MPR UH HRCH
Kwick Taffey of Joemac's MH -"Taffey"
                                                       Kwick Kooly Dew It Allstar SH - "Kooly"
                                                     Kwick Daisy's Spirit Keeper SH - "Daisy"
                                                              Kwick Draw McGraw - "Gunny"
 
                                               Kwick Training Archives + Hunting Results (Link)  

                   June 21st late morning - trained at the Square Pond grassy area - ran the Long Wait Drill (all four)
                                   four remote wingers, a dozen Avery FB mallards, popper gun shooting primer loads,
                                   gun stand, four mallards, a dozen orange bumpers for cold blinds, Avery Ultra Low
                                   dog hide, holding blind, HRC bucket, duck call and a "comfy" chair
                                         note: carpet in front of the dog hide keeps the dog more focused (not eating grass)
                                                                               
(left click on thumbnails)
                                                              
                                                                    "the line"
        
          "dog's view"

                                                                       The Kwick Long Wait Drill (link)  

                          Gunny in the hide "shot" A first, waited and launched 1 - picked up mark & ran the blind
                                     for each set, the dog is invited out of the hide to run at the line
                                       
 A dog does NOT "run" from the hide!!!
                                     next "shot" C first, waited and launched 4 – picked up mark & ran the blind
                                     last invited out of the hide to run from a bucket HRC style....."shot" B first, waited
                                     and launched 2 then 3 as a double – picked 3 then 2 and then ran blind B
                                             note: total elapsed time 30 minutes (from the van & back to the van)
                          Daisy ran the first two sets like Gunny, but each blind was poison, at the bucket she ran
                                    the same double followed by the blind Gunny did
                                            note: total elapsed time 30 minutes
                          Taffey ran the same setup as Daisy
                                            note: total elapsed time 23 minutes
                          Kooly ran 1 with C as a poison, 4 with B as a poison, 3 & 2 as a double with A as a poison
                                    (blind in the middle of the double)
                                            note: total elapsed time 20+ minutes (not sure), big improvements - focused
                                                     with a lot more "sincere" responsiveness!!

                          evening - Gunny ran the WB3......progress was made near the end and an observation
                          put this whole issue into perspective
                                             note: on the very first water entry he was good, however, when exiting a
                                                      rigid weed (ha, I know this sounds weird) made him clearly spook a bit
                                                      sideways on the way out, on the next "go" in the same direction as he
                                                      neared the same water entry spot, he literally bolted sideways and went
                                                      into the water about five yards off to the right, he was going out of his
                                                      way to avoid the spot that spooked him, in a way this was a good thing to
                                                      see........this whole water entry issue is not about pressure, poor "mo"
                                                      or not liking water.........he is "afraid" like in having a phobia....so we
                                                      will continue to expose him to as many good entries as possible,
                                                      basic phobia cures revolve around the fact that most phobias are due
                                                      to faulty learning during a critical step in development, something
                                                      happened at just the wrong time that created a faulty coping skill that
                                                      has been retained.....there are two basic techniques of dealing with a
                                                      phobia.......desensitization and/or relearning....the observation has
                                                      me convinced that I'm on the right track.....pressure is not a solution
                    June 22nd morning County DTA, Gunny & Daisy setup the 1st leg of a 3-legged water pattern,
                                     angle entry, across a wide peninsula with the same amount of water on the other
                                     side plus 20 yards of land after the last exit (diagonal of the pond)
                                               note: once all three legs are established, diversion concepts will be run,
                                                        a pattern setup will be the best use of this small, technical pond
                                               note: this is the most difficult leg of the setup, next will be past the peninsula
                                                        and last will be a short, parallel swim along the east shoreline
                                               note: Gunny was running it well after seven "reps", he's learning
                                               note: Daisy had it down pat after three reps and was "fogging it", exercise?
                                                                              
(left click on thumbnails)

                                            
                                                  "first leg"
         
           "closer"
   
      "final pattern"

                                                               
                    June 23rd day off for all - morning rain & later in the afternoon, hot and high humidity
                    June 24th early morning (cool & low humidity) worked on the 3-legged water pattern
                                    (1st leg and established the 2nd) with Gunny & Daisy focus on exact line
                                               note: went back to the peninsula to teach the exact line for both, since
                                                        I can't see them in the water after passing over the peninsula an
                                                        exact line must be taught there first....that went well
                                               note: Kooly ran the 1st leg the same way - from the peninsula with an
                                                        expectation of an exact line & then ran the 2nd leg three times
                                               note: Taffey ran the 1st leg twice (taught short version) and then ran
                                                        the 2nd leg three times (looking for precise casts)
                                               note: simple observation - much better than a casting drill for all, expecting 
                                                        a precise line and providing the exact literal cast was interesting
                                               note: after Gunny's session since there were three long, thin sticks floating
                                                        out in the weeds, he was asked to repeatedly retrieve a bumper in,
                                                        over & about them to deal with his stick phobia, no loss in drive & a
                                                        noticeably weaker reaction to being near/touched, desensitization is
                                                        going to be a very slow process (still spooked sideways on a few
                                                        entries right at the water line & had to pick a slightly different spot to
                                                        work, only thing visible was a small clump of floating weeds)

                                                                                                             
 (left click on thumbnails)
                            
                         "3-legged pattern"
      
                "left"
      
              "middle"
        
                 "right"
                    June 25th trained at the County DTA Taffey, Daisy, Kooly & Gunny ran an ABC drill with the
                                    remote radio line, duck call and a mallard, the western section of the field was
                                    mowed and stretched 400 yards 

                                                                                                            
 (left click on thumbnails)
                                                                
                                                                   "ABC setup"
           
        "far side = 400 yards"

                    June 26th morning - trained at the County DTA, setup was four HRC singles, remote wingers at
                                    stickmen stations, primer loads out of a pump gun, gun stand, duck calling, holding
                                    blind with flagged mallards.......Daisy & Gunny, afterwards Gunny ran a few water
                                    lines and finished off with WB5 (he was flying into the water and "amped" about
                                    it.......remedy mode)
                                      note: focused on routine from van to the line, solidifying the expectations at the
                                               HRC line (marking off the gun), minimum movement when marking (only
                                               head or eyes), steady at the line (no creeping and not released until after a
                                               count of 10), saying "dog" for AKC reasons, continuing with the recent theme
                                               of dealing with old falls (near and/or through), proper delivery/handling of
                                               real, not all that "pretty" mallards = good session!
                                      note: Taffey & Kooly had the day off......into the 90's this afternoon (glad I mowed
                                               the lawn yesterday)
   
                                                                                    
(left click on thumbnail) 

                                                                                     
                                                                                        "four singles"

                    June 27th day off - rain plus high heat & humidity = good reasons for downtime
                    June 28-30th trip to Mississippi duck/fish camp
                   
June 28th arrived at camp, dogs had a session of fun bumpers in the lilies river was up some
                                    and fished off the bank behind the trailer - channel catfish and sheepheads were biting
                    June 29th trained Gunny at the new DTA, permission was granted and neat for the dogs, he did
                                    the first session  in Evan Graham's Definitive Casting Drills, his work was almost perfect,
                                    the least number of casts a dog could do was four, he did it with five casts total...really
                                    fast to the marks and go "mo" to the side pile river still.....one nice, fat channel cat a
                                    few more sheepshead, filleted all immediately and chilled quickly in "fridge", everyone
                                    got another session of "lily bumpers", but cut it down to Gunny with Daisy & Taffey with
                                    Kooly
                   
June 30th Gunny repeated yesterdays step in the Definitive Casting Drill "for effect" & he was
                                    better today.......only four casts & faster, Daisy & Kooly had the day off, Taffey and I
                                    went for a long boat ride (no wind today) out the the main channel, down to
                                    Cormorant Island and back through the Cable Crossing fished some before and
                                    after.....mediocre results

                                                                                                               (left click on thumbnails)

                               
                             "Definitive Casting"
 
       
   "Cormorant Island"
 
    
  "safety in numbers"
 
    
          "up close"
 
                               
                                      "nesting"
    
     "white on white"
    
      "looking north"
    
       "out the door"

                    July  1st trained at Riverside Park - Gunny ran the 2nd segment of the Definitive Casting Drill
                                  and used real mallards for the two winger marks - 2 casts NICE! drove to the County
                                  DTA and worked on the 3-legged pattern....going to modify this somewhat, the original
                                  reason for doing it was to get Gunny to "look out" more on blinds, however........after
                                  running Daisy (just for exercise) it became quite apparent that all the marking exercises
                                  with stickmen has taught the dogs to ignore white in the field.....now if I put it out there,
                                  they are actually looking for something else..........even if it is to go past it......they are
                                  ignoring it.......DUH!....from now on it will be "Ghilly shrubs"....if anything.....afterwards
                                  Gunny ran two remote winger water singles with real mallards, Daisy ran a double and
                                  the wingers were moved to make the marks more difficult
                                                     note: Kooly ran one water cold blind and Taffey chased after some
                                                              quail that were calling in the tall grass  
                                         Interceptor for all & Frontline Plus for Daisy, Gunny & Taffey 
                   
July 2nd Gunny repeated yesterday's Definitive Casting Drill #2....Daisy & Gunny did two sets of
                                  check down marks, remote wingers with mallards at the County DTA........land only
                                   because of Frontline Plus
                                                     note: he's ready for DCD #3
                                                     note: both marked really well, nice check down marks, flying out & back
                                                     note: used two holding blinds and spent about 20 minutes on the "van
                                                              to the line expectations" = focused, responsive dogs at the line
                                                     note: flagged ducks are working really well
                                                     note: Taffey & Kooly took the day off.....no complaints
                                                     note: yard work = mow lawn
                                                                                  
(left click on thumbnails) 

               
            "Definitive Casting #2"
 
 "van to the line"
    (20 minutes)
     
       "flagged duck"
   
   "left checkdown"
      
   "right checkdown"

                   July 3rd mid-morning - trained at BT's hay field (recently cut), solo, long checkdown setup, used
                                stickmen, duck call, elevated platform at the remote radio line and a flagged mallard,
                                Gunny
ran first, with the distances 250 yards down to 50 yards didn't want to add any old
                                fall concept.......wind pushed to the right and the terrain "fell off' to the right, took a bumper
                                to provide a "fire man drill" possibility on the longest mark, IF he was influenced too much
                                by the factors because the cover barrier at 210 yards would be "in the way" and I didn't
                                want him to breakdown, anticipation was correct..........when he loomed before the cover
                                (pushed off line) he started to slow down, by immediately throwing the bumper, he drove
                                through the cover to the AOF, did well on the last four marks, Daisy flared some with the
                                two factors & had a long hunt on the 150 yard mark, the longest and last three were her
                                best, Kooly & Taffey did well on the first four marks...these two skipped the 5th mark (at
                                fifty yards), getting too warm and nothing to gain
                                                        note: distances measured off with a range finder
                                                        note: twenty marks for four dogs starting at 250 yards each time required
                                                                 a lot of walking
    and steady dogs  
      
                                                                                  
(left click on thumbnail)

                                                                                   
                                                                               "5 checkdown singles" 

                   July 4th day off for all....at noon 88°F & feels like 91°F   
                     
   July 5th morning - trained at the County Pond DTA, ran solo, walking singles around the pond
                                           note: Daisy & Gunny did 5 each separately, Taffey & Kooly did 3 each honoring,
                                                    used a mallard Dokken, got wet, exercised and had fun marks to run
                                           note: sunny, warm & very humid with a strong breeze
                                evening - trained Gunny at Riverside Park - ran drill #3 of the Definitive Casting Drills,
                                85
°F, cloudy with high humidity but a good breeze, kept van running with the air
                                conditioning on high while setting up the
remote wingers & pile, then he came out,
                                we identified the pile & ran the first mark = sharp, then the second mark was launched,
                                three whistles and a come-in cast got him to the pile and "away from" the 2nd mark,
                                he REALLY wanted that second mallard mark
                                            note: great "mo" on both marks plus a good move" to the pile.......once he
                                                     understood (one very focused & "amped" dog.......good to see) 
                                            note: no e-collar......only attrition  
                   July 6th early morning - trained at Stoughton & left before dawn....drove 50 miles through some
                                drizzle and started setting up a 5:45 am, two sets of remote wingers with flagged ducks
                                were tossed near the shoreline and the marks were 116 & 107 yards with about a 25 yd
                                land entry. stickmen were placed at each station
                                            note: Gunny ran then as singles and did really well Daisy ran them as a double and
                                                     had a huge, long hunt on the right side go bird (got out of the water) and
                                                     finally snatched a duck out of the other winger (which I didn't realize right
                                                     away.....her setup would have been better off not run.......aarrgghhh!!!, since
                                                     Gunny is the main focus.....her poor "go" wasn't that big of a deal
                                            note: after determining that the first duck was still in the water, Taffey was
                                                     given a "go as sent" drill, the winger "squeal" was activated, but nothing
                                                     launched, Taffey was given the cue "get your mark" and verbally told "That's 
                                                     it! Good! and given time to believe it was there even though see didn't
                                                     remember seeing it. She was sent hard on her name and she fired. Went as
                                                     sent and got the bird.
                                            note: Kooly was taken back to make his mark over 150 yards. He blasted off the
                                                     line and made it look easy.....which it was for him.
                                 another mark was setup going the other direction for Gunny & possibly Daisy, two
                                
wingers were used to allow for a "fireman's drill" if he looked like he wouldn't get
                                 there........he started to blow by a bit wide so I fired off the other duck......did not
                                 want a hunt, so now there is another duck "over there" with three alternatives for
                                 Daisy 1) drive over and reload a winger, 2) run it as a blind or 3) use it as a "go as
                                 sent" teaching situation........door #3 won out.......used all the right cures and she
                                 was convinced that even though the "squeals" went off and she didn't see the mark,
                                 there must be one over there....because I said so, she fired with no hesitation and
                                 took a great line.....front footed it....cool...the day was not a total loss for Daisy
 
                                            note: marks mostly for Gunny = straight forward, long Junior singles

                                            note: left the grounds at 7:15 am
                                
morning - drove to near home and trained Gunny on Definitive Casting Drill #3
                                 a repeat at the Riverside Park DTA.....two casts on the over......good "mo" & very
                                 crisp......his "runs" to the mallards were awesome....want to repeat for a 3rd time  
                                          
 note: home at 8:45 am....beat the heat and dodged the rain
 
                                                                                 
(left click on thumbnais)

                                            
                                               "two singles"
    
        "third single"
         
"Definitive Casting #3"

                        July 7th early morning - humid, rain in the forecast & warm, trained at Riverside Park
                                     Gunny ran Definitive Casting Drill #3 for the third time - perfect (move on)
                                            note: rest of the day off for all
                   July 8th morning - trained at Riverside Park - Gunny ran Definitive Casting Drill #4 for the
                                first time.....no real issues, but several cast to the pile (forgot to identify....duh!
 
                                used ducks and two remote wingers in a different area
                                            note: went later in the morning to train in a bit warmer conditions....Gunny has
                                                     hunt test the 18th and it will be WARM (probably) so a little conditioning
                                                     was the rationale
                                setup two under the arc doubles, Kooly ran first to check the wingers & placement,
                                winger #1 didn't "fire" and it was the "go bird" for the first double, left Kooly on the
                                line (memory bird down) and fixed the winger, back to the line and released the
                                "go bird"......I could do this because Kooly has a super memory....stepped on both
                                             note: placement not perfect......adjusted stations
                                Taffey ran next and she had some trouble with both memories....went, but not with
                                a strong conviction......the ditch, road crossing and marks behind some tree limbs
                                (not a totally clear arc) were more difficult than I figured......experienced dogs, but
                                not exposed to this factor much lately. Daisy was about like Taffey...not sharp
                                             note: decided to take the three factors out of the equation for Gunny, by
                                                      moving up all were "gone" and the marks were shorter
                                Gunny (not nearly as much experience as the other three) had no issues with
                                under the arc marks in this simplified setup = sharp!
                                             note: parked in the shade with fans and cold water = no heat stress,
                                                      but I was glad to get home and cool off
                                             note: filled in holes in the lower area....something is digging and a dog
                                                      might have some issues......2-3" wide and deep  
                                                                             
(left click on thumbnais)

                   
           
        "Definitive Casting #4"
 
 
   "under the arc"
           (first)
   
     "under the arc"
           (second)
 
    "Gunny's 1st"
 
 
    "Gunny's 2nd"
 

                          July 9th morning Gunny repeated yesterday's Definitive Casting Drill #4 (two casts & much better)
                                 Daisy ran it perfectly,,,,,,,for a little exercise and review (one cast & fast)
                                          note: Gunny's first cast was away from the mark (in his mind) & Daisy's first cast
                                                   was literal to the pile (in her mind) = learning vs. experienced dogs
                                          note: Daisy did these drills two years ago (and has run many poison bird setups)
                                          note: Taffey & Kooly had the day off  
                                          note: filled more holes with dirt                                                               

                   July 10th morning Gunny did Definitive Casting Drill #4 for the third time (two casts.....after not
                                  moving on the first three attempts to cast)....stepped sideways to give more motion,
                                  then he was fine, reviewing the situation ("after the fact"), it appears I may have been
                                  blending in with the shaded background - repeat tomorrow (change visibility)
                                         note: very warm today.....the other three had the day off
                                         note: placed a post on RTF to ask about the holes....answer burrowing crayfish, so
                                                  I am going to move to a different area to continue this drill 
                                                                           Burrowing Crayfish (Link)
                                                                               
(left click on thumbnail)

                                                                                
                                                                    "Definitive Casting Drill #4 (3peat)"

                                                                                             Gunny's Definitive Casting Drills (Link)

                          July 11th early morning Gunny repeated the Definitive Casting Drill #4 in a new area (no holes),
                                   in Riverside Park....afterwards Taffey, Kooly, Daisy & Gunny did three mallards "down
                                   the road" with remote wingers.....short cover & easy 
                                                                          
                                                                               
(left click on thumbnails) 

                    
              
          "Definitive Casting #4"
  
    "three singles"
   
     "training tools"
  
   "crayfish burrow"
   
          "another"

                   July 12th day off for all
                   July 13th morning - Long Wait Drill at the Square Pond (all four dogs) arrived at 9;30 am, first dog
                                  ran at 10:00 am, picked up and home at 12:30 pm, Kooly, Taffey, Gunny & Daisy ran in
                                  that order...four wingers with mallards, three cold blinds....all under the arcs (bumpers),
                                  three stickmen, popper gun with primer loads, Avery Ultra-low dog hide, two holding
                                  blinds and a duck call.....ordered Gunz Up CD and that will be a regular addition
                                        note: Kooly "stood up" in the hide on three of the four marks, corrected, didn't run, I
                                                 picked up the duck and reloaded the winger, the first bird was a breaking setup
                                                 (15 yds), the next three ducks had poison bird blinds for Kooly, Taffey & Daisy,
                                                 with the mallards really close to the line.....running the blinds first was
                                                 challenging......none of them failed (didn't get to the poison), Daisy was "hot"
                                                 on the retrieves so I really slowed down her deliveries 
                                        note: before going to the line each dog had to follow the "from the box to the line"
                                                 routine through two holding blinds, the first "go" was a breaking bird single,
                                                 the dog had to remain in the "down" position in the hide until I took a picture
                                                 of them...they had to wait, then they were called to "here" and sat while I took
                                                 another picture, after waiting for the two photos, each dog then was given
                                                 the release for the retrieve....delivery of the bird had to be calm, precise and
                                                 only on the "drop" command, when finished with each mark and blind
                                                 "combo", the dog re-entered the hide
                                        note: Gunny was the best of all four in terms of being focused & under control (no bad
                                                 habits to correct or overcome......he is the youngest)
                                        note: this drill is having a very positive impact on line manners & focus and it is
                                                 always a little bit different each time
                                                                       
The Kwick Long Wait Drill (link)

                                                                                 
(left click on thumbnails)

                 
                 "poison birds"  
   
     "Gunny's setup"
 
   "unloaded van"
 
 
        "the line"
 
       "far view"
               
                      "Kooly"
   
          "closer"
 
   "Taffey in hide"
 
 
   "Taffey's lean"
 
    "her retrieve"
      
               
                "Daisy marking"
                
   
     "Daisy waiting"
 
         "Well?"
 
       "Gunny"
 
  "Gunny focused"


                   July 14th morningGunny ran two singles at BT's hay field, remote wingers, stickmen & mallards,
                                  (117, 150 yards).....overran first with big hunt, long - straight to the area & short hunt,
                                  drove to Riverside Park...Gunny ran Definitive Casting #4a at Riverside Park, drove to
                                  County DTA and ran two water singles (wingers & mallards)....both lines were over the
                                  peninsula with marks slightly up on the far bank.....(no splash)
                                         note: excellent "mo" on all marks this morning (ready for the weekend)
                                         note: on the Definitive Casting Drill #4a he was very close to the mark when I
                                                  stopped him, too close and the 2½ on his e-collar wasn't enough......this was
                                                  the first time doing these drills where "he got the bird", correction went well,
                                                  he was on sit (with poison in his mouth)...walked out and "chopped" the bird
                                                  cleanly from his mouth with a firm "no", stepped back twenty yards (with the
                                                  bird still on the ground) and cast him to the pile. he went cleanly, reloaded
                                                  the winger...returned to the line, did the mark again, stopped him in the
                                                  same spot with a whistle & a 3 level nick, took one cast right by the stickmen
                                                  to the pile (like he was supposed to do), delivered the bumper and fogged
                                                  the mark......excellent session! 
 
                                         note: the other three had the day off
                                         note: 90 degrees this afternoon
                                                                                  
(left click on thumbnails)

                          
                             "117 yd mark"
       
          "150 yd mark"
   
Definitive Casting #4a"
 
     "AOF view"
                             
                 
                  "first water" 
 
    
         "close up"
     
          "side view"
 
  "second water"
  
       "side view"

                   July 15th early morning - trained at the square pond, 77° already, high humidity, cloudy (headed
                                  to near 90
°), Gunny ran five water singles (solo, return to the line and send), Kooly ran
                                  three singles (remote line), Taffey ran the same ones Kooly did, Daisy ran several singles
                                  with a bunch requiring "busting" through a head high wall of cover (bounced off it the
                                  first time), moved her closer & kept working down the channel (went well with big "mo")
                                         note: nice marks, good workout & "beat the heat"
                   July 16th morning - Kooly, Daisy & Taffey - day off....Gunny ran the Definitive Casting Drill #4a,
                                 
used a holding blind instead of stickmen because of hunt test this weekend, it went well
                                  with one cast (used mallards), picked up and drove to the County DTA, ran 2 land marks
                                  with remote wingers, mallards and holding blinds.........heavy cover but not real long,
                                  moved down to the pond and ran a single water mark followed by several "ya-ha" fun
                                  bumpers in the water.........very good morning for Gunny

                                                                                
(left click on thumbnails)  

                                                              
                                                                    "1st mark"
        
             "2nd mark"

                   July 17th early morning - trained at the Square Pond - did water work with all four, Gunny ran
                                  marks from close to the shore & others with long entries....finished with two long marks,
                                          note: he is ready for tomorrow,
                                  Kooly, Taffey ran shorter marks concentrating on being very steady, "watch" from the
                                  down position, "here" to the retrieving position and long waits for the releases, Daisy
                                 
did the same thing and then finished with two long marks  
                                          note: charge marine battery
, freeze one gallon of solid ice for crate , take
                                                   a bag of ice cubes
, cooler , cup to pour water , 2 old towels ,
                                                   3 gallons of water
, a thermometer , load van with solar canopies
                                                 
 and the bag of clamps , knee high boots, rain suit
                                          note: remove all non-essentials from the van for better air circulation

                                          note: entered Gunny in Wis. Am. hunt tests (Junior both days - July 31 & August 1st)

                   July 18th Sunday - Gunny runs 2nd AKC Junior     Fox Valley Retriever Club, WI
                                                 (Flight B....20 passed out of 41 entries)  Daisy, Taffey & Kooly stayed home
                                          note: it was cloudy until about 10:00 am, short shower then it got sunny & hot,
                                                   but there was a very good breeze........found shade for land series
                                          note: water first.....nice long flyer to the center of the pond, out and back in the
                                                   water, second mark up on land....swam straight and got out of the water
                                                   right on line.....two very nice marks
                                          note: land had a flyer up the hill with the arc behind a large tree...stepped on it,
                                                   the flyer was flapping a wing and quacking all the way back to the line,
                                                   stepped on the next mark................but spit it out at the line, Gunny picked
                                                   after a few "fetch it ups" and a quick grab.....taking no chances, after looking
                                                   at it saw why, old "scuzzy" and just a bad bird...........four very nice marks,
                                                   his manners in the holding blinds and going to the line were outstanding 
                                          note: needs to deal with ?......Gunny needs to make his wheel sit tighter & crisper,
                                                                             
(left click on thumbnails)

             
                 "water flyer"
   
        "2nd view"
  
        "3rd view"
 
      "4th view"
 
      "2nd water"

             
                 "2nd water"
                   (close up)

   
     "land 1st bird"

  
       "to the line"

 
"judges watching"
          (flyer)

 
      "2nd land"
 

                   July 19th hot, humid and a day off for all
                   July 20th mid morning - trained at BT's hay field, setup five cold blinds with mallards ranging from
                                  156 to 217 yards, dew on the alfalfa, cloudy, 70° with a 4 mph breeze out of the south,
                                  half-way through the session it started to drizzle.....it was a very pleasant change of pace
                                  Taffey, Kooly, Gunny and Daisy ran in that order...............these four are fun running cold
                                  blinds.....crisp sits, no auto-casting or popping, carry good, long initial lines and are team
                                  players, Daisy has worked her way to the head of the class, but not that much difference,
                                  Gunny has progressed rapidly the last month or so
                                                                              
(left click on thumbnail)

                                                                                
                                                                                "five cold blinds"

                   July 21st early morning Gunny did Definitive Casting Drill #5 (first time), Gunny & Daisy
                                  ran two HRC doubles at the County DTA (land & water)
                                       note: Gunny did an excellent job on the challenging 5a, the duck fall is visible
                                                and he has to cast past it the the bumper pile (three casts....nice)
                                       note: the land series was a winger double with a diversion using a HRC routine,
                                                popper gun off bucket using primer loads with hidden wingers
                                                Gunny & Daisy were steady and performed well 
                                       note: Daisy went first on the water, HRC double with a diversion, duck calling
                                                and a popper gun....did well, slow down even more on the deliveries
                                       note: Gunny cheated the go bird, after handling him the memory bird was
                                                erased from his mind, reloaded it and ran this mark as a single, need to
                                                more cheating singles work
                                       note: Kooly & Taffey have the day off.....90° this afternoon

                                                                                                         (left click on thumbnails)

                                          
                                       "Def. Casting Drill #5"
     
      "winger station"
      
         "HRC double"

                    July 22nd late morning (after rain) Gunny ran Def. Casting Drill #5 for the 2nd time, one cast
                                    right to the pile....very solid and fast.....this time the "point" of casting was moved to
                                    60 yrds out (closer to the AOF), afterwards stopped along the river shoreline and he
                                    retrieved four bumpers in the fast current
                                    weather break appeared to be lasting.....so stopped by the house and picked up the
                                    other three dogs....Taffey, Kooly & Daisy did 3 long water retrieves at the Sq. Pond
                                            note: continue flocking goose decoys (touch up heads & do all  tails)
                    July 23rd  forecast: high of 94
° & very humid, early morning temps in the high 70's = day off
                    July 24th  Mississippi River minor flooding, but enough to need moving the trailer
                                            note: day off for the dogs                   
                    July 25th  morning train early water marks with wingers & mallards...at County DTA (all four)
                                            note: Gunny ran first and did four cheating singles.....not very quick to respond,
                                                     but by the time we did the fourth cheating single......he was "getting it",
                                                     after the three other dogs ran their setups Gunny came back out and ran
                                                     four nice water singles that had zero chance for cheating, he did one HRC
                                                     walkup....good attitude and clearly ready for this Sunday's hunt tests
                                            note: Taffey ran a double mark setup & an HRC walkup (water) - sharp
                                            note: Kooly ran the same setup as Taffey and did two HRC walkups (water)
                                            note: Daisy ran a double, did not take a very good line on the memory. repeated
                                                     that mark and finished with an HRC walkup (water) 
                                            note: with all the rain we've had the pond was "full"
                   July 26th morning trained at Bog Rec. Area, WI....lucked out.....was able to use the Gravel Pond, 
                                  set up four wingers to run two sets of double before having to reload, used an HRC
                                  bucket at the line, two holding blinds, popper gun (primer loads), gun stand & mallards
                                  Taffey, Kooly & Daisy ran a blind before picking up the double, Gunny just the double
                                            note: Kooly was "on the iron" at the line, but ran a very nice set
                                            note: Taffey did just as well as Kooly, corrected for her whining
                                            note: Daisy was solid at the line, but was challenged at coming off the last mark
                                                     down to run the blind first, several scallops to the closer fall, but she did
                                                     blind......then it was obvious this erased her memory.....big hunt on the left
                                                     mark (swam past and over the peninsula to the water beyond).....finally
                                                     checked back down with a couple of handles & then recovered the right
                                                     mark without any issues.....needs more exposure to blind first concept,
                                                    
solution - more work on multiples and run blinds before only one mark
                                                     on a regular basis....on land it is not a problem, water takes longer and
                                                     if she is not focused........her water time "eats memory"
                                          
 note: afterwards Gunny ran four cold blinds with mallards.......his water entries
                                                     were excellent........he lined the blind straight across, but scalloped the 
                                                     other three with one thing in mind.....shortest route to the shore.....he is
                                                     sooo "cheaty"...solution = sets of water blinds that are gradient in nature
                                            note: the weather was super......breezy & in the upper 70's when finished
                                            note: charged the marine battery for fans, recharge Friday (for the weekend)
                                                                                 
(left click on thumbnail)

                            
                             "holding blinds"
  
       "HRC line"
   
    "double & blind"
       
       "Gunny's 4 blinds"

                   July 27th morning trained at the County DTA, Gunny ran two water singles, Daisy, Taffey & Kooly
                                
 ran the same two water marks except ran them as a poison bird blinds, used mallards
                                  and remote wingers......good sessions for all four
                                              note: spent the first forty-five minutes "weed-whacking" the entire shoreline
                                              note: since switching to always using mallards on marks and most cold blinds
                                                       I've definitely seen a noticeable difference in attitudes (more energy and
                                                       much more focused - especially with Gunny) plus mouth manners have
                                                       really improved = consistent & quiet mouths with a responsive release
                                                       on drop
                                              note: Daisy was much better on her memory with today's poison bird singles
                                                                                  
(left click on thumbnail)

                                                                 
                                                                     "west single"
                                                                         (poison)
     
         "east single"
             (poison)

                   July 28th trained at the Square Pond DTA    Training Day July 28, 2010 (Link)
                   July 29th very early morning - train at the Square Pond DTA....The Long Wait....Daisy & Gunny
                                       
note: Taffey & Kooly have the day off
                                       
note: at noon move trailer back to Mississippi River site....flood waters dropped
                   July 30th morning - easy singles for Gunny at the Square Pond DTA, solo marks for the other 3 
                                                

                  
July 31st & August 1st - two AKC Junior hunt tests.....Wisconsin AM at Horicon
                                         Gunny
is entered both days   Saturday - dog #43   Sunday - dog #25
                                         weather forecast - highs in the upper 70"s........both days.........yippee!


                   Aug 2nd-7th  HRC setups (water & land), Long Wait Drill once a week, walkups (water & land),
                                        marking drills with holding blinds or natural cover, cold blinds after doubles and
                                        being steady while marking off the gun & holding blind to the line manners, use
                                        Gunz Up CD regularly and look for some group training (if possible)
                                        Gunny
finishes Definitive Casting Drills    (focus on Gunny & Daisy)

                   Aug 8th work at Madison Retriever Club's field trial  (Sunday)
                
                   Aug 9th- 14th more HRC "prep" for Daisy & Gunny
             
                 
 Aug 15        Kankakee River Valley HRC Seasoned hunt test   Lowell, IND
                                        Gunny & Daisy entered for Sunday    (3 hour+ drive)

                  
Aug 16th-20th HRC Seasoned setups for Gunny & Daisy & Long Wait Drill

                  
Aug 21-22  WISILL-Badger State HRC Seasoned hunt tests at Bong Rec Area, WI
                                        entered Gunny & Daisy both days                  


                
         Hunting season: geese - Sept 1st (Wednesday) & teal - Sept 4th (Saturday)

                   Sept 18-19 Fox River Valley HRC hunt tests at Bong Rec. Area, WI ?????

                  

                                                                             Home

   
   
                
                
 July 31st-Aug 1st AKC Junior Hunter tests for Gunny      WI-AM Retriever Club (link)     Horicon
               
 
                          Gunny & Daisy's long term goals - running Masters next fall (whenever ready) - "aim high"

                
 August 1st - Interceptor to all four & Frontline Plus on Daisy, Gunny & Taffey
                                     Kooly's Preventic collar - next July 18th (supply will last into Nov)
                                     automatic refill of 12 Interceptor on Aug. 15th from Vetcentric
                                     order 6 Frontline Plus from PetCare Rx August 20th

                                   YouTube - Taffey's 1st water retrieve (link)  (almost ten yeas ago)