A very expensive lesson

[ChrisRobt]

This past weekend I NQ'd my dog in the senior; I know the rules, but when standing on the line, sometimes I don't do the right thing. In this case I was running a fairly straightforward water blind (this would complete my dog's SH); I use a cadence to send my dogs: dead bird, that's it, right there, back. I choked on the "back" and it came out garbled. My dog started forward and stopped about three feet in front of me; if I had been thinking clearly, I would have either given him a verbal back cast, or sat him and given him the cast. I reheeled him (maybe he reheeled himself-I don't remember) and recast him thus NQing him.

I can tell you right now, this is one hard learned lesson I won't forget again. It seems like every time I go to the line I learn something new about myself or my dog; this is why I'm running my young dog in both master and senior stakes although he might not be quite ready for master (but he ran in all three series this last weekend). We're both learning as we go

[DougM]

I judged a Senior test in Louisiana last weekend, and had to drop a friend of mine's dog because she did exactly the same thing. The dog took about a step and a half, stopped, and turned to look back at her. Had she given a verbal back or blown a sit whistle and cast the dog back, she would have been fine, but she re-heeled him for a recast.

It's a tough thing, but I think it's safe to say that we've all made something like that kind of bad call when we were in the heat of the moment. More than once, I caught my dog Trap carrying a "New Handler Wanted" sign in the gallery after I screwed up at a Master test.

[windycanyon]

Oooooh, I feel your pain. I had the same thing happen once!!! Thankfully I did the back cast and wrote myself training note (that I'll never have to re-read of course!) to USE NORMAL VOICE on blinds! I'm pretty sure I sounded like a baby lamb.... Always wondered why there was no allowance for confusion by the dog on a blind unless they just wanted to trip up clutching owners????

[Losthwy]

Everyone makes mistakes, experience is what you take from mistakes. Last year a pro had to borrow a whistle for he had left his in his truck and didn't realize it until he was in the last holding blind.

[Lady Duck Hunter]

Everyone has the opportunity to take one of two things from a test......a ribbon or a lesson....sometimes if you are lucky,both!

[David Maddox]

Well put Vicky.

I saw that same thing happen to a guy in a Master Test last spring. The judge considered it "confusion", and the dog passed the test.

[Losthwy]

Everyone has the opportunity to take one of two things from a test......a ribbon or a lesson....sometimes if you are lucky, both!

Yes indeed, if you take neither then it has been a waste.

[cgoeson]

I saw a gentleman who i believe is a fine handler at a field trial try to send his dog, boomed out her name, she jumped but didn't take a step. This gentleman shook his head, then sent the dog with a different name. Everything worked out fine, but he was sure embarassed.

[Mike Tome]

I released my first retriever for a mark with "BACK". With my current dog I release with his name and back is a cue I use in lining him up for a blind (i.e. back up.....)

The other day in training I said "BACK" for a mark... and he backed up....

I never worried about this happening in a test... until now......

[cakaiser]

Dick has screamed NO in the middle of a water blind, also has given the BOVER cast, sent one dog on another's name, it happens to everyone.