Drills, drills, drills… For dogs at all levels.
This handbook was created by Rainer Fuchs for the 2017 LRCGB “Drills for Field Work” workshop. It contains more than 30 marking, lining, and casting drills. Great for all dogs but of particular value to transition dogs.
Download a free copy!
There is still a small number of print copies available. Please contact rainer@foxrunretrievers.com.
Table of Contents
Sample Page
From the Introduction:
Drills are training exercises designed to work on problems (such as inadequate cast response) or to teach, refine, or maintain a behavior (such as teaching a dog to hold the line on down the shore blinds).
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The drills described in this handbook are probably most helpful for improving skills in Transition dogs, and for specific problem solving with Advanced dogs. This handbook will not cover the sequence of components that comprise the Basics as part of the Carr/Lardy-style of retriever training, such as pile work, double-T, swim-by, pattern blinds, etc. As Dennis Voigt observes, almost all steps in Basics training might be labeled “drills”.
Drills are not snake oil or pixie dust. There is no magic solution to problems.
A drill may work for you and your dog, or it may not. YMMV. There’s no money back guarantee in dog training. What’s sure, however, is that running any of these drills once and expecting great results is a surefire recipe for disappointment. Almost all drills in this handbook benefit tremendously from being repeated for several sessions, within a few days or maybe weeks, and in different locations. Be mindful though that you CAN bore your dog out of its mind by overdoing it…
Most learning in your dogs will come from field setups for marks and blinds. To quote Dennis Voigt: “Always have a specific reason to do a drill. Then, focus on that objective until it is realized”.