Monday was HGS training night - or so I thought; I was not alone with this thought so a few of us moved to a new venue and had an interesting evening doing blind retrieves through thick cover, marking by sound alone and some 'walked up' seen retrieves into standing crop. (walked up - the dogs and handlers walk with dogs off lead, dummy thrower fires shot and throws dummy and then selects a dog to retrieve. To help reinforce sit to shot and marking. We used a field of rape throwing the dummy into the edge of the footpath that runs across it)
What was most interesting to me was how well the dogs can mark by the sound of the fall alone - it was done so thy could not see the dummy at any stage).
On the blind retrieves in thick cover I was very pleased with Fresco as he eyewiped the other dogs on two occasions. Purely by holding his ground better. I was out of my comfort zone with regard these retrieves for him but he seemed to step up a gear (if that is possible); might have been the fact there were other dogs getting to have a go all the time.?
Posts
