I started priming Hazel for pattern blinds earlier in the week. Starting with one 'bumper pile' but building up the distance incrementally. Only trouble is, I've only got three full sized dummies and three puppy ones so she did bring the last two puppy dummies together
Then I gave her some simple 3-ladies stuff to finish and she totally didn't bother marking them and cast herself off 20 yards beyond one of them. She did take good directions to come back to it though (I know, I should have left her but I think she'd have gone 70 yards )
Finally, after I finished feeding, I went back to the field and put one single dummy on the 'pile' (I did mark them with pegs in the end) and sent her the full 120 yards for it as a blind. She zigged a little, zagged a little (still with a fairly good pace) and then started to cast about so I stopped her and gave her a really big 'momentum cast' (see, I read it thouroughly ) and she flew back, realised where she was, sprinted to the 'pile' and flew back all chuffed. Roll on Feb when I can get out on consecutive days
That was Sunday. Finally got back out with her today.
I drove around the field and without her seeing put four dummies by the peg ("Red 1 in the diagram below"). I put them in a square about 3ft apart so that if she tried to pick up two, I at least had more chance of stopping her
This diagram might help explain what I did or just bore and confuse you in equal measure

I started at "Blue 1" which was where we finished the last retrieve off on Sunday. I was planning on walking her at least half way forward again so as to make sure she got a nice confident out-run but I could tell she knew what game we were playing! So, I lined her up and cast her off with an enthusiastic 'BACK'. She again zigged and zagged a little but made it the full distance at a great pace. She looked visibly excited when she realised she was 'right' and that there were dummies at the same place, picked one and brought it back at speed.
Then, I angled around to "Blue 2" and sent her from there. She took a pretty damn straight line striaght to the pile and flew back at speed. I then left the two dummies we'd retrived so far on the floor there without Hazel noticing.
Next, I angled around to "Blue 3" and sent her from there. This time, she couldn't quite see the peg as it was now in dead ground so veered significantly left handed down the middle of the field into the wind at speed. So I stopped her and she spun around and sat instantly (as she did all session). I took off my hat, raised my right arm, then gave a big clear enthusiastic "RIGHT!!!". At this point she remembered where she was and took a sprint directly to the pile
Finally, I angled all the way around to "Blue 4" and sent her from there. This time, she was veering off right handed from my initial line but I thought she might follow the top fence when she reached it. She didn't though, she ducked straight under the bottom strand into the wood and out of sight! I blew the whistle and had no idea whether she'd stopped as she was in a holly bush! So, I pipped the recall whistle and she jumped straight out, meaning she must have stopped
I then gave another massively overblown "LEFT!!!!!" signal. This time, she took the line of the fence at speed and when she got downwind of the last dummy, followed her nose right to it.
At this point, I left those two dummies at "Red 2" which is another white peg. I did this really deliberately, in full view of her. Then, I walked her away straight down the center of the field. We stopped at "Blue 5" and I had a bit of a play and a stroke with her as she'd done really well and I wanted to keep it fun.
Then I went dead serious again and turned her around towards the two blind dummies I'd left on the ground at "Blue 2".
I lined her up really deliberately towards them and cast her off. I'm sure you all know what she did! That's right, the irresistable draw of the two she'd seen me leave at "Red 2" made her arc around. Not all the way but enough. Almost like half of her was believing me and half of her doubting me
I stopped her and cast her off with a big "RIGHT!!!" and she set off well, then started to arc again. So, I stopped her again, recalled her twenty yards and stopped her again. This time, I really clearly made a point of looking at the dummies I was trying to get her to. Not sure if this helped, but when I gave the next "RIGHT!" she took a much better cast and almost straight away winded them. The second she did so, her body launguage changed as if to say "bloody hell, the old man was right!" and she flew back with one all proud. I instantly sent her back for the second which she did fine. This was partly an attempt to make her forget even more about the two sat waiting at "Red 2".
Finally, I walked her all the way down to "Blue 6", some 150+ yards away from the last two dummies. Again, I really carefully lined her up but the second she went, I knew she had remembered! She went absolutely arrow straight the whole way to the peg, found the smelliest of the two dummies (one's got an old sock around it) and came bombing back.
I lined her up for the final time and this time she veered off right handed some 20-30 yards clearly not aware there was still one in the same spot. I let her get another 20 yards out on the same line, then stopped her. With one final "LEFT!" she took the command well and headed over to the peg. She went past it some 10 yards, then winded the dummy and brought it back.
All in all, she did really well and I was pretty pleased with her. I think another few sessions of this will really make a difference to her confidence in my directional signals.
Have to say though, it would have been so much easier to have filmed it than to try and describe it
