - let up in the afternoon, at 5:00 pm the
temperature was
40° with winds
20-30 mph out of the west = perfect for the pattern blinds at
Roscoe Rock River
Park because needed some strong, cold head winds as
a new factor
(preparation for ND & duck hunting) Kooly and Taffey ran the
180+ and 160+ yard
patterns very well into and across the wind, also ran a
another 180 yard
cold blind up the middle (since they are 90° apart
note: both did a good job and sat once from the "ref's" whistle from the
youth football games being played off to the left
note: I was freezing after all three dogs ran
note: wind chills in the teens tonight |
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