w.c. 30th May

I am dropping the 1:1 session for this week as I think we need longer than a week to work on some of the bits we have learnt and we have a busy weekend coming up with the HWVA Training and group gundog training on Sunday.

At the last 1:1 training we were quartering Chester on a long line, half way through me planting the dummy and then working our way back towards it. I always get a bit tangled with a long line but it is useful once you get the hang of it. He worked with with me as a slight hindrance not quite moving with him. The work we need here is to make sure he isn't back scenting and trying to get him to move further out from left to right before I put in the turn whistle. I have bought a scent stick which may help as I can lay a scent and push him further and further out. We still haven't done anything on this yet out of the 1:1 session.

We also did some long memory retrieves. It was lovely to watch him running back from such a long distance straight to me with the dummy. I still got the drop at the end which isn't ideal. My plan was to work on these memory retrieves and start working on blind retrieves but I really wanted to concentrate on this poor delivery first.

I've now spent the last week training the clicker retrieve. Chester already knew how to work with clicker training as I used it as a pup. Food isn't his greatest motivation but it works just fine if we are indoors or in the garden with little distraction.

So far we're at the stage where he knows the hold command but won't hold it for more than a few seconds and really isn't keen on holding the 1lb dummy so back to the puppy one for a while. He will now deliver to my hand with palm out (I am sitting down)and if he drops it I gave an 'ah ah' an he'll pick it up again. I'll keep working this until we have the hold on delivery until I am ready to take it.

I tried a few retrieves out on our walks but he wasn't haven't any of it! Not even the slightest interest ... typical! I don't blame him as we've been working hard with the dummy on probably 3 short sessions a day. I would be bored of it also! I'm hoping this lack of enthusiasm isn't a permanent thing and once I've trained the delivery we can give it a rest for a while and the enthusiasm will return. There is also a high chance it will return at group training on Sunday and all the delivery training will go out of the window!

For now our walks still include recalls, stops and I have been setting up the scenario for a memory retrieve using a tennis ball (walk to heel off lead, sit, throw ball ahead, dog leaves, walks back at heel, sits, waits for the command and retrieves). I can guarantee he will hold onto a tennis ball so I'm not having to worry too much about delivery here and don't think it's hindering progress.