"Don't Move & Be Quiet" Drills
                                                                                                                                          Home  
      Hide Drills

           Using an Avery Ultra Low Ground Force blind and a home made Kwick hide, each dog
           learns to stay still, be quiet and await their turn to retrieve. Shooting, duck/goose calling
           and retrieves are probable. They don't pick all of them up because I retrieve several (as
           they remain in their hides).

           On some occasions there will only be one dog in a hide with the rest watching close by
           as part of the "chain gang".      
                                                                        (left click on thumbnails)            
 
                       
                       "Gunny & Taffey"		          
          "Kooly & Daisy"		     
   "Taffey & Kooly"
         (steady)		   
  "the chain gang"

       Remote "Whoa" Drill

           Each dog is taught what "whoa" means.........don't move your feet. As a yard exercise,
           it can be quite boring standing there doing nothing for up to five minutes. This "activity"
           (or lack there of) develops character, poise and patience. It certainly elevates a dog's
           perception of control and the responsibility for behaving (even if there are distractions).

           It is NOT a command to point.
                                                                         (left click on thumbnails)    
                         
                                "Taffey"		     
        "Kooly"
 		           
     
             "Daisy"
 		           
                "Gunny" 

       Honoring Drills

           When a dog finally realizes that 1) not every bird is his/hers and 2) those that are will
           not be retrieved until given permission,............you have a team player.
                                                                         (left click on thumbnails)    
 
                         
                         
                          "Three Steady"   		   
   Retriev-R-Trainer
     Steadying Drill		       
    Kooly, Daisy & Taffey
         (front to back) 		  
     "Who's Next?"

             Do boat trips that are only........."boat trips".
       Take a dog on solitary boat trips and maybe fish for a while. Make it long enough for
            the dog to get bored a bit or at least lay down and take a snooze.                                            (left click on thumbnails)

                  
                        "Taffey"       		            
                   "Kooly"		        
               "Daisy"		   
         "Gunny"

             Lengthy Hunting simulations     

       Place decoys out in a pond, put the dog in a hide,  blow a call once in awhile, fire off
            a few "dry" pops now and then, mostly sit and do nothing, have a couple of wingers
            hidden to maybe toss some ducks into the decoys, let them lay there awhile and
            eventually allow the dog to make some delayed retrieves. 

            Anxiety is fed by immediate action.

             "Don't feed the beast."     Rody Best......"Trainin' in the Timber" spring of  2007
                                                                         (left click on thumbnails)
 
                                                            
                                                        "the long time drill"
                                                                 (double)
 		          
           "the next day"
          (single & double)
 

             One more thing we have attempted....with gas prices pushing the decision....no hunt
             tests in all of 2008.  Withdrawal symptoms are finally easing a bit.