Success and rewards are powerful. Gunny was a little slow to mature and the type of dog that demonstrated more of a need to know "What's in this for me?" To a certain extent, I have often thought this was the residual impact of being a singleton pup. Recently, the light has gone on.........he is a different dog.
First of all, I figured the "leaving" part would improve once his motivation kicked in. Secondly, "getting there" would come around when it meant something more special and fun. So the training approach was to focus on those two issues.
What set this in motion was finding a freshly mowed field that was perfect for the introduction of my 3 Ghilly "faux shrub" lining drill. It was angled across a mowed pattern with a strong wind factor. This was to be a variation of Cassity's Swish drill (with only three stations).
Gunny ran 9 blinds...three from each station. Each running station was on a line angling away from the 3 Ghilly's (faux shrubs" with bumper piles). Mostly, this was a lining drill to work on Gunny's "look lock". He caught on to the routine rather quickly and had fun with it. I knew we were on the right track. A long range plan was clarified after running this drill. I would use specific drills with targets (not white "stuff") to enhance his "looking out". The goal was to enhance his desire and create more balance in his "leaving" and "getting there".
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 "station 1" |
"station 2" |
 "station 3" |
 "Ghilly Shrub" |
 "full setup" |
The long range plan was to zero in on the
training concept of "doing what the dog needs". A variety of "attractants"
were to be used to "draw" his focus. Eventually, the phases would lead to
natural attractants......real terrain. At the time, the exact steps were not
fully realized. However, it was fun thinking about "what each would
be".
This lining drill was very different, but the basic theme was similar. The
idea was to "pull" Gunny away from the line with excitement. Using a long
barrier "out there" with narrow slots between full body
mallards and geese did the job. Gunny had to "shoot through them" toward a destination...and
he did.
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enlarge thumbnails)
 "lining drill" (with slots) |
 "decoy barrier" |
 "up close" |
The setup photo was taken from a small rise beyond.
The pile was invisible from the line. It was initially "identified" by
throwing a bumper to it from the first line. It wasn't long before he was
literally flying between decoys (like they weren't there). The decoys were
exciting and the drill was fun.
The next set of drills involved using a "camo" jump as a target "out there"
that became an intermediate part of an entire path. It formed a kind
of a suction to look straight ahead. He needed to establish "looking
straight ahead" as an expectation (habit). For some reason, a jump has always been
an invigorating addition to training (for all my dogs). Gunny
was no exception....for him, the jump was immediately cool.
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enlarge thumbnails)
 "jump components" |
"assembled" |
"straight on" |
 "1st step - here" |
 " 2nd step - here" (opposite direction) |
 "identifying" (first short retrieve) |
 "leaving" (with a target) |
 "the return" |
The first eight pictures show Gunny's
older sister, Daisy, reviewing the
process. The following set of photos show Gunny (the pup) learning how to
work through the "No-No" concept. He was a quick study.
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 "tweet/sit/over/back" (Gunny's correction) |
 "Gunny's leaving" (after teaching) |
 "diggn' the pile" (getting there) |
 "Success!" |
Once the idea of "dealing with a barrier" was
imprinted, distance was added to the equation. The "distance" drill was
simplified by using a previous pattern blind. This sequence of photos reveals
the use of stickmen to form an additional "slot" beyond the "camo" jump.
When taught via increments, the difficulty of the drill is reduced because
of previous "No-No" concept training plus using a familiar path. "Leaving"
and "getting there" were what we were working on. Gunny flew through these early
sessions with a great deal of excitement and poise (because it was a clear
picture and fun).
The mental image "of a line" and the routine of "going" was being
solidified. His high desire in "getting there" was developing quickly.
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enlarge thumbnails)
 "identify the pile" |
 "up the slot" |
 "adding distance" |
 "front of jump" |
 "beyond jump" |
 "more distance" |
 "full 164 yards" |
 "Gunny's Up!" |
The next step in the "progression of visuals" was
to introduce more natural slots and barriers. The addition of varying
"pictures" with related themes was designed to get Gunny focusing on
straight ahead destinations. His "leaving" desire improved tremendously
because there was more confidence in "getting there" (he wanted to).
He now had a vision with motivation which fed "the fire". The
idea of white buckets and/or stakes was rejected as too much of a
counter-productive crutch.
Themes will continue to be an ongoing process in setting up cold blinds.
Transition is going well and more complex "stuff" is down the road.
In this last session (completed yesterday), he ran a set of three cold blinds. His
willingness to accurately respond to whistles (en route...when necessary)
indicated a strong desire to know which direction would assist him in
"getting there". Looking closely at the cold blinds, one can
actually "picture" the slots and barriers forming a path to each blind.
Gunny is "taking better pictures" and "looking out"
because what he sees has
been enhanced by previous, positive experiences.
The aggressive pounce on the cold blinds at the finish clearly displayed the
joy of "Aha, there you are!" It is similar to the previous photo of Gunny "diggin'
the pile" when first introduced to the "camo" jump drill.
It all makes more sense to him. Lately, he has turned
into my favorite type of dog. The one that always says, "OK, that was easy. What's next?"
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to enlarge thumbnails)
"blind one" |
 "blind two" |
 "blind three" |
August will include finishing off the Definitive Casting drills and
an introduction to the "No-No" mound. Gunny
likes "leaving" and "getting there".
To start with in September, it
will be "real teal" on the Mississippi.
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enlarge thumbnails)
 "No No" Mound (front) |
 "No No" Mound (side) |
"2nd longer drill" |
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