Jan 13, 2008 all the dogs rode to Blonhaven Hunt Club - Kooly was the dog! he did a great job & picked
              up 70+ pheasants - the rest had the day off
                   note: Kooly was steadier today, his vocalizing was minimal and his marking was spectacular
                            (especially with all the other distractions)
                   note: his handling was excellent (especially when maneuvering around the fencing and gates
                   note: had about 10 opportunities to let a close in mark lay there until he ran a 2nd mark, those
                            went well & were a real test for his  vocalization......getting better at handling the "rush"
   Jan 14 day off 
   Jan 15 All four dogs were loaded up and went to enroll Gunny and Daisy in OB classes. Afterwards, all
              trained at the Macktown DTA.
                   note: Daisy and Kooly were run together. The heavy grassy areas on both sides of the gravel
                            path were matted down by heavy winter snows. Occasionally, when both had gone out
                            50 to 125 yards, they were stopped with a whistle. Each would then get a hand thrown
                            Dokken single. A total of 6 marks made for a good workout.
                   note: Taffey ran with Gunny with the purpose of providing some adult socialization. She puts
                            up with him and between the two of us it wasn't long before he stopped harassing her
    Jan 16 (afternoon) repeated yesterday's walk and toss routine at BT's DTA
                   note: Kooly and Daisy did 5 singles - sharp
                   note: Taffey dealt with Gunny again and got a few singles as Gunny watched from my side  
    Jan 17 - 23 bitter cold - below zero wind chill and now 8 inches of snow the 21st Taffey went in for her
                yearly exam and to update shots, the normal two hour trip ended up being five hours as the
                snow storm really took off
                   note: all three are doing the OB routine in the pool room, Kooly is not all that thrilled with it
                            anymore he's always asking "What's my motivation?" Daisy and Taffey would find joy
                            in playing with a piece of lint if it meant working with me.
    Jan 24 Daisy's first formal Obedience Class
                   note: Taffey and Kooly did there usual OB/training day
                   note: Daisy was very good at the OB class not issues and fit right in, some of the command
                            words used in class were different than what we have used, i.e. "look" instead of
                            "watch", "here" instead of come, heeling on the right side was OUT!, sit was OK after
                            taking three more steps (not for us), treats were a huge thing (not for us), I had to get a
                            little more animated to fit in (but that was OK)
                   note: the main reason for Daisy's OB class was exposure to distractions. It was just wonderful
                            in that respect. One hour of close proximity to other dogs was excellent. I could see she
                            was getting a little antsy toward the end.....it was almost like sensory overload. She
                            will definitely be desensitized to excitement with this class. I am really happy with the
                            choice to enroll her.     
    Jan 25-28 Daisy, Kooly and Taffey have done there daily routine of heeling, basic place board casting,
                    remote sits/downs, remote drops of a bumper
                   note: Daisy continues to improve on her focus, the big increase in free time in the house and
                            sleeping in my bedroom each night is beginning to show a calmer, more focused Daisy.
                            She is extremely affectionate and has a strong need to express this which makes her
                            feel better. This was part of the plan to create better responsiveness resulting in better
                            focus and enhancing control = it is working. Daisy is like her Mom......it is never
                            labor.....it is all fun.
                   note: Taffey is sharp and getting the drop routine down very well. She just "flat-out" loves to
                            do anything.
                   note: Kooly does so much better if I use the "pom poms & cheerleader" approach. Kooly is a
                            bona fide character.     
    Jan 26 (morning) everyone had a good run in the uplands at Macktown
                   note: Gunny ran with Taffey and Daisy ran with Kooly
                             Macktown Photos (Link)
    Jan 27 - Feb 6 weather again turned bad, Daisy OB class on Thursday was a lot of fun, all three dogs
                are doing OB sessions daily along with the indoor exercise routine in the pool room - we've
                shut down in doing any upland guiding or tower shoots
                   note: Feb 6 Daisy did a three minute sit and a three minute down, her attitude around the
                            house has change dramatically with all the extra attention
                   note: the cheerleading squad mode is having a great effect on Kooly
                   note: Taffey continues to just plain love everything we do
    Feb 7 Daisy's third OB class
                   note: switching Daisy's food off the Pro Plan Salmon & Rice and back to Eagle Pack
                            Performance = third day of 50-50 blend
                   note: this is the third OB class - The 1st went very well with the pinch collar. The 2nd had
                            her a bit more animated and "loose" with a choker collar. Her hair is slick and the
                            collar was difficult to keep high on the neck, result was inconsistency in corrections.
                            This 3rd session had so many corrections it was becoming more of a continuous nag.
                            She was beginning to to into "graze" mode with all the scraps of treats lying about.
                   note: I've decided to go back to the pinch collar because it rides in the same spot at all
                            times. Her sudden darts to pick up a treat will receive instant corrections.
    Feb 8 ran all four dogs in the deep snow at the square pond DTA....fairly warm out & no crusty snow,
              it gave them a good work out. Taffey runs with Gunny as a brace, and Kooly runs with Daisy.
              Those two sets match up well.
                   note: switched to a pinch collar with Daisy today. The OB lesson went much smoother and
                            she was very attentive. Need to work on some new "stuff" 1) "front" command for a
                            front sit, 2) "scoot" command for backward heeling facing toward me from the front
                            sit position, we had to come up with a different word because the OB classes use
                            "back" which conflicts with retriever handling commands and 3) "free" as a release
                            instead of OK which probably is not a bad idea to begin with. OK is said often by
                            many and hearing "free" is highly unlikely at hunts or in the field
    Feb 9 Daisy's morning OB lesson with the pinch collar went extremely well, the new commands
              of "scoot", "front" and "free" demonstrated just how smart she is when focused, we worked
              a heeling routine where she alternates doing "sit"....."whoa".....and "down". Daisy gets it!
                  note: in a way Daisy is a lot like her Mom....she loves to train. This OB class has revealed
                           that maybe she needs a lot more of a challenge to keep it interesting and her
                           focused........more to do equals fewer distractions.
                  note: Taffey and Kooly were couch potatoes today. 
    Feb 10-11 Taffey and Kooly did the handling/OB routine and Daisy did one extended OB session
              per day covering all aspects of her OB class, u-turns, about face, circle turns, left & right 90º
              pivots, front sit, backward walk off front sit, extended remote sit, whoa & down, backward
              healing, figure eight heeling, leave it, a new release command and QUIET
                   note: presently using a pinch collar - much more effective because she is more focused
    Feb 12 repeats (one session)
    Feb 13 repeats (one session) 
    Feb 14 (morning) Daisy did a quick run through of all the skills required in the OB class - especially
                work on extended sit and down exercises
                   note: Daisy is really getting good at maintaining the proper heeling position
               (evening) Kooly & Taffey rode along to keep everyone company, Daisy was so much better
               at this class than last = pinch collar does not nag, had an issue with the instructor on a remote
               sit = she started to bold after me when I walked away and the instructor step on the leash,
               unfortunately is stopped her very suddenly and she went over backwards with a load                           
               verbalization = she was spooked at first and very hesitant about obeying any recall command
               with the instructor standing near her.......as long as she didn't get hurt is was a very, very
               meaningful correction     = other than that one brief incident where her penchant for being
               "sneaky" got nailed.......she was very sharp & definitely getting less "amped" by all the action
    Feb 15 (afternoon) Daisy went through all her skills concentrating on the extended sit, whoa & down
                      note: we have not done the casting routine for awhile but she always gives the bumpers
                               a long glance wondering why we aren't doing that
                      note: Taffey and Kooly did a quick run through of he casting routine
               (evening) Daisy repeated this morning's session
                      note: Taffey & Kooly took the evening off (still lots of snow and cold)                  
    Feb 16 (afternoon) repeated yesterday's lesson and did one quick run through the casting routine
                      note: Taffey & Kooly ran their handling drill 
    Feb 17 (late evening) Daisy, Kooly and Taffey were placed at sit and watch each other do the
                handling routine
                      note: Kooly and Taffey had no problems with hearing "here" for another dog, but Daisy
                               could not sit still anytime she heard me say "here" to one of the other two 
    Feb 18 (afternoon) Daisy had a long session of OB concentrating on extended sit, whoa and down
                      note: the change in her daily routine in the house has made a considerable impact on
                               her excitability and the "extended" remote training is having an effect, too
                               (more focused and calmer)
                      note: Taffey and Kooly were "couch potatoes" - rain, sleet and snow   
    Feb 19 (morning) OB lessons - Daisy worked on extended remote training and drilled on all the
                skills for OB class, finished with a remote sit/heel exercise with a bumper in her mouth &
                then two casts to bumpers on the 2 place boards
                      note: Kooly was worked with exaggerated animation on my part, he still has difficulty
                               responding positively to any correction, a quick snap of the choker collar on a
                               poor heeling attitude makes him lag even worse, lagging behind, encouragement
                               seems to break this mode = he worries way too much in training, at tests this
                               inhibition disappears  
                      note: Taffey loves to do this "stuff", extended, remote "whoa" training was a big part              
                               of the session & totally understands the concept of training - it's her life long
                               passion (she bought into "games" from day one)               
     Feb 20 (afternoon) Daisy worked on everything we did yesterday except the bumper part
                      note: sharp
     Feb 21 (morning) short OB lessons for all - Daisy ran through all the skills               
                 (evening) Daisy attended her OB class = did very well, need to continue on extending
                 remote times and being calmer when greeted by strangers
     Feb 22 all three were couch potatoes  = cold, snow and ice remain an issue
     Feb 23 (late afternoon) had to walk the dogs at heel to get across the icy areas to where they
                 could run in the corn field - 25 minutes full speed let off a lot of pent-up energy
                       note: Taffey & Gunny run the 1st "brace" and Kooly & Daisy ran 2nd
                       note: Kooly's submissive behavior towards Daisy has not been as obvious lately
     Feb 24 (morning) Kooly ran the first 8 rounds at Blonhaven's tower shoot, we continued to
                 follow "slow zones" which was good = Kooly was not in shape to pick up a lot of
                 pheasants in the deep snow, Taffey switched out with Kooly to run the last 4 rounds
                       note: Daisy did not work at all, riding in the van and not retrieving anything was
                                a good thing = OB tonight
                       note: with things unexplainably slow Kooly spent time running delayed doubles,
                                with one pheasant down and marked, I waited until another dropped and he
                                ran them as a double, Kooly was really "amped" this morning = 25 retrieves
                       note: Taffey actually ran three rounds as we didn't get back into the rotation right
                                away = 5 retrievers plus work on being quiet and still which she needed
     Feb 25 Kooly got the day off, Daisy did a lengthy session of OB covering all phases of the class
                 skills to date, did 4 minute remote sit, down and whoa with heeling in between alternating
                 the three commands = Daisy has this down pat, today's lesson was more difficult because
                 there was pheasant scent around from Gunny's session = Daisy was "looking" for it
                       note: very good session from Daisy - her house routine continues to make inroads on
                                her excitability, but her instincts to be dominant while wanting attention remain
                                a conflict
                       note: Taffey did a short OB session alternating sit, down and whoa, finished with a
                                "perfect" full 5 minute whoa - never moved a foot and looked in the same
                                direction the whole time = it was a bit unnerving how stationary she remained
                       note: when the dogs are on a remote = I will be out of sight part time, walking around,
                                making sudden movements or jumping up and down shouting "good boy (or girl)",
                                walking circles around them and generally trying to tempt them off the standard
      Feb 26 (evening) Daisy started out with a review of sit with a bumper in her mouth and indirect
                  stick sit pressure, three hold and drops were followed with hold and drops of a thawed
                  hen pheasant, next the basic skills in her OB class were covered, she was still thinking of
                  pheasant, but did well = finished with 4 minute remote sit, down and whoa sessions with
                  whoa being the last with the pheasant still on her mind = she did them each quite well
                  which is probably the longest time she was STILL during any previous training session
                       note: she was stressed because when released from the last of the three remotes,
                                whoa, panting started immediately and she drank a lot of water
                       note: Daisy was much better with the pheasant than I thought she would be = calm, no
                                mouthing, willing drop and "out of character" = pleasant surprise = this is
                                great progress or she is messing with my mind  
                       note: the 1st part of Taffey's OB lesson was short & finished with a 5 minute whoa
                       note: worked on Kooly's attitude by bring out the pompoms and cheerleading squad,
                                he was happy and the allergy issues did not flare up during the last tower shoot
                                no bloody sores, pads were excellent, raw chest issue is now taken care of by
                                wearing an upland vest and his coat looks awesome
                       note: 7" of fresh snow last night with drifting  = What's new? 
      Feb 27 (afternoon) Daisy went through a short session designed to solidify the concept of a front
                  sit, made several round of the training area alternating sit, whoa and down, did all the
                  turning skills for at heel, came back to front sit and wheel heel drills with bumpers in her
                  mouth = heeling stick indirect pressure was applied occasionally for any mouthing of the
                  bumpers, next was three retrieves of three bumpers with the wheel sit deliveries on the
                  first two and a front sit on the last, finished with a 4 minute remote sit with 1 minute of it
                  completely out of sight  =  sharp!
                       note: the plan is to deprogram all the hyper activity when training and progress to an
                                efficient, focused and "no nonsense" behavior using extensive repetition without
                                the e-collar, after the OB classes are over she will wear an e-collar but it will not
                                be used except at distances in the field (heeling stick for all at the line corrections)
                  (evening) Daisy did the usual warm-up heeling with alternating stationary commands and
                  then did 4 minute remote sit, down and whoa = excellent on each
                  Taffey and Kooly had a couch potato day  
      Feb 28 (evening) Daisy did her OB class, everything went very well except for her remote sit &
                  down = the distractions noise makers and nice fluffy things to retriever were too
                  tempting = need to "up the ante" in daily lessons, two more weeks left
                       note: Taffey and Kooly went along for the ride
       Feb 29 - Mar 2 three days off for all three = couch potatoes, total "slacker" mode
                    Interceptor
       Mar  3 (late afternoon) Daisy reviewed all her OB class skills and then worked on being able to
                  do alternating sit, whoa and down on command (often) in a heeling session = went well
                       note: Taffey and Kooly did the handling routine with fetch, remote drop, casting with
                                remote sits and downs (We need to have this snow and ice disappear.)
                       note: two OB classes left
       Mar  4 (evening) Taffey & Kooly worked on basic OB and then did six short retrieves inside
                       note: ice is still a big problem
       Mar  5 (afternoon) repeated yesterday's work 
                       note: 3 pm noticed a slight swelling on Daisy's left side = same place as the abscess
                                in December 26 called vet - in Friday, called again at 7:00 pm decided to come
                                in at 10:00 am tomorrow
                       note: 10:30 pm tonight swelling has doubled in size = arrrggh!!  
       Mar  6 (morning) surprise the swelling has gone down quite a bit, vet decision put back on the
                  same two antibiotics for three weeks, one week from now look to see if it has been
                  reduce to a small lump and surgically remove it
                  (evening) swelling hardly noticeable at Daisy's OB class, switched back to the choker
                  collar because a pinch collar cannot be used for the final day's test
                       note: did well on all skills except for remote sit and down (distracted by small objects
                                on the ground - treat pieces and by nearby people - looking for attention)
                       note: this next week - concentrate on distraction proofing & more repetition
                       note: Kooly and Taffey had the day off
                       note: ice and snow continues to be an issue  
       Mar  7 (morning) Daisy did some OB in the house moving around real people and generally    
                  being tempted by their presence, added to it toys and noise makers, did 3 minute
                  remote sit and down  
                  (evening) repeated same as this morning during half-time of Bulls game  
                       note: swelling on Daisy's side is almost gone
       Mar  8 (morning) Daisy drilled on the regular OB skills with heavy distractions during the 3
                  minute remote sit and down exercises (Salmon kibbles a foot from her nose on down)
                       note: OB class test next Thursday her "weakest link"  = the 3 minute sit and down
                                without a break = she wants to move toward anyone that might give her
                                some attention, her sit and greet is very nice, going to "up-the-ante" this
                                week with family members and any volunteer visitors - the rest of the test for
                                Daisy is a "walk-in-the-park"   
                       note: the swelling and lump on Daisy's side is almost impossible to locate ????
                                not sure of what is going on, vet is going to be hard pressed to find any
                                "lump" to remove
                       note: snow cover, ice & 22º high today
       Mar  9 Blonhaven tower shoot - run like last time = Kooly did all rounds with lots of ice, he
                  was soon use to it and doing well, decided Taffey had nothing to gain and didn't need
                  to take any risks = Kooly picked up about 35 pheasants and did some very nice work
                        note: Kooly is fun to run at these
                        note: Taffey got the whole day off
                   (evening) Daisy went through all her OB lessons with extra distractions in the house on
                   her remote sit and down over 3 minutes each
        Mar 10 Taffey and Kooly got the day off - the big thaw is coming!
                    (morning) Daisy had the same ON lessons as yesterday
                    (evening) Daisy repeated the same drills = test Thursday and then back to two-sided 
        Mar 11 (morning) went to the Square Pond to clean out the wood duck house, thick ice with
                    levels much high than normal = no ladder, the 3 ducklings we had last spring were
                    explained by finding two nests, one was buried under another, the buried one had 12
                    intact (not hatched) eggs and the nest on top had a small indentation = three eggs??? 
                                                                   (left click on thumbnails)
                            

"roof off"

"roof on"

                    (evening) Daisy went through all the OB skills with a choke collar (pinch collar not
                    to be used during Thursday's test)
                              note: surgery still scheduled for Friday = lump very small
         Mar 12 (afternoon) Daisy did a quick review of all skill required to pass the CGC test
                              note: Kooly and Taffey got the day off
         Mar 13 (afternoon) Daisy did some high distraction OB drills
                    (evening) Daisy had not problem passing the CGC test
                              note: Kooly and Taffey got another day off  
         Mar 14 (early morning) dropped Daisy off for surgery to remove remnants of the foreign
                     material that was left behind in December's surgery
                              note: home at 4:30 pm wearing white cone and not very happy
                              note: found two weed seeds wall off in a small pocket abscess
                              note: counting December's surgery the total is now over $1200
                    (late afternoon) Kooly and Taffey trained at the Industrial DTA = did a three legged
                    pattern twice right & left sided (four "goes") = strictly conditioning, then each did a
                    short session of walking baseball
                              note: both were really happy to get back into the training mode doing anything      
                              note: setup training sequence for the next few weeks focusing on review and
                                       especially conditioning 
        Mar 15 Daisy has the next five days off
                              note: Kooly and Taffey = couch potatoes
        Mar 16 (afternoon) Kooly and Taffey did some walking baseball with large orange bumpers,
                    finished with a simple hand thrown double
                              note: both are "rusty"
                              note: 3" orange bumpers make this drill much easier (for me)
        Mar 17 (morning) cold
                    (afternoon) rain
        Mar 18 (morning) Daisy had the drain tube removed from her side - cone for three more days
                              note: Daisy is ready to explode with all this inactivity 
                   (afternoon) Taffey & Kooly ran 8 Dokken walking singles at the Industrial DTA
                              note: both ran hard and didn't seem out of shape (slept good though)
        Mar 19 Daisy is on the shelf until Sunday (still wearing the cone)
                   (afternoon) used the ATV = "roaded" Taffey and Kooly an easy 3 miles
        Mar 20 (afternoon) Taffey and Kooly "roaded" 4 miles = handled it well
                              note: Daisy is still off from any work
        Mar 21 snow - all have an easy day off
                              note: Daisy is still showing some blood from the bottom drain "hole"  
        Mar 22 (morning) Daisy stayed home, Taffey & Kooly went to the old Blonhaven Game Farm
                    for a guided hunt, deeper snow than we had = at least 8+".....decided to run just
                    Taffey and see how it goes, it was a 20 bird release with four gunners, Taffey had
                    eighteen points and did a nice job = not the best conditions for birds as most were
                    buried in the snow & tough to find even when she was on point
                              note: clients were very happy with how things went
                              note: slept very well the rest of the day
        Mar 23 Daisy had the cone off all day & a day off for Taffey and Kooly
        Mar 24 day off for all with Daisy "free" in the house
        Mar 25 (afternoon) trained at the Industrial DTA - windy & cold Taffey and Kooly ran as a
                    brace with steadying marks - Taffey and I picked up most marks as Kooly was
                    expect to not "move a muscle" - it was tough for him
                              note: saw slight improvement
                    Daisy then came out and did some very short marks with the same focus as the
                    Taffey/Kooly routine = she did not get to retrieve until there was zero movement
                    of her feet - I picked up four of five and Taffey did about the same number
                              note: Daisy had about four retrieves - she has "scary" speed & is wound tight,
                                       but has finally settled into being able to turn it off in the house  
                                                              (left click on thumbnails)
 

        Mar 26 (afternoon) trained at the Industrial DTA - all three Daisy, Kooly and Taffey sat in
                    field and worked at steadiness = Kooly's "moving lean" and vocalizations & Daisy's
                    "busy feet" kept them from getting as many retrieves as Taffey and me
                                 note: they all got a good long workout, the marks were not long...and a Dokken
                                          bounces in a very enticing manner - Taffey's share was large 
        Mar 27 (late afternoon) started snow before we got to the Industrial DTA.....but went ahead and
                    did several marks in the three dog honoring routine = went well (in the snow)
        Mar 28 (morning) Taffey had a guided hunt at the Milton, WI Blonhaven Farm - 10 bird release
                                 note: she did her usual slick job with lots of points and some excellent retrieves
                    Kooly and Daisy aired a bit afterwards, but that was all
        Mar 29 day off
        Mar 30 (morning) Kooly ran the last "Euro" of the year (for us) and the Orfordville, WI
                    Blonhaven hunt club - he has become just a pure pleasure to work at the shoots
                                 note: Daisy and Taffey had the day off

                           Kooly's "Euro" Shoot (Link)                     "Euro" Photo Gallery (Link)               
                       
                      Daisy, Taffey, Kooly and Gunny's training is now logged in the following link.

                                       The "Kwick Four" Training Journal (Link)