One maybe a couple more easy questions

[chip laughton]

When you are running the handling drills to the piles, how many days a week should you run it? Should you mix in a refresher on another already learned skill on alternate days?

[B3]

Chip,

Most people here use a program that is based or similar to the Lardy or Graham program. The handling portion progresses through a series of steps:

Force fetch
Force to pile
Single T
DoubleT
Pattern blinds
Water force
Swim by

This gets you through the "basics"

This is the portion of training that introduces blind running and it alo introduces dealing with pressure. All of these steps have pressure in them so if you do nothing but this it will be drudgery for the dog. The counter to this drill work is marks. Marks can be therapy for the dog thats losing desire because of the drudgery of field work. How much depends on the dog. For example, Ihave one dog who is really "hot" so I will do a lot more yard and drill work on him and less marks. If I have one with less desire I will try to get in a few marks every day and be careful about doing to many yard drills.

[chip laughton]

Thanks Bill,
Zach is pretty high energy. He loves the drills. But I do not want to burn him out on them. I was just curious about if you alternate. He rarely gets any marks so maybe I will break out my bird launcher and alternate them between sessions.

Thanks
Chip

[BrettG]

You have to read your dog. If the guy is just a working machine you can run him everyday and move right along just watch his attitude. All those steps have some pressure involved that could kill his confidence. I try to do handling drills and TT in the morning and then at least one set of marks in the afternoon or if the the morning is bad I might go from T field to pond for playtime doubles in the water (always will work to get the dogs head up)