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| ound. This must be a technical drill that
is fun for your spaniel. Keep things simple. There is very little
punishment used during the beginning stages. With the field established, we then set up our spaniel for the line. A dog must be properly lined before we send them. How do we know when our spaniel is properly lined? We should be able to draw an imaginary straight line from the base of the dogs' tail, through his spine, to the top of their head, and straight down the field to the fallen bird. Only when the dog is properly lined and is looking in the direction of the fall, should you send your spaniel! If the dog is distracted, or not properly aligned, begin again. We want to ensure success, so that the dog knows whenever he is sent on a blind, he will find a bird. Now we are going to use several commands: "Dead bird" in the beginning stage will be our "queue" for identifying the dummy pile. Good will be used to "queue" the dog that he is looking in the proper direction and is properly aligned. "Back" means for the dog to go; "Leave my side and travel that line until you have found the bird!" Now we are ready to start. Grab four white dummies and your student. Starting at the center point of the lines, face the line that will put the wind at your back. With your spaniel on lead, walk down the line to the surveyor's flag. Have your dog hup about four yards away, facing the flag. Take the four dummies and toss them down in front of the flag. Give a verbal command of "dead bird" every time your toss a dummy down. This will help in queuing your dog later, when you are performing a cold blind retrieve. Try to separate the dummies as your throw them down. This will discourage "switching" at the pile. We are not, however, worried about the switching issue here! Do your best to encourage the dog to pick one dummy up and return as quickly as possible. Take the spaniel and heel him away from the pile ten yards or so. Turn and hup him, facing the pile. The dog should be able to see the dummies clearly. Your dog should be perfectly lined in the direction of the pile. Put your left out in front of him, above his head, and give the commands: 1) "dead bird," 2) "good," and 3) send him on "back!" Some dogs may be reluctant to go. You may have to take a step forward to encourage them to leave. While they are running the line to pick up a dummy, turn and start to extend the line to the pile slightly longer. Your goal is to have the spaniel running the entire length of the line from the starting point to the pile in your first session. Help your student if he gets confused and or fails to take a straight-line. You can do this by calling him back and moving up about three-quarters of the way to the pile. Hup him. Walk out to the pile, toss a dummy, and give your "dead bird" command. Return to his side and send him "back" for the retrieve. Once this is taught, you can now begin to establish the other lines that were prepared earlier. Teach one line at a time. Eventually, you will have established all four lines with your spaniel. Each time, begin by walking out to the pile and identifying the dummies. Walk back to the starting point and send your dog with the same sequence we discussed above. Send your dog with an enthusiastic "back!" At this point, we have shown the dog how to take a straight line in all four different wind directions. We do not have to require the dog to pick up all the dummies at each pile. I prefer to send them to one pile and get a retrieve. Then move to another line to get another retrieve. Keep mixing it up. When you have an issue arise at a specific line, always send the dog back down that line for another retrieve at least once. The next step is to slowly teach the spaniel to run an established line "cold". Start with one pile at a time and progress as the dog begins to understand. Put a pile out on one line before bringing out the dog. Run the first line to an "identified" pile. Then go onto run the cold line that you set out before hand. Walk half way out to the pile and hup him down. Give the command "dead bird". When the dog is properly lined and looking in the correct direction, extend your hand out in front of him and command "good". Then, give the dog a rousing "back" for the retrieve. Try to keep this simple at first by moving as close as necessary to the pile for the first few lines that are run cold. Naturally extend the line as quickly as possible. As we progress through this phase of lining, the necessity of being properly lined becomes evident. Sometimes, the dog will not be properly lined or may look in the wrong direction. This is the time we teach them a "no" command. When they are improperly lined give them a "no." Heel the dog, and walk a few yards down the line towards the pile to correct him. By completely moving the dog when not properly lined, I believe that we help the dog understand the meaning of "no" in this context. It is my |
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