Tau has been in season, and so we haven't been out training, as hormones can do funny things to a girl. So today is the first time I've done anything with her for about three weeks.

Before I took her out, I took a rabbit skin dummy and threw it into some fairly light cover. For those that are uninitiated to gundog stuff, the reason for doing that, is to set up what is called a blind retrieve, ie the dog doesn't know it's there. The aim is to be able to send your dog out in a straight line from you to where you direct it, and your dog goes, because it knows that where you tell it to go, there will be a retrieve. There are the odd occasions where something gets lost (I've thrown a ball down a rabbit hole before ) or sometimes they just struggle to find whatever it is.

So, we went out with her wandering and getting busy, the word I use to ask her to go to the loo so she doesn't stop and do it half way a fabulous retrieve. Then when we got to the area I wanted to train in, I asked her in to heel, and walked in to where I wanted to start.

The first bit of training was steadiness, two tennis balls, with Tau in a sit and me throwing them. The idea is that she only retrieves what I want her to, so she isn't allowed to move off the spot. In this instance, she wasn't allowed one retrieve, it wasn't perfect, she did run in on one I threw over her head; which I couldn't do anything about so took the retrieve and sat her back up in the same spot, and we did it again, here are some pics of steadiness training:







In the end she lay down, because she knew the ball wasn't for her to get


Once I was happy with this part, I picked up both balls and put them in my pocket, asked her to heel from where she was and lined her up for the blind. If a dog has marked a retrieve you don't need to do this, but where there is more than one retrieve, or where it's a blind, you hold your arm out and line the dog up to where you want it to go. In this case it was only very short, about 25m, and very straight forward:







She ran pretty much straight to it, picked it up and straight back. Not as quickly as a field trial bred dog, but nicely to hand so I was happy. I'll use that corner a fair bit, as there's a nice bit of easy cover there, and a wall and fence I can get her doing lovely straight lines along.

So then I gave her a bit of a reward by just throwing a ball and letting her run in for them, can you tell she enjoys them?? some of the pics show just what a lithe little madam she is:













After I'd done some retrieves (and by this time, I've also got Indie doing short retrieves off in the other direction), the weather had started to come in again, fortunately, where I live you can see it coming:





So we packed up and came back in, thankfully 'home' is right next to the field, so we didn't have far to go!! They're currently sat outside in their cosy kennel enjoying a big bone, what a life eh??

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Wow fantastic pics! I wish I could take pics of my dogs like that.

It sounds like you are doing really well with them
Dixie cannot hold herself if I ask her to stay while throwing a ball. I should probably work on that.

xx

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Nice pictures SL Great to see her doing some work!
She looks like she is definitley enjoying it, and has a good grasp on that dummy. Sadly some dogs never get the hold of that (even labs), and they mouth it alot or drop it completely. Which loses marks in a trial as a dog is not allowed to mouth game. But she looks like she has a good grasp on it! Am i correct?
Have you shot over her yet? Or done live game? Are you going to trial her?
Thanks for the pics, would love to see more when you have time!!

Edit- forgot to say cracking looking dog aswell, best chocolate i have ever seen!

She does have a good hold, nice and firm, doesn't mouth and delivers it to hand, and keeps hold of it until you ask for a leave (never did teach her 'dead'). She has been around gunshot, but not been shot over, I must get my backside in gear this year, and really get on with her. She will never trial, she's just not got the breeding or ability, but I do hope to do a couple of working tests with her; even more than that, I'd love to see her out actually picking up, or in the beating line, that's a dream for the future.....

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She's gorgeous and looks like shes doing really well with her training too.

Fantastic pictures, Tau is a gorgeous dog!

Also, there was a horrible cloud like that in the distance which I could see earlier when I took my grandma's dog out for a walk through the fields at the stables, it looked so menacing

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Thats great! When i sometimes go out with dad, i see labs that circle their owner or just drop it at their fit. Makes me feel bad for the owner when every other dog is sitting up and holding until given the okay. Dad says "gone" most people say "dead" but its totally up to you what you say I really love watching gundogs work, especially labs!

That is a good dream too! When i get my own Lab, I don't think i will be trialing like dad does. Dad is an all-rounder, does everything. However i will just stick to picking up etc. Don't thinnk i could ever fire a shotgun though would send me across the field!

cracking pictures she looks a very healthy bitch!! Im interested why wouldnt you go and trail her though? Simply because her pedigree doesnt show champs doesnt mean shes not able? It just means previous owners havent bothered. Great pics again

Thanks for the vote of confidence james1, neither of us has the ability though - the reason I mentioned pedigrees is that I strongly believe that ability is bred, any good trainer/handler can take a dog that hasn't got ability and take it so far, but trialling is pretty serious stuff and I am aware of mine and Taus' limitations

Perhaps one day, in the future, with a dog bred from Tau ................ I can dream

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Lovely photos,and she's a lovely shade of chocolate.
We had a guy used to pick up on our shoot with two chocolates years ago but i havn't seen any in the field for a while,which is a shame.