Ghillie's Report Card

[CockerCanuck]

This morning was the first I had time to catch up on reading this report. Wullie I have now read your technique a couple of times and think I understand. I am going to try it with Hamish. He has a solid understanding of what a blind is. In fact he is the first dog I have had who seems to get more excited about blinds than marks. When I sit him beside me and say "dead bird" he quivers with excitement until I give him the "back" command. However he could use more precision on taking the line I want. I have been focusing more on where he is looking when I send him rather than how he is sitting. I can visualize how your foot work routine may well help with this. I will let you know, thank you for taking the time to share.

[trekmoor]

It is probable that I missed out on a few of the footwork things I usually do prior to sending a dog for a blind retrieve or a retrieve on a multiple mark during my earlier post. I usually put my right foot out a foot or so and "point" towards the retrieve with my toes. Then I bend to give the hand and arm signal . The at heel dog has then had the best of both worlds . It has had footwork cues and body and hand signal cues before being sent.

I once got ridiculed a little bit by an American retriever man because of the way in which I give hand signals to a dog about to be sent for a blind retrieve.... but I have never changed my ways …… they have worked too well for me.

Apparently the "in way" of giving a hand signal to an American trained dog is by holding the left hand just above the dog's head palm downwards ? I hold my right hand off to the right hand side of the dogs head with my palm held sideways in the karate chop position. Both ways work but I'd like to know why the "American way" is thought to be better even by some of our British retriever trial people ???

Wullie

[CockerCanuck]

What I do and would say is the most common "style" around here is left hand in the karate chop position. Some people seem to put it down along the dogs right cheek others hover it over the dogs head right between their eyes. I am of the left hand right cheek school, I hate the thought of blocking their vision of the area of the fall. You never know when a downed duck is going to give a flip of wing or move some vegetation instantly turning a tricky blind into an easy mark.

In any case the left hand send makes most sense to me as a hunter as I usually have a shotgun under my right arm.

[Blackjaw]

The addition of the foot forward seems to have been the key for my dog, he is lining much better with that cue.

[Judy]

I've seen some strange ways of pointing with the hand, I point in a karate chop position with palm towards the dog, I have seen people turn their right hand away so the thumb is down and the back of their hand next to the dog's head. Some have the karate chop above the dog's head, between the eyes, some the flat of their hand over the dog's head, some go to the extreme and have their hand on the other side of the dog's head, some stand upright and point and some just stand upright and say 'cough. As long as the bum, belly and beak are in a direct line with the retrieve then the dog ought to go in the right direction. I tend to agree with Wullie, get the footwork right so that the dog shuffles its butt into the correct alignment and yer off, well, the dog is anyway.

[trekmoor]

Yup, I found that if I had thoroughly trained the footwork I then had to watch out for very successful run-ins from the dog on blind retrieves ! The dog would go in the correct direction before I'd even begun to bend to give the hand direction cue and the retrieve command !

Wullie

[ips]

Yup, I found that if I had thoroughly trained the footwork I then had to watch out for very successful run-ins from the dog on blind retrieves ! The dog would go in the correct direction before I'd even begun to bend to give the hand direction cue and the retrieve command !

Wullie

I cant get my hand near her face to line her up because as soon as i move my arm or step forward she takes it as a release command my fault for poor training early on so i just live with it.

[Judy]

As you bend over just bellow "STAY!" in her shell-like, works for me with a flighty dog. I knew a chap who would train his dogs to stay put until he'd lined them up with footwork, bent over, pointed then said whatever and flicked his hand. His party trick was to do any combination of three of those steps and his dogs would be rock steady. I notice it didn't last long once he started picking up with us lot.

[trekmoor]

Or try standing upright again, moving back one step and then resitting the dog. Dogs tend to anticipate known procedures especially if there is a reward ...a retrieve. By breaking or interrupting the procedure the dog becomes slightly uncertain of whether it will be sent so a run-in becomes less likely.

I quite often do this while picking up. I notice that my dog has seen birds fall ...birds in another pickers - up area, and start to line my dog up. Then I do the backward step and tell the dog to resit itself back where I am again. My dogs remain keen and ever watchful but are less likely to run-in even if they think they are going to be sent.

Wullie

[Naj]

There’s a common theme here ... the dog picking up on body cues and anticipating the release. So perhaps give less in the way of (setting up) cues? I know it’s popular to not interfere with the dog’s marking and to build ‘drive’ to fever pitch but I find that teaching an abort is useful so if a dog does break on a retrieve then you can stop it before it gets into its stride.

Naj