Not long back from an hour plus "walk" in the woods, we've not been up there for a week. Such a lovely time, a fresh breeze but sunny too, 15 mm of rain over night so the streams are full.
I'm working on stop whistle, really drumming in that it means "look at me", and this is going well. I set myself so many reps to do each outing that we have. So I pick random times when she's not too far from me and reward by throwing the clam behind her. The other time I pick is when she is clearly beginning to pick up a scent and pauses to glance back to me of her own accord, but I have to be careful not to leave this one too late.
I've been using my clicker far more often lately too, for voluntary recalls, and especially for voluntary returns during a hunting spell when she gets high value rewards. I can sometimes see the struggle that she has with herself, and sometimes the scent wins! It all depends on the level of stratospheric interest, if the red mist has come down then forget it!
But I am seeing signs that, just as with the retrieving, she gets the idea that working with me is a good thing, that I'm not trying to stop her. I'm no where near "stopping at point of flush", but we are taking baby steps in that direction. Which is very gratifying, she appears so much happier and more relaxed these days, and I'm sure it's no coincidence.
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