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More Random Thoughts
& Less than Great Wisdom Excuses: we all have a list of them for whenever our dogs do something strange, embarrassing, or look like common curs. An excuse might be valid in that your dog was distracted by a loud dog fight just off the line or he could not see you on a blind as the sun was directly behind you. Many times, they are not valid and are used as an attempt to justify what your dog did A reason why your dog did something is ok. It is okay if you use that reason to evaluate the situation and realize maybe your standard is too low, the dog has a hole in a certain area, or you need some training help. We all have had times when we are frustrated, baffled, or dismayed by something our dog did (especially when there is an audience), but if you can use that as a springboard to improve your training, raise your standard, or become a better handler, than it is not an excuse. Once I felt I had a ready excuse in hand if my dog failed a master hunt test (he didn’t) as the guy throwing the bird from the boat, fell over as he threw, saying, “Oh, S---!!!” He fell backwards into the boat and the throw went almost straight in the air. I started to heel my dog off line assuming it would be a no-bird. No such thing. They continued calling for the other birds and then gave me a number. Don’t assume! Apparently these judges hunted on a regular basis with persons who fall backwards into a boat and swear. Don’t turn your training days into mini-field trials. What value is there in winning the training day if you cannot convert that into a win or placement at a field trial. In an attempt to have the best dog while training, you may forego that correction your dog needed; or did not handle when it would have taught the dog something valuable; or you lost your temper. In one training group, two members had littermates. They used to get so upset if one of the pups did better than the other, that they made it miserable for themselves, worrisome and upsetting for the pups, and impossible for the rest of us. When everything goes wrong during a training session, remember that old adage about turning “lemons into lemonade”. If you are doing lining drills, and it turns into casting drills, go with it. Ruminate on why this happened (possibly over some hot cocoa if cold or a cold drink if hot) and simplify the next set of lining drills you do. A follow-up on this is a pro who always said the dog doesn’t know where the blind is----this was when I was getting frustrated about a blind turning into a disaster. See what you can salvage from it. If this is a young dog, it always helps to have some “escape blinds” around. These are blinds set up that you can handle your dog to if there is no way you are going to be able to get to the original blind. Just make sure you know where these escape blinds are located. This way, a young dog thinks it has been more successful than it was, and you can always come back another day to try for the original blind again. Another thing, don’t be too proud to move into the field and get closer to your dog. Usually, the closer to the dog you are, the more control you have. Every training group has someone in it (occasionally more than one someone) that makes it difficult for you to concentrate on your dog while you are running it. In one group I was in, there were two. One, who was very old, had been in the game forever, was out of date in many of his methods, and wanted to tell everyone how they should do everything. His success ratio had not been that high, but it had gained in his memory as the years went by. The other was new to the game, and was constantly asking questions (which is okay if done at an appropriate time). He would usually ask these questions as you were trying to line up your very young dog or were trying to work through a problem. The old guy, naturally, was somewhat deaf as are most of the guys who have been around guns a lot. The younger guy thought he knew more than he did, and wanted to let you know it. When these two stood together just behind the line while persons were running their dogs, it was overwhelming. It became especially frustrating to me when I was trying to work with one young dog. I know, I should have been able to focus and shut them out, but I couldn’t. I found that putting on my earplugs (to protect me from the sounds of my whistle!!!!), helped immensely. Having been brought up in an era when it was rude to ignore someone and not answer their questions (no matter how thoughtless and rude their questions were), this gave me a great excuse as “I just didn’t hear them!” After a number of these occasions, I guess the fun of standing behind me had dissipated somewhat, and they found others who were easier prey. A word to the wise, always have your earplugs close by. One day, many of the dogs were having a lot of trouble on a blind, and persons were becoming upset, tempers flared, and it was not a jovial group. I looked around and realized that many of the handlers were sitting around or near the line wearing their white jackets. Some would get up and move to get their dogs, and often, they moved in the opposite direction to which the handler was trying to cast. The poor working dog probably had no idea what it was supposed to watch as there were so many objects in white. To top it off, the handler was standing in front of a white truck! Check the background before running a blind. Find a pleasant way to inform everyone to either remove their white jackets, or not sit or move where the dog might pick them out rather than the handler. This brings up the polite use of radios in the field. There should be radio silence when someone is running their dog. If the handler needs help or wants to communicate with a specific gunner, if everyone is gossiping on the radios about the trial the previous weekend, that handler can’t get through. It is particularly upsetting if you have a young dog that is putting in a big effort, and you just want the gun to gesture to push the dog or you want the gun to help the dog in some other way. The dog is the one who often pays for this lack of courtesy. In addition, a dog going to one bird, may hear conversations coming through on the radio of another gun and be diverted from its initial line. Periodically, the group should be reminded that the radio should be used only when necessary. Gossip, jokes, and griping can be done during a break. Connie Cleveland wrote a great article about “taking away one’s joy” for the GRNews. Don’t take away from the joy of others. If it is intentional on your part, shame on you. If it is unintentional, learn to think before you speak. Nothing is worse than being overjoyed by a win or a placement, or even a job well done, than to have a person or persons downgrade this by commenting on what a horrible test it was, how the judges were so poor, the callbacks were wrong, etc. On that day, during that time, the judges felt that those dogs were the best. If you think differently, maybe tell your spouse or a very dear friend, but, please, please don’t stand around in a group, especially if the winner or someone who did place is in that group, and malign the placements and the conditions under which the dogs ran. Show some compassion, some kindness, and keep your miserable thoughts to yourself. |
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