RetrieverTraining.Net - the RTF banner

Excellent marking....Please define

3K views 15 replies 15 participants last post by  MIDTNGRNHEAD 
#1 · (Edited)
I have read multiple posts that claim that a particular pup is an excellent marker. How can I, as a noob, tell if my pup is a good marker or not? How does distance, cover, wind etc. factor into this? Just trying to determine how we are doing.
 
#2 ·
If you catch yourself grinning ear-to-ear and shaking your head & asking yourself "how in the world did little fido do that?," that's excellent marking. :)
 
#3 ·
When your jaw drops, and you say, "Wow."
 
#5 ·
when the gallery breaks out in thunderous applause,and the hair on the back of your neck stands out...hope to experience that someday
 
#6 ·
How many times the bird boy has to say "hey, hey" would be a pretty good gauge.

If they consistently get to the bird in spite of the distance, cover and wind...
 
#7 ·
This is how I see it: It s a "straight forward" mark .... not trying to trick the dog not a LOT of factors... distance & maybe some terrain change.

5 dogs run the same mark, 2 "wind it", one hunts, one steps on it.

This is not a one time occurrence. Consistently more times than not this dog performs as such.

I think its like comparing apples to oranges if you are looking at a "young dogs" ability vs. a seasoned dog with experience .. and EDUCATION.

There is a natural ability that a dog either "has" or "has not" if one knows what he or she is looking at (and can be conscious and aware of patterns and trends on a week to week basis through observation)... one can tell if a dog is an "excellent marker."

How we "intervene" can help develop that skill (or hurt it ie. young dog has no problem running close past gun - older dog with bad experience now flairs every gun despite still being that great marker and this will put that dog "off the bird").

In a nut shell: I think marking is the dogs natural ability "excellent" is a descriptive word as is "crappy" LOL... one can spot those from a mile away to ;)
 
#8 · (Edited)
When they have reached the stage of life where they can stop in the middle of any task and mark an object and then return to the original task as if they never were interupted. Perfect aim from a good distance is also a tell tale sign of an excellent marker. I have a male who can hit an object that is 2 feet on the other side of a fence. There is a lot to be said for the dog that has what seems to be an endless supply of bodily fluids and can mark everything he comes across during a 3 mile free run also( longevity needs to be considered). :rolleyes:
 
#9 ·
there ARE THREE THINGS I LOOK FOR TO DETERMINE A DOGS MARKING ABILITIES; DIRECTION, AREA AND DEPTH (DAD). BUT CONSTANTLY WOWING THE CROWD OR TRAINING GROUP IS ALSO A GOOD INDICATOR.
HAVE FUN TRAINING
gg
 
#10 ·
The great markers that I have seen are the ones that go to the fall and look for it rather than hunt it. Trumarc's Lean Cuisine was such a marker. You could almost see her thought process. OK, I marked it right Here. No, not here, then it must be here. She almost narrowed the choices down to where it should be before putting on a hunt.

Dogs that take paths to the bird different than the rest of the field is another indicator, and usually it's cover or water that others avoid that your great market doesn't.

The last thing is the ability to work out problems when they don't mark it. Intelligent hunts that lead to marks found when other dogs blow up or fail.

Also, always staying out away from the gun when marking with limited back side "loop" hunts tells me the dog has his stuff together.
 
#11 ·
Thanks everyone for the very insightful responses. With a pup that's 7.5 months old, would you focus more on the distance of the mark or the cover? I try to mix it up a bit. 90% of the time she goes straight to the mark, but ends up putting up a hunt to find it. Her mistakes are typically running too long. Rarely, if ever, does she run short. Is one mistake any worse than the next?

@Buzz and Howard N: I always say wow, when my pup is in the field. To my eyes she's perfect. Unfortunately, my eyes are very imperfect. :)
 
#12 ·
when the gallery breaks out in thunderous applause,and the hair on the back of your neck stands out...hope to experience that someday

When your phone starts ringing and the question is "how much will you sell your pup for?";-)

Keep in mind this quote can often be true "Perfect is the enemy of good" - "Achieving absolute perfection may be impossible and so, as increasing effort results in diminishing returns, further activity becomes increasingly inefficient."
 
#16 ·
I think there are two kinds of markers, spot markers and zone markers. We own some of both. My old 11 year old is a spot marker. She gets to the AOF and goes to the spot where she thinks the bird hit the ground and if it's not there, sets up her hunt from there. My 8 year old, who is a puppy out of her, is a zone marker. You can see him looking for the bird as he starts getting close to the AOF. He knows if he hunts and looks in that zone he will find the bird. Both can be successful but those spot markers are a thing of beauty to watch.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top