Kooly's Timeline April & May, 2005


   April  1 at 12:30 am Kooly was whining (been aired already) put him in the outside kennel and brought
             back in at 4:30 am, whining again at 7:00 am and as he came out of his crate let out a very loud
             yelp, with no apparent limping - back to the outside kennel and he was acting like he had been
             corrected for something, ate breakfast and took him to the yard, did a push pull drill (which went
             fine) except for the fact his sits were very slow & continued to often bite at his tail (he usually
             holds it high, not this morning)
                      note: after manipulating it - preliminary diagnosis = moderate "cold" tail
                      note: observed closely at 11:00 am when airing & it is definitely his tail
  April 2-3 two days off or until tail held high & no water work for one week
                      note: Saturday night (the 2nd) Kooly's tail was still a bit "droopy", but he was feeling better
                      note: Sunday evening Kooly was back to normal & carrying tail up
 April  3 (evening) ran two bumper push/pull lining drill (both sides, carried/used heeling stick)
                      note: he was very sharp
                      note: finished making new remote Mini-My-Winger (equipped for live flyers)
 April  4 (morning) set up four stickmen/remote winger stations for wide double flower pot singles, ran
             two short flower pot doubles from the opposite direction
                      note: not a very good line on the memory birds, but he went out and picked them up,
             (evening) ran a 25-30 yard 9 bumper Zig-Zag Drill using dirty, white bumpers in the bean field
                      note: this drill worked very well, many reps on "out of the hole" (Kooly's weakness), 
                               handled well when taking a bad line (really didn't care about initial line), short
                               distances promote confidence & could see it increasing with each bumper, being
                               a quick drill is a plus
                      note: some bugging at first, but this decreased as the drill progressed
 April  5 (morning) ran wide flower pots in two different new areas of the bean field as eight singles 
                      note: first set at 150 & 200 yards Kooly gave in to the side hill on one & overran one of
                               the 200 yard marks by about 100 yards (handled)
                      note: second set 100 & 150 yards Kooly mark three well, but over ran one 100 yard
                               by at least 100 yards and would have kept going if not stopped, handled
 April  6 ran two sets of four line marks, first set too tight & Kooly could see too many guns at the same
             time, second set was wider and this went much better (50, 100, 150, 200 yards) 
                      note: all remote wingers now have a primer report and Kooly notices the difference
                      note: this is the second in a series of marking themes, end each with a review of
                               ones already covered & start water themes the middle of April  
                      note: keep working on the "out of the hole" focus on blinds (fun, quick drills) plus KRD's  
             (evening) ran the Zig-Zag Drill with 9 dirty bumpers, afterwards set 5 orange bumpers out and
             ran a multiple cold blind set-up (60-125 yards), big improvement = no popping and one whistled
             each of the last two, initial lines improving, excellent literal casts, good attitude & very
             responsive (starting to grasp the team approach, "us" instead of the "woe is me")
                      note: might run him in an HRC Seasoned middle of May    
 April  7 too windy & decided to give Kooly the day off
 April  8 ran the Four Phase Drill - phase C (under the arc & used 3 pheasants and 1 duck, he brought the
             duck back first), continue to throw two fun bumpers before & after each training session (he looks
             forward to them), the primer reports on the wingers seem to help - ran each mark and blind hard 
                      note: the "dead bird/back" routine at the line is getting solid.......finally.......whew! 

 April  9  trained with Brian's group (six trucks) at local farm hay field - ran two derby doubles off a short
              middle live flyer station, Kooly ran first and it was realized the long bird's visibility required
              some extra help (white ribbon), afterwards ran two cold blinds, one off to the right and short
              of the flyer station and the second had a line five yards to the left of a live flyer crate and
              another 75 yards past it, Kooly on the first blind had a no-go and was given a short stick
              indirect pressure after an initial heel/back attempt, excellent response & he did a good job
              on both blinds with an especially nice initial line on the second blind              
 April 10 ran a remote winger HRC Seasoned land double with a blind and a winger walk-up & used
              poppers at the line, ran a double on water and two water blinds, finished with 3 "poorman"
              land singles to warm up and dry off
                             note: the marsh flys had a great hatch and were thick
                             note: Kooly's memory left a lot to be desired today, gun at the line?, work on short,
                                      simple doubles all week        

 April 11 (morning) established the 185 yard leg (in front of the gunner) of the KRD (used birds)
              (evening) established the 100 yard leg (wide behind the gunner) of the KRD (used birds) ran
              "poorman" mark (65 yds) followed by the three legs (right to left - 100, 125 & 185 yds)
                           note: Kooly ran everything without hesitation & handled well - sharp!
                           note: very good attitude (the quick "one session and home" is working quite well)
 April 12 left for Kansas this morning - Kooly has the day off        
 April 13 day off - trip back from Kansas with Taffey (home at 6:30 am)
 April 14 ran a double using only camo'd remote wingers and orange bumpers (50 & 75 yards in a bean
              field, new area with more erosion strips) = decided to repeat it - wanted Kooly to count to two,
              repeated same idea in another place.....used HRC bucket, duck call & cap gun with a long
              barrel, moved to another area and ran a fifth double (75 & 100 yards) with about a 45° spread 
                           note: Kooly showed steady improvement and interest was high
              the last double (6th) was 75 & 125 yards with a 30° spread followed with a 125 yard cold
              blind up the middle, the long go-bird was a water mark, picked up both marks, left
              with a good initial line and he three whistled the blind, finished fast back to the line 
                           note: today was the day for the final decision on whether to run HRC Seasoned the
                                    middle of May - he is ready now, training at a much higher level & have four
                                    more weeks to prepare
 April 15 ran the KRD first and repeated the 100 yard pattern wide of the gunner, ran a remote winger
              double with a blind (75, 100 yards & blind 75 yards), ran a 70 yard water blind off a hand
              thrown mark (turn this blind into water pattern blind)
                           note: mailed in Kooly's HRC registration
                                    entered Big Wapsie HRC Seasoned tests - Saturday & Sunday
 April 16 ran the KRD again with a dozen goose shells in the area of the mark, still not really solid on
              the two newer blinds, ran the Square Pond pattern blind twice, came back and ran each of
              the three pattern blinds twice (now he knows them well)
                           note: need to review basic lining routine

  April 17 (morning) ran the KRD - Kooly lined all three & was "looking out" much better, did a water mark
               followed by the water pattern blind, took a perfect angle entry to line it and added a short 
               diversion mark, finished with 4 "poorman" marks of 126, 175, 273 & 342 yds
                                note: came back later to give Taffey some exercise, so as we walked around the
                                         bean field and used a range finder to determine yardages
                                note: the 342 yard mark was all down hill (good way to keep "mo" up, pinned it) and
                                         just within audible range for release (especially because of the wind direction)
               (evening) ran five bumper sit/push/pull lining drill in the yard using a short tab/choker
  April 18 ran long right angle back drill, then moved to water for five down the shore BB blinds using
               white bumpers (he sat at the line and watch me place them), came back and did long angle
               back left drill in a different area, then finished by mixing in some angle rights & lefts, took a
               short break and then ran some short "poorman" doubles and triples to work on counting
                                 note: land, then water & back to land worked out well today - 80° & sunny 
               (late evening) ran a quick review of the right/left angle backs with no verbal
                                 note: he is almost ready for the definitive casting drills, need to do a few graph
                                          casting drills & continue the lining drills
                                 note: bean field was low tilled today & need to set up a new KRD area
  April 19 set-up three remote wingers at 175-225 yards and ran each with a  hand thrown memory bird
               off to the side, not marking any of these very well, but remembering the memory, moved the
               distance back to 125-150 yards and paid more attention to background, he did well, the very
               long "poorman" marks from the other day were nailed with excellent speed while today's
               shorter marks were run at about 3/4 speed with random accuracy
                                  note: if his focus is heightened = better results in memory and marking
                                  note: bumpers are going to need flags for any marks longer than 150 yards
               big info from running a triple - the go bird was the longest and he missed it badly (needed to
               handle), then he goes out and picks up the next two birds = translation seems to point to
               "seeing" the bumpers or not & he does not seem to be looking "out" well, when the "look"
               is good and what is thrown is visible....he marks well - focus on these two issues the 342 yard
               mark from a recent training session revealed his drive and marking skills are there, but the
               inconsistencies are due more to visibility and focus
                                  note: hand thrown bumpers have a spin to them, winger bumpers have less motion
                                  note: "poorman" marks trace the line, focus the "look" and provide forward
                                            momentum on the "release" 
                                note: Kooly is starting to not go immediately on the first cast, correct this now
  April 20 day off 
  April 21 (morning) trained with Brian, ran derby double type mark with an extra gunner station to look
               like an up the slot long memory bird, did the long memory bird first as as a single, Kooly had
               some initial problems looking long (some improvement, lot more to go), ran a three station
               marking drill later (all in a large alfalfa field)
               (afternoon) worked on delayed responses to casting and delivery in the yard (not in the field)
               anything not done crisply was treated as avoidance and corrected with nicks - hesitating on any
               cast, moving off slowly, not picking up quickly, returning slowly, lazy heel pivot or a slow sit
                                 note: short session of angle backs left/right (ten bumpers) Kooly was moving
                                          with purpose at the end (beating nicks) and responded well to pressure  
                                 note: these were not "nagging" nicks. crisp responses praised to give contrast 
               (evening) "poorman" Y drill (bean field) eight marks, two stations with a place board line 
  April 22 trained at Brian's & ran seven Retrieve-R-Trainer singles into stubble corn field at various
               angles off a place board using an HRC bucket at the line, finished with a double
                                 note: Kooly was "jacked up" big time and marked well......expected this 
                                 note: take 5 birds out of the freezer for tomorrow
  April 23 trained at Stoughton FT grounds, 43° (wind chill  35°) - set up 4 remote wingers and used  2"
               white bumpers with flags, ran 4 doubles with each orange bumper memory hand thrown
                                 note: used poppers with a pump gun and Kooly was sharp
               put out five cold blinds using pheasants & ducks, ran 6 Retrieve-R-Trainer wide fan singles with
               longer cold blinds (birds) to the right of each mark & to the left of the next single (configuration
               was 6 fanned marks (120° spread) with 5 cold blinds "up the slots")  
                                 note: marks were about 60 yards and blinds 125 yards    
                                 note: Kooly was "pumped up", marked well on singles, took all whistles on the
                                          cold blinds, turned the right way on casts, not quite facing me on all sits,
                                          carried casts with no scalloping (less hesitancy on each cast - continue
                                          working on response time in the yard), still some issues "out of the hole"
                                 note: going to start doing a whole bunch of short cold blinds using shackled,
                                          clipped wing pigeons & HRC "shooting the blind"
                                 note: need to get some cold water blinds in, but water temperatures really low,
                                          air temperature tonight was 23° (wait on water until May 1st)
  April 24 set-up five 50 yard cold blinds parallel to and on the other side of an erosion strip, ran the
              "throw mark/run a blind drill", shot long barreled cap gun HRC style at each blind (after picking
               up the mark, used pheasants & ducks, repeated same drill in another area, worked on
               improving attitude off the line with lots of "good boys" and quick repetitions
                                 note: could see steady improvement (more focus, increased speed and a
                                          bounce) as the drills progressed, the cap gun elevated his drive 
  April 25 day off - each day spending some time in the outside kennel
  April 26 ran the "throw mark/run a blind drill" with 5 birds as cold blinds, this drill is really doing a lot
               of positive things for Kooly - best of all his attitude about "dead bird/back" is steadily
               improving, this is going to be a regular maintenance drill for some time
                                 note: doing it two sided and he is "good to go" on both sides with bird handling
                                          a huge plus, sitting still, listening and taking better casts (especially good
                                          control close to the blind - consistently taking a willing whistle to sit & wait
                                          for permission to pick up a winded or visible blind)
                                 note: best of all his attitude states "this is fun" and confidence is definitely up
                                 note: maintaining a long visual (non-verbal) walking cast seems to help him
                                          move off & I can always shorten the exaggerations later (slow & animated)
  April 27 trained at Stoughton FT grounds - 89 mile round-trip - cloudy, occasional sprinkles, 49° &
               strong winds out of the NW, ran 3 remote winger doubles using white, flagged bumpers,
               shot poppers from the line HRC style, threw one diversion and ran three blinds (one/double)
                                  note: measured water temperature in the swim-by pond - 52° (too cold)
                                  note: not too impressive off the line (only 1 of 3 OK), but handled well once out
               (evening) run "throw mark/run a blind drill" at the Rockton Road DTA
  April 28 (morning) trained with FT group (Brian, Chad, Bill) in alfalfa field, ran three long singles and
               hacked our way to a 344 yard cold blind (followed him out) 
                                  note: good momentum, marking mediocre to fair, but not too bad considering
                                           he has been running marks of less than 175 yards lately
               (evening) ran the three pattern blinds at the Square Pond bean field & did a bunch of short
               "toss an orange bumper mark and send for a short cold blind" routines (did well)
                                  note: got "out of the hole" on his blinds really well this evening 
                                  note: square pond water lever low and 61°  
                                  note: start doing walking baseball                                 
  April 29 ran 10 Retrieve-R-Trainer singles in the Square Pond bean field plus 2 water HRC bucket
               style, ran three long pattern blinds, reviewed walking baseball, ran a few marks followed
               by cold blinds & finished with a brief water lining drill and diversions
                                  note: Kooly was totally on fire today and didn't want to stop even though this
                                           was more work than he's ever done before, the gunfire and very exciting
                                           bouncing and "running" of the R-T-R is bringing out a great deal of drive
                                           (flat out fast on marks & much better on the "dead bird/back" issue)
                                  note: sessions from now on will be shorter, he's definitely turned the corner
  April 30 (morning) after assessing yesterday's training, today presented an excellent time to "up
               the ante" on some pressure conditioning - back, angle back & over piles were set-up, a
               couple of stick fetches from the line on "backs" and level three nicks on any hesitant cast
               refusals were employed, zero "trotting" was allowed and demanded snappy responses
                                  note: right choice - Kooly responded well and finished strong, goal was to
                                           do some pressure conditioning and elevate his tolerance
                                  note: finished with 4 Retrieve-R-Trainer marks using the "Red" load
                                           (120 yards each & ran hard, straight and fast)        
               (evening ) ran the three pattern blinds & did a short stint of walking baseball
                                  note: lined the first two, but still falling off the hill on the 100 yard pattern, but
                                           today he dealt very well with three attrition recasts (wanted to drive
                                           back) & took a perfect angle back
                                  note: taking very nice casts on walking baseball and has fun with it
  May  1   (morning) trained at Eagle DTA near Palmyra, WI with Dale, Bill, Eric, Jim, Adrea and 
               her husband - 108 mile round-trip, upper 30's with "good" breeze and no mosquitoes!,
               ran a walkup, double with a long blind up the middle, the two singles with diversions,
               honored - afterwards I remained at the line & shot for other dogs as Kooly honored (focused,
               but calm - happy with that extra chance to train)
                                  note: his marking was only fair as he absorbed all the action at the line - super!
                                  note: a field trial trainer running a test dog at the WRC described the line action
                                           at hunt tests as "jump down, spin around, pick a bale of cotton" which is
                                           very accurate
                                  note: Kooly is going to make an excellent hunt test dog (and aptly named!)
                                  note: As I arrived one of the Badger State HRC members was showing everyone
                                           his new Mini-My-Winger, and we used it on the walk-up (flawless!)     
               went to the Eagle pond and ran a double with a tough long blind  (Kooly did very well on
               the double, slow to to to the water with the blind, needed some backs on early pops,
               two-thirds of the way tough section got into a ping-pong session which was solved with
               attrition, finished the long channel section and came straight back)
                                  note: this same blind he did better on than Taffey (her first time) with the
                                           exception of the entry (need work on water blind entries )- review
                                           force to water ?? - maybe AFTER the May hunt tests) 
                                  note: bought a 2005 DNR park sticker
               with water temperature at 62° two of us went back to land and ran some honoring marks
               using a Retrieve-R-Trainer - this let the dogs dry off (good choice, productive & fun)
               (evening) ran some very short singles in the back yard & out of the Marsh Rat (boat on land) 
                                  note: review of boat exit/enter using the "place" command
  May  2  day off - went to the vet's with Taffey, Kooly weighs 66 pounds
  May  3  6 Retrieve-R-Trainer doubles at the Rockton Road DTA & run a single 150 yard cold blind
                                  note: marking well off the "gun" and running hard
  May  4  trained with Ann W. at Bong Recreational Area (WI) & picked up 10 live mallards at Rice
              Family Farm - 1 R-R-Trainer double in the Gravel pond, ran tough 150 yard water blind and
              with attrition finally got him out of a "ping-pong" & back to the blind (weak "out of the hole",
              OK in the water), ran an in-line land double with remote winger go bird and long gunner
                                  note: OB a bit loose at times & male "stuff" needs to be curtailed
  May  5  (morning) trained at Square Pond (water) and Rockton DTA (land) with hand by a 50-75 yard
              cold blinds (five on land & five in water - using shackled mallards without flight feathers on
              one wing, Kooly handled each duck extremely well and unharmed (great mouth, clamped
              wings & ducks reusable)
                                  note: Kooly's "leaving the line" attitude improved with each one on the land
                                           and ended with an airborne leap on the last water blind
              (evening) walking baseball using two orange bumpers at the Square Pond grassy area
                                  note: focused on square sits, correct casts and consistent delivery standards
                                  note: sat well, made nice turns to face me, carried his casts and was having
                                           fun with the drill, good effort
  May  6  shot two live flyers with Kooly on a remote sit (at Brian's), ran one remote winger double
              with duck call, poppers off bucket HRC style, then ran two long land cold blinds (ducks)
                                  note: Kooly did well on all, still driving back on some angle back casts,
                                           using attrition to correct
                                  note: excellent focus and drive, but under control
              moved to square pond & first ran tough angle entry parallel cold blind (scalloped a bunch),
              then lined the pattern blind (energetic entries and good effort) (used fresh ducks)
              Interceptor (Lick & Kooly)
  May  7  day off - for trainer (different kind of yard work )  
  May  8  worked at the Madison Retrieve Club Field Trial (Kooly rides along for atmosphere) Kooly
              was perfectly content to relax in his crate during the trial & threw a few water and land
              marks for him afterwards
                            note: planted the long blind in a triple cold blind set-up and was one of the two
                                     retired gunners (first bird) in a tough water/land quad final series
              Frontline Plus (Lick & Kooly)              
  May  9   shot a flyer with remote line at Bill's, ran two "poorman" marks, set-up three 60-75 yards
               cold blinds with shackled ducks 
                             note: Kooly was steady for the flyer & marks, handled well on each blind & eager
                                      out of the hole, quick turns on whistle, but slow to sit 
  May 10  8 walking "poorman" marks with ducks at Macktown & run the "parallel" BB water blind
               and a series of water blinds with 3 fresh ducks "down-the-shore" at the Square Pond
                                  note: marked well, looked sharp and had fun
                                  note: the long, parallel blind found him willingly staying in the water when
                                           cast (started to scallop toward the shore a few times), slow on the return
                                           did a very nice job on the 3 cold blinds and learned about sinking
                                           ducks, finished with fun bumpers (very up!)              
  May 11 day off - cold & rain
  May 12 (early afternoon) ran two HRC land doubles with cold blinds & one diversion at Bill's (ducks),
              ran seven short R-R-T marks in the alfalfa field, then moved to the Square Pond and ran a
              splash, "down-the-shore" HRC water double at the Square Pond with several diversion
              (ducks),  finished with a solid session of walking baseball to emphasize carrying angle back
              casts, work on quicker sitting and to dry off, 50° and 25 mph wind made it cold
                                  note: over-ran the first land "go bird" big time, holding blind and line manners
                                           were solid, used "here/heel" to the other side to slow him down on the
                                           diversion retrieves (that took care of the "ready-set-go issues" on the
                                           close in water diversion retrieves
                                  note: the memory bird in water was a problem - big wind drifting issue, the
                                           birds did not float very well & waves made them "disappear" 
              (evening)  ran ten check down walking "poorman" singles (drill) using a duck at Macktown, 
              alternated 40 yards and 80 yards to reign in his penchant for over running HRC distances  
                                  note: very nice job of marking most, used tight hunts on over-runs, good eye
                                           for terrain features and his nose is spectacular
                                  note: the big plus for "poorman" marks is you can see exactly what he is doing
                                  note: Kooly is solid with the Seasoned HRC skill level
  May 13 rain almost all day:  at 7:30 pm seven walking "poorman" singles using a duck at
               Rockton Road DTA, ran two cold blinds (very nice! one and a two whistle)   
  May 14 & 15 Big Wapsie HRC Seasoned tests - 18 months old (came home on Saturday - early)
                     ** May 15th Assessment (link)
Weekly Schedule –  May 16th -  June 11th  (Taffey's due date)
       
          Definitive Casting Drill (DCD) - Square Pond, Rockton Road
          ABC - Stoughton, RockCut, Macktown or Rockton Rd DTA  (land and/or water) 
          OCD - Macktown Nursery or RockCut
          KRD - Rockton Road DTA  plus one new area                      
          Four Station remote winger doubles (RWDs) (land & water) - Stoughton, Gallagher  
          Retrieve-R-Trainer –  (land & water)  BT's, RockCut, Stoughton, Gallagher          
          Walking Baseball - Square Pond & Macktown
          Marking Themes - Down the Shore, Up-the-Slot, In-lines, Hip Pockets, Short-Long
          A few pattern blinds
          Y & Check Down marking drills
          Cold Blinds (land & water multiple set-ups)
          Use Stoughton, Gallagher, Hook Lake - once a week
          introduce Tune Up Drills

May 16  ran the Definitive Casting Drill at the Square Pond, first time for this and he
             completed the drill, Kooly had excellent momentum through the whole
             drill, stopped on a dime from a driving run, dealt with the attrition, was trying
             and maintained a good attitude as in "show me what you want", repeat for style
             and precision  
                          note: From prior history, Kooly does not forget something he has fun with
                                   and understands.
 May 17 (morning) ABC Drill (150 yard diamond) at RockCut State Park DTA (flagged
             bumper, primer pistol, place board at remote line, return to line on "place"),
             ran two 75 yard cold blinds
                          note: Kooly lined & pinned every mark = sharp!
                          note: the place board keeps him solid on the line
             (evening) Definitive Casting Drill - Square Pond (second day)
                          note: two casts at twenty yards, one at forty & sixty, two at eighty =
                                   nice job (repeat one more time - using duck as mark)
                          note: definitely understood the drill after only one day of teaching it  
 May 18 (morning)   KRD - Rockton Road DTA  (ducks, bumpers with flag & winger/stickman)
                          note:  65 yd mark, blinds at 160, 175 and 90 yards
             (afternoon)   ABC (Diamond - different area) - RockCut State Park DTA used duck
                          note: 150 yards long
 May 19 ran ABC drill - water at Stoughton FT grounds - stickmen, primer pistol, call & duck
                          note: marked sharply & took a single "place" cast back to the remote line
             established first half of a 275 yard land/water/point/water/point/water/land
             pattern blind

May 20 ran KRD at Rockton Road DTA used remote winger and ducks
                    note: lined 1 & 3, needed fewer casts  than first time on 2
May 21 (morning) ran 3 doubles & 6 singles with Retrieve-R-Trainer – BT's training area
                   note: wide expanse of alfalfa (Kooly's weakness) - came up short on some, lost the lines on
                            and ran many too long, but eventually got each mark, keep doing this and see if he
                            learns focus/remember better
            (evening) Definitive Casting Drill - Square Pond (3rd time, step #1, mark same side)
                    note: Kooly is ready for step 2, handled well even with tough white, flagged bumper right
                             before him a the 80 yard stop, new areas for next steps 
                    note: Kooly is spending most of the day in the outside kennel, inside at night
 May 22 day off
 May 23 (noon) ran a marking drill "down the levee" shape, wide angles & "pre-lim" for water, remote
             line/place board, five stickmen, duck call, duck at BT's place over a dry pond   
                    note: Kooly nailed 1,2 & 5, missed 3 & 4 just a bit on the downwind side and blew past
                             each (he did finally pick up the marks after long hunts)
                    note: Kooly's marking strengths 1) generally takes a very precise line and 2) uses his nose
                             to check down. His weaknesses are 1) depending too much on his strengths and 2) not
                             judging the "spot" which results in "blow-bys" & long hunts.......to shore up this
                             tendency, Kooly will start doing Y drills regularly with flagged bumpers thrown to
                             specific "terrain spots" Rationale: less scent....more eyes, focus on depth perception
                             and more of a "picture"
                             (rather than just a line) 
             (evening) ran 7 singles off two Y drill placements at the Sand Pond DTA using a
             flagged bumper & a remote line (only the white bucket on a pole - no place board)  
                    note: this area is ideal, sterile soil has a lot of scrub brush, but when within 10 yards the
                             bumper is visible, very difficult terrain changes and a wide variety of cover makes
                             marking a spot more likely, but this terrain "ups the ante" considerably on keeping a
                             straight line, the idea was to emphasize his strengths (great lines) and provide a vision
                             enhancement, the result expected result was....Kooly ran great lines, didn't need to
                             use his nose and pinned all but one of the marks, the one missed fell behind a small
                             hill and in a short time he extend his line 
                   note: it is a huge bonus to be in the field watching Kooly mark and knowing exactly what
                            he is doing & this is a quick and exciting drill 

May 24 day off
May 25 (noon) ran a marking drill "down the road", wide angles & 2nd "pre-lim" for water, remote line
            and bucket on a pole (no place board), five stickmen, duck call, white, flagged bumper and cap
            gun at Macktown (65 to 150 yards), then moved to the Square Pond and ran the diagonal (down
            the shore) water pattern blind, followed with a bunch of back send, delayed toss, water fun
            bumpers to cool Kooly off  
                       note: Kolly cheated the second mark (set-up was done so that would happen) & it threw
                                off his line so he had to hunt up the mark, last three marks he carried the angle
                                and jumped on all three
                       note: this set-up requires carrying multiple angle entry/exits, sudden changes in cover &
                                introduces the concept of ditches beside roads
                       note: Kooly is responding to his training in a very positive manner which makes it way
                                easier to "tighten the screws" on his OB
           (evening) second step in the Definitive Casting Drills at the Rockton Road DTA

May 26 (late morning) trained at Stoughton and Gallagher FTG - ran two "Down the Shore" ran five
            Down'n'around the Shore at Gallagher first, ran set-up of two 275 yard "Up-the-Slot" land singles
            (remote place board plus second bird & shot when Kooly hits the 150 yard distance), then drove
            to Stoughton and ran three "Down the Shore" singles
                     note: at Gallagher, Kooly was trying to enter the water on the same line, so handled and
                              repeated the 3rd mark (three times - not an easy line), reached procedure and the
                              rationale for handling and de-cheating from positions other than the line worked out
                              (not unlike the principles used in swim-by)
                     note: the long, land singles went super - used the "two shots/two ducks" technique
                     note: Stoughton's three "down the shore" clarified the handling to the correct line issue
                              (when cheating) & Kooly took a perfect line to the last mark - wow!-
                     note: excellent training sessions - exposed to sudden drop-off shorelines entering water,
                              disappearing destinations due to dips in terrain or water level, lots of angle entries
                              and exits, staying in the water, crossing points, multiple entries and stretched land

May 27 (evening) trained with Dave & ran two Y drills at the Rockton Road DTA (white flagged bumpers)
                               note: Kooly honored while I threw for Scooter, then Kooly ran his set, repeated in a
                                        different area with the order switched, his short/long marking was excellent
                               note: Kooly thinks white flagged bumpers are exciting  
May 28 (morning) trained with group at local farm (hunt test distances) first set-up = double with primer
            pistol, shotgun and ducks, followed with a long shot flyer up the middle, second set-up four
            stickmen and two gunners alternating singles (short/long) inlines
                               note: nailed the shot flyer and had an extended hunt on the memory bird
                               note: in the marking drill Kooly run blew by the two short ones and fell off the
                                        long, slight side-hill, but all-in-all........not bad
                               note: went "through" the bark collar on level 4
                               note: Brian is going to handle Kooly in the Madison Retrieve Club Senior Hunt Test 
                                        used Entry Express to enter Kooly online - slick!
                               note: keep working on check-down drills
             (evening) lost half of my 40 year old Olt duck call, looked all morning in and out of the hay
             field with no luck, went back to last night training area and pulled in to the grass, walked
             about 10 yards to where I had parked - found it!  took Kooly along and threw some short
             marks - yuk! (hunted everything - not focused & tired)                                 
May 29 day off
May 30 ran KRD at Rockton Road DTA (ducks & pheasants) & definitive casting drill #3
                               note: grassy areas almost too high, ran blinds 1 & 3 OK, but got to "ping-ponging"
                                        fifty yards short on #2 - Duh!......suddenly realized I was sending him to the
                                        wrong pine tree.......got the "What was all that about look?" afterwards & on
                                        the 3rd wanted to drive back on angle backs........my fault
May 31 ran KRD at Rockton Road DTA (ducks & pheasants) & repeat definitive casting #3 (new area)
                               note: lined 1 & 3 and did OK on #2 (considering yesterday's handler problem)
                                        grass now too high (lost sight of him on #2), the definitive casting drill went
                                        perfect and Kooly is ready for step #4 (smart & remembers "stuff")      
            ran the water pattern blind at the Square Pond & did the back/water drill
                               note: good look, solid entry & perfect tough angle line entry into the water on
                                        water pattern blind, delivery and bird handling excellent
                               note: the back/water fun bumper drill is his favorite & it is re-conditioning his
                                        response to back = very positive