ho isn't impressed by a retriever that can "handle"? Most every newcomer to retriever training watches a dog handle or cast at a considerable distance, gets bitten by the bug, and wants a dog that an perform similarly. And, as happens with many inexperienced trainers, these skills are often developed at the expense of other training - namely marking. 

   Certainly, with this article I have no intention of minimizing the necessity of developing a dog's marking skills. But in those instanced when a dog has failed to mark a fall (a common occurrence in a typical hunting situation), a dog that can carry a fair line in the direction that he is sent, stop on a whistle blast, and allow his direction to be changed by a cast from the handler can be guided to any bird whose fall is known. If the bird has moved either by swimming or running off, the hunting dog should, with experience, be able to follow the trail of the cripple once he is handled into the area of the scent.

   Fact is, in a true hunting situation, most handling occurs when a dog has mismarked a fall or when the bird is seen swimming off or floating down a river. Unlike in trials and hunt tests, there are no ribbons or titles to be won and no gallery of spectators to judge the dog's performance - the only reward is recovering a dead or crippled bird.

   I'll bet that 90 percent of the retrievers that come into my kennel for training - and certainly the majority of the phone calls I get - are from people who want a dog that can take casts and run blinds. Rarely do they mention developing the dog's marking, enhancing the burning desire for birds, or teaching the dog to trail and root cripples out of cover. And to a person, when someone comes to watch my own dogs or my training dogs work, they always ask to see the dog handle on a blind, hungry as they are to see the ultimate in long distance control.

   Teaching basic handling begins (as does all dog work) at the trainer's side and evolves as the distances and skill levels increase. This is done through the utilization of repetitive drills. Like building a house, it is necessary that the "hole be dug and the foundation poured" before building on it.

    In the case of retriever training, the house analogy equates to doing the foundation training before moving ahead to teaching lining and casting. The fundamental training most important here is thorough obedience training and a sound force-fetch program. ("Retriever 101- Part 1" March/April '99, "Retriever 101-Part 2" May/June '99).

   Understand, any dog that will consistently fetch an object from the ground on command can be taught to handle. However, his overall dependability will only be enhanced by the application of an adequate force-fetch program.

   I find that if a dog will consistently do the "fetch/leave-it drill" such as I described in the June/July 1998 issue of The Retriever Journal, he is ready to begin learning to handle. If he is not unquestionably consistent on this drill, he probably needs more work on fetching from the ground when commanded to do so.

    It may seem sin oversimplification to say that by sitting the dog facing the trainer and throwing a bumper straight out 6' or 8' to the left side followed by the "fetch" command and straight-out left-hand signal, that the dog has just taken his first cast. But for a dog that will fetch on command, he has just successfully completed his first basic left hand "over" cast. And, getting started teaching handling is really just that simple, but it wouldn't be so simple if the fundamental training mentioned above weren't solid.

   So, as we get started, you see that teaching the basics of beginning casting and lining is nothing more than an extension of the "fetch" command: Fetch to the left; fetch to the right; fetch behind turning to the left; and fetch behind turning to the right.

	Remember to cast him with the arm fully extended upward from the side that you want him to roll toward. After a short time, the dog should begin to understand the four basic single casts and begin diving for the bumpers when sent. Now is the time to move ahead to the rwo-bumper drill and begin casting away from one toward the other.
	Extending lining is also taken into the field and extended to great distances through the utilization of sight blinds, walk-outs, and permanent blinds. Remember to keep the hand in position until the dog is well on his way.

   Let's start with your dog sitting and facing you in the yard or on any short grass field. He should be on a checkcord attached to whatever training collar you have used to teach his obedience. For the purpose of this article, left is always handler's left and right is always handler's right.

   Start by giving the dog a snap on his collar and maybe a quick toot on your whistle, reminding him to sit or stay depending upon the command that you have used to teach him to remain in the sitting position.

   Throw a bumper straight out, 6' or 8' from the dog, to the left. Hesitate for a couple of seconds and make sure that he is looking at you and not at the bumper. (If he insists on looking at the bumper, give him another snap and tell him, "Look at me" just as he was taught when doing his obedience training.) Then give him an "over" signal with your left hand and arm along with the "fetch" command.

   At this early stage, you should be aware of the position and movement of your arm and hand as you give your casts from the very start. Most casting problems later on are a direct result of the handler's sloppiness when giving arm and hand signals. An "over" cast is not a sweep of the arm up from the crotch and out to the side; it is straight out from the solar plexus. Likewise, a "back" cast is not akin to a Nazi salute with the arm coming forward; it is straight up from the solar plexus to the side of the left or right eye.

   If you have questions as to your casting, watch yourself in a mirror. I have an advantage when teaching novices to cast their dog. I do the initial training on my front lawn so they can watch their reflection in my front picture window, here any casting signal difficulties become readily apparent.

   Your dog has just executed his first left hand "over" cast. Now, you need to guide him back using the rope to his former position facing you, have him sit, and tell him "drop" or "give." You are now ready to do the same cast to the right side.

   Give him a quick reminder snap and perhaps a whistle toot and throw the bumper 6' or 8' straight out to the right. Hesitate for a couple of seconds, make sure that he is looking at you and not the bumper, and give him a right hand "over" cast with the fetch command.

   A couple of additional things that deserve mentioning: We start the dog by using the "fetch" command and eventually, after he is doing the subsequent drills correctly, we begin substituting the word "over" when going to the left or right. We use the word "fetch" in the beginning when teaching him to fetch to the back (behind him), but eventually we substitute the word "back" whether turning back to the left or turning to the right when going away from the handler. We start with "fetch" because he has just come from his force-fetch program and should have an intimate knowledge of the meaning of the word "fetch." Thus, we are building (m the foundation that he has already learned.

   If your dog has trouble understanding the concept of fetching to the right or to the left from the sitting position, try using a great deal of "body-English" to influence him to move in the direction that you want him to go. At this point, we are trying to give him the idea that he should fetch in the direction that he is cast. Don't demand absolute perfection at this early stage; instead, try to influence him to perform correctly and get the idea of what you want.

   When you feel that this side-to-side casting is solidly ingrained in his mind, and he is doing it without hesitation and returning to the front position facing you, it is time to begin teaching the left and the right hand back casts. Take a good step off to the left and make sure that he is watching. Throw the bumper off to the left side of the dog's head to land about 6' or 8' behind him. Be absolutely sure that he follows the flight of the bumper from your hand all the way to the ground by turning his head to the left side. (Remember this is handler’s left and handler's right.) Your dog will likely turn his body all the way around to watch the fall of the bumper. This is okay; just turn his body back around so he's facing you before easting him "back."

   Make absolutely sure that you are standing off to the left side in order to influence his turning in this direction. Give him a snap with the rope and a whistle toot, and after a moment's hesitation give him the straight-up arm cast along with the "fetch" command. If he turns to the wrong side but still goes back and fetches the bumper that you threw behind him, there is no reason to stop him at this point to make a correction. Just be more animated next time, until he will turn in the direction that you want.

   Now try the same thing to the right side. For most dogs, turning to the right side seems to be easier. If you have a dog that insists on turning in only one direction, you may have to eventually stop him with the rope during his turn, while using an exaggerated casting signal to which he is to turn.

   So the next obvious question: Why does it matter which way he turns as long as he goes back and fetches what is behind him?

   You use the left and right "back" casts to turn the dog away from "suction" (such as a shoreline) that he might be heading toward, to correct the direction in which he is heading, or perhaps to cast him away from a dead bird lying in the water when you want him to go after a cripple that is swimming away. Trust me, you will use left and right hand "back" casts regularly, and you will be glad that you taught the dog to turn in both directions from the start.

   By now, your dog should be returning to the front facing position automatically, getting ready for the next throw and cast. But continue to have the rope attached to his collar and ready, if needed.

   Congratulations! Although there is still a long way to go you are well on your way to teaching your dog to handle. In an upcoming issue, we'll begin teaching more advanced drills with multiple bumpers and begin teaching your dog to run lines. If you have made it this far, keep working on this for the next couple of months along with obedience and marks.

   I promise, the next phase is where the real fun begins!

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