Tall Grass = Kryptonite

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Gertie
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Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by Gertie » Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:44 am

I took Gert to a trial over at Sauvies Island (high grass/marsh type cover) and she ran shorter than I've ever seen her run. I wanted to try to re-create the scene in a non-trial environment to confirm my suspicions that the cover was the culprit for the short run and not the other dog, the trial scene, puppyhood, etc. So yesterday I found a wet meadow with grass almost as tall as the stuff out at Sauvie's out in the mountains here and sure enough, she barely gets out 100 yards.

So my question to you folks is, if I continue to train her in the tall grass will she eventually get used to it and get her run back or should we just bag training in tall grass altogether and not bother with field trials in that cover type? (Btw, we usually train in open sage country.)
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Greg Jennings
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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by Greg Jennings » Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:59 am

My late and much beloved dog Gunner would shorten up in a large, uniform, field of tall grass. I'm thinking that he just could not see something that looked like an objective to him and defaulted into a "Z" pattern. That is, he would usually go significantly further out on the left to right than the right to left. No idea why.

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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Jun 22, 2012 11:30 am

Gertie, that is what a good dog does. Heavy cover they shorten but when out in light cover again she will roll. That is what you want.

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romeo212000
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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by romeo212000 » Fri Jun 22, 2012 11:45 am

Sounds like a dog with some brains to me. Also, you wouldn't believe how much harder it is for them to run in that type of grass. It's not just the height, it's the thickness too. Those tall chutes almost wrap around and grab their legs as they run.

bb560m
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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by bb560m » Fri Jun 22, 2012 11:45 am

Are you talking above her head like she can't even see anything or what? I would suspect most dogs would shorten up if they can't see anything and it's really thick - otherwise they are probably just running to run.

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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by Chukar12 » Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:07 pm

Gertie,

I think you are worried about application rather than distance? Has she slowed up on you, or is she stopping and looking at you as if to say, "I don't get it and this sucks?" I believe that continued exposure and her successful discovery of game in the cover will change the way she reacts to it over time. A good hunter and judge should expect and look for the same thing in cover; a dog that is enthusiastically seeking game to the front. Edges, treelines, fencelines, creeks, drainages and foliage change should draw the dog as these things tend to draw game as well. I would plant some birds in the most likely areas and keep giving her exposure.

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AzDoggin
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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by AzDoggin » Fri Jun 22, 2012 1:06 pm

Agree with the others - this is part of the education of a hunting dog. If a dog won't shorten up in heavy cover, she could be running by birds. Keep working her and you'll see her start to leap up and check out what's ahead of her and move to objectives. Be sure to plant birds plenty to front once in a while so she gets it that this cover is worth hunting (unless there are wild birds, of course).

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Hattrick
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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by Hattrick » Fri Jun 22, 2012 1:39 pm

sounds like you have a nice dog

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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by BigShooter » Fri Jun 22, 2012 1:50 pm

I would plant some birds in the most likely areas and keep giving her exposure.
This is the key. If you just keep working her in taller/tougher cover without any birds to find you'll accomplish little to nothing.
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Gertie
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Re: Tall Grass = Kryptonite

Post by Gertie » Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:46 pm

Chukar12 wrote:Gertie,

I think you are worried about application rather than distance? Has she slowed up on you, or is she stopping and looking at you as if to say, "I don't get it and this sucks?" I believe that continued exposure and her successful discovery of game in the cover will change the way she reacts to it over time. A good hunter and judge should expect and look for the same thing in cover; a dog that is enthusiastically seeking game to the front. Edges, treelines, fencelines, creeks, drainages and foliage change should draw the dog as these things tend to draw game as well. I would plant some birds in the most likely areas and keep giving her exposure.
That is exactly the look I was getting in the real tall grass stuff (yes, some of it was over her head). She just looked confused and defaulted to playing with the other pup or running in circles in the areas with shorter grass. I followed a couple other braces and some of the local pups must have trained and/or trialed out there before because they were jumping up to have look and then ran on.

Thanks for the advice folks. I think planting some birds in that cover type is a good next step. Appreciate the thoughts and I'll let ya know how it goes.
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