Training Remainder and Steadiness by the Blind, one piece at a time – Blaine Carter

Training Remainder and Steadiness by the Blind, one piece at a time.

Whether it’s your dog’s first UT Test or a repeat UT, this event needs a “bit” of training.
Obedience, winger, gunner fire, decoys and a variety of water pictures can be overwhelming to a dog of any age. Lets’s start by working on impulse control in situations other than the water’s edge.

Keep the pictures simple to start:
Feeding time, in and out of a crate, house or vehicle are great places to start! As your training evolves add gun fire, thrown bumpers and ducks on land and water.

To start, I’d put Keepah’s dog dish on the floor, commanded “whoa” and stepped aside. It’s very important for your dog to have a good understanding of “whoa” before starting these drills. Each session she allowed me to move further away, understanding she only got to eat when she waited. I eventually could go out of sight. My return time varied as she understood her job is to WAIT. We started small and grew her understanding of this obedience drill! She only got to eat on MY terms. Don’t forget the Praise.

It’s now time to head outside and add new noises and distractions, a blind, a set of Yankee Clackers and gunfire. Use the same location at first to keep understanding quicker. Walk away, return, praise. Increase distance with your dog’s performance and confidence. Go out of sight for a varied amount of time.

You should see your dog’s understanding and confidence in the exercise growing! Back up and do more reps, if needed, to gain confidence. Praise what is correct!

Set up a blind and six or so decoys on the lawn. Toss a Dokken or dead bird into the decoys as there will be decoys for the Steadiness at the Blind sequence. Depending on your dog, progress to water, floating decoys and dead duck to retrieve.

DO NOT progress faster than your dog’s understanding of the task. If mistakes are made, they are most likely yours. Back up a bit and repeat the successes!

Successes deserve a PARTY!

Blaine