Found some army corps land that I used today. Did a set of send back singles from a different vantage point (can see the stickmen if you look). I think the longest mark you could throw would be 350. Smarty is where the line would be. I will post my idea shortly.
![86258]( "86258")
Set up a qualifying land series
Tobias
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Found some army corps land that I used today. Did a set of send back singles from a different vantage point (can see the stickmen if you look). I think the longest mark you could throw would be 350. Smarty is where the line would be. I will post my idea shortly.
![86258]( "86258")
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Here goes - I have my body armor on. LOL
Triple with no retired guns (although if I was going to retire one it would be the left hand after the flyer was picked up). left, middle, right flyer. Left is 300 yd thrown angle back. (about another 100 yd to the end of the field), middle 190 also thrown angle back - and although it looks like it lands at the treeline, it is actually about 50 yd into the field. I considered this mark being thrown just behind that large log (to the left). this would make the mark much closer to the treeline however, and a dog might end up going out of sight in the brush - probably would have to, to get wind of the bird, if they didn't go over the log. flyer 160 thrown flat. I like both blinds for their various factors although the right hand blind is probably the more challenging going behind the flyer station.
![Image]()
Triple with no retired guns (although if I was going to retire one it would be the left hand after the flyer was picked up). left, middle, right flyer. Left is 300 yd thrown angle back. (about another 100 yd to the end of the field), middle 190 also thrown angle back - and although it looks like it lands at the treeline, it is actually about 50 yd into the field. I considered this mark being thrown just behind that large log (to the left). this would make the mark much closer to the treeline however, and a dog might end up going out of sight in the brush - probably would have to, to get wind of the bird, if they didn't go over the log. flyer 160 thrown flat. I like both blinds for their various factors although the right hand blind is probably the more challenging going behind the flyer station.
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I would like the flyer to be further to the right and a bit shorter. Take the road out of it so as to leave more room for naughty dogs to run down it and past the mark. I think the right hand blind is the better of the 2.
If you wanted to retire one bird, the left one is the one to do it with. you would need 2 blinds to wrap the thrower and lot's of brush.
All in all, a nice setup for Q dogs.
If you wanted to retire one bird, the left one is the one to do it with. you would need 2 blinds to wrap the thrower and lot's of brush.
All in all, a nice setup for Q dogs.
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Thanks Paul - I thought about the flyer landing on the other side of the road, like you mention - esp with the wind as such. however, I felt doing so would put the blind quite tight behind the flyer station, and while I know that is probably not uncommon, I guess it seems like the way the marks are now, would be a little more fair (for a Q). here's how your description would look from GE perspective. Not bad, actually. Although it might be hard to drop all the birds on the same side of the road as the gun station? (it would be if I was shooting, anyway, LOL) Probably six of one, half a dozen of the other? The marks are also a little longer than I estimated - but not much.
![Image]()
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I probably didn't explain myself very well. I meant to widen the setup and have the gun station and fall area on the same side of the road, leaving more room for the blind. That could be accomplished by moving the station 30 yards closer to the line.
There's nothing inherently wrong with your test as you first drew it.
There's nothing inherently wrong with your test as you first drew it.
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Wouldn't the flyer station be shooting back into the test toward the other marks?
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You said the flyer is the right hand mark, shooting from the right to the left. To the left are the other two marks. Is that not therefore shooting towards the middle and left hand mark?
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my bad - the picture is correct. left to right. ---
actually, reading my description, I was giving the order of the the throws. Left, middle, right flyer - not the direction they were thrown. (left that to the photo)
Curious, just what are you trying to accomplish in the training process?
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Sorry I think I am sort of dyslexic when I see lines drawn for setups so I misread your drawing.
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Thanks for your question Marvin.
I would keep the middle bird (to work on taking a line through the bushes and not getting on the road toward the flyer station. In training, I would retire the long mark as the dog was running to the mark. This mark, I believe, represents a challenge because the large open field and wind might push the dog to the right, behind the gunner - especially after going through the slot. The contour of the treeline to the left, may pull dogs to the left, as well. The flyer, as Paul suggested would be better moved probably - so that the bird landed closer to the road, encouraging dogs to 'run the road' or go down the middle of the 'open slot' to the left.
The grounds look similar to many around here that have produced some very competitive dogs.
I thinks you are selling yourself & your dog short by settling for a Q test as your goal.
The test you set will provide your dog with a lot of exercise but will not improve their competitive
stature a whole lot. You have left out several good spots to place a fall on the way to running toward
the tree line. Place your eye level at the same level as the dogs & see what a different picture you
get. The little swale that you can picture fully becomes a canyon to the dog from their point of view.
Watch a few Field Trials where the judges have pelts. Try to figure out what they expect to accomplish
in any particular test. Watch & grade the various dog's performances & compare what the judge's final
results are with your notes. Setting tests requires a significant level of knowledge. Evaluating performance
fairly is at another level of knowledge. It helps to be somewhat proficient at both.
I thinks you are selling yourself & your dog short by settling for a Q test as your goal.
The test you set will provide your dog with a lot of exercise but will not improve their competitive
stature a whole lot. You have left out several good spots to place a fall on the way to running toward
the tree line. Place your eye level at the same level as the dogs & see what a different picture you
get. The little swale that you can picture fully becomes a canyon to the dog from their point of view.
Watch a few Field Trials where the judges have pelts. Try to figure out what they expect to accomplish
in any particular test. Watch & grade the various dog's performances & compare what the judge's final
results are with your notes. Setting tests requires a significant level of knowledge. Evaluating performance
fairly is at another level of knowledge. It helps to be somewhat proficient at both.
When you are done post some pictures from the dog's point of view. Then I will note where I would place some falls.
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Looks like your training paid off for you! Congratulations on Smarty's Qualifying win!!
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Congrats
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Thanks fellas - have to say I am pretty much still in shock. LOL
Details being what they are - I decided to double stake her in the St Louis Golden Retriever Club Qual and the Dardenne Retriever Club master test. I could have entered her in the O/H Q on Fri, but was too cheap to spend the money on another night at the hotel - Plus it was another day of training the other dogs (the two young dogs that give me the 'pro' status on EE, LOL) and being away from my better half.
Last fall Smarty bombed out big time on the flyer of her first Q (my second, if you count my first one several years ago in AK with my chessie). So, we spent the winter training for master tests. After that Q I felt like I just didn't have the resources to effectively train Smarty for field trials - flyer crates stacked up, shot flyers, etc etc. I don't have a FT group to train with. I don't have a lot of access to tech water. In fact the last time we ran marks on anything other than a round pond was last Oct, before the Q. About a month ago, when I decided to give the Q another go, I started stretching her back out.
And then last week she was training like crap. Switching on marks (very unusual for her), not handling on blinds well, vocalizing when I went to train with a hunt test group. I put my thumb down on her on Wed - pretty personal correction. Came back to train on Thurs and she never moved a foot wrong - so I decided to just go up and see if she could manage at least the first series of the test/trial. LOL
She pretty much had a perfect weekend. Saturday we went back and forth between stakes - ht, ft, ht, ft, ... By the end of Sat she was one tired puppy - but ended it on the longest water blind she's ever run (probably not long by most FT'er standards - 160 yd)... She took a perfectly straight line to the point - and worked her ass off for me trying to shoulder the wind the remaining distance (4-5 whistles, but she ended up just past the blind poles and I gave her an over to the blind).
Sunday right off the bat we ran a 'control test' master series with a gunner 10 yd behind us shooting a diversion bird as the dog returned with the go bird...Then went and ran Q water series that took 15 minutes per dog (as I overheard someone say, at any rate). About 700 yd of swimming all told. Smarty has never done a water triple that took that long OR had that much swimming involved. I figured we'd handle on at least one mark. Angle across for a down the shore go bird(laser line), cross a spit of land to the longer middle mark - short hunt deep, and 180 yd swim past the point of the same piece of land she'd just crossed to the memory. She swam a laser line right to the memory mark until the last 30 yd of the swim and then decided (for whatever reason), to shoulder into the wind - backsided the gun station and disappeared from sight for several seconds popped up in the AOF and hunted up her bird. Had my whistle ready for possible the return to the old fall because they were pretty tight marks, and pinched marks.
I truly did not know we would get first place (or any placement) for our efforts - I thought perhaps a reserve jam - .I didn't watch all the other dogs so I really didn't know how they all did. When the jams were read off and I didn't get one I was like, well - we gave it our best.. Watched a few who I thought did a very good job, esp on the water marks...they went through the placements and announced that 'Fourleaf's Valedictorian owned/handled by Juli Bottjen' was the winner. Yes - I was crying when I walked up for our ribbon. LOL
Smarty and I have quite a connection on the line and she is a very good marking dog. In two days she picked up 22 birds, no handles on marks. 5 blinds..... I often wonder how she'd have done on a big dog truck.
Details being what they are - I decided to double stake her in the St Louis Golden Retriever Club Qual and the Dardenne Retriever Club master test. I could have entered her in the O/H Q on Fri, but was too cheap to spend the money on another night at the hotel - Plus it was another day of training the other dogs (the two young dogs that give me the 'pro' status on EE, LOL) and being away from my better half.
Last fall Smarty bombed out big time on the flyer of her first Q (my second, if you count my first one several years ago in AK with my chessie). So, we spent the winter training for master tests. After that Q I felt like I just didn't have the resources to effectively train Smarty for field trials - flyer crates stacked up, shot flyers, etc etc. I don't have a FT group to train with. I don't have a lot of access to tech water. In fact the last time we ran marks on anything other than a round pond was last Oct, before the Q. About a month ago, when I decided to give the Q another go, I started stretching her back out.
And then last week she was training like crap. Switching on marks (very unusual for her), not handling on blinds well, vocalizing when I went to train with a hunt test group. I put my thumb down on her on Wed - pretty personal correction. Came back to train on Thurs and she never moved a foot wrong - so I decided to just go up and see if she could manage at least the first series of the test/trial. LOL
She pretty much had a perfect weekend. Saturday we went back and forth between stakes - ht, ft, ht, ft, ... By the end of Sat she was one tired puppy - but ended it on the longest water blind she's ever run (probably not long by most FT'er standards - 160 yd)... She took a perfectly straight line to the point - and worked her ass off for me trying to shoulder the wind the remaining distance (4-5 whistles, but she ended up just past the blind poles and I gave her an over to the blind).
Sunday right off the bat we ran a 'control test' master series with a gunner 10 yd behind us shooting a diversion bird as the dog returned with the go bird...Then went and ran Q water series that took 15 minutes per dog (as I overheard someone say, at any rate). About 700 yd of swimming all told. Smarty has never done a water triple that took that long OR had that much swimming involved. I figured we'd handle on at least one mark. Angle across for a down the shore go bird(laser line), cross a spit of land to the longer middle mark - short hunt deep, and 180 yd swim past the point of the same piece of land she'd just crossed to the memory. She swam a laser line right to the memory mark until the last 30 yd of the swim and then decided (for whatever reason), to shoulder into the wind - backsided the gun station and disappeared from sight for several seconds popped up in the AOF and hunted up her bird. Had my whistle ready for possible the return to the old fall because they were pretty tight marks, and pinched marks.
I truly did not know we would get first place (or any placement) for our efforts - I thought perhaps a reserve jam - .I didn't watch all the other dogs so I really didn't know how they all did. When the jams were read off and I didn't get one I was like, well - we gave it our best.. Watched a few who I thought did a very good job, esp on the water marks...they went through the placements and announced that 'Fourleaf's Valedictorian owned/handled by Juli Bottjen' was the winner. Yes - I was crying when I walked up for our ribbon. LOL
Smarty and I have quite a connection on the line and she is a very good marking dog. In two days she picked up 22 birds, no handles on marks. 5 blinds..... I often wonder how she'd have done on a big dog truck.
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