This drill is for dogs of all ages but care should be taken to not run or modify the drill for young dogs that have not yet learned that returning to an old fall is a fault and would not understand being corrected for doing it. This is a no pressure drill, either no collar or very light collar pressure should be used. I use gun help instead of collar pressure to help the dog be successful.
Four Station Drill in the most typically used formations.
1. This drill is set out in one of three formations with form A being the most commonly used. Although I use a variety of terrain to setup and run the drill, the formation is the key to the drill. In most field setups the terrain is more important than the formation and you would use the gunstations to complement the terrain. In the marking drill you would look for a piece of terrain that will match your drill formation.
2. I will almost always start with a mark on the outside edge of the drill thrown divergent from the other gunstations and the other marks. Marks should be thrown varying distances from the gun station and also some marks should be thrown flat to the gun and one or 2 should be thrown angle in as well as angle back.
3. Each gunstation will throw 2 marks in opposite directions for advanced retrievers.
4. The maximum distance to a long mark should be 150 yards. The distances to the marks will comonly be 100 yards or less.
5. a short mark might only be 25 yards.
6. The lines to the interior marks are quite tight and may overlap or require the dog to take the same lines. The order in which the marks are thrown will determine the dogs ability to be successful.It is important to set the order so that no mark who's line is in direct conflict with another is run consecutively with that mark. The exception to this rule is that I will run a short mark and then immediately run an advanced retriever over that mark for a longer one on the same line. I use word cues to help the dog pick out the mark being thrown and the distance ie. Way out or Way Back for the longer marks, Easy for short marks, Mark for intermediate distance and also Watch for some.
7. I use a variety of birds and bumpers for this drill with an emphasis on visibility(.It is hard to work on or judge marking or ability to do so if the object being marked is not seen by the marker)It is very important that the dog see each mark clearly. That having been said I feel it is very important that a trained retriever pick up whatever is thrown on each mark, be it bumper,pigeon, duck, or pheasant. I have seen many retrievers go out or be downgraded to Jam status when they have retrieved a steady diet of ducks and go to a competition where both ducks and or pheasants are thrown instead, resulting in a big hunt until the dog adjusts.
8. It is common for dogs to head swing at the beginning of the drill. When the last single is thrown most dogs will have improved their concentration to a high degree.
9. This drill requires a lot of running in a short time, please take care to have one water mark or that the temperature is conducive to running the drill.
Kate/ owner Don Bieson Spokane Wa. Reserve Jam at The American Chesapeake All Breed trial
