We have just changed blind planters. 23 dogs have run the 7th series water blind which completes about half the field. The dogs are taking 5 - 6 minutes a dog with some taking longer.
This is a water blind with a lot of detail in it. The distance on land before entering the first water that is on line is approximately 75 yards from the mat, and the line passes closer water that the dog should not get in. Once in the water, the line takes the dog through several pieces of water and crosses or touches several pieces of land before arriving at the bird on this 305-yard blind. Along the way, there are plenty of nearby "wrong land" options to tempt a dog not to stay in the water! A blind with all these land-water transitions presents a daunting view for dogs trained to this level as they look at it before being sent -- and we have seen some dogs leave the line looking thoughtful about what is to come.
The final section of the blind is proving challenging as the handlers need well-timed whistles to ensure that their teammate catches that final piece of water, and some have not gotten it. We have also seen a few teams have problems in the middle of the blind where the dogs have the option of climbing out on a particularly tempting point that is not on line at all, as though saying, "You know what? I have been doing the in-and-out-of-the-water stuff for long enough and there needs to be a bird here!"
