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No question I haven't done nearly enough with my pup, Marsh, and he's well behind where my others have been at his age. But we're doing our best to bring him up to speed. I've not been particularly concerned about his poor handling, as that's something I knew we could fix, but he was shaping up to be the poorest marking dog I've owned, with the possible exception of Chas, the beagle, and including my pointing dogs. And that was worrisome.

Wasn't necessarily his fault, as by the time he was old enough to start working more than young puppy marks, my schedule and Louisiana Summer heat all but shut us down. So I could hang onto the hope that he simply hadn't seen enough marks to foster that skill, despite perhaps time tinted memory of his nonc Peake and other Chesapeake predecessors apparently having been whelped with GPS.

Tickles me to report progress on that front and that he's coming along with enough sign of the shortcoming being more a matter of focus than inherent aptitude to keep me hopeful. Though we're most definitely still in baby-step mode, we've progressed to intermediate "real world" stuff with the loss of just one launcher bumper - so far. Yesterday, we visited DComeaux's blind and, among other things, worked on maintaining marks through thick cover.

Our progression began with thinner, broken cover (cutgrass):




Then through a more serious "wall" of cutgrass:



And since he was "squaring off" his initial lines from the levee, something I'd inadvertently fostered, we finished with an acute angle from levee to mark, again through a good bit of cut grass:



That mark was sloppier than I'd like (though, as the camera work has repeatedly demonstrated, still better than my own marking), and he was showing fatigue from previous retrieves and having spent a good bit of time pushing through funky driving water with Nonc Peake, so we made it our last. May not look like much, but it's a whooole lot better than where we were a couple months ago.

How's it going with you and yours?

Jarren wrote:Not much good training grounds around here to use though.

Might want to check out the Amite River Hunting Retriever Club, which could have club training grounds and no doubt has loose knit training groups with grounds. Could also provide contacts with leads to hunting grounds.

Still don't know what's happening or happened with your current spot, as Doug's not heard anything from her, no one's booted the dogs and I off the place, and I haven't seen sign of anyone else on it. Not as much fun to run the dogs there now that they're gone, but the specks hung at your blind longer than anywhere else we lease, or most anywhere in the region. Been some mallards hanging on with the mottleds, but conspicuously few bluewings there, or anywhere. Don't know what's up with the teal, maybe too soon for most?

Do know we've now lost both of your old blinds, as the observatory (and Gabe's blind) is going to one of Garrett's buddies.

The bug and I were out there with the thunder and spitting rain this morning - though only as far as a soccer and ball practice field. Just some walking baseball handling drill and memory blinds, but enough to keep our commitment to doing some training most every day before work and weather conspire to preclude it. Don't want to get caught without him being up to speed to pace the coyote come Fall.

And she thanks you for it. We went to a crawfish pond "after the rain" this morning - and I got about as wet as they did.

Continuing our baby step progression, we've got the bug working through a relatively thin field of canes, across a bush covered levee and into the cover beyond for launched (100yd or so) singles, which he's plainly marking much better than his cameraman:



Am now confident launching bumpers most anywhere they won't be lost below the surface in dense aquatic vegetation or he won't be lost to a tataille crossing deep water to get to and can no longer mess him up with hand thrown triples, so it's time to start mixing long and short doubles.

Rick wrote:...and can no longer mess him up with hand thrown triples...

Having written that this morning, it's only natural that I did, in fact, trip him up with a hand thrown triple this morning, where two marks were nearly inline only on different sides of a levee, and had to handle to the second.

(Also "only natural" was my starting to go around a spot I'd always jumped, but just barely, in the past and then deciding I didn't have a hair on my ass if I didn't jump it again - and now having a hairy wet ass.)

Rick wrote:

Rick wrote:...and can no longer mess him up with hand thrown triples...

Having written that this morning, it's only natural that I did, in fact, trip him up with a hand thrown triple this morning, where two marks were nearly inline only on different sides of a levee, and had to handle to the second.

(Also "only natural" was my starting to go around a spot I'd always jumped, but just barely, in the past and then deciding I didn't have a hair on my ass if I didn't jump it again - and now having a hairy wet ass.)

Marsh is looking good, and too bad dogs can't laugh At least it's not still winter Rick!

Marsh has seen me get a lot wetter:

The "story" part would have been better it hadn't been the warmest Christmas day in forever. But I'm still glad it was.

Safe (presumably) swimming water! What a luxury that must be, Have been putting mine in the lake, which isn't the best idea, just to get them using their hind legs to swim, instead of trying to push off bottom, again.

We haven't been doing a whole lot of workin together, but he's been fishing and swimming a whole lot so staying in good shape.



Planning to work him in the lake near where we hunt in the coming few weeks but been getting reports of plenty of gators out and about just inside the marsh from there, and they've been known to occasionally venture out in the lake.

Here's my Mason helping with the dishes the day before he went off for formal training. He'll be gone for 3 months getting the professional treatment.

I'll be getting him back just in time for the season opener.


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Darren wrote:We haven't been doing a whole lot of workin together, but he's been fishing and swimming a whole lot so staying in good shape.

IMG_1684.JPG

Planning to work him in the lake near where we hunt in the coming few weeks but been getting reports of plenty of gators out and about just inside the marsh from there, and they've been known to occasionally venture out in the lake.

Nice basket of fish Darren

DukMan wrote:I'll be getting him back just in time for the season opener.

Will you be able to spend some time training with him?

Have seen an awful lot of training time and expense go down the hole when the guy signing the check didn't learn how to handle or maintain what he paid for...

Just take him for walks and fishing in the boat and stuff. (pet that hunts)
My dog is not a status symbol or a reflection of my self-esteem. He's my best friend tho.
We like to go fishing a LOT.


I'd like to force-fetch her.

Nice catch.

And since you've brought up status symbols, reflections of self esteem and such: while I was in college, I had a Dodge Charger, a Lotus Europa and a bird dog pup. The later's pickup was probably best at shucking those Daisy Dukes.

Rick wrote:Nice catch.

And since you've brought up status symbols, reflections of self esteem and such: while I was in college, I had a Dodge Charger, a Lotus Europa and a bird dog pup. The later's pickup was probably best at shucking those Daisy Dukes.

My first car was an Oldsmobile Delmont 88. It was ugly as sin but came with an oklahoma filling station and a lifetime supply of coffee cans to repair the exhaust leaks. Second car...oh boy. Pickup? I had a (gasp) ford.

Rick wrote:

DukMan wrote:I'll be getting him back just in time for the season opener.

Will you be able to spend some time training with him?

Have seen an awful lot of training time and expense go down the hole when the guy signing the check didn't learn how to handle or maintain what he paid for...

Heading to the kennel once a week to get trained myself


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That's a very good thing.

Finished JH in April and have her back at the trainer over the summer. Plan to run Senior and Master this fall before hunting season.


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Willie wrote:...have her back at the trainer over the summer.

Were I even a little smarter, I might have the bug with a northern trainer, rather than settling for what little we're getting done between my summer hours and the heat.

Just found a great group of guys in a local retriever club ... Going to join and get the benefit of years and years of training these guys have between them...


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Went to see my pup that has been at the trainers for 2 months and have to say I'm disappointed with his progress. Two week ago when I was there he was working on being steady and single water marks. This time when I showed up, he's doing the same thing and hasn't made any improvements. Not only that but he had a "hotspot" unbenounced to the trainer on his neck. While trying to show me how he'd work, the trainer said if he doesn't listen, you need to show him who's boss and when Mason wouldn't heel he grabbed him by the neck picked him off all fours swung him around and to his side for a heel.

I might be over reacting but I'm not sure that's how you train a dog. I noticed that my dog just cowers by the trainer and is hesitant to go when released for him.

Am I making a big deal of nothing or should I be pulling my dog before any damage happens I can't fix?

That's no trainer, just a guy taking money for saying he is. Now that you're in with a club, go to their events and watch the dogs of the "pros" attending. If Pup's not sharp and happy, the guy's no pro no matter what the sign truck says.