Beginning Water Handling
By Jim & Phyllis Dobbs and Alice Woodyard
Last month we started the dog on beginning shorebreaking, using an
extension of the obstacle training that we use on land in the Modified
Double "T." We finished with an easy channel picture, run as a "cheating
single" mark. Now it's time to begin handling in the water.
The Water "T"
Before you begin running water blinds with a dog, he needs to know
how to stop and tread water in response to your sit whistle. He also
needs to take your casts in water the same way he did on land during
the Single "T," and he should be accomplished at the Modified Double
"T."
 The Back
Pile
A pond about 10 by 25 yards is an ideal size to use when you teach
casting on water. Working across the SHORT dimension of the pond,
place a back pile on the far shore, visible to the dog. Throw a bumper
to the pile so he knows where it is. Then send him a few times to
retrieve from the back pile, until he is going confidently.
Next, stop him half way across with one blast of the whistle. He
will turn and look at you and probably start swimming toward you.
(If he doesn't, call him with "Here" to get his attention on you.)
Cast him "Back" right away and have him retrieve from the back pile.
Follow up with a send straight through to the back pile, then, on
the next repetition, stop him again with your whistle. This time,
try to get him to tread water momentarily before you cast him back.
Teaching a Dog to Tread Water
To help him learn to tread water, temporarily "confuse" him. It's
rare to want to intentionally confuse a dog, but temporarily doing
this can help him learn the new maneuver. So cast him back, then immediately
stop him, then call him toward you, then stop him again, and so on,
a few times. He will finally tread water as he stares at you as if
to say, "Well, make up your mind!" Then give him a back cast and let
him complete the retrieve.
On the next repetition, send him straight through. Then try one with
a stop. With each sit whistle, ask for a little more perfection in
treading water. Some dogs are naturally better at treading water than
others, but the great majority have no difficulty learning to tread
water well enough to get the job done.
"Over" in Water
To introduce "Over" in water, help your dog by lining him once to
each pile from the opposite shore. Now he knows the location of the
piles, so you can begin to sometimes cast him "Over" instead of "Back."
If the shape of your water is such that you cannot line him from one
over pile to the other, you'll need to help him locate the piles.
Throw a bumper to the pile as the dog is treading water looking at
you. Then cast him "Over".
Sometimes when you cast him "Over," he will try to go back instead,
because the back pile is more familiar and a little closer than the
over piles. Stop him with a second whistle; make him hesitate a little
longer, then cast "Over" again. If he persists in trying to go back,
stop him with "NO," bring him toward you, and recast. You can throw
a bumper to the over pile to help him figure out what you want, but
don't make it a habit. He needs to be able to learn to identify your
casts in water just as he did on land.
Our next article: Introduction to the Channel Blind
After the dog is confident at stopping to the whistle and casting
"Back" and "Over" in water, it is time to begin channel work. Your
dog's foundation for channel blinds should also include simple channel
marks, with progressively longer entries, as covered in our last article.
In our next article, we will explain how to develop and use channel
blinds to teach the dog to accept staying in the water, and condition
him to the idea of the long swim. We will emphasize trust and teamwork,
and balance the dog with water re-entries.
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