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So, today we went to the field again and did left and right casts along the hedge, first as straightforward, then with a recall to me before taking her back and sending her for the dummy (so it was slightly delayed) and then with a dummy out to each side and sending for the first one down. Did about 3-4 each side.

Again, got just one wrong I think which I corrected with a 'no' and she stopped before reaching the dummy.

On one of them she overshot the dummy and I blew a stop and she stopped and then redirected back the other way and she picked it! Bit more complicated than I had intended but she is certainly starting to grasp the direction controls now, and sometimes looks very intently at me to see which way I will point.

Did one 'back' along the hedge line, and then sat her steady in the corner of the field while I threw dummies around her, picked most of them up, and then we walked right along the field edge and I sent her back for two as long memory marks (not sure on distance, 50+yrds?).

Also, interspersed heelwork, walking sits (walk and blew stop whistle, come back and collected her) etc.

A good session. She did drop the dummy a couple of times and I corrected for this by taking her out a little way, sitting her and putting the dummy back in her mouth and then re-recalling her with praise for holding.

Saturday was 'rest day' as we were picking up at our shoot with the other dogs, so Dot had to stay in the car with an enormous bone! I don't think she even noticed we had gone!

Sunday we went to group class for basic obedience which was a very useful brush up and I was able to concentrate on real quality in her basics. She was good.

Heelwork, sit at heel, stays and recall. All nice. I think it was a very valid revision session as we have had quite a lot of retrieves this week (working on the left/right commands) so it was good to go out and have NO retrieves.

Rain stopped play yesterday, apart from a short walk.

Today, despite extreme wind (outside, not me!) we did a bit more drill work in the usual field, on another edge.

two rights and two lefts along the fence with delays in between. these were fine.

Followed by some work on backs along the fence. these were fine, with one hesitation, as they were memory/blinds. Also, she is doing a bit of a looping/arcing back, so I will have to tighten this up by doing some backs which are close and marked so she turns around tightly and straighter.

I then went further out into the field and did a couple of 'lining out' retrieves where I threw 2 dummies out at angles and got her to face to the one I wanted and lined her to take the right one. This was a bit tricky as the grass was undulating and it was hard to get clear visual dummies to draw her out on the line, plus the wind didn't help. It is hard to get her to look along my hand too. she doesnt seem to do this naturally yet.

Finished up with a couple of whistle sits/walking and then free play.

After yesterday's great lesson, I took Dot back to one of our usual fields for some work alone.

We did a bit of heelwork to start with and then a recall after throwing dummies out to the side, and then sitting steady to thrown dummies around her. All fine.

I then did some right, left and backs and she was really ropey at this. It was like she had forgotten all of that stuff. I guess we haven't done any for a while. Rather frustrating, especially as her 'backs' were previously so strong, and now they seem to have gone. So I think I need to go back again and start doing some simple ones again, but finding the right ground where she can easily see and find the dummies is hard as the grass is long at the moment. Perhaps I will do a bit of this work at very short distance on the lawn until it is re-established.

I did a couple of marks into the longer grass and she was okay. Took a while to find them but she is trying to hunt for them so I'm not too worried about this yet.

Then we did memory marks where I dropped three dummies with her in a line and then walked on and sent her back for them. But she got distracted by something half way out and seemed to have forgotten them already, and then when I tried doing 'back' she didn't get it. So I had to re-show her the dummies, shorten the distance and then I managed to get her to go back.

Looks like we need to really revise this control work...

Today was better, back in the cow field, although when I sat her up to climb over the fence into the field and walked off I turned round and she was stood up sniffing again, so I went back and corrected. After that she was better. She is a real nervous little thing and tries to run away/stand off when I go back to her which makes correcting difficult/frustrating, and I have never been harsh with her.

We did a couple of lefts and rights near the hedge line which she did well, and then I put all 3 dummies out (back included) and did one of each with no problems while all dummies were out there. Pretty pleased with that. But I didn't repeat or push it as wanted to end on a positive.

Next I did a couple of backs down the hedge line, and recalls and stops. All good.

Then steadiness to thrown dummies. (bit of a waste of time this as she actually doesnt seem very interested in raining dummies. I think her drive is quite low?).

Next, I let her watch me flick a couple of tennis balls into a patch of longer grass and bury them down. Then I sat her out right next to them, and then gave her the hunt whistle command, and hey presto she went into a lovely hunt and found one. Repeated this and she struggled a bit to find the second one, but I helped her, and she still started the hunt on the command, and then she found it to much praise and celebration. Great stuff.

We ended up with a couple of long memory marks from that same area which she did well on the first one but was hesitant on the second one as I had put out a distraction dummy at 90 degrees. Took a couple of casts and then she got it.

So ended on a good note.

I am aware that I am not really throwing marked retrieves for her and practising marking, but I think she will get plenty of practise at this later (next spring when she joins a group class etc, and in our other lessons). I haven't tried the dummy launcher with her yet either as I think it is very loud and I would rather she had more exposure to starting pistols and gun shot until she hears this. It seems like a much louder type of bang to me.

Yesterday I didn't take Dot out. Didn't feel like it. Felt bad, but sometimes it is better to do nothing at all rather than doing something half-hearted or not very well.

Today made up for that with a group training session, with Dot, who is now 8 months old and two other 'last year' pups of 16 months old (but who are still quite juvenile).

We did exercises involving steadiness to other dogs working, a little walk up, a short retrieve over a small wall, retrieving into cover and taking a line when there was more than one retrieve out. All of which Dot did pretty well, just minor hiccups. I was very pleased with her and all of her returns were super-fast with dummy delivered to hand. Nice work, and we have another session booked for next week.

Took Dot out to usual cow field and found an area where the grass was quite short to try the 'Go as Sent' drill (thanks Jo). I have to admit that I didn't bring any white socks with me though, so I had to do my own version with 3 mucky orange/brown dummies and one green one. But I did stand them all on their ends to make them as visible as possible.

So I sat Dot up and then paced out about 26 paces (which I guess is about the 20yds) and then I put the dummies about 4 strides apart.

Went back to Dot and sent her for one after the other and she did the whole lot fine!!! I couldn't believe it. It's a great drill and I could see her going out confidently on the line.

Next I did some lefts and rights which went okay until I introduced a dummy behind and then it all went pear shaped with her going back instead of right a couple of times. Managed to get it right in the end though and also do a 'back' which was fine. The only thing is when I shout 'no' when she is going wrong she still carries on to get the dummy! So I just do the no eye-contact thing take her back, no praise and try again at half the distance, or re-showing the correct dummy.

After that I thought I would try the Go As Sent drill again in another direction, just to prove it wasnt a fluke! Well, it obviously was! She did the first dummy fine and then battled with the line for the next one, and then it was hard to tell if she was going right or wrong as she went a bit 'wobbly'. Had to do a few resends and halving the distances, and she went a bit sticky on the send off too. Anyway, we succeeded with lots of praise at a shorter distance, and we will give it another go another day, maybe starting much closer.

At the weekend we had a big group lesson, 10 dogs in all, which helped us do some recalls and stays in the company of other dogs, and honouring other dogs retrieving. All very valuable.

We had three retrieves, two of which were delayed and Dot battled a bit to find them but did run around madly and make an effort! I don't think her marking is brilliant but this will come in time.

On Sunday, we took Dot up to the clay ground to get her accustomed to shot gun fire, armed with a pocket full of biscuits! After the initial spook she seemed pretty unconcerned and she accompanied me to the stands and sat with me while I operated the control for the clays and then sat with OH while I shot a few. I plan to get her really used to all of this as just mere background so that guns are the norm, as with my other dogs we never had this opportunity and when they see a gun they get very excited as they know the association.

Off to small group lesson this afternoon, usual 3 of us.