Are You Ready To Run An Intermediate Test?
Getting ready to run a NAHRA Intermediate (AKC Senior) test involves teaching new basics (blind work,
handling skills, upland) in the yard and transitioning these skills to actual field conditions. This is why
dogs (and their handlers) at this stage of training are said to be ‘in transition’. Once you’ve taught the
new basics outlined below in the yard, it’s critical to take it all on the road as much as possible. It’s also
critical to remember that one size does NOT fit all; each dog is different and you must take the time to
know your dog and how best to teach him/her. Jackie Mertens of Topbrass Retrievers wrote an
excellent article for Gun Dog Guide on this that’s worth reading. You can find it at
http://www.gundogguide.com/transition-dog-training/
The skills you and your dog need for Intermediate are:
 Mark a double land retrieve at a distance not to exceed 100 yards.
 Mark a double water at a distance not to exceed 75 yards.
 Run a land blind at a distance not to exceed 75 yards
 Run a water blind at a distance not to exceed 50 yards.
 Follow a trail. There is no minimum or maximum distance for the Intermediate trail; however,
you should expect it to be more difficult than a Hunter trail (length, terrain, wind)
 Quarter a field during the Upland test. There is no minimum or maximum distance for this test.
(This is not required in AKC Senior)
 Come to the point of origin nicely off leash
 Sit nicely at the point of origin off-leash and wait quietly until you send him.
o Your dog may be required to sit at and be sent from a point of origin at a distance
from you.
o You and your dog may be required to execute a ‘walk-up’ on a marked retrieve series.
 Leave promptly when sent and return promptly with the bird to the point of origin.
 Refrain from eating, plucking or mauling the bird.
 Your dog is required to deliver the birds to hand
 You may be required to handle a gun (judge’s discretion)
 If you are running AKC Senior Hunter, your dog will be required to honor while another dog is
working (you will need this for NAHRA Senior so train it now)
There are seven new skills here: the double retrieves, blind work, upland, steady at the point of origin
off leash, following a trail, delivery to hand (which shouldn’t really be new because you should have
taught this skill when getting ready for Started) and handling a gun.
Double Marked Retrieve on Land and Water: Expect that the distance for both will be longer than
Hunter (depending on conditions) and expect that factors will be more challenging.
This means you should take a good look at how well or not (be honest!) your dog’s memory skills are. If
your dog showed you in Hunter that he/she has a good memory and if you varied the distance on your
marks in training to run Hunter then adding distance to your drills and test set up practices will go
smoothly.
However, if your dog struggled to remember the memory bird in Hunter then you need go back and firm
up the foundation. Consistently struggling to remember the memory bird is stressful for your dog and
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erodes his/her confidence in you and themselves. And while handling on a mark is something every
handler encounters at some point, if you find that you are regularly handling on a mark it means that
your dog has gotten used to having help (and may think it’s part of the process of picking up the bird) or
that your dog does not have the confidence to figure out the problem and gives up. Make sure you have
a confident dog with a good memory.
Land and Water Blinds: Teaching blinds begins in the yard. There are three ‘C’s to successful blind
work: clarity, confidence and cooperation.
Clarity: Make sure you are very clear in what you are teaching. The very first thing you are going to
teach your dog is to leave your side, run a straight line away from you, locate and retrieve a
bumper/bird they did not see fall. For your dog, this is not nearly as exciting as watching a mark fall and
knowing exactly where the prize is so keep your sessions short and be sure to throw ‘happy bumpers’ to
keep your dog interested. Ask three handlers how they teach blinds and you will get three answers.
Platforms (at heel and at the pile) make it very clear to your dog where to go and where to come back
to. Some handlers place a white bucket at the pile. If your dog will sit at a short distance from you and
pick up a bumper in front of him/her on command then you can back chain it; back chaining is teaching
the last piece of a complex behavior first. Familiarize yourself with the approaches professional trainers
such as Mike Lardy, Robert Milner, Carol Cassity, Evan Graham and others use to teach blinds. And
never try to rush it or cut corners.
Confidence: A confident dog will enjoy running blinds at a test. If you are clear in your teaching and
take your time your dog will develop confidence in himself/herself and in you. Dogs do not want to be
wrong. Lack of clarity while you are teaching blinds will confuse your dog; the result is a dog who won’t
leave your side. You want a dog that sets up for a blind, looks out where he/she is lined, and says “I’ve
got this – let’s go!” and takes off with the same spunk they take off with for a mark.
Cooperation: After your dog has mastered the basics of blind work and you begin handling, it’s critical
that your dog be willing to cooperate with you. It’s also critical that you teach your dog to handle
completely separate from teaching the concept of blinds and you need to teach sit to the whistle
separate from both.
Handling
You need to teach your dog a minimum of three casts: back, right over, left over. Before you start,
watch videos (or better yet, watch your training partners) and then practice your casts in front of a
mirror until you are consistent; it’s all about muscle memory. Once you are consistent with your signals
then you can begin to teach your dog the three casts.
When you begin to teach your dog the three casts you need to be sure there is a clear destination for
your dog to go to. Platforms are a great teaching tool for this – place the bumper on a platform. You can
use two while you are teaching each cast but you will need four when you put them all together;
visualize a baseball diamond: one at the pitcher’s mound, one at first base, second base and third base.
You can also use white buckets at each of the bases. Be sure to keep the distance between the pitcher’s
mound and each base very short at first – gradually add distance. Remember the three C’s of blind work
and also remember to throw happy bumpers.
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After your dog is confidently taking your back and over casts you should introduce the angle back casts
(right and left) and your angle come-in casts (right and left). Resist the temptation to introduce these
casts too soon; otherwise you will confuse your dog.
Evan Graham (Smart Works) teaches a method called “Literal Casting”. It’s well worth the investment to
purchase his books and DVD’s.
A few tips on teaching handling
 Wear white when teaching. While you can’t wear white at a hunt test, wearing it while teaching
insures that your dog will be able to see you.
 When giving an over cast, twist your arm so that the back of your hand is visible to your dog,
instead of your palm. According to Evan Graham, light reflects off the back of your hand much
better than the palm (this works, trust me).
 Don’t ‘flash’ your cast – give it slowly and deliberately and if necessary, walk in the direction you
are casting while holding the signal.
 Make sure your dog is not facing into the sun when looking at you.
Sit To The Whistle
Sitting to the whistle should be taught separately from blinds and from handling. When you blow your
sit whistle you want your dog to not only sit but turn 180 degrees and look at you and sit. During the
adrenaline rush of a test, this is very difficult for some dogs.
Back chaining this skill is simple and effective. Walk with your dog at heel. Have a treat ready in your
right hand. Have your whistle in your mouth. Give one short toot, say ‘Sit’ and your dog should sit.
Then take your right hand with the treat in it and show your dog how to turn 180 degrees and sit in front
of you. Pay your dog with the treat and release. Once your dog is automatically turning and sitting in
front of you, stop rewarding with food and throw a happy bumper instead.
Once you are throwing happy bumpers put your dog on a long line and let him/her get out ahead of you
while walking. Blow your whistle. Your dog should turn and sit and look at you. Toss a happy bumper.
When you begin to add sit to the whistle to your blind work drills, keep your dog on a long line so that if
your dog does not sit you will be able to enforce it and not allow him to blow off (or slip) your whistle.
Continue to occasionally throw happy bumpers when your dog sits. Stopping your dog on the way to
the pile can be demoralizing for some dogs and happy bumpers will keep their attitude up.
E-COLLARS ARE NOT FOR TEACHING AND SHOULD NOT BE USED DURING THE TEACHING STAGE.
Upland / Quartering the Field
Turn your hunting retriever loose in a field and he/she will instinctively put nose to the ground and start
hunting the field for birds. However, during an Intermediate test your dog will need to follow some
‘stupid human rules’: stay within gun range, pay attention to you, change direction when told.
You will need to teach these rules in a field with light cover because you are going to strategically place
several dead birds out in the field. It’s always a good idea to tie some tape on the cover where you’ve
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placed the birds so you remember where they are. In a cut field your dog will see the birds; you want
your dog to use his/her nose to work through the cover and scent the birds.
To keep your dog from getting out of gun range distance place him/her on a long line, cue him/her to
start working the field and start walking. Watch your dog closely for signs he/she has scented the
planted bird; most dogs’ tails will become very erect and wag quickly. When your dog finds the bird, ask
him/her to retrieve it. When you get the bird back, toss it in the area where it came from and change
direction, telling your dog ‘come around’ (this is the universal cue for changing direction) and walk
towards the next bird. Repeat for however many birds you’ve placed out there.
You will also want to teach your dog a command that indicates he/she is close to getting out of gun
range and needs to check back in. Your vocabulary here is your own; some handlers use “too far”, some
use “c’mon back”, some use a whistle. Whatever your command it should be unique and not something
your dog is going to confuse with going for a mark or running a blind. As your dog gets close to hitting
the end of the long line, use your command. Then change direction with ‘come around’ and walk in a
new direction.
In an Intermediate test judges will oftentimes drop birds out in the field just as you have done while
teaching; these are called ‘Easter eggs’. If during a test your dog finds a bird he/she will be required to
deliver it to hand so make sure you do this in training.
The most difficult part in teaching the Upland hunt is determining gun range distance; especially if you
are distance-challenged. So find a training partner that knows the ropes here and work with him/her.
A word of caution: dogs can easily overheat during this training. Make sure the weather is cool, carry
water with you and be aware of signs that your dog is getting too hot. Don’t overwork your dog and
don’t do this in warm weather.
Steady At The Point of Origin
There are several scenarios you need to train for in Intermediate.
 One is a remote send which means your dog is sitting not at heel but at a distance from you. It
won’t be a great distance but science tells us that distance erodes control and if you are several
feet away from your dog he/she may decide that since the scenario is different, the steady rules
don’t apply.
 Practice by gradually increasing the lateral distance between you and your dog at the line. Have
a long tab on your dog that you can loosely hold to prevent breaking.
 When your dog is steady with you at a lateral distance away, practice stepping back behind your
dog before sending.
 When your dog is steady in that scenario, practice leaving your dog at the point of origin while
you step back into the holding blind.
 Last but not least set your dog up on the point of origin and then sit on a bucket (this happens a
lot).
 Walk-ups: A walk-up is when the first mark is thrown and shot as you and your dog are walking
from the holding blind to the point of origin. Your dog is off leash and does not have to sit but
must be steady and stop moving forward until you release him/her after both marks have come
down. You can practice this on your own by walking with your dog and throwing a bumper out
in front of you while blowing your sit whistle (while not nearly as exciting as a walk up at a test
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with guns and birds, this is the foundation concept you need to teach). Again, a long line is a
great training tool to keep your dog from breaking.
Handler’s Gun
In all likelihood you will be required to carry a handler’s gun (this can be a wooden shotgun or a real but
unloaded shotgun). You will need to demonstrate gun safety while coming to the point of origin with
the gun and you will be required to shoulder the gun for each mark. After your dog is sent the judge
may take the gun from you or may require you to keep it until all marks have been retrieved. You will be
judged on your ability to demonstrate safe gun handling at all times while holding the gun. This means
you should not point it at your dog or the judges and if instructed by the judges ‘break’ the gun before
placing it in the gun stand.
You may also be required to carry a handler’s gun during the Upland test and demonstrate safe gun
handling.
Honor
This is the scariest part of a test! You will need at least one training partner in order to teach your dog
to remain steady while another dog comes to the point of origin, sets up, watches his/her marks go
down and is sent for the first mark. And this is where your platform is indispensable. By now your dog
should know that if he/she is on the platform they may not get off until released.
The best way to teach a dog to honor is to reward him/her for remaining still and breaking it down into
small bits during training. Start by rewarding your dog (yes, with treats) as the next dog comes to the
point of origin and is setting up – keep a tab on your dog and hold it loosely. Calmly release your dog
and walk your dog away from the point of origin before the working dog’s marks start to come down.
Some handlers like to carry a bumper in their pocket and let their dog carry it once they’ve started to
walk away. One very successful handler I know has taught her dogs that carrying her baseball cap is the
ultimate reward.
The next step is to teach your dog to remain still while the working dog’s first mark comes down – then
walk away from the point of origin. You should be able to see where this is going….next step is to have
your dog honor while both marks come down before walking away from the point of origin. The final
step is to have your dog remain still while the working dog is released to pick up his/her mark and the
judge indicates you are excused.
Your dog may sit or down during the honor – it is your choice.
Many handlers change their position/body language during the honor; kneel down, take a step away
from the dog, turn and face the dog’s side instead of looking straight out. This change in body language
tells the dog he/she is not being sent for a mark.
Do not allow your dog to creep even an inch during an honor. Creeping always escalates into a full
blown break.
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Taking It All On The Road
After you have taught doubles on a cut field and you’re confident your dog has developed a good
memory, it’s time to follow the same sequence on the road that you did with singles when you were
getting ready to run a Started test:
Change of cover: keep in mind that the distance your dog must go to retrieve has increased from
Hunter. Simplify change of cover while you increase distance. After your dog is comfortable and
successful running longer marks with simple change of cover you can and should increase the level of
difficulty. Keep the go bird relatively easy to find but test your dog’s perseverance with the memory
bird. Introduce heavier cover and also think about bird placement. At a test birds may be thrown to
places your dog might not want to go such as slots, tight past a gun, across a road. It’s always a good
idea to get out and watch a few tests to see what judges are looking for.
Blinds: unfortunately you cannot use your platform, white bucket or blind pole at a test. However,
judges do mark the location of the blind with tape. When you train in new places, you should no longer
be using the platform, white bucket or blind pole but you should use tape. Many dogs can actually see
orange tape flapping in the breeze so if you’re lucky enough to have a dog with that type of vision,
you’re one step ahead of the game. Intermediate blinds tend to be pretty straightforward but there are
always unforeseen factors at a test; wind, old scent, drag back. Dogs are visual learners and literally
take a picture in their mind’s eye of each set up. Place your bumper/bird at the base of a tree or bush
and your dog will remember that picture. Shorten your distance if you are practicing blinds over
obstacles such as logs or across a point of land for water blinds, teaching your dog to cross a road,
teaching your dog to run into a keyhole or slot for the blind. Read all you can about ‘sight blinds’
because you will need to teach these on the road. Remember, clarity, confidence and consistency. The
variations are endless and this is what makes teaching blinds fun. But it’s not fun if you don’t teach.
Save the cold blinds for the test. If you use a collar, use it properly when you take your blind work on
the road. Nothing ruins a dog’s attitude for running blinds faster than the incorrect use of pressure.
Water marks: at this point in your dog’s training you can and should expect at least one mark that will
tempt your dog to run the bank. Take the time to de-cheat your dog; teach him/her that they must go
in the water, stay in the water and return in the water instead of running the shore line. There are many
drills out there that show you exactly how to do this. Take the time to run them.
Getting ready for Intermediate and/or AKC Senior is a lot of work but it’s fun work and well worth the
time and effort. Once you start teaching blinds and handling you will always have something to work on
and the nice part is that you can work on it alone. You honestly can never over-work your blind training
and handling skills.
By now your library of books, articles, DVD’s and website information links should be quite healthy.
Carol Cassity, Mike Lardy, Evan Graham, Pat Nolan, Robert Milner, Dennis Voigt, Dobbs Retriever
Training Library; these should all be your go-to’s.
If you and your dog can master the skills needed at this level, then training for the master level in both
NAHRA and AKC will be a pleasure.
By:
Linda Sperco
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