Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs i pick my lab up tonight

Get a launcher. Be careful of the recoil with the heavy loads.

Splatt are you training solo or with a buddy? If with a buddy set up a scenario where you can hide the buddy. Have him blow a quack or 3 on the duck call, toss the duck up high and away from himself where Trap can see it and have him fire 1 primer from a 209 starter gun. If all goes well Trap will mark the bird and ignore the hidden training partner.

That or sit Trap at heel and throw 6-8 bumpers into a pile as far away as you can. Then back up to 100yds and heel again. Now rather then send him via his name send him with the back command.

Both should increase his range before slowing up and we use both quite often when we don't feel like setting up all 6 Zinger Wingers.

Onyx is coming along nicely as of late. We have been running alot of 100-110 yd doubles and triples from the Wingers and more often then not he is cleaning them with no input from me aside from lining. Handling is coming along great via baseball drills and we are now starting to work remote whistle sits. Should be running his first Junior in the next month or so. The plan is to run him back to back weekends and if he gets passes at both we will do the Sauvies Island double header in June to finish his Junior title then start Seniors for the rest of summer.

Also as an aside I prefer my dog to do whistle sits as do most trainers i know but there is no requirement at any level for a dog to actually sit on the whistle (and some just wont remote sir period), they just have to stop, look at you and take the handling direction.

Good luck this spring and keep us updated about his progress sir.

I am training solo.
He does long distance marks great.
Its just the cold blind he has a hang up with popping at thrown bumper distances.
We have been working at 150 yards now with no close in drills anymore.
He is getting lots better at not looking back at me.
Tomorrow i am get with a ht judge and 2 pros, all 3 with bad azz dogs and do some training. They want to help me get trap thru master and other doggie games.
Trap "should" ace his last 2 Jr hunter tests and get titled.
With the way he does now, senior shouldn't be a problem, but i want some help from others to make sure.

Ill give an update tomorrow, after the pros have a go with trap.

Trap did real well.
The ht test judge said he won't make senior only because of his lack of confidence on the cold blinds.
They set up some bumpers and ran trap for distances, and he was getting better with going further away from me before stopping to look back.
They showed and told me how to set up drills to get him to be more confident on running blinds.
This is for doggie games. Hunting, they said, if i didn't care about the stopping, he would do great. I already knew that.
Once i get him thru the popping, they don't see any reason he would't make it thru master level.
They also critiqued me on my hand signals. My back wasn't straight up enough.
I will correct that.

So stay tuned for updates on trap getting thru senior and on his way to master.
Mean while my buddy and I will enjoy life together, and killing ducks.

Great thread Splat,you have a smart and loyal dog!

Just one question,are you training Trap or is it the other way around?

I think a little of both!

Thanks.
Heading down to the duck spot for blind retrieve training in a bit.
Pics later.

I ran trap on 16 retrieves this afternoon of 150 yards. So 16x300...
Poor guy was tired.
I put frozen ducks out at 12,2,and 10 o'clock.
He did awesome.
Here he is returning from the 12 o'clock blind.

And cropped to maybe see him way out there.

My boy is tired now. Laying on the kitchen floor while I'm making dinner.

He will make master, no problem.

Now that i have lots of time to train.....
I am no longer using cones.
Trap is doing very well running straight lines and leaps from the line running non stop.
Now to go over the akc rules on Sr, and make sure i know what handling errors not to make.
Its gonna be a long summer training. (the both of us)

Entry express just opened up registrations for the hunt tests April 27/28.
Trap is all signed up for his last 2 passes in Jr, and finding out if we can run a Sr test on the same day as one of his Jr tests.

We both need some experience at Sr running. He is doing 200 yard cold blind retrieves pretty easy now, and marks extremely well.
He doesn't break, and honors.

I think he can do his part, but can I?

Might just wait til fall so we can watch Sr tests now...

Some pics from training today.
This was about a 200 yard blind retrieve.

Cropped.

Dropped a duck on the shore near the end of the walk way. He ain't cheatin running the shore.

He's doin great.

Trained with some dog people yesterday, one being a ht judge, and trap did great. With the Sr hunt test set ups we did, was told trap would pass Sr level!
He is getting much better with his confidence in running cold blinds. Marking is very good, and no worries of him honoring.

This dog training stuff is fun. We get out everyday now, getting lots of exercise, even lost a few pounds!

Enjoyed some fishing today.

If the trout gets off right on shore, he won't let it get away.

This was one of today's training set ups.
My wife was up the hill on this side throwing 100 yard marks for us.
This is one of the other people training today, and she is a hunt test judge.

Chuck running a golden retriever on the mark.

Trap and I will pass senior as of right now, as per Cheryl!!!

Splatt,

Glad to hear all is going well for you and trap. Here's to a good finish to his juniors and solid runs in senior.

My lay off is over. Back to work maybe tomorrow.
Took trap out for some trying, to keep it fresh.
163 yards to the little tree on the right. (sure like my leica lrf1200!)

He got off line a lil going down the hill and across the wash, so a whistle sit was in order.

A right over back, and nailed it!

He's such a good boy. I love my dog.....

We did water work today.
He did great swimming straight out, and straight back.

He did great heading back, and stopping at the whistle and taking left and right overs.


The problem we need to work thru now, is running the bank back from the sides.
He also wants to run the bank on the corners, instead of diving right in and swimming a line to and back.
oh, the training!

Trap and I are leaving tomorrow afternoon to head up to the dam area for this weekends hunt tests.
Hauling the 5th wheel up and gonna hang out for a few days.
Meeting some people there and taking them to the above waterhole for some water work with their dogs on friday.
Saturday evening after day 1 there is a dinner at a local joint, so more meet and greets.

Wish us luck guys.
Hopefully ribbon pics are in the future !!

Good luck.

"The problem we need to work thru now, is running the bank back from the sides.
He also wants to run the bank on the corners, instead of diving right in and swimming a line to and back.
oh, the training!"

Discipline versus intelligence.

Yeah baby!

Congratulations to you and Trap