Adding scent

[Lloyd90]

Wind direction should be your first consideration before you even cast the dog off hunting and you should keep evaluating it as you hunt. My first thoughts were that the wind may have been from behind or from over a shoulder because the dog kept going forward and turning back (into it?). Whether the dog is backcasting on the turn on a head wind (a fault) or dropping downwind and working (correctly) back into it would depend entirely on the wind direction in relation to where you’re heading. If you were hunting into a headwind then this would, indeed, be faulty backcasting on the turn but that would surprise me because even green dogs naturally want to cut a wind at right angles, unless you’ve mucked them up in some way.

Naj

I think your right Naj I was going the wrong way into wing on this occassion :/

[Judy]

From the grass the wind was behind so the dog should be heading forward and back casting, hunting back towards you. If he starts back casting when you're walking into the wind, walk faster to push him on.
So much to think about!

[Springcopse spaniels]

Back cast whilst a fault for the text book dog ive recently watching about 12 championships from 93 to 2011 I'd say 90% of the dogs will on one side cast back.
Terrain, topography, scenting / wind, dog and handler position will always influence that annoyance. In practical real terms I ve found ot to have no notable impact on a dogs performance or presenting of game to be shot

[Naj]

I’d agree with some of that, SC. The best of dogs will turn back &/or backcast on occasion, and for a variety of reasons, from double checking a bit of ground to keeping contact with a handler that’s hanging back or being left behind. Providing the dog is more often than not cutting squarely across its wind on each cast and is showing it can find its game positively I’d be ok with the odd back cast on the turn. But if you’re hunting a straight headwind and the dog is turning back on every turn, either on one side or both sides, (figure of eight quartering and its variations yuk!) then that smacks of faulty training. The dog is effectively double hunting it’s ground and although it might cover all its ground in the process it’s an example of faulty wind treatment and therefore something I believe that Judges have been recently asked to penalise. You see HPR people getting in a lather over downwind turns and probably put pressure on the dog that is more hindrance than help in order to ‘cure’ it but one thing that’s always struck me is that any dog might do it on occasion but I’ve never seen a dog backcast when it has game upwind of it.

Naj

[Springcopse spaniels]

Figure of 8 would be bad..
I think upon viewing the video I think it's the terrain that is hindering the flow of the dog
And I'd be very nervous of what may be lurking there within the rubbish. Ceramic tiles cut like a knife.

[Lloyd90]

Figure of 8 would be bad..
I think upon viewing the video I think it's the terrain that is hindering the flow of the dog
And I'd be very nervous of what may be lurking there within the rubbish. Ceramic tiles cut like a knife.

That was a bit we encountered right at the end the rest before all that was all short grass etc.

I stopped the video at that point and took the dog away .

[Lloyd90]

Here’s a question:

Does it make any difference what patterns the dog works when rough shooting or does it only matter in trials?

[ips]

Here’s a question:

Does it make any difference what patterns the dog works when rough shooting or does it only matter in trials?

I would assume it does matter othwrwise you could miss game

[trekmoor]

An incorrect pattern can also cause a dog to tire more quickly. It is wasting it's energy by covering ground it has already covered. Figure 8 patterns spring to mind.

Wullie

[Lloyd90]

An incorrect pattern can also cause a dog to tire more quickly. It is wasting it's energy by covering ground it has already covered. Figure 8 patterns spring to mind.

Wullie

How do you go about getting the dog to work the right pattern is the question then?

Or at least my question