Sonic Spaniel

(Published in Spaniels In The Field Fall 1992)

It was the last day of the 1990 pheasant season here in Montana. My partner and I were headed up a broad draw that embraced a small stream in its cleavage. The side slopes were velveted in tall grasses with here and there patches of snowberry. The berries were gone. The first frost had turned them sweet and made them the delight of the neighborhood creatures. The remaining bush provided shelter from the seemingly ever present raptors.

In the bottom, small patches of willows periodically patterned the streamside, not enough to sustain a beaver colony now but we came upon a round basin that may well have been a beaver lodge at one time. Now that was what we were looking for, a bowl of cattails fringed on the high side by a rim of willows.

I came in on the right, high side of the crescent and Braid, my springer, had the duty to work the boggy, bottom on our side, up the willow covered side slope, and then the grassy slopes to the right.

Meanwhile, my partner Dennis came in from the left on the far side of the cattails with his Lab, Maja. Suddenly a rooster flushed from the cattails near Maja and headed up the draw, low. The image of the bird, broadside, gaudy colors and magnificent tail undulating against the flaxen background, is still etched in my mind.

My shot was a reaction to the visual stimulus, and the bird dropped into the edge of the willows at the end of the crescent.

I marked the spot, then looked for Braid. I saw flecks of white through and beyond the willow tangle up on the bench. Braid had stopped to the shot and was waiting my word. He could not see the flight or fall from where he was.

“Left,” I directed, and he was off, down through the willow band. When he broke into the open crossing of the bottom, I hit one peep on the whistle and he stopped. “Back,” I barked, and he spun, heading straight away on a line a little to the right of my mark. As he hit the edge of the willows I hit another peep. His momentum carried him out of sight into the willows, but I knew he had stopped. I heard no thrashing and saw no white flashing about. “Left,” I again directed. He flashed into view, hit the fall area, cut back and away and was out of sight.

I had broken my gun out of habit before sending the dog on the first cast. Now I used the interlude to put a new shell in the right barrel and pocket the empty just before Braid came into view carrying one very live, tailless rooster. It must have been a lively chase.

The experience illustrates the importance of being able to direct a dog to any location, whether you can see each other or not.

This applies to all retrievers. I do train my Chessie to take vocal casts, also, but blind falls occur more often when hunting pheasants in dense cover with my springer.

Most of my waterfowl shooting is done from a blind or hide of some sort over decoys. Given that I may not shoot as well as I used to, I still know how to place a spread of decoys so that almost all the shot birds should fall in front of the blind in full view of the dog at my side. Not so with running roosters in cover. They tend to get up where and when they want, regardless of where the dog is or if he is looking in their direction.

Fortunately, the steady spaniel often can make a sound mark, something a breaking dog can’t do crashing through the brush. It is just one more of the overwhelming points in favor of steadiness in the flushing gun dog, although I have heard any number of poor excuses trying to justify the breaking dog.

Training a dog to take vocal casts is really quite simple. The principles of repetition and extension apply. It is only slightly more complicated if you have fallen into the practice of giving arm casts such as are seen at retriever field trials.

Perhaps if I explained the difference it will make it easier for you to proceed. I will refer to the field trial method as the visual method and the vocal method as that.

Both can be worked from the “baseball” pattern if you wish for illustrative purposes, although I work on my own variation that emphasizes long left and right casts.

In the visual method, dummies are placed at first base in the dog’s view and the dog is sat on the pitcher’s mound. The handler goes to home plate, gets the dog’s eye, and points his arm to the right and commands “over” or “Gee” or “right,” or whatever suits him. The dog catches on to the meaning of the arm cast and goes for the dummy.

The arm cast is the directional signal and the vocal is simply a release or command to go. Most retriever handlers use the command “over” for both right or left and the dog responds according to the visual arm cast. Order one of those dogs “over” without an arm cast and you get nothing but confused looks.

All this arm swinging is simply unnecessary if the dog is trained to take vocal casts.

The process is no more complicated than putting your hands in your pockets and standing still. Avoid any “body English” or anything that will cause the dog to key on you visually.

Your dog must be a trained retriever on marks and a bunch of dummies. I use my property fence line in starting on rights and lefts but I doubt that is needed. I use it because it gives me the most room on my surburban lot.

I take three or four dummies and walk the dog at heel to the fence. I drop the dummies, in full view a few feet apart as I walk the fenceline. After dropping the last dummy I walk a short distance further and have the dog sit. I then walk a short distance, ten to twenty feet, directly away from the dog and fenceline, turn and face the dog. Note that we have formed an L with the dog at the corner, the dummies out one side, and I am out the other. The “right” or “left” direction call depends simply on which end of the L I am at. Let’s start with left.

The first step is the most difficult and requires your greatest calm and reassuring patience. If you become tense or overbearing your pupil will likely freeze up on you.

Hands in pockets, standing still, I call out “left.” This is usually greeted by blank stares and the dog continues to sit. Be patient, calm, and persistent.

You may have to walk over to the dummies and pick one up and drop it or toss it back in place while Rover watches, then return to your line and urge “left” till the dog gets the idea that it can break away from sit and fetch the dummy.

Once the dog starts to get up and head for the dummy it is best you remain quiet till the dog reaches and picks up the dummy. Then encouraging vocal praise can be reassuring to the dog that what he did was right.

When the dog delivers the dummy, take it, have the dog heel and walk back to the spot he had sat at before. Sit him facing your line, toss that dummy back to where it had been before, return to your line and repeat the “left.”

Hopefully, the dog will take the direction more readily this time but don’t be discouraged if he doesn’t. Remember, be patient, calm and persistent.

You may be tempted to help the dog with a little cast by hand or some sort of body English. Don’t. You defeat the purpose when you involve vision. The dog will get the idea soon enough if you don’t move.

Once the dog catches on you can let him pick up the other dummies out there one at a time, then repeat the process of planting and sending. The one thing you want it to learn in this first lesson is that when you say “left” he can and should go for that dummy to the left. If he picks that up you are almost home free.

Do the cycle a couple of times and quit while you are ahead. Give calming praise and reassurance and put him back in his kennel.

The next day may seem like starting all over, but don’t be discouraged. Soon, the pupil will take off with confidence and then you can introduce extension.

Extension takes two directions. The easiest is gradually spacing the planted dummies out, not only further apart but having the first one further from the sitting dog. Eventually you can extend it to where the first dummy is thirty or forty yards out and half a dozen are strung beyond it at ten-step intervals, but that is somewhat later; don’t rush.

After a half-dozen sessions the dog should be confidently taking off for the dummies when you direct “left”. Then it is time to start the entire process from scratch going in the opposite direction and using “right” as a direction. The dog may reach a good proficiency level in one or two fewer sessions but again, don’t rush. You are laying a strong foundation.

The next important step is getting the dog to distinguish between the “right” and “left” directions.
Sit the dog at the top of the T that you formed by backing the right and left L’s together. Plant four or five starting 15 or 20 yards out on each side with the dog watching, hopefully, eargerly.
Walk to the base of the T, read your dog and send him for one of the piles. When I said “read your dog,” I meant that you should watch him and see if he shows an inclination or interest in going in one direction. Usually that will be in the direction you last planted the dummies. Give him the vocal command to cast him in that direction. Hopefully he will head in the right direction and deliver the dummy to you.

Walk him back to his sit spot and toss the dummy down the opposite line. Return to your line and cast him in that new direction, vocally only. He should complete the retrieve with no problem.

Take the delivery, drop the dummy at your line, walk him back to the sit spot and cast him in the opposite direction.

Chances are he will start in the wrong direction, back to the last line. Now it is apparent why we have that distance out to the first dummy. It is correction/encouragement area; that no fall area where you can stop him before he reaches the dummy should he take the wrong turn, which he surely will at the outset but repetition and reassurance will purge it out of him.

When he takes that wrong cast give him mild corrections of Ah.! Ah! Ah! Don’t come down too hard. Heel him back to his sit spot. You may have to walk to the correct dummy, pick it up and drop it, then go back to your line and give the vocal cast again. In this way you will work through to success.

The dog will distinguish between right and left and from then on you will just repeat, choosing which side you want the dog to cast to in a random, unpredictable sequence.

Once the dog is taking the directional casts correctly you should extend the training. Extension will be done three ways: length of casts, increasing cover, and distance between dog and handler.

Of course, once the dog is taking lefts and rights, you will introduce “backs” in the same manner. Those three vocal casts, along with the “come” whistle, will enable you to put the dog in the area of any fall. Once the dog is in the area, you can “dead bird” him to search the area on his own. You did your part. The rest is up to him.

I can tell you this. Once you have been able to recover a shot bird using vocal casts you will realize you are on your way to finally having a properly trained gun dog.