Are You Ready to Run a Started Test?

Are You Ready To Run A Started Test?

It’s very common for new handlers to be unsure if it’s time to enter a test Ask yourself the following:

Has my dog mastered the skills needed for this level of testing?
Have I read and do I understand the rules and regulations?
Do I know what I am supposed to do and how to do it?

If you answer ‘Yes’ to all three, then it’s time. If you answer ‘No’ to any of the above, then more training is needed. Seriously, all three are equally important – especially understanding the rules and regulations.

For Started handlers (and JH handlers) your dog needs to be able to:

Mark on land at a distance not to exceed 75 yards.
Mark on water at a distance not to exceed 50 yards.
Come to the point of origin nicely on leash
Sit nicely at the point of origin (this is called ‘steady’) and wait quietly until you send him.
Leave promptly when sent and return promptly with the bird to the point of origin.
Refrain from eating, plucking or mauling the bird.
Your dog is not required to deliver to hand for NAHRA Started but is required for AKC Junior. Even though it’s not required for NAHRA, it’s a good idea to master this skill before entering Started – otherwise your dog will develop the habit of dropping the bird. It’s easier to train the right habit than try to go back and fix a bad one (trust me, I know this for a fact!)

Pretty straightforward stuff and most dogs can master these skills pretty quickly in a cut field with bumpers or an open pond. That’s because a cut field and open pond are where you should be teaching the first stage of these skills; no distractions, bumpers clearly visible, a good recall. It’s the second stage that oftentimes becomes troublesome.

The second stage of teaching these skills requires that you now introduce the types of distractions your dog will encounter at a test:

Change of cover
Obstacles
Gun stations
People (these would be the judges) and duck calls at the point of origin
Real birds
Land marks in open fields/ land marks in fields with shrubs, trees, etc.
Cold water

The second stage is where you need to take your training ‘on the road’, find a person or two or twelve to train with, invest in equipment, get your hands on some birds, buy some books and videos and try to re-arrange a busy schedule.

Change of cover: you can and should teach this alone first. Keep in mind that while it may seem perfectly reasonable to you, as a human, to expect your dog to run from short grass into tall grass it is not that easy for a green dog. That tall grass is a wall – a barrier. The best way to begin this is to set your dog up in the tall grass and have him wait while you walk away (place your dog on a platform if need be) to the short grass and practice recalls. Walk away in the path you want him to take to get to you, turn and call him. After a few recalls this way, leave your dog on the short grass and practice recalls INTO the tall grass. Keep him close to the tall grass and gradually move him back from it, adding distance. Once your dog is charging through the tall grass to get to you it’s time to toss a bumper or two. Set your dog up on the short grass, close to the tall grass, toss a bumper so that it lands a foot or two into the tall grass and send him for it. Gradually add distance to your toss. After your dog is successful with this sequence you can add distance and have someone out in the field toss bumpers – try to have them toss to a location where it will be easy for the dog to find the bumper. If the cover is dense and your dog will have a hard time locating the bumper find another spot to work in.

Obstacles: again, something you can and should teach by yourself first. Just like the change of cover sequence, place your dog in front of the obstacles (log, narrow stream, tree branch) and practice recalls. If the log is say, ten feet long, set your dog up right smack in the middle five feet from the ends. Keep the dog close, you stay close. Then progress to tossing bumpers over the log and sending your dog. Again, start with your dog close to the obstacle and make sure you’re running him straight in the middle. Otherwise, your dog will learn to cheat and go around. Dogs will always take the fastest path of least resistance on their way to pick up a mark and going around an obstacle is usually the fastest path of least resistance.

Gun stations: this is where you need to invest in a blind. They’re not terribly expensive and if you’ve gotten this far then it’s safe to say that from here on in dog training equipment will be on your birthday and Christmas wish lists (I once got a bird dryer for my birthday and was thrilled!). Start by setting up the blind, let your dog inspect it and then practice recalls past the blind. Keep the blind well off to the side – you’ll practice running what we call ‘tight to the gun’ (close to the blind/gun station) later. Right now you simply want to teach your dog to ignore the distraction of an empty blind in the field. After your dog can do recalls past the blind and ignore it, toss bumpers and have your dog run past the blind to retrieve them. You can do this by yourself and add someone in the blind when you’re out training with a group.

People and duck calls at the point of origin: these would be your judges at a test. Judges blow duck calls to signal the gun stations to do their thing. Sometimes they ask handlers to blow their own duck calls instead. You’d be surprised how many dogs are distracted by judges and duck calls at the point of origin. Set up a few chairs at the point of origin and teach your dog to ignore the chairs as they come to the point of origin. Then ask family members or training buddies to sit in the chairs. Next ask your ‘judge’ to talk (judges will ask you your number as you come to the point of origin, they will ask if you’re ready, they will tell you to send your dog and if you haven’t practiced this, don’t be surprised if your dog swings his head to look at the judge instead of out in the field the moment the judge speaks. Then ask your ‘judge’ to blow a duck call to signal the gun station.

Real birds: before introducing real birds you want to be sure your dog has a solid, reliable retrieve (which includes a recall)– for several reasons. Some dogs LOVE birds and will try to run off with them while for some the smell of a bird is a very weird thing and won’t go near them. Your dog’s first exposure to birds should never be a freshly shot flyer (all that blood and guts…you don’t want them snacking on the retrieve). The hard part is getting your hands on some birds. Ask fellow club members if anyone has a bird in their freezer they would be willing to give you, order extra birds to take home at a training session, and when you get a bird know that you can and should refreeze it and use it again. Once it gets yucky, toss it in the garbage.

Land marks in open fields / land marks in fields with shrubs, trees, etc: dogs are visual – VERY visual – and science tells us that they take mental pictures of their surrounds and remember them. This means that if you consistently train in a field with shrubs, trees, etc your dog will learn to use those landmarks when they look out to mark the fall of a bird. If you train in open fields they will learn to use the gunner’s blinds as landmarks. Both are useful and important skills. So if you consistently train in one type of field be sure to make the effort to get your dog out to the other type of field. They need to see all the different types of visual pictures they will encounter at different test sites.

Cold water: no, this does not mean you should chop ice and make your dog go in the water. However, if you plan to test in the fall know that oftentimes the water is much colder than it is on a nice sunny warm summer day. Just like us, dogs don’t like to be cold. You need to expose your dog to short marks in water all throughout the fall and in the early spring as well (the water is usually cold then as well). Most dogs will plunge right in for that first water mark regardless of the water temperature but the real test is will they go back into the water for the next mark? A note of caution here: never put your dog away wet – especially long, thick coated dogs like goldens. Labs and poodles have coats that are ideally suited to cold water – it literally runs off their backs. Goldens have coats that tend to absorb the water. Make sure you towel dry your long haired dog well. Remember, labs and poodles were bred to hunt in cold water, goldens were bred for upland work, tollers were bred to splash at the water’s edge and bring the ducks in to them.

After your dog has shown you that he/she can perform all the stage 1 skills with the stage 2 distractions it’s time to enter a test. But ONLY if you can honestly say you have read and understand the rules and regulations and know exactly what YOU need to do, can do / can’t do on test day. Regardless of the sport, handlers have an obligation (and when you send in your entry you’re signing off on this) to know and understand the rules. I can tell you as a judge that the one thing that makes all judges crazy is when an exhibitor makes a fatal error and then says “oh I didn’t know that’ when it’s brought to their attention.

The nice thing about Started (or JH) is that much of the training can be done alone, provided you have the equipment (remember, birthdays and Christmas). New handlers really need to avail themselves of the wealth of information out there on the basics. My favorite book – my bible really – is Carol Cassity’s Training A Retriever Drills & More. You can find it online and it runs around $20.00.

To find training partners, take a look at the club membership roster. See who lives near you and pick up the phone and call them. Even if you don’t know them. That’s one of the reasons to belong to a club; it’s easy to locate local like-minded dog folks like you. Remember, EVERYONE started out as a novice and are happy to help the new novices. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you don’t reach out other folks won’t know you want the help.

The skills you teach your dog for Started (and JH) are the foundation skills that you will be building on as you become hooked on this sport. It’s like building a house. You need a solid foundation to keep the upper floors from falling down. My favorite professional trainer Pat Nolan once said that you should always train for 100% because if you do, you will get 90% at a test. If you train for 90% you will get 70-80% at a test, if you train for 70-80% you’re not going to pass the test. I know this for a fact. Not training Rudy to deliver to hand because it wasn’t required in Started continues to haunt us.

So make 100% your goal. It’s an easily achievable goal at this level and when you meet that goal you’ll be ready to enter and PASS a test.

Training Tips

Limit your training group to 3 or 4 people. We’ve learned, over the years, that a young dog’s attention span is short. If you share the work between 3 or 4 people, you can work through a drill, put your dog up, then go to the next pup. By the time you drill the 4th dog, you can bring out the 1st dog and repeat the drill before calling it a day. If someone has more than one dog it’s easy to add another dog to the rotation. Keep them wanting more.

Have a plan. Decide in advance what you want to work then decide what field is going to work best for you. For example, the front field at Colliers on the right is perfect for anything you need to teach on a cut field. The double field is great for stage 2 Land Marks in Fields with Trees and Shrubs after your dog has learned to mark well in a cut field. The mound field is perfect for working on Change of Cover.

Keep it simple and always end on a happy note. You’re teaching so you want your dog to be successful.

And don’t over-do it! Less is more. If you get done early then take a walk through the field with your dog and let him/her just be a dog.

Sometimes despite our best efforts we run into problems when we’re teaching. Before you get your dog out think of two ‘what-ifs’; what if this goes incorrectly, and how you will teach your dog how to be successful.

Never underestimate the power of happy bumpers! Learning is stressful and just like us humans, your dog needs a release. They can’t throw back a beer but you can throw a happy bumper – no rules, just throw it and let him/her go. It’s the best reward you can give him/her for a job well done. For some dogs a happy bumper before you start training is a good way to get them excited about what they’re going to do.

Always have more water than you think you’ll need for both you and your dog. If the weather is warm make sure you have shade for your car and dog, and fans. If you’re doing water work make sure you have a towel and dry your dog off before you put them back in your vehicle.

Last but certainly not least…….HAVE FUN! How nice to be outdoors with your best buddy tapping into what he/she was bred to do with a group of other crazy (as some would say) like-minded individuals. Ribbons are great but it’s really all about the journey so enjoy the moment!

Linda Sperco, Eva Smith, Janice Easterbrook, Rodger Parkhurst

December 2017