casting

Casting & Changing Directions Thru Attrition
        Written by Michelle Linnane
Let me start with the concept that you handle differently in a trial then you do training. Example in a trial
I try and keep the dog in the corridor of the blind, this is shown in the diagram below. The next question you
will ask is what is the distance between the two Xs? If you take your hand and hold it online to the blind and
keep your two middle fingers tucked down. Just holding up your index finger and your pinkie, that can be a
corridor to a blind.
                                 blind
                                    |
                                    |
                            X     |     X     corridor of the blind
                                    |
                                    |
                                  line
If it takes 4 whistles I will keep the dog in the corridor when I am running a blind at a trial. When I am training
if the dog is a little offline just bearly out of the corridor I often will let them roll. Also when I give a cast in
training and the dog does not hold it, I will use attrition until I get the cast I wanted and they hold it. Also once
the dog is taking the cast and they might being going offline becasue they are hold the cast, again I let them roll
I dont care that they are offline. I am training not trialing and that is the thing most people don't understand. They
feel like they need to stop the dog so it stays online. If I don't get the cast I forget how the blind looks and I work on
getting the cast.

Once I have a dog thru double T, Swim-by, and pattern blinds, I will start doing land blinds always doing 3.
Generally I will start dogs with 3 very simple blinds. Now I have already done pattern blinds with guns in
the fields so I have starting casting. I also might be doing water cheating singles and I am doing some casting
there. But on the land blinds is were I really like to teach casting.

When I first start to do blinds I give what ever cast it takes to get the dog to the blind. As I do more blinds
I start to expect more from the dog. I want them to change direction when I give a straight right or left hand
back. I rarely give overs, but I expect my dogs to take overs.

There comes the time that I expect the dogs to start to change direction with straight right and left hand backs.
I will try and explain how this works. I send a dog on a blind that might be 200 yards I need a whistle at 40 yards
the dog is heading offline toward the right. I blow the whistle and give the dog a straight hand left back and I take
a step left. The dog turns and digs straight back in the opposite direction (cast refusal which is normal when you
are first starting), I blow the whistle immediately as soon as the dog indicated his direction in diagram 1.
Now you can do a few things
    * try giving the same cast again
    * burn on the cast refusal
    * use attrition by giving the here command and call the dog back into the spot you gave the the first cast.
Now I give the same cast again and the dog takes the cast but does not hold it. Which does not surprise
me. Dogs have to be taught to hold a cast. The dog is back online but I can see he is heading toward the right.
                         200 yds
                          Blind

Stop3
stop2

stop1

                             line
                         diagram 1
Now I can do a few things here. You can give the dog another left straight back which might take the dog to
the blind, or he might just dig back. Depending on the dog at stop3 I might say here and use more attrition
and bring the dog back in point X in diagram 2.
                         200 yds
                          Blind

stop3

                             line
                         diagram 2
Now I give the a straight left hand back again with a step. And I would expect the dog may do a few
different things. They could turn left and dig straight back, but I don't think they will. At this point I
think the dog will give me an almost 90 degree left angle cast. If they don't I will use attrition until I get
the cast I want which is shown below.
                             Blind
                  \
                   \
                     \
                       \
                        \
                         \
                          \
                           \
                               X

line
I don't stop the dog when they get back online I let them roll. Even if I have to stop the dog and give them an
over or most of the time the dogs see my blind poles and heads straight for them. I use blind poles as a training
aid. At this point not only has the dog learn to cast but they are learning to hold a cast. I like to let the dog enjoy
the cast. I am not interested in how the blind looks to my training partners. I am only concerned with what I
am trying to teach a cast.

Also you must be able to reconize effort. If you blow the whistle and the dog sits you give a right hand cast.
The dog takes off and heads left and does not even turn in the correct direction. I read this in a dog as lack of
effort. Attrition is a great tool and I use it a great deal but you must learn to recognize effort when you are
running blinds.