Good Luck I am in the same boat

 

Just to name a few:
Triples
No attention getters at guns
Honor
Blinds inside the marks or close on the backside of gun station
Walking to line off lead with several people blowing duck calls

 

Same boat, just passed 1st finished test after failing first 3, 2 because of me and one due to dog breaking, but ultimately due to me...

my biggest note is that the level of control is raised significantly....cast refusals and whistle refusals will get you in big trouble fast. Normally due to suction and complex blinds.

Hope this helps

Jeff

 

One of the best thing you can do is to join an active HRC club that has more advanced members that can help you train and that will tell you when you make some dumb arse mistakes with your dog (made most of them myself over the years and still making some). A good training group is worth it's weight in gold. Good luck as you progress toward whatever goal you have set for yourself and your dog. Remember-- it's just dogs pickin' up stuff-- have fun, Bill
________
Buy bubblers

 

Hot blinds.

 

Designated order of pick up.

Honor dog (and Handler) more involved with working dogs test.

Some times I have been subject to the Honor dog picking up the working dogs "Go" bird on the triple!! ~~~ Thats FUN!!!!!

Blind distance greater, and will involve "factors"

Handler must be more aware of How many to load, When to load ect.

Have Fun!!!,, Beware of "EMPTY buckets at the line!!!

Gooser

 

Have Fun!!!,, Beware of "EMPTY buckets at the line!!!

Gooser, I believe you have personal experience in this area.

 

A lot more control is expected, both at the line and while running blinds. They don't want to see a bunch of creeping or vocal issues. You need to come off lead to the line as well.

Like others mentioned, you have triple marks normally, but I have also seen doubles as well. For this, the standard is pretty much 'a handle on one mark is fine, but two and you have life threatening injuries. lol Blinds are usually about 90-110 yards on land, 60s on water. Depends on the set-up.

Good luck and have fun!

Abby

 

It is quite a big step up from Seasoned to Finished. You need to join the Colorado River Retriever Club. They have many active and accomplished members. I'm sure their club members will help you get prepared.

 

Hey Tx Riptide, you should indeed join Colorado River Retriever Club, we'd love to have you. I'm sure we could get a training group together... You wouldn't happen to have any training equipment would you???

 

Training wise I would set up blinds under the arc and on the back side of winger stations. You may see a poison bird but it is not the norm. The concept will help you overcome suction so it is a good thing to train for.

Also train for wide 180 degree gun swings and middle station first so the dog has to swing both right and left. Most marks are around the horn but you need to be prepared for the other. My biggest problem was at the honor bucket when moving up. Try to get a large training group together and honor many different dogs.

There is no way to prepare for everything but this list will get you started.
Mark L.

 

I have once seen the diversion bird thrown on the way in from the last mark, and then you run the blind and pick up the diversion bird last. Its sort of a poison bird. I have also run it that way by accident by FORGETTING to pick up the diversion bird, running the blind, and then having the light bulb come on. That is called a "DAH poison bird."

 

....on top of what others have said, there is a lot of "action" at line. More so than Seasoned due to triple marks...with shots for blinds included..and honor dog.

Try to get out with an HRC club...training days..., so you can work with your retriever within the training vs trying to deal with it all for the first time in trialing (the additional distraction of action at line, additional marks..and longer distances, maintaining control.

Well worth it... Go watch/help at a Finished stake if you can.

Judy

 

Ok here goes, the move from seasoned to finished is not all about the dog. More new finished handlers fail than dogs in finished especially early on.
For the handler:
Many amateurs and pros pay little or no attention to how they line up the dog both before the marks go down and after upon delivery of each bird. Lots of folks just snatch the bird from the dogs mouth and release them without lining them up on the next mark and letting them see and remember.
Know when to handle on a mark, the majority of handlers miss the best opportunity and are late and in damage control right off the bat.
Know the difference between handling to an area of fall and handling within the area of the fall and don’t be afraid to do either when the proper time comes.
For the dog:
Obedience and line manners, the dog needs to move from the holding blind to the line calmly and sit calmly for the marks. A dog that does that marks much better than a jumping, creeping whining dog.
Swinging with the gun, most seasoned marks can be seen by the dog without even turning his head, not so in finished (bucket drills).
Water blinds:
Handle early and often, don’t wait until your in the hole to blow the whistle. The longer Fido swims in the wrong direction the righter he thinks he is.
De-cheating work, cheating singles for honesty on water marks and blinds. Over time learn channel blinds, down the shore left and right, swim by points, get out on single and multiple points and re-enter. Long entry, long angle entry, everything you think of and then some. Don’t try to do it all at once or you and your dog will have a melt down. Always when in a bad situation find a way to end it so that both your and your dog leave holding your heads up so that you can come back later without problems. Sometimes it’s tough and it happened to me today when a situation soured. I took some time but we both avoided the big wreck and walked away with tail wagging (his).
Sounds like a lot but it is really just a starter. A 40 point dog going into finished is like a kid with a fake ID slipping in the back door hoping not to get busted. 100 points is like getting a learner’s permit but not being allowed out alone. It’s as long a road as you want it to be. Get with a group and the ride will be a lot smoother and more fun. Ninety percent of the people that I associate with and hang out with are people that I have met through my dogs. Get busy and before long we’ll see you at the grand

 

Well put!

I would also add that you can expect to see diversions on the way back from blinds now, and not just on the last bird.

Remember that land marks can go as much as 150 yards and water marks as much as 125 yards. Blinds will be no more than 100 yards. Train for distance and vary your marks accordingly because you could wind up with a Canadian breaker dropped right in your lap.

 

Join Colorado River and get with Mister Nealy, he knows how it's done and pretty good to be around as well.

 

Oh for sure Jimmy will help you out! Pretty much all that the others have spoken of. I usually train off singles that will influence my blind. Yes you will pick up three birds or two, but one of those birds will always influence your blind.

Control is a key issue at the finished level and you can have the best marking dog but if he is not your partner in this game you will not have a good day at the test. Teach him to be your partner. Get with a club they will be your best choice for asking questions and getting them answered.

Good luck and keep up posted on your first test!

 

Hey Riptide & Dirtyrice I'll bring the Shiner Blonde, and some pineapple moonshine and swing by Neely's steal his trailer and he can chase me to where ya'll decide to train at then we will have ourselves a training group, he won't have a choice. I can also provide a Blonde bird-girl. Let me know if ya'll are interested!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Pineapple is good, but peach is the best. Pineapple has been gone here since we sat on the tailgate in Madison and toasted and toasted and toasted until we were, to Booger's grand title. A good end to a long week.

 

David,
I'm looking forward to more "post Grand" tailgate toastings with ya.

Txriptide....sorry to tell ya this but Clint's offer of Shiner Blonde....and a Shiny Blonde trumps any cash offer you might have.
Ya'll better get to training....BCSHRC's hunt is in two weeks and I hear they have some GREAT judges lined up.
Jimmy

 

David,
I'm looking forward to more "post Grand" tailgate toastings with ya.

It'd be fun to sit in the same row with ya'...

 

Mr,WLSN!!!


http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=17513&highlight=Gooser+buckets

Page 2!!

Gooser

 

OMG VISUAL!! PUT THAT DOWN AS "COULD HAPPEN TO YOU! THANKS FOR SHARING!

 

TxRiptide,

Having been a member of Colorado River for over 16 years, you won't find a better club around you. And given your response to DirtyRice and training equipment, you will fit in just fine. It is a "crazy" group and we have a good time together.

You also won't find a better dog person then Nealy, aka Snota Yella. Known him for 16+ years as well. Having a sense of humor will help! Jimmy is very knowledgeable and a great judge most of the time ha-ha. He has been know to come close to sending his field rep over the edge.

Go to www.CRRCINC.org and check them out.

Janet

 

TxRiptide, CRRC meets meets tonight at Bass Pro Shops in Pearland. 7:00 P.M. See you there.

 

I will be at the meeting tonight, I live in Bass Pro. ...... Mr. Nealy I also could provide a Blonde Bird Girl and you could keep her. I could also bring some of that rotten Shiner Beer that you had in Pineville, LA

 

I will be at the meeting tonight, I live in Bass Pro. ...... Mr. Nealy I also could provide a Blonde Bird Girl and you could keep her. I could also bring some of that rotten Shiner Beer that you had in Pineville, LA

The sphincterstinkin....... egad



Hefeweizen (Hef-ay-vite-zen) recalls the classic beers of Bavaria as a true unfiltered wheat brew. This beer captures old-world Munich Malt, wheat grist used in a scant 1% of all brews worldwide, orange and lemon zest in a frothy classic example of bottle-conditioned beer. Adding clover honey and yeast just before it'€™s bottled touches off a unique, secondary fermentation process inside every keg and bottle before its final release from the brewery.

 

Well, well, well.....look what the cat dragged in

Jimmy Nealy posting on RTF???

Janet, looking forward to seeing you this weekend....you are still coming over to judge Pontchartrain?

 

I hear some judges creativity is limited only by how close they can throw multiple marks. Steadiness or testing for breaking is sometimes the only test. Also difficult for a dog to look at multiple birds literally at its feet and then look out 100 yards for the last bird down. No wonder they had a 90% failure rate.

Steadiness is and should be important in HRC, but it should not be the only or even the main criteria.

 

Some are limited John, but fortunately I know of many who are not. Some and sometimes are generalizations that can be applied to any topic or venue.

 

Guess we are fortunate around this area to have a good pool of judges to pull from. You learn quickly who sets up good tests and try to grab them for your judges. I have not seen any finished tests aroud here with multiple breaking birds in the last 6 years. Usually the HRC test I have run have well placed marks that truely test a dogs marking ability.

 

i have run good tests and bad ones in each of the five venues i have participated in. no organization is immune.

my dogs and i have run about 150 tests over the years. i have seen just about anything you can think of.

if you have a fully trained dog to run, you will be smiling at the end of the day/weekend the vast majority of the time.

i hate generalizations. especially when applied to entire organizations.-Paul