My brother in law Bob quietly said "here comes one, circling behind us". A lone drake mallard had turned an otherwise sunny duck less day of being skunked into a great exercise for our two labs Peggy and Zoey. The two sisters out of my female Xena had a lot of her Mom in her. Xena winning nearly every fastest retrieve competition she was entered in. To say the least she has a little drive in her. Her two daughters aren’t quite as "stylish" as their Mom but pretty close.

The dogs had been sitting on an Island watching the blue sky getting very antsy when I started calling to the drake. The greenhead passed down wind only twenty yards out, wings cupped; both dogs looked at the bird with anticipation. The mallard hooked a one eighty, put down the landing gear and after one well placed shot hit the water not ten yards in front of us with a loud "PLOP".

Both dogs sat at attention waiting for the release from their respective Master. "Go ahead and send her Bob", I replied. "Zoey", Bob said to his dog, releasing her for the retrieve. Peggy sat wagging her tail during the honor. Plowing into the black water Zoey quickly returned with the fat drake. Both young dogs did a great job remaining steady.

"One more series of retrieves and the senior ribbon will be mine". I thought as I waited on line to run Buster my Lab male. We were running in an AKC Senior hunt test. The first bird was thrown from a winger (mechanical device that throws an object), and then the second, a hand thrown mallard duck was tossed and shot. The Judge called my number. I released my dog with his name, "Buster". He bolted off the line. Out of the corner of my eye a brown blur passed by me. "Oh no", "the honor dog broke", I said to the Judge. The professional Trainer that was running the chocolate lab started screaming the dog’s name. I started yelling for my dog to come back and both dogs began racing to the bird. When Buster picked up the bird he turned and saw the other dog coming. Thinking he was being attacked, tossed the bird down and both dogs started fighting. After a short scuffle the dogs broke up and returned to their handlers.

The dog honoring my dog was dropped from the event and Buster was able to re-run the test. Of coarse now he would be looking over his shoulder and wouldn’t be as steady, making him more prone to breaking. Things worked out ok and we ended up getting that ribbon. Luckily the dog handled the experience mildly. Things could have been different and it certainly wasn’t fair.

At nearly every field dog event they test honoring. Why they judge this at events isn’t exactly clear to me. It’s totally unfair for the dog that’s running and doesn’t accurately resemble hunting. I personally don’t see how this task shows the greatness of a retriever.

Honoring a dog is simply watching another dog work while your dog sits patiently for a certain amount of time, then released by a judge to leave the line. An honor is usually done after your dog has picked up all his birds. Then moves off to the side of the line in an area both dogs can see the birds, and watches another dog do the same test. It’s always done off lead. This is supposed to simulate two dogs hunting together, judging the dog’s steadiness and control.

Steadiness and honoring go hand in hand. Some form of steadiness should be taught soon after the puppy is retrieving. A finished hunting retriever should be steady on marks and should also be steady while watching another dog work.

If you do hunt with other dogs on occasion by all means train him for honoring. Of coarse any dog can be taught to honor. I do train my dogs to honor. But when they are honoring while hunting or at hunt tests they know they are at two different games.

Being involved with a training group helps tremendously in this part of training as well as most others. You will have to find at least one other dog to train with to accomplish it.

After your dog is retrieving fairly well you can start to honor. Honor as often as possible. You can’t over do it. Don’t only honor after you run the dog, at times honor before you run. This way the dog gets a reward for honoring properly.

When teaching the dog the concept, start off with just one other dog and handler spaced about fifteen feet apart. Keep the dogs separated pretty far so they don’t decide to play together. If your pup goes over to the other handler have him yell "NO" and have him threaten your dog with a whip. Call your dog back to you and start over, maybe moving farther away from the other dog and handler.

Make sure the dogs are on leads to prevent breaking. Tell your dog "mark", "stay". Shoot your blank pistol and throw a dummy. One of you will send a dog for the retrieve. Alternate taking turns running one dog than the other. Your dog will now realize that every retrieve is not for him. Some trainers tie there dogs outside their trucks with grass screw tie downs to not only cool their dogs but to get them used to seeing other dogs run.

You can also have your dog honor you. Huh, sure why not. You sit the dog down throw a dummy. Then you go pick up the dummy while the dog waits. The next bird you throw, send the dog. You can alternate picking it up yourself as well as sending him for the dummy. Again, this will teach him that he is only to retrieve when commanded.

While running marks without honoring, let the dog wait several seconds before sending him. Don’t be predictable. Make your dog wait for your release. Sometimes a quick send, sometimes count to five before sending and sometimes count to ten. This will not only prepare a dog for honoring but also improve his steadiness. If he creeps or breaks, even a controlled break (a dog that goes for the bird but is stopped by the handler several feet in front of the line) bring him back to you, have the helper pick the bird or birds up and have them re-throw them. Don’t ever send him if he has been unsteady. Always re-run the test. He must not be given the reward if he didn’t remain steady. Keep a high standard in this.

You can gradually move closer together until both dogs and handlers are very close. You can also throw some wing clipped birds on the ground creating greater excitement. Always keep the leads on the dogs and try and keep them steady and calm. Alternate regularly the order of honoring. First honor after you run your dog than honor before you run your dog.

When you begin honoring after he picks up the marks. Tell the dog "SIT", "STAY", "MARK". Some trainers tell their dog it’s an honor by commanding "NO BIRD, NO BIRD", "STAY", "STAY". Then they continue whispering to the dog while the birds are being thrown. I tried this technique and didn’t like the results. Some dogs just hate to honor another dog. If it’s a hunt test and their really fired up, it creates a dog on the edge. The dog is over excited anyway because of the atmosphere. Telling him "MARK" may seem unorthodox but it seems to keep them steady if they think that they will be sent. When they here "NO BIRD", they learn over time that they wont be sent for the retrieve. By telling them "MARK", they really aren’t sure if you’re going to send them or not. This will keep them steadier.

Don’t whisper commands while the birds are being thrown. Some people think this keeps the dog steady. It doesn’t. Its one of those deals where you’re thinking the more the better. It would be like calling a dog to you when he’s already coming or continually telling a dog sit while he’s already sitting. You have given a command, "MARK", which tells the dog "sit quietly, watch the bird and mark the spot". It doesn’t tell them to retrieve. Deal with disobedience accordingly.

As well, the dog should be rewarded for staying steady during an honor. You can keep a dummy handy and after your dog completes a successful honor, toss him a fun bumper. This is a great reward for him and pups respond well. Also if you occasionally honor another dog before your dog runs, this will greatly reward him as he will be sent after remaining steady.

If you’re working with a young dog or you think there is a possibility of him breaking, keep a short lead on him. In training, if he breaks or even creeps during an honor, stop the test have the birds picked up and re-run it. Don’t give them an inch or they’ll take a foot.

There will come a time where correction is in order. If he has been thoroughly trained on steadiness and has honored several times then he may test the situation out. Even though you have re-run the test after breaking, he may still break again. This time when you call him back firmly say "SIT", "STAY", then whack him on his chest with a heeling stick or whip and repeat the commands. If he breaks or creeps again give him a pretty big correction with the collar and repeat the whack to the chest. Every dog’s pain tolerance is different. If the correction isn’t enough, you will be just nagging him and he will get used to it, never getting him completely steady. He may think that the correction is part of it. If it’s too much, he may not want to go at all. You must get the point across to him that lets him know that creeping, breaking or to much movement is not acceptable. You should have found out through collar conditioning what level of correction he needs.

By practicing the honor properly, using communication, correction and praise, and doing it as much as possible, you to can have a dog that will accept another dog making some of the retrieves. Not all dogs will honor as the two sisters did in the beginning of the story, and its no fun for you if your hunting partners dog is breaking on every shot and making all the retrieves. It’s not only unsafe but it’s not fair to the other guy who has a trained dog. Do everyone a favor and teach the honor.