I was visiting another dog forum and someone wrote that a when training field trial dogs one should discourage them from checking back. I believe they did this to keep the dog to the front and always searching. Is this true? If a dog does check back with the handler/owner does that go against the dog as far as scoring is concerned? I would imagine that it all depends on how often the dog checks in. Right? By "discouraging" a dog from checking would mean what? Not petting them or ........ what? I would think "checking in" occasionally would be a benefit.
Just curious!
Checking back
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Dave Quindt
- Rank: 5X Champion
- Posts: 876
- Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:22 pm
In short, the answer is yes - dogs that check back are not going to win.
Here's why:
Let's make sure we're talking about the same thing. I'll assume the post on the other board was talking about licensed, broke dog (AF or AKC) field trials.
The purpose of a field trial is NOT to perfectly mimic hunting. The purpose of a field trial is to take the key elements of hunting and to condense those elements into a competitive format. The goal of trials is to push hunting dogs harder and further, to ask more from them than any hunter ever would, to expect more from them than the average trainer can deliver. Why? Because field trials are about finding the best of the best. When there are 100 dogs in a stake, you need to be pretty particular about your judging standards!
One of the biggest elements to field trials is a dog's application - how the dog applies himself to the terrain and cover. Every wildlife biologist will tell you that 90% of the game is in 10% of the cover, and since a dog can't hunt EVERYWHERE, he needs to decide what cover to hunt and what to ignore. How well a dog applies himself to the cover is a critical part of field trialing.
The key is understanding the difference between "checking in" and "checking back". A dog that checks in is a dog that is maintaining contact with the handler. This may be a dog that turns his head as he's making a move towards cover to see where you're at. It may be a dog that slows up at the end of a pasture to see you come through the cut. It may be a dog that pops out of cover just for a second when you start calling for him. All winning dogs need to maintain contact to a certain degree.
Dogs that "check back" are the ones that will make a move to cover , hunt it, then run back towards the handler. Sometimes they are looking for reassurance that they've not gotten lost, others are looking for guidance as to where to hunt next. Regardless, it is an ineffective way to hunt; if the dog hunts a patch of cover and then sees you, there is no reason for the dog to come all the way back to you. He's spending time running to you, and then away from you; not hunting game.
Dog's that "check back" are not going to win, because this isn't a desirable trait for the trialer or the hunter.
Now, when I hunt over trial dogs we ask them to maintain more contact than in a trial situation. They may keep more of an eye on the hunter, but they still shouldn't be checking back on a regular basis IMO.
How do you discourage "checking back"? There are a lot of different methods; some positive and some negative. Probably the easiest way is to not encourage checking back; when a dog comes to the handler, and the handle responds "good dog, hunt 'em up, atta boy, etc" - the handler thinks he's encouraging the dog to hunt when he's really encouraging the dog to check back. Just ignoring the dog when he comes back too often is very effective
You can develop a "milk run" course; a course you run on a regular basis where the birds are found in the same spots. The dog will develop confidence that he can find birds on his own, because he keeps being successful on his own. Over time you disperse the birds over a wider area so the dog has to hunt each spot more to find the bird.
Keeping the dog moving at a fast pace will encourage a forward running dog; running a dog off of horseback or off of a wheeler is really the only way to stop a dog from checking back.
The best way to stop this behavior is through good breeding. The breeding of intelligent dogs with good bird drive, cooperation and independence is the important not only for the trialer, but for the hunter as well.
Hope this helps.
FWIW,
Dave
Here's why:
Let's make sure we're talking about the same thing. I'll assume the post on the other board was talking about licensed, broke dog (AF or AKC) field trials.
The purpose of a field trial is NOT to perfectly mimic hunting. The purpose of a field trial is to take the key elements of hunting and to condense those elements into a competitive format. The goal of trials is to push hunting dogs harder and further, to ask more from them than any hunter ever would, to expect more from them than the average trainer can deliver. Why? Because field trials are about finding the best of the best. When there are 100 dogs in a stake, you need to be pretty particular about your judging standards!
One of the biggest elements to field trials is a dog's application - how the dog applies himself to the terrain and cover. Every wildlife biologist will tell you that 90% of the game is in 10% of the cover, and since a dog can't hunt EVERYWHERE, he needs to decide what cover to hunt and what to ignore. How well a dog applies himself to the cover is a critical part of field trialing.
The key is understanding the difference between "checking in" and "checking back". A dog that checks in is a dog that is maintaining contact with the handler. This may be a dog that turns his head as he's making a move towards cover to see where you're at. It may be a dog that slows up at the end of a pasture to see you come through the cut. It may be a dog that pops out of cover just for a second when you start calling for him. All winning dogs need to maintain contact to a certain degree.
Dogs that "check back" are the ones that will make a move to cover , hunt it, then run back towards the handler. Sometimes they are looking for reassurance that they've not gotten lost, others are looking for guidance as to where to hunt next. Regardless, it is an ineffective way to hunt; if the dog hunts a patch of cover and then sees you, there is no reason for the dog to come all the way back to you. He's spending time running to you, and then away from you; not hunting game.
Dog's that "check back" are not going to win, because this isn't a desirable trait for the trialer or the hunter.
Now, when I hunt over trial dogs we ask them to maintain more contact than in a trial situation. They may keep more of an eye on the hunter, but they still shouldn't be checking back on a regular basis IMO.
How do you discourage "checking back"? There are a lot of different methods; some positive and some negative. Probably the easiest way is to not encourage checking back; when a dog comes to the handler, and the handle responds "good dog, hunt 'em up, atta boy, etc" - the handler thinks he's encouraging the dog to hunt when he's really encouraging the dog to check back. Just ignoring the dog when he comes back too often is very effective
You can develop a "milk run" course; a course you run on a regular basis where the birds are found in the same spots. The dog will develop confidence that he can find birds on his own, because he keeps being successful on his own. Over time you disperse the birds over a wider area so the dog has to hunt each spot more to find the bird.
Keeping the dog moving at a fast pace will encourage a forward running dog; running a dog off of horseback or off of a wheeler is really the only way to stop a dog from checking back.
The best way to stop this behavior is through good breeding. The breeding of intelligent dogs with good bird drive, cooperation and independence is the important not only for the trialer, but for the hunter as well.
Hope this helps.
FWIW,
Dave