"the line"

"dog's view"

                                                                       The Kwick Long Wait Drill (link)  

                                                               
                    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 morning -  Gunny 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 ?????                                                              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)