On Edge

[Naj]

The long retrieves 'down the line' in a field trial are contrived retrieves. It would be much easier, and shorter, to send the nearest dog.

[Dawnrazor]

The long retrieves 'down the line' in a field trial are contrived retrieves. It would be much easier, and shorter, to send the nearest dog.

And humane in the case of a runner, it really grinds my gears when I see a runner hit the ground and a dog from the opposite end of the line is sent I'm surprised that something official from the kennel club hasn't been forthcoming on this issue, I go to very few retriever trials to shoot but I see this at almost every one.

[trekmoor]

I know it is pretty common among retriever field trial trainers not to send dogs for runners that the dog can actually see running but , as a picker-up, I do that quite often. I even send a dog if I see a bird flying past that looks hit !

I admit that doing these things can cause unsteadiness but I do it anyway.
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My wife placed another "blind" out on the grassy road verge 50 yards from my house tonight and Edge had remembered this retrieve even though it had been 48 hours since he'd last done it. He was out in a straight line and back with the dummy in no time flat.

I still have the hurdle to jump of him doing this through cover on a "real" blind retrieve but at the moment things are going well.

Wullie

[Naj]

The long retrieves 'down the line' in a field trial are contrived retrieves. It would be much easier, and shorter, to send the nearest dog.

And humane in the case of a runner, it really grinds my gears when I see a runner hit the ground and a dog from the opposite end of the line is sent I'm surprised that something official from the kennel club hasn't been forthcoming on this issue, I go to very few retriever trials to shoot but I see this at almost every one.

Same here. I used to hate seeing wounded birds flapping about within yards of officials and guns after drives at field trials while judges faffed about with running orders . I wrote about it in the sporting press many years ago. People easily forget that we're dealing with live animals and not dummies!

Naj

[trekmoor]

Another blind retrieve but done to the same "place" on the grass roadside verge just outside my house. This time I sent Edge for it from ten yards from him after tossing a distraction dummy to one side of him. When I sent him he ignored the distraction and went straight out to the blind about 50 yards away.

Wullie

[trekmoor]

This evening it is sweltering hot here so I took Edge for a walk along the local river. It's banks are vertical at that point of the river but are only a foot or so above the water which is no more than 2- 3 feet deep.

Edge, with no prompting from me, decided to swim over the river . He began to go up the far bank when from over the ridge at the top of that bank came a flock of sheep with a real man-eater of a big ewe in the lead. It at once did a foot stomp and advanced on Edge who decided sheep are definitely dognivorous ! He charged back down the bank again took a flying leap out into the river then swam back over to me. Once safely behind my knees he gave a couple of very brave "woofs" at the sheep.

200 yards further on he encountered a cow and he gave it a suspicious woof too. I don't think there is much danger of him chasing a farmers stock.

I arrived at a picnic area with permanent wooden tables and bench seats running up the middle of it's 40 yards or so of length. Nobody was around and the grass there was pretty short so I decided to give Edge a blind retrieve from the far end of this little paddock.

To make this a blind retrieve I first had to take Edge out of the paddock and around the corner of a hedge so he could not see me place the dummy. I did this the lazy trainers way. Having sat Edge out in the little lane I tossed a dummy to land just 15 feet from him and then, having repeated the sit command, I left him, went back around corner into the paddock and placed a dummy about 30 yards from where I intended to send him from.

With Edge still out of view I commanded the fetch of the seen dummy and Edge returned with it and was then lined up for the blind which was in almost the exact opposite direction to the marked retrieve.
Edge did that blind retrieve over shortish grass and through the picnic tables in a dead straight line and looked very confident as he was doing it. He did it so confidently and so easily that I suspected he'd somehow seen me place that blind but it would have been impossible.

O.K. there was no cover in that paddock apart from picnic tables and I'd shortened the retrieve distance down to 30 yards but I was still very pleased with that dead straight run - out and with the retrieve in general. Edge could not see the dummy , the grass was too high for that , it was a "true blind" .......at last !

Wullie

[bird]

May I ask a question? How much do dogs use their ears to, if not mark, then at least be confident of a retrieve to be had?

I'm not suggesting Edge has any bat like abilities to locate on noise but I just wondered how much the noise of a fall if present would give a dog confidence?

That wouldn't explain a well held line of course.

[Naj]

Do a bit of duck flighting in fading light with your dog and you'll quickly see how dogs learn to mark very effectively through sound alone.

Naj

[Naj]

.... and all the 'handling' in the world is worth bugger all when it's too dark to see your dog.

[Judy]

The pup still has to learn to "mark" with his ears, it might give him that extra bit of confidence knowing that he's heard something fall - every little helps.