Hence, you threw a  bumper out to the right and you cast your dog "back," turning him to the left (away from the one that you just threw) to pick up the bumper behind him. Then you throw that bumper back behind him again, and cast him to pick up the bumper that you have already thrown to the right. The bumper that he picked up on the right gets thrown out to the left (this bumper always goes from side-to-side), and you cast him with an attention snap, a step to the right, and a straight up right arm and hand, turning him to the right and back (away from the one that you just threw) to pick up the bumper behind him.

   Most dogs pick up on this basic casting quite quickly and do the drill with enthusiasm. It becomes a game to them, and they quickly learnt to anticipate that they will be cast to the bumper that was thrown previously.

   This drill is necessary to build into another drill called "walking baseball." The drill described above is very much like the walking baseball drill, but it is stationary. In other words, the dog always returns to the same spot and is cast from the same spot. When we get to the walking baseball drill, you will see that the position that the dog is cast from and returns to moves with each cast. Confused yet?

t is now time to start slipping in the words "over" when you cast your dog to the side bumpers, and "back" when cast to the bumpers thrown behind him. If he balks when he hears a command other than the work "fetch," simply make the transition of commands more intermittent and gradual.

This is also the time when a dog begins to learn basic lining. Lining is teaching the dog run a straight line away from the handler and toward an unknown destination, essentially a blind retrieve. Lining is taught separately from casting. When the dog becomes proficient at each individual component - lining, stopping, and casting - then these elements are put together as the finished blind retrieve. 

I usually end each casting session with a lining session and work the dog directly from casting into lining. I utilize the same short grass area that I have been using for the casting drill. I even have the dog come to "heel" in the exact same spot from which he has bee running the casting drills. The only real difference is hat now only your dog is sitting beside you and being sent from your side rather than being cast from in front, facing you. To begin teaching basic lining, your dog should be brought to the "heel" position. Give your dog a good solid snap, and remind him to, "Sit" or, "Stay." Throw a bumper out about six to eight feet in front of him, and be prepared for him to break and go after it. Stop him with your rope if he breaks, and bring him back to the "heel" position at your side, facing the bumper. Once he is intently staring at the bumper and wanting it badly, put your open hand about eight inches or so above and in front of his forehead, and cue him with the command, "Dead bird." Give a silent count of about three seconds, tell him to, "Fetch," and watch him explode to the bumper. Whatever you do, don't get in the habit of moving your hand as in a "bowler's sweep," and also don't get in the habit of dropping your hand in front of his face and sending him immediately. Your hand should remain stationary as your dog runs to retrieve the bumper and not move until his tail has cleared your hand.

    As above, where we began slipping in the "over" command when casting left and right, most trainers at this point begin intermittently slipping in the word "back" for the dog to run on a line, and subsequently to run a blind retrieve. These verbal cues are quite important. The utilization of the "dead bird" cue eventually lets the dog know that he is about to run in the direction that he is being sent for something that he hasn't seen fall. Using verbal cues help your dog to understand the task that he is expected to perform. You can also change the verbal cues to meet your needs, but be sure to be consistent in the cues that you use.

t this point, it should be little problem to have your dog return to the "heel" position with the bumper in his mouth, as this series of movements should have been solidly taught as drill work subsequent to the force-fetch program.

    I like to take the bumper from the dog and throw it out about six feet or so behind me (behind my back). I then turn the dog to the right or to the left 180 degrees using the "here" or "heel" command. Remember the "here" and "heel" commands that we used as we turned right and left during basic obedience heeling drills? This is where we actually begin to put the "here" and "heel" drill into practice. To move your dog to the right and align him for the bumper that you have thrown out behind your back, tell him, "Here" and have him pivot with you to the right. To move him to the left, tell him, "Heel," and he should pivot backward around you as you turn to the left.

    After your dog begins to understand the concept of moving with you to the left and right 180 degrees after you throw bumpers out behind your back, it is time to begin using four bumpers and letting him watch you throw them out to all four points of the compass. Throw a bumper out, and give him a firm snap on the rope if necessary to restrain and keep him from breaking. Tell him, "No" to the one that you have just thrown, then pivot him 90 degrees either to the right or to the left to face the direction of the bumper that you are going to throw out next. Another firm snap and a "no" to the one that you are throwing out, and pivot him 90 degrees to the next position.

Beginning simple lining to the four points of the compass using the  word "fetch." Remember to use the "heel" and "here" drill to move the dog right and left and point him at the four bumpers

   With four bumpers lying at each point of the compass, you can begin to select which bumper to pick up and in what order. This time, after your dog picks up the bumper he is facing and returns to the "heel" position at your side, make sure that he is facing in the direction where he has just picked up the bumper. Throw the bumper he has just retrieved back to where it came from. After he has watched the bumper land in front of him, tell him, "No," and pivot him using the "here" or "heel" commands as you move him right or left to another point of the compass where there is another bumper lying.

   Remember the house analogy: "You have to dig the hole and pour the foundation before you can start building on top of it." Well, we have dug the hole and poured the foundation by doing a thorough job of obedience and force-fetch. We are beginning to build on what we have already taught when we proceed with the basic casting and lining drills described above. Continuing to build from this point and beyond consists of moving the two bumper stationary casting drill out into the field and developing it into the walking baseball drill as described in D.L. Walters' book, Training Retrievers to Handle.

   The basic four point lining drill develops even further by the utilization of an additional four bumpers at the 45-degree positions between the others. This eight point lining drill then serves to perfect the dog's left and right heeling movements, which consequently refines the line on which he can be sent. Through the use of subsequent "sight blinds" and "walk-out" blinds, the dog can be taught to hold the line to great distances.

   The goal that we are trying to achieve through all of this is a dog that will line up with the handler, run in the direction sent, stop on a whistle, "sit" facing the handler, cast "over" to the left and "over" to the right, and cast "back" by turning to the left or to the right. After the dog has been thoroughly schooled on all of his casts through the use of walking baseball and drills to develop his lining, it is time to put it all together in the form of a "single T," and subsequently a "double T" pattern drill. These drills pull together all of the concepts mentioned above, which have been taught individually up to this point. But remember: Like digging the hole, pouring the concrete, and building a house on a solid foundation, all of this handling and lining develops from a rock solid foundation of obedience and force-fetch. Good luck.

The End of Part II

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