Feetdown

[Birddawg]

I started this thread so we don't continue to derail the CRC thread.

What do you know about young, high drive dogs? Rosco is 20 months and is starting to calm down. He has made leaps and bounds in the past six months. Some of that is age, but I think it is as much the fact that I got involved in a training group and we have been able to unravel some of the bad habits I had been letting him get away with.

[FEETDOWN]

I know what Ive learned from Nelli. As you know, she is all go, when she holds it together at the line and watches the marks go down and works with me, its a thing of beauty. When she doesnt hold it together and is a foot off the ground walking to the line and doesnt pay attention, it looks like a bucket full of assholes and it is extremely frustrating.


The solution, IMO, is setting YOUR standard and never wavering from it. Now, this is a helluva lot easier said, than done. You train with a great group of guys that are going to give you solid advise, so for one thing, listen to them.

None of this is anything you havent heard but Im gonna list it anyway.

- Walk to the line, if he gets one step ahead of you, rope him and put him up.
- Same thing when you get to the bucket, establish YOUR standard, if he doesnt adhere to it, put his ass back in the truck.
- Vocalization? Even the slightest, back to the truck.

All this walking back to the truck is aggravating, annoying, and frustrating. But never forget, it is harder on him than it is on you because that retrieve is what he lives for. Roscoe aint dumb, he knows wassup. You have to decide what you can live with in every aspect of his behavior, once you make that decision, stick to it. I walked damn near a half mile to a dove blind on a shoot last year, Nelli walked perfectly at heel across the whole damn field, watching birds fall all over the place without making a sound and without ever leaving my side. I sat down on my stool and loaded my gun and when the action slammed shut she whimpered. I let that go and the first dove I shot at she started whining. Give em an inch, they'll take 3 miles. It sucked watching all my buddies shoot doves while I was walking her back to the truck, but you gotta do it.

As for age, I dont think she'll slow down till shes dead, and quite frankly, thats fine with me. Id rather have a Ferrari than a volkswagon. I did see a slight change in her demeanor from duck season 11 to this past season. She was much more well mannered this past year than she was the year before. She turned 3 in January, I didnt run her much this Spring, I ran 2 finished tests that she hammered and one Master test that she crashed and burned in because of line issues. We've been working on it and Ive still got some new things Im gonna try on Saturday. Little things like when to get her out of the box before we run, whether I air her before we get to the stake or after I get her out. How much is too much time to be out? Off lead or on lead from the truck to the holding blind? Those are all questions that Im still trying to figure out and there aint but one way. It is and probably will be, an ongoing process and what works for me as far as those questions I just asked may be the same for you or they may be different. There aint but one way to find out.

I know I got long winded, but I hope I answered your questions

[Duckman#1]

Two things.

As footup said, Set the standard and hold her to it.

Next, When working with her slow down. Do evevything in slow motion. Take your time walking to the line, sitting donw and loading the gun. Wait a minute before calling and shooting marks.

Work a slow dog fast and a fast dog slow.

[Tha Dick]

What both of dem nut monkeys said.

Plus a good healing stick.

[Birddawg]

Good advice. Feet, you are right, it is all things I have heard before, but it is good to read again. As far as him holding it together, it is a thing of beauty when it works.

Dick,
I have a collection of floppy heeling sticks.

[Truckman]

Birddawg, Duckman took mine and ran him the other day, and slowed everything down for him and it worked. Like it has been said, pick a standard and hold him to it, it is hard sometime, but in the long run I believe we all will have more fun.