Blind retrieves

Blind retrieves are about being able to handle and direct the dog at a distance, both on land and in water. The dog doesn’t know where the game or dummy is, so it is up to you to send the dog to the correct place. The dog needs to know hand signals and commands for going back (straight out from your left side), go left, go right and continue further back (from having it’s nose toward you turn 180 degrees around and run the other way).

The dog also needs to know the stop whistle (stop when you want it to) and hunt whistle (start to hunt in a small area where it’s standing). A complete blind retrieve, or cast, would then for example be go back, stop, go right, stop, hunt whistle, find dummy, pick it up and deliver it to the handler.

In this category you’ll find all our blog posts on blind retrieves, casting and handling.

Training in a rigged hunting situation

When we were in England a couple of years ago, we did set up a driven shoot with dummies, which means that we rigged a hunting situation. The difference between this training and a walk up – when handlers and dogs on a line flush the game in front of the line – is...

Casting training for rookies

Working on directional skills and casting is so much fun! Being able to send the dog to run straight out from my side, to the left or right, or to turn and run in the opposite direction (push backs) feels awesome and fun. If you want to be able to trial with your...

Breathe! Count to three!

This is a text addressed to myself. But I think you might recognize yourself too 😉 This text is about breathing when casting. Sounds easy? I find it terribly difficult sometimes. Maybe it's the control freak in me that loses control - I don't know. But when my dog is...

Casting is so much fun!

Besides the actual hunting with a spaniel - which when it flows is an experience that's hard to beat - I really enjoy working on casting. I think I enjoy it so much because it's possible to vary that training indefinitely. It's just one's own imagination that puts an...