This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kent Stokesberry,

talking about blinds?

Juli

A few thoughts:
- tight downwind poison bird blinds
- scenting areas with feathers and running/casting through them
- over/under blinds

It is all about the dog trusting you more than his nose.

Tim

Kent
If you are talking about on the way to a mark I use this simple method.

When you have a dog that really likes to honor his nose and go into a hunt on the way to a blind all of the things Tim mentioned are excellent.

Something I do when this starts popping up anytime during a dog career is fairliy simple and requires only two things, a crate of live birda if available or dead ones if not, and a bird boy with about 10 or 12 bumpers or yeah and a blank gun.

I set the birds mid to three quaters on the way to the area I am thorwing the mark, on the up wind side of the line. Then I have the Bird Boy shoot and throw a bumper, when the dog is realeased I have the Bird Boy shoot and throw a bumper immediately, count to 2 shoot and throw again, count to 2 shoot and throw again. I have this continue on the 2 count until the dog is through the scent cone of the birds and then the Bird Boy stops shooting and throwing to let the dog make a retrieve.

One other thing is I use orange bumpers, because when the dog gets there I want them to work a little for the mark after throwing 4 or 5 bumpers. When they pick up and return, I rotae around the field and so does the bird boy always keeping the line passing through the scent cone of the birds. Takes a about 4 or 5 sessions like this and all of a sudden they start driving past scent following there eyes to area of a fall.

Simple, fun for the dog and easy on everyone envolved.

Marty

Countering the effect of field reality with between-season training has become a tougher balancing act with my last two youngsters, because they've been asked to routinely pick up for marsh blinds other than our own, where second-hand directions make my handling just that much less apt to be trustworthy. And we far too often rely on a brand of part handle, part search that blurs distinction between the two.

Consiquently, we do a lot of off-season work to rebuild trust in my direction, despite scent distraction. If I give a blind cue and line, Pup is expected to take that line, regardless of what's upwind and/or in sight off of it, and can expect to find a bird or bumper by following my direction. By the same token, if I've selected for a mark by lining Pup for it prior to release, retrieving that mark is the only acceptable action, regardless of what's upwind and/or in sight off the line to it.

A couple of, I think helpful, things it sounds like I may be doing differently than those who've posted, are that I'll sometimes use bright or even alive and moving clipped or shackled birds that are off line but in plain view as my poison birds (don't know if I've used that term correctly) to add enticement, and if Pup ignors them as asked, he'll eventually get to retrieve them.