The Midland Committee arranged a training day for Novice dogs at Roan Lodge Buxton, with trainer Steve Newitt in April. Fortunately, the weather was fine and everyone involved enjoyed a very successful day!
Training began with steadiness work at heel, and as they walked up in line, the dogs were challenged by distractions and shot. Several of the dogs in attendance were relatively young, and so Steve took full advantage of the fantastic facilities available: introducing jumping in and out of pens, and then moving on to marked retrieves over the jumps to the left and right.
During the course of the day, the dogs were checked on the stop whistle and back command. The training then progressed to mixed retrieves at longer distances: marks, memories and distractions to the front and back of the line.
All of the handlers in attendance agreed that the day had been a most valuable experience for them and their dogs. The training was adapted to the appropriate ability levels and needs of each pairing; the atmosphere was supportive and encouraging.
Many thanks to Steve for providing such a good training day for our members, and for providing port and cake treats (for the handlers) too!
