Diversions
By Rick Spoerl
I like to end each session of handling drills with a sit on the whistle while the dog is coming back with the last dummy. Then I throw a dummy while the dog is sitting out at the halfway point in the field. After the dummy is thrown I make sure the dog doesn’t break (leave the sit position without being told). After the bird hits the ground I give him a couple of seconds to watch it, then call him in with a couple toots of the whistle, demanding a straight line back, take the dummy from him and release him to retrieve the dummy I threw. This will build the foundation for diversion thrown birds.
I start out throwing the diversion bird almost behind me, so he can’t get it without going past me. Never let him retrieve the diversion thrown dummy until after he brings back the one he has in his mouth. Some dogs believe it or not, somehow find a way to carry both birds in their mouth. Don’t let them do it. If they get away with it once, they will always think they can do it. Once I saw a dog carry six pigeons back to his handler in a bird scurry event (an event that the dog brining back the most birds in a certain time limit wins). The dog won the scurry, but was disqualified at the next hunt test for switching (going for a bird before bringing the desired bird back) on a diversion thrown bird.
Then I throw them closer and closer towards him until I’m throwing them nearly in line with his return route. If he drops the dummy he has in his mouth I stop him, bring him back to the dummy he dropped, and force him to pick the dummy up, either with an ear pinch, the whip, or the collar. If he breaks towards the diversion bird, I stop him, bring him back to his original spot, and give him a crack on the rear with the whip and blow the whistle with a sharp blast telling him "sit". After the dog responds well to this you can throw diversions for him in the field when he returns with the last bird of a mark. Don’t throw the diversion bird in the middle of a double retrieve. This would be too much for a young dog to do. Later you can teach diversions with more complex situations.
Diversion shots can also be introduced in the yard during your handling drills. Of coarse not everyone can shoot a blank shot in his or her training field (which is usually your back yard). But, if you are to the point when you’re doing confidence blinds out at your club, or a farmer’s field or pond, then you could shoot a shot, and then send the dog. Always demand steadiness (the dog sitting and being still on the line). If the dog moves around too much because of the shot, correct it immediately. If you let him move around at the sound of just a shot, imagine what he’ll do when he sees a live bird go up and you shoot it. If you shoot, and he moves, tell him "no", "stay"," sit", and shoot again. If he moves again, tell him the same commands and give him a crack on the rear with the whip. Repeat the shot and only send him when he is quiet and still. These sight blinds are visible to him and he is going to pretty much know what’s asked of him, so now would be a good time to really demand and enforce steadiness.