[Robert S. Libberton]

Would have starting in the beginning with FT style training and never doing HT's increased my chances of getting the QAA at an earlier age, vs. transitioning over from HT's as we did?

No steve, this about foundational work, if you trained the dog with a solid program that truely taught basics, trasitional and advanced concepts the only thing you dog will need to do is stretch out which will bring some issues with it.

I would say you dog would be fine for the Q is it can handle a well place mark and deal with the space between the marks.

I dont think there is a FT style of training, there is just training, I have trained a couple minor dogs and I will run HT during their minor stakes for fun, I dont have any issues with Senior's at all but the concepts in a master often seem like 3 birds in a bucket to me, I dont see much difference in training as lonmg as your obedience is rock solid, H/T marks can be real challenging if the judge has vision. I love both games, and feel that when your dogs trained it does not matter what they throw you will do fine.

Note: I will shorten the marks before a H/T and lenghten before a field trial. I had a young bitch 4 years ago run to a white sign 300 yards a way in a senior, she was young 9 months and probably had too much piss and viniger to want to hunt short.

 

[Robert S. Libberton]

Excellent post steve, I was wondering.