Bad week/ Good week

Olive has been a complete hooligan this week. Not listening to anything, wanting to play all the time... think I will blame it on adolescence !

Have tried numerous times to practise hunting. So frustrating because I know she can do it when she is storming off in the forest on walks, but when I try and do it with her she keeps walking by my side and won't run off! I'm not sure whether this has to do with her being used to walking with Wiley and so when I am trying to get her to hunt and he's not there she isn't as confident to go away from me?! Maybe, will just have to keep practising and see if she grows in confidence.

This was our best attempt this week....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqruU9nIskg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

... and it's pretty bad. After seeing it on a video I am not really even sure what I am doing let alone Olive!! We have a training weekend at the end of the month so I am really hoping there will be lots of hunting training, as clearly we need help !

On retrieves she has also started to act 'dumb', I will say 'Olive back', and she will stare at me like she has no idea what I am talking about even though she has been retrieving now since she was 5 months... very odd... must be adolescence.

Thankfully this week has started better and she has managed to get back in my good books by finding a dead pigeon and retrieving it to me. I then couldn't resist the opportunity to put in some 'holds' and retrieves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdPhMVe8zl8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

She also came 1st in her HV Junior bitch class at District and Dunstable Open show so at least she's done something right :)

Water Retrieve's at 7am

Up early to fit in some water retrieves, maybe by the end of the week she will be able to do without me saying anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfVBG2i3Le4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Gundog Training at Margaret Roding

I took Olive (above left) to a fairly local Gundog class today, with her sister Dali (above right).

I haven't trained with Olive for a while so we are a bit out of touch, but she still was very good. We did lots of steadiness work to begin with, and then went to a different location to do water work. I haven't practised water retrieves with her since last summer, and she wasn't that great at it then.

We did the water work on a big lake with reeds, Olive was confident at going into the water, swimming, and she retrieved the dummy well. As soon as she got to land I could see that she wanted to shake so I have to really tell her to hold. She dropped the dummy the first time and again after a couple of go's, but did manage a few holds and presents.

So lots of water work will be needed if we ever want to do a Working Test as it's really hit and miss at the moment whether she will bring the dummy to me when out of the water. And if she does its only because I have put in a VERY loud 'HOLD!' which I don't think any judge would take as quiet handling.

We then did retrieve's and Olive failed to watch where her's landed (must remember to get her to 'mark' the dummy better!) so her's became a blind retrieve. Luckily she scented where the dummy was, but the trainer was really encouraging me to start teaching her the 'Hi Lost' command for when she picks up the dummy. I can understand the benefits of it, but am somehow put off that it is two words, I feel like it will be too confusing for a dog to understand, and I don't want to be shouting too many commands at her. I usually tell her 'steady' when I want her to slow down and hunt the ground for the dummy, but perhaps I will start saying it every time she picks up the dummy on a basic retrieve to enforce it more.

Lots of practise needed. Going to make the effort to get up extra early this week and take her out training everyday.