wilt often give a quick
look and return to you, or in some cases, stand still and look
for help. If this behavior is allowed to continue, the problem
will grow worse, and the likelihood that you can deal with it
effectively diminishes. Helping the dog that will not persevere
by handling, or re-throwing the marks, usually leads to dependency
on assistance.
The next step in improving a dog's hunt should be, again, to
make it easier. Sometimes a large white dummy that can be seen
more easily, or moving to sparser or shorter cover, will help.
As the weeks go by, providing your dog has a high interest level,
you should see improved commitment to hunt the dummy, or bird,
with fewer quits. As he improves, gradually increase the length
of marks in cover. The density of cover can also be increased.
We tend to think of retrievers as having indomitable spirits
and the gameness to go on no matter what obstacles are encountered.
It is true that many individuals among Labs, goldens, and Chesapeakes
show this trait. Excessive challenges, however, rarely contribute
to the hunt.
There are certain environments that are best avoided altogether.
Thickets of blackberry brambles, bull briars, and dense entanglements
are more likely to discourage dogs than to "toughen them
up." We have seen forbidding cover employed in field trials
to separate the sheep from the goats, so to speak, but the dogs
who approach such encumbrances with a positive attitude are more
likely to succeed than those who are bludgeoned with such obstacles
as a daily routine.
We have access to some ponds that are unusable in midsummer because
of the density of water plants. At that time of year we retreat
to more open water. The point is to keep demands within reason.
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The great performer will
have plenty of opportunity in the course of hunting and competition
to deal with extra tough environments without overexposure in
training.
There are a wide variety of techniques used to enhance dogs'
hunts. Most of these work as a temporary boost, but cause side
effects that may grow into serious problems if overused.
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The walking bird method
is sometimes used to excite the retriever who has a too laid-back
hunting style but can be revved up with live birds. The procedure
is straightforward. The dog must be steadied and allowed to watch
a pigeon with clipped wings disappear into thick cover. The dog
can be steadied for varying lengths of time, allowing the bird
to work its way deeper into the cover, promoting a more difficult
search.
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