I have been using your advice from here and the excellent two articles that you posted. I am teaching Ben to "mark" off of orange safety cones when we are doing work on blind retrieves. This is so that he gets the idea to use his eyes to get to the general area and then switch to his nose to find the dummy. I realize this is not a mark in the sense of he saw the bird fall, but it is similar I think in that he is forming a mental picture of where he is running to. That is my understanding anyway, that on a blind the dog is not just running out in a straight line, but has set his sights on something(?)
My question is this - will he automatically transfer this to keying off of rocks, trees, the lay of the land, etc.? Do I need to get a plastic Christmas tree and transition him using that? :-) This is a dog without a lot of natural marking skills/experience and I am trying to take as much of a step-by-step approach as possible.
Thanks,
Linda
ANSWER
The marker is to get him focusing, give him confidence, enable him to run out increasing distances with confidence. help you line him up and yourself, get him to understand the blind retrieve command etc. Now you can begin blinds in earnest. Yes you can use trees, marks on the ground etc but reduce the distance again initially and do everything that you did on the marked blinds. Read how he goes. And work accordingly at increasing or decreasing distance. I also like to use paths or fence lines at this stage to get him running out in a line to where the bird is laying.
Here is another exercise which will help and also get him working to the gun.
Have a thrower/shooter out about 50 yards. He fires a gun and throws a dummy about ten yards in front of him, to the side as you are looking at him. He points the gun in that direction of course and holds it there a few seconds. Send your dog for the marked retrieve. As your dog is returning the gun moves forward to the place where the dummy was and throws a dummy out from him so the dog does not see it. As your dog returns with the dummy and gives it to you, now have him sit by your side facing the gun at the correct angle for the now blind retrieve he has put down. Ask the gun to fire in the direction of the retrieve and leave the gun pointing that way for a second or two. Now with a clear signals send your dog for that blind.
Again as your dog collects, the gun moves forward and puts out another blind, once more repeat the process. Very quickly you will find your dog going out in the direction of a gun and the side the gun is pointing. A spaniel that watches the gun and works to it or the sound of it and the position of the shooter is a treasure. Birds usually will fall within 40 yards of the gun, so a good dog will learn to seek that area to find scent. If it is safe to use live cartridges then the dog also learns to follow the scent line of the shot.
