May 2nd - This new journal was created and the "Kwick Training Journal" is now an archive. The first real
                change is Daisy, Kooly, Gunny and Taffey will have formal retriever training only three times a
                week. Water and land "roading" will not count as "formal" training. The Summer of 2010 journal
                will focus on the "other things" accomplished in "uncharted waters".

                The plan to join an HRC area organization was cancelled......expenses, distance and time will
                create an imbalance. There are too many other important situations that need a great deal of
                attention. Ribbons and titles mean very little in the grand scheme of things. If there were nothing
                else to do and plenty of available cash......they would be fun. However, with a trailer on the
                Mississippi ready for fishing and hunting a choice must be made. Family, house, finances,
                fishing, hunting and dog training will be the order of importance with no efforts to seek
                ribbons or enter into the never ending process of hard-core training.

                          edited update: could not resist entering Gunny       see June 13th

                Therefore, the list of things for today does not revolve around a dog training schedule. Weekly
                training will consist of a casting drill, lining drill, two sets of marks and two sets of cold blinds
                (land and water). In addition, there will be maintenance drills for being "steady". Gunny will
                continue to receive concept skill development to strengthen his grasp of transition. He will see
                training four times a week...............when possible. If the local Tuesday group sessions ever
                materialize..........Gunny and Daisy will attend.

                The list for today was long (written yesterday). Not all will be completed.......but it is a lot
                shorter due to the Summer of 2010 adjustment to balance.

                What's missing? I don't have a job. That's a real bummer!  

                major effort this weekend - killed weeds in lawn & dug up eight mature hostas, divided and
                produced 22 transplants with more to do    update: by May 15th - 42 new hosta plants   
May 3rd - finished work list & prepared for a trip to the Mississippi          

"Mississippi Sunset"

"KRD poison"

"Gunny's KRD"

May 6th wind has died down and went to train again....same area that I have been training in since
             last August.........the man with the large storage barn had given me the OK, as I was setting
             up two trucks pulled up. From the way they were walking toward me, I could sense it wasn't
             to watch the dogs run. In addition it was not the man who had given me permission. "The
             skinny" is the man who is not a friend of the man who really owns the property lied. I felt
             somewhat like a fool, apologized, picked up everything and went looking for a "new spot" to
             train. Just down the road a larger area was "available". I just have to sign a release.

             So we (the dogs and I) went into town to run some errands. Afterwards, we came back and
             launched the boat. Gunny and I went fishing. It was great to be out on the water. After catching
             three rather good fighting freshwater drum (Sheepshead), The two of went back to close up the
             trailer. All five of us where back at the "main ranch" at 6:30 pm.

             What a welcome.....my peaceful three days was greeted by the aftermath of a nasty brawl
             between the two grandchildren (adopted sons 20 and 21 years old). What a mess!
May 7th day off, cold windy and rain.......with one boy "out of the house"......gloominess is the mode,
             on a good note......it will be better.....for awhile
May 8th cold, windy, some rain and hail with possible frost tonight - where is spring?
May 9th working the Madison Retriever Club field trial......forecast is for 37° at 7am in the morning,
             promised to work a month ago and didn't notice it was Mother's Day.......aarrggghhhhh!!!!!
                     note: AM started at around 9 am, 14 dogs running triple done and home by 2:30 pm
May 10th mowed lawn
May 11th showers - cold and wet with a cloudy high of 48° F
May 12th PM thunder showers.......ran KRD in the morning at Rock Cut State Park DTA
                   note: Daisy, Gunny, Kooly & Taffey ran it "straight up" & under the arc (no poison blind),
                            used 3" white & black flagged Avery flashers, orange bumper, 2 remote wingers and
                            one sitckman.....blinds 90, 115 & 95 yards (right to left)
                   note: the observations via the video taped KRD from a few days ago paid off today,
                            Daisy's initial lines were much better.....now that I "saw" what has been missing
                   note: late this evening more thunder showers
                                                                    (left click on thumbnails)

"right side KRD"

"left view KRD"

May 13th rain tomorrow followed by 6-7 days of excellent weather......finally......but today is "off"
                      note: in court (morning)
May 14th set of HRC multiples with a blind at Rock Cut State Park DTA, remote wingers, duck
               call, bucket, primer loaded popper gun & stand, 3" black & white flagged Avery
               Flashers, orange bumpers and a holding blind (order of retrieves in double photo)
                      note: Daisy & Gunny ran it as an HRC Seasoned Double with a diversion & a longer
                               (110 yards) cold  blind up the middle
                      note: Taffey did it as a triple, with the cold blind run after retrieving the 1st mark
                      note: Kooly ran it as a triple, with the cold blind picked up first (before any marks),
                               was taken back to the holding blind on the first "go" because he moved up
                               to sit beside me on the bucket before he was called to do so (from his remote
                               sit).......any mistake in the "to the line routine" means "We Start Over!"
                                                           (left click on thumbnails)

"The Line"	"Cold Blind"	"Gunny's Retrieves"     (Double, Diversion,           blind last)
"Daisy's Retrieves"             (triple, blind last)	"Taffey's Retrieves"            (triple, blind second)	"Kooly's Retrieves"       (triple, blind first)

May 15th made two single dog British slip leads - brass ring, 5' of ½" soft woven poly rope,
               four zip ties and black electrical tape & made a single two dog British slip lead
               noon - Gunny ran a Renegade casting drill using two piles or orange bumpers on the
               other side of a gravel drive (the piles disappeared), after identifying each pile from a
               place board 25 yards away on the other side of the gravel, casts were given and the
               distance was steadily increased, at first he was having issues with the left back cast
               (spinning all the way around and going to the right back pile), spent some time in short
               and taught him with "reps" to the left pile until he was clean with both casts.....then
               started moving back....with no more issues - he is an excellent student and responds
               well to doing it until it "things" are clarified.....no e-collar corrections,,,,,just attrition
               with calm, quiet "no's" and "here.....let's try that again reps"
               early evening - Daisy & Gunny ran 6 cold blinds with pheasants at Rock Cut DTA
                         note: Gunny's angle backs were much better on these blinds (not as much over)                Taffey & Kooly - only ran three blinds 1,3,5 of the six originals 
May 16th evening Gunny ran a long three pile lining drill to work on the "look", review what
               "push/pull" means as far as looking straight ahead & establishing a better under-
               standing of waiting until I say "back"..... trying to be more precise & not just firing off
               "any which way" and learning how to be more comfortable being "messed with"
                      note: Gunny had an excellent session "adjusting" 
                      note: the other three had the day off......as Gunny & I snuck out the back door
May 17th Gunny, Daisy, Taffey & Kooly - walking baseball
May 18th Gunny & Daisy  ABC Drill (wingers, birds)......Taffey & Kooly day off
May 19-20th Mississippi fish camp - finally fixed plumbing issue, Wednesday evening the dogs
               had an extended session (free-for-all) of water fun bumpers off the shoreline, dogs
               were "going and returning" continuously for about 30 minutes, not many rules enforced
               except "don't take some-one-elses" bumper.....they were pretty excited and slept well
               that night (put them in their van boxes for an "initial dry-off" period, (good breeze and
               not warm out), still had a "wet dog odor" later in the trailer
               next morning Taffey and I went fishing.....windy and not much biting, did a couple of
               wing-dams and the channel in the Cable Crossing....then it got really windy, storms
               in the forecast, Taffey & Gunny did some cold blinds off the shoreline with orange
               bumpers thrown out into the now emerging lily pads (thrown before they were
               brought out), Daisy ran one blind right past a bumper she was "no'd" off - big challenge
               with no issues....very cool, Gunny ran several cold blinds and was taking casts well,
               water entry left a lot to be desired....very, almost too cautious.....once in fine, will
               revisit water force as a maintenance drill
               update: see June 18th analysis = this has become a major issue
May 21st rain, thinking about running Horicon Marsh HRC (June 19th).....gas prices are projected
               to drop   update: didn't enter....just not ready 
                    late morning - trained at the Square Pond - Gunny did a session of water force - went
               well, Daisy & Gunny ran a set of progressive cold water blinds...both did very well,
               stopped on the whistle and took casts toward the blind, afterwards Gunny did a short
               session of a shore cheating line......finally "getting it"
               afternoon - Taffey, Daisy, Gunny & Kooly ran a set of three blinds at the Industrial DTA
May 22nd morning - trained at the Square Pond Gunny & Daisy run the Long Wait Drill (slimmed
                down - no decoys), used fresh mallards, three wingers, holding blind, popper gun, duck
                call, HRC bucket and each spent almost 30 minutes doing the drill with two singles and
                a double....alternated out of the dog hide & sitting beside the bucket
                afternoon too warm to train
May 23rd  morning - Daisy & Gunny ran four cold blinds at the Winnebago Count Forest Preserve
                Dog Training Pond, Taffey & Kooly ran five walking singles on the way toward the
                pond and one long water mark across the peninsula
                      note: took Daisy & Gunny down together and staked one out as the other ran
                               (too long of a walk to go back and fourth)
                too warm to train in the afternoon.....nearly 90°
                                                                  (left click on thumbnail)

"four cold blinds"                 across the peninsula twice (one closer to point and the other closer to the two shorelines),                 one past the point and one parallel to the shoreline (all the way)

May 24th - hot water heater replacement in the morning & court in the afternoon
                 by 9:30am.......82°F with a humidity 72% (feels Like: 87° F)......dog day off with an
                 afternoon of 91°F predicted
May 25th  late morning - trained at Bong Rec. Area in Wisconsin, bought WI. park sticker & dog
                training permit, set up four remote wingers with an HRC line used mallards, duck
                calling, holding blind, primer loads in the popper gun, gun stand & an HRC bucket
                       note: had ice chest for the mallards & put permit tags on each duck
                Daisy & Gunny ran four singles & moved the line about 10 yards to the right for
                Gunny's singles 3 & 4 (less "cheaty").......Taffey & Kooly ran a double (Taffey ran the
                "shorter one")
                       note: the longest mark has the dog crossing three strips of land or very shallow
                                water, there were three large Dakota goose decoys in the line to marks
                                #3 and #4 (all four dogs ignored them)
                       note: singles #2 & #3 were "down-the-shore" "inlines" and singles #3 & #4 were
                                "inlines" with multiple entries and exits
                       note: the wind started out being downwind so the marks stayed on line, by the
                                time Kooly ran the wind had shifted to a cross wind (to the right) his ducks
                                ended up near the shore by the time he retrieved them (had to handle him)
                       note: Gunny has had little experience with these types of marks & he did a very
                                nice job of maintaining the line and trusting himself (marked each well) 
                                                                  (left click on thumbnails)  

"four singles"

"Taffey's double"

"Kooly's double"

May 26th  morning - ran a semi-tune-up tune-up at the Square Pond with Daisy & Gunny,
                used a "faux shrub Ghilly" barrier
                       note: very easy for Daisy.....more for me to see the effects
                       note: Gunny seemed very confused on the less difficult first line, then he
                                improved as we went along, didn't move back nearly as far away from
                                the shore as Daisy did, but the lesson went smoother as Gunny began
                                to "get it"
                                                                   (left click on thumbnails)   

"semi-tuneup"	"first line"	"second line"	"third line"
"different angle"	"dog's view"             (third line)	"video set-up"

May 27th trained at Stoughton FT grounds - first setup was four remote winger water marks
               run with the wind to the west, second setup was four remote winger water marks
               to the south from the other side of the pond (wind changed), last setup was three
               remote winger walkups, used the popper gun, decoys (duck & goose), duck calling
               and the HRC bucket
                        note: Daisy ran the first two marks as a double and the next six as singles
                        note: Gunny ran all eight marks as singles (first two were less than mediocre,
                                 last six kept improving, in the past this has always been a tough pond
                                 for inexperienced dogs to run marks on (not sure why.....depth of the
                                 horizon and/or squaring shorelines ????).....moved the line on mark
                                 8 for Gunny to make entry and return less "cheaty", but it still was a
                                 difficult entry and return.......he surprised me and stayed in the water 
                        note: Taffey ran only the the first set of four and as two doubles
                        note: Kooly ran the first double and was picked up on the second when he
                                 broke......Taffey picked up the his marks
                        note: Daisy & Gunny did flawless work on their three walkups
                        note: arrived at 7:00 am and left at 11:45 am......the ATV was a great help
                        note: analysis - the difference in the two sets is what the dogs see when
                                 exiting water.....the seemingly more difficult marks occur because when
                                 exiting the water the horizon beckons and confuses, the second set has
                                 has a built in impedance (the mound and tree line end) this is a natural
                                 restriction toward the quest
                                 solution - more experience
                                                                   (left click on thumbnails)

"marks 1 & 2"	"marks 3 & 4"	"marks 5 & 6"	"marks 7 & 8"
"walkup one"	"walkup two"	"walkup three"	"Dakotas"

May 28th trained at Bong & decided to take just Daisy & Gunny did many things and moved
               around.......Daisy hung in there and worked well, Gunny became progressively less
               enthused & he needs to be high energy to do well (do less and in smaller bites)
               first ran nine stand alone, remote radio line singles behind the Stick Pond (on bluff)
                      note: Daisy marked all really well & Gunny mostly ran past about half the singles
                               (he was not as fast toward the end).....used 3" Avery Flashers
               second ran three remote winger singles "down the shore" on the Stick Pond (mallards)
                      note: Daisy did fine & Gunny needed handling on the longest (stayed in the water
                               on the returns)
               third Gunny ran a tune up drill on the corner of a gravel pond (six lines using orange
               bumpers) with longer land entry and exits.........not much energy but kept at it
               fourth each ran a long remote winger water single Gunny did better than Daisy (birds)
               last each ran a cold blind diagonally opposite of the mark, both got out of sight
               behind the gravel mounds at the end of the blind (not good)
                                                                  (left click on thumbnails) 

"land marks"               (remote line)

"Stick Pond singles"       (remote wingers)

"long single"

"van visor visitor"

May 29th day off for all.......mowed lawn & it's hot........decided to not do hunt tests until fall
               update: that thought about tests didn't last long
May 30th it's hot again......in the low "eighties" at 8:30 am.......took Gunny to the Sand Ponds
               and ran several "stand alone" water singles, the "progression" of which led to the last
               three "out to sea" singles of 150, 175 and 200+ yards, there was no hesitation, once
               in the water the 3" Avery Flashers weren't visible until he was much closer, he entered
               the water strongly and marked them well......it was an excellent water session
                    note: day off for the others
May 31st day off - entered Gunny in the Madison Retriever Club's June AKC hunt test - first
               Junior (June 13th). possible site is Hook Lake, WI which is full of large lily pad growth
June 1st  trained at Hook Lake, WI...Gunny has "water roaded" in the lilies in the past & did
               picked up marks in this area last year, wanted to get a good review of the "factors"
                    note: Gunny ran five "boat alone" singles from a remote line on the peninsula
                             (never ran marks like this before & it went well)
                    note: Daisy, Taffey & Kooly ran three water "inlines"...down the bluff and through
                             the lilies
                    note: Interceptor for all
                                                                  (left click on thumbnails)

"Gunny's 5 singles"

"Hook Lake south"

"Tamarack Island"

"boat view of line"

"Gunny's 2nd mark"

"the bog retrieve"

"Gunny's 3rd retrieve"

"returning to the line"                               (club house)

"down the bluff"

"longest mark"

June 2nd day off - Frontline Plus for Daisy, Gunny & Taffey plus new Preventic collar for Kooly
June 3rd-5th slacker mode
June 6th trained at Rock Cut State Park DTA - ran four remote winger singles with mallards and
               stickmen stations.....Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny had good sessions
June 7th trained at BT's and the Square Pond - Daisy & Gunny ran two remote winger doubles
               off stickmen stations with mallards, the "north double" for Gunny was simplified by
               changing the line (making it wider) and having the "go bird" at a flat toss instead of
               angled back, Gunny ran two remote winger water singles at the square pond (used
               mallards)......day off for Taffey & Kooly 
                       note: the right water mark had similar lines to the water lining drill done a few
                                days ago.....Gunny made an excellent entry and on the return did not
                                cheat (no handling necessary - only an arm motion to stay on line)   
                                                                 (left click on thumbnails)

"south double"        (Daisy & Gunny)

"north double"            (Daisy)

"north double"             (Gunny)

"water singles"                 (Gunny)

                  June 8th  rain and day off.....note: Gunny had a short growling episode this evening, short OB
                                  lesson and even then curled his lips for a moment (too much crate time?) & caught him
                                  in a defensive mode, did definitely touch him on top of the head first which is bad form
                                  on my part...correct approach is supposed to be hand under chin with a dog like Gunny
                                         note: this is only an issue when he is in his crate....caught off guard & momentarily
                                                  in the defensive state, this behavior has not surfaced for several months and
                                                  outside the crate it never has been expressed, he is friendly, outgoing and
                                                  interacts perfectly with the rest of his pack......however, it is very unnerving
                                                  when "out of the blue" your own dog momentarily curls his lips, takes a wild
                                                  dog like posture and issues a low growl.......even if it is once every 6-7 months
                  June 9th  early morning - trained at the Square Pond Gunny ran a double Renegade casting drill &
                                  three cold blinds from north to south across the high "weedy" channel that feeds the pond,
                                  used un-thawed mallards
                                  mid-morning Gunny retrieved a shot flyer at Brian's & followed that with a live, shackled
                                  flyer (simulated cripple - not shot)
                                  late morning trained at the Winnebago County Forest Preserve DTA, Gunny ran a remote
                                  winger single with a double water entry & a cold blind (similar water entries) to the far
                                  south east corner
                                       note: county added a gravel path down to the pond with a parking lot nearby  
                                                    note: Dr. says probable skin cancer & blood test indicates very high cholesterol,
                                                cholesterol meds immediately & skin specialist appointment....aarrrgghhhhh!
                  June 10th morning  trained at the County Forest Preserve (with mallards) ran four remote winger
                                  singles "down the road" with Kooly, Taffey, Daisy and Gunny (used mallards)
                                        note: the more experienced dogs were comfortable running through the old falls,
                                                 Daisy was "tricked" once and Gunny learned a lot....excellent session for all
                                                                                    (left click on thumbnails)

"down the road setup"

"four singles"

                  June 11th warm early, rain by noon - decided to take a day off , sometimes not doing anything
                                  is better    (it was not an easy thing to do for me......breaking the mold)
                  June 12th morning  train at the county forest preserve 4 "up the road" singles (mallards) with
                                  remote wingers..........Kooly, Taffey, Daisy & Gunny
                                         note: these marks were the opposite direction of those thrown June 10th
                                         note: added some semi- black & white flags to the ducks....all marked super,    
                                                  rationale - dogs need to see the marks
                                         note: Gunny was way better at running through old falls today
                                                       note: the last several days of training has been with mallards, to tackle "two birds
                                                  with one stone", these birds have been taken right from the freezer and not
                                                  thawed, by the time we train, the newspaper wrapping can be removed and
                                                  a slight thawing has taken place, the body is still firm and all the dogs have
                                                  been handling the ducks much better, in addition....the ducks are staying in
                                                  really good shape and lasting longer because I'm putting them in a cooler
                                                  with ice for the trips home 
                                          note: all four dogs had their nails Dremel'd
                                                                                  (left click on thumbnails)

"up the road"

"Kooly"

"Taffey"

"Daisy"

"Gunny"

                  June 13th Gunny ran & passed his first AKC Junior Hunter test.....not a big deal, but a fun day
                                         note: at 8:30 am drove five minutes out of the way to the Square Pond where
                                                  Gunny & Daisy picked up two long water tosses (got wet and took the edge off),
                                                  the test was at the Stoughton Field Trial grounds.....start time 10 am
                                         note: the land series had Gunny front footing the first mark, running number was 28
                                                  and there was a lot of scent "out there", so his marking was impressive (saw no 
                                                  other dog front foot this mark), second mark had him taking a perfect line, but
                                                  scent was slightly in his face and old falls "sucked" him to the left at first, the old
                                                  fall sessions from this past week had him quickly sorting out the mark, going to
                                                  the line was relaxed, loose lead and VERY under control (great feeling for me),
                                         note: both marks were very short with a long horizon - less than 80 yards
                                         note: all the work on delivery at the line paid off, perfect swing to heel, no mouthing
                                                  and a calm, willing drop on command........land & water  
                                         note: first water mark was a gorgeous flyer, after a slow water entry, Gunny took a
                                                  straight line to the mark,  however, when within 20 yards a large mass of white
                                                  feathers off to his left and toward the flyer station caught his eye, he gave in
                                                  and swerved left, once committed to this diversion, I decided that once there
                                                  and seeing it was not a duck, Gunny would hit the shore, scent from the flyer
                                                  station would beckon and running around on shore would make for a difficult
                                                  handle back into the water for the mark, so I stopped him before the feathers
                                                  while still in the water, after 5-6 whistles with a couple of refusals, he saw the
                                                  duck & made the retrieve
                                         note: things to improve on 1) water entry was slower than I would have liked to see,
                                                  but knew this, after taking the first delivery on water....Gunny was moved to the
                                                  right via holding on to his collar, when in line with the next mark......I could not
                                                  get him to sit........took my time and ended up saying it about 5-6 times, this was
                                                  not a "jacked up instance" - he was not responding to my "hand in the collar"
                                                  on the back of his neck and and my guess expressing a bit of dominance.....in
                                                  light of no quick correction, this will be a focus of his future training (a quick
                                                  sit)..........especially when just holding on to the collar, more so to increase his
                                                  responsiveness which will result in a reflexive sit....the dog cannot do what it
                                                  has tuned out....next test will not be until late July.....this is in keeping with the
                                                  "there is no rush" plan.....the issue was not totally "out of the blue" because on
                                                  occasion a slow sit crops up in training......solution = daily detail to focus on
                                                  more precise OB sit reps
                                 Daisy was glad she came along........pickup dog on water had her retrieving two flyers  
                                                 note: the second (a repeat) was a pattern blind which she lined  
                                                                                   (left click on thumbnails)

"land mark"                                (1st mark)	"flyer"           (2nd mark)	"land line"	"Junior land"
"Junior water"	"flyer"             (1st mark)	"2nd water"	"handlers & test dog"
"gallery on the mound"

                      June 14th gloomy, humid day with rain + tired dogs  = day off for all...recently planted tomato
                                      plants are making huge strides in height
                      June 15th rained most of the day evening ran Gunny on a session of walking baseball
                                               note: worked on quick sits and tight angle backs
                      June 16th morning trained the county DTA. ran a KRD (all four dogs), use remote winger for mark
                                      used a 3" black & white flagged Avery flasher for the mark (60 yds), the 3 blinds were
                                      orange bumpers at 75, 173 and 158 yards....west wind at 15 mph & gusts over 20 mph,
                                      cover knee deep 
                                               note: ran Kooly first to get a feel for the setup.....he did well, Taffey went 2nd
                                                        no issues except a bit of scalloping on the last blind, since she is
                                                        semi-retired.....I cut her a "bit of slack"  
                                               note: Daisy was sharp & Gunny was even better (one whistled 2nd & lined 3rd)
                                               note: 48th wedding anniversary
                                                                                   (left click on thumbnail)

"KRD"                                                                                 (key relationship drill)

                      June 17th morning first time doing this.....trained at Stoughton 1st, then Gallagher 2nd and
                                      finally at Hook Lake 3rd (three club properties) Gunny & Daisy Taffey & Kooly
                                      Stoughton - Gunny ran a six orange bumper tune-up drill working on angle entries
                                      and exits, in addition the difficult shoreline in the technical pond was used for more
                                      exposure, very slow process....but he improved as the session went on, productive  
                                      Gallagher's Gunny ran a second 6 orange bumper tune-up drill & so did Daisy
                                               note: Gunny's entries required much attrition, but his returns are really getting
                                                        solid....Daisy flew through this drill....awesome! 
                                      set up a 110 yard cold blind that was land/water/land/water/land Kooly, Taffey,
                                      Daisy & Gunny ran it
                                                note: the three older dogs ran it poison after throwing a bumper off to the
                                                         right. used usual "change heeling side" cue
                                      Hook Lake - rowed out & placed two cold blinds for Daisy & Gunny, blinds not long,
                                      but through the thick lily pad growth, they were a challenge
                                                note: Gunny's water entries left a lot to be desired, once in did super
                                                note: left the house at 6:15 am & back home at 11 am......tomorrow is a day off
                                                                                 (left click on thumbnails)

"Stoughton tune-up"	"Gallagher tune-up"	"cold blind"	"Hook Lake blinds"
"Daisy"	"Daisy in the lilies"	"Gunny"	"Gunny's grip"

                  June 18th rain in forecast for this afternoon morning - mowed lawn....it's already 84°, sunny and
                           very humid given the previous several days of training, it's a no training day
                                     note: cooling off after mowing the yard a training a brainstorming session took over,
                                              usual premise....."identify a dog's biggest weakness", strategy....."do what the
                                              dog needs", approach......."don't be restricted, thinking outside the box is OK"
                                              subject: Gunny 
                                              issue: very weak water entry....especially on blinds (sending on "back")
                                              qualifications: water force is not the issue, confidence is not an issue, it is
                                                                      more like a high mental impedance at the water's edge,
                                                                      visual - firing to the water, sustained hesitation while entering,
                                                                      swimming fast once in, handling - no issues, cheating  - not a
                                                                      problem  
                                              reason: not identifiable. but he does "lurch about" and is easily startled when
                                                           encountering  underwater, obstructions.....like any kind of  sticks or
                                                           branches, heavy lily pads are not an issue, unseen, suddenly
                                                           encountered underwater weeds can be, i.e. see yesterday's  journal
                                                           photos - Gunny in the lilies
                                              solution: make water entries more fun, exciting and creating a perception
                                                             that water in general is a good thing to get into, hazy on this part,
                                                             but the overall process should not produce any negatives = nothing
                                                             to loose...."after all is said and done" fun is always good 
                                              What is the most fun? answer - fun bumpers in water (birds even more so)
                                              adjustments for maximum effect
                                                     1) release on "Gunny/back" both commands
                                                     2) maximize "reps" and keep each session "rolling and up beat"
                                                     3) vary areas of "reps" (more and varied exposures)
                                                     4) do this for a full month (every day)
                                                     5) make it a separate session - once a day
                                                     6) use ducks every fourth day
                                               rationale - changing expectations and/or a mindset are best accomplished
                                                                by being focused, consistent and persistent.....the most effective
                                                                approach is often maximized by isolating the issue
                                               exception to the rules - fun bumpers generally are by done with the concept
                                                          of having NO rules (i.e. steady, precise delivery and control) this will
                                                          not be the case...the "rules" will be the same as in any training session
                                                   note: since Gunny's delivery, mouth and shake OB are excellent, there will
                                                            be very few reasons for extra pressure or control measures in the
                                                            presentation of the "Super Fun Bumper Water Barrage"...........from
                                                            now on referred to as the SFBWB   

                                                                      "Thinking outside the box is OK."

                  June 19th mid-morning - trained at the county DTA, setup two remote winger diversion marks,
                                  concept = through the old fall (use real mallards for the marks), threw one mark out
                                  of the winger to identify AOF & "scrubbed"  grass with a duck = more scent as each
                                  dog runs with the youngest running last (that would be Gunny), the three older dogs
                                  will run each diversion as a poison bird = run cold blind off to the left side before
                                  working the diversion (that would be Kooly, Taffey & Daisy), an additional factor is
                                  the cross wind of 17 mph gusting to 24 mph
                                        note: there were no major issues with the marks or running blinds, all dogs did
                                                 well following the rules from the van, to airing, to the holding blind and to
                                                 the line.....drops on command were consistent and excellent
                                         note: Gunny did fade with the wind some, but took casts back to the correct line
                                         note: had long conversation with a pointing dog trainer afterwards, it started with
                                                  a description of what I was doing and sparked by a question of how many
                                                  times I had used the e-collar during Gunny's session (the answer was zero),
                                                  he persisted in referring to the e-collar as punishment while I tried to explain
                                                  as a form of fairly applied pressure (when and if I decide to use it), it was
                                                  an interesting discussion, fortunately since Daisy & Taffey are pointing Labs
                                                  we had a lot of common ground to connect with.....teaching has a universal
                                                  language
                                                                                 (left click on thumbnails)

"Gunny's setup"

"2 diversions"              (poison)

"left poison"

"right side"

"left side"

                                   evening - Gunny's SFBWB at the Square Pond - first "go" was a huge success...he
                                   liked it, was hitting the water faster and still maintained a steady rhythm to his
                                   delivery - "heal, sit and drop".......steady for each mark (all were very short)
                                         note: finished with alternating fun bumpers water, land, water, etc.
                                         note: used Avery's teal with flags
                                         note: this will be greatly "padded" with regular training = balance
                   June 20th morning Gunny ran "Water Barrage 2" (29 days left)
                                         note: noticeable change in entries.........not thinking about it
                                   While running, a "bolt from the past" struck......When the Grandchildren were taking
                                   piano lessons their teacher told them that during practice, it they made a mistake, it
                                   was necessary to repeat the right action at least ten times in order to correct the issue. 
                                   Therefore, if during regular water training sessions, Gunny continues his penchant to
                                   enter cautiously.......it is not going to correct by itself. In reality, this issue is unlikely 
                                   to spontaneously change. Therefore, the "Water Barrage" is a way to produce those
                                   necessary "fast ten entries" needed to extinguish the too cautious mode (in theory).
                                   So far, we are getting plenty of those "excellent, mind altering reps".
                                         note: day off for other three dogs
                                         note: yard work.......a lot of "tree debris" to remove from the yard.....left from
                                                  the 65 mph winds that blew thru two days ago
                                         note: more rain this evening and in the forecast for tomorrow
                   June 21st morning train at the Square Pond grassy area - run the Long Wait Drill (all four) 
                                                                 The Kwick Long Wait Drill (link)  

                   Returned to the Kwick Journal