Just wanted to share a couple pics from Saturdays training session. I am training one of my dogs, Dakota, for her utility test(navhda) this coming fall. We were working on her duck search and steadiness by the blind, along with numerous other things. She is off to a good start but still needs some work.

Dakota just after breaking the cover with the duck.

Dakota retrieving the duck(hard to see from quality of pic).

Almost back to shore.

Now I wish I could brag and say everything went perfect, but 2-3 steps on the shore she decides before she returns the duck to hand she is going to drop it and shake off. What happened to all that force fetch!!!  Well the duck still full of life darts back into the water and before I can say anything Dakota is on a duck chase. Now I didn't get to give her a correction for dropping the bird, but it wasn't a total loss. After a nice chase/search Dakota catches the duck. Now with the duck in mouth again she starts her retrieve. Ready to correct instantly this time, she hits the shore and delivers right to hand. I was that irrate that she dropped the duck the first time that I almost forgot the #1 rule in dog training....patience, patience, patience.

We are going to be doing a lot of dummie retrieves from the water to make sure she knows shaking is a no-no, atleast before delivering the duck. We have done numerous retrieves from the water(dummies and birds)and this was the first one she ever dropped. I guess that's why we train so much, they are dogs; not robots.