A Session of the Hide/Steady Drill

A steady dog is not an afterthought. Previously, I always seemed to work more at getting my dogs ready and steady for hunting season. More recently, it appears getting my dogs steadier for hunt tests might be a good idea, too. In the past, what was "out in field" during hunt test season became the focus..........big mistake. As Red Green says, "I'm a man. I can change.....if I have to."

Here’s a training drill from March 3, 2009. The focus was on routines near the line using familiar hunting gear to set the mood for being steady.  Variations of this
drill are incorporated weekly.  The established standards are worked on daily. 

Getting off the van, airing, dealing with holding blinds, heeling on & off leash
require standards that must be maintained.  In addition, “heel”, “here”, ”sit”, “place”, “kennel up”, “watch” and their name on release are specific commands. The e-collar or heeling stick may be used for corrections, but neither were necessary  during this session. Repetition is cool! 

This routine is a variation of the drill suggested in the link below. There are earlier steps in Nolan's sequence which my dogs have completed. The basic principle is to teach a dog…..…the line (wherever it's at) is not always a “launching pad”.   

                 Info Source:  Making a Steady Retriever (Link)  - by Pat Nolan

Here’s a detailed description of one run. 1) dog is asked to sit in box, 2) box is unlatched, 3) dog must remain in the box on sit without punching the unlatched door open, 4) dog is permitted to exit and sit on the van floor in front of box, 5) dog must sit quietly while e-collar is placed, 6) dog sits (with collar on) in the van while I walk around the van once, 7) dog exits van on command to “heel”, 8) dog is leashed, 8a) I take one step...the dog heels & sits, I take two steps...dog heels & sits, I take three steps....the dog heels & sits...then the dog is heeled loose leash to to an airing area, sat and released, 9) after airing, the dog comes immediately to “here” and sits at heel while being leashed, 10) the dog immediately does the 1-3 step heel/sit procedure (again), 10a) dog on leash sits for awhile behind each holding blind (at least a minute...sometimes more depending on the dog).  

I’ll take a short break here to state that if any of 1-10a do NOT happen precisely, the dog starts over…..in their latched box.   

To continue, 11) dog exits the last holding blind to sit, the leash is removed and the dog walks  to the hide off lead at heel (no forging), 11a) the dog is sat closely to the line or hide and then asked to come to the "line" and sit, place or down (I get there first), 12) dog enters hide, sits beside bucket or is on “place” and given the “down” command (when appropriate), 13) in this drill the dog in the remote down position remains there for a few minutes while I sit on the bucket blowing a duck call, 14) one bumper and an Avery ATB teal were thrown (two singles and a double) with a cap gun report, 15) dog stays in hide as I walk slowly over, 16) dog exits to the command of “heel” and lines up facing the first mark, 17) dog is told to “get your mark” (not necessary, but we are working on being responsive....not "jumpy"), 18) the hand cue is completed and held for at least a count of ten, 19) dog is released on name, 20) dog retrieves to whichever side I indicate, 21) dog sits quietly with no mouthing which is acknowledged with "good sit",  21) dog is expected to make eye contact on “drop” (note: this is only for the dog that has a tendency to drift off into a non-responsive "funk") and 22) the drop is straight down out of their mouth as I hang on to the rope (or part of a bird). Each dog did two singles and a double.  

Any “errors” made by the dog before picking up the mark resulted in no mark and starting over in the hide. Kooly (one bark) and Daisy (short break) had to start over which is a "correction".   

To finish, the dog is left on sit while I put the bumper/teal away and "retrieve" the leash hanging on the holding blind. With the dog on leash, we walk loose leash back to the van.

note: The purpose of the "one, two and three step heel/sit" segment is to keep
            the dog focused "in the moment" and to maintain a responsive attitude
            (know where the handler is at.....always). It is a common OB ploy.

note: There are variations in the drill that consist of using real birds, primer or
            popper report gunshots, honoring dogs, etc. Creativity in adjusting to a
            dog's needs in critical. 

The rationale: A focused, comfortable dog at the line will perform better in the
field. There is a certain comfort acquired when thorough, correct repetitions form good habits.  A dog needs to have a "This is what I do attitude." If they don't do it often enough, how would they know?  

There is nothing more frustrating than having a talented dog "kind of know" what
it is supposed to do. 

Ending this description with four questions would be appropriate.  How much
time does it take to spend a weekend traveling to test or hunt? How much more
of a pleasure is it to test or hunt with a skilled, well behaved retriever? Wouldn't
a bit more time in training end up saving a whole lot of time later?   How many individual skills does a dog need.........to do this drill correctly? 
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                                       "Steadiness is a skill requiring maintenance." 

                                               "Ready....set......go!....is bad form." 

                   "I'm beginning to learn that 95% OB is not enough.........and 85% is much
                         worse.........but 75% is pretty good."  KwickLabs  Sept., 2006

     note: updated variations including other dogs off lead & honoring the working dog
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