Rational Retriever Training

Casting Retrievers

In this podcast, we discuss ten casting tips:  Mental Counting Expectation After Each Whistle Stop Casting Rotation Cast Refusals Whistle Stops Carry The Cast Training Versus Hunt Test Consider Your Whistle Consider Your Background Success and Repetition in Casts

Retriever Puppy Training

In this podcast, I list ten mistakes I often see newbies make while trying to train their first puppy.  These mistakes include: Repeating Commands Giving The Wrong Command Cheerleading Pup Ignoring A Problem Creating A Gunshy Retriever Not Teaching Pinpoint Marking Pup Trains The Trainer Trainer Not Accepting Responsibility For Pups Behavior Trainer Gets Frustrated With Pup Not Building Pup

Bumpers For Training Your Retriever

In this podcast, we discuss bumpers...canvas or plastic, orange or white or black & white, and the use of birds for training retrievers.

Trainer Frustrations

Todays podcast is about the retriever trainer getting frustrated and mad at a retriever. Dogs are not resentful creatures, their behavior is often what in there nature.  The best trainers never get mad or frustrated, they have learned "walk in the dogs shoes" and try to understand retriever behavior from the dog's perspective.

Retriever Line Manners: From Your Truck to The Line

In this podcast we cover 7 checks for good line manners from your truck to the line:  Opening Your Kennel Waiting in the Holding Blind Response to Judges/Marshall Talking/Yelling Leaving The Holding Blind Will Your Retriever Work With You? Walking Towards The LIne: Backwards Heeling Silent Auto-Sit Halfway and Just Behind The Line

Initial Line Concepts

In this podcast, we outline a checklist of initial line concepts you can teach your dog while training.  Concepts such as barriers, no-seeum blinds, remote sends, targeting, and diversions from the line.  These concepts are important in running bind retrieves at Master Hunter level and in waterfowl hunting.

Teaching Your Retriever Cross-Wind Water Blinds

There are 3 phases to teach your retriever to master cross-wind water blinds: Lining into the wind Casting into the wind Succeeding in a gradient of cross-wind water blinds  

Your Retriever’s Perspective

Sometimes the human or trainer's perspective may differ from the dog's perspective. This can result in problems.  In this podcast, we give five examples where the retriever's perspective was very different than the trainer's perspective.  As you get better and better as a trainer you will think more and more from your dog's perspective...    

Retriever Tune Up Drills

A tune-up drill is a series of land or water blinds run on successive days. Tune-up drills can be useful for at least 4 reasons: They get your retriever comfortable with multiple blinds  They teach your retriever go straight in a blind corridor. They are useful to teach your retriever advanced blind concepts. They help you develop as the handler to be proactive and reactive to keep your dog in a tight blind corridor.  

The Inital Line: Barriers, Bugging, Spot Bowling, No-Seeums, Lining Bias

In this podcast, we discuss training drills for working on lining with confidence. As a handler you need to "spot bowl" with your retriever's spine, eyes, and nose perfectly focused on a spot in line with the distant blind destination. Barriers and no-see-um blinds are setups that your retriever should be exposed to in advanced lining.