03/30/2019
Great way to break it down..
When you’re handling a dog on a blind, deciding what information to give your dog with a cast can seem complicated. You might be wondering, what position should I move my arm to when giving the cast? Should I put a lateral step in with the cast or should or should I keep my body in position? Should I use my voice or remain silent with the cast?
Well before you can answer those questions, you have to know how a dog typically responds to casts, body movement and the use of voice.
The answer to the first question is pretty obvious. The closer your arm comes up into the 12 o’clock position, the more likely your dog will move straight away from you and as you drop your arm toward the 9 or 3 o’clock position, the greater the chance your dog will move in a lateral direction with the cast. In theory, a dog that is casting precisely will carry a cast toward the position on the clock that your arm is pointing to.
In order to decide whether or not to put a step in with the cast, lets first assume that the dog can clearly see us. Normally, adding a step with the cast will add lateral change in the direction of the step and cast. Whereas staying in position will give you less lateral change in the direction of the cast.
Finally, using your voice with the cast does two things. One it creates momentum and two, it increases rotation. Deciding whether or not to use your voice with a cast can be tricky. You have to ask yourself two questions before you can make that decision and occasionally those answers can come into conflict.
The first question you need to ask is “Do I need to increase the dogs momentum?” If the dog was hunting short, slowing down, not moving with purpose toward the blind, approaching a scented area etc., you’ll likely need to generate some momentum. The way to do that is to use your voice with your cast. “BACK!”
The second question you need to ask is “Do I want to increase or decrease the amount the dog rotates as it turns to make the cast?” This is a tough question because there are a great number of things you need to know before you can decide your answer. How are the factors, the things that push, pull or deflect your dog, affecting it at that moment? Wind, terrain, cover, an entry to the water, an angle exit from the water, a shoreline, scent blowing across a field, old falls, a gun station, a poison bird, or other diversions are all examples of factors. Remember, using voice increases the amount the dog rotates with the cast. For example. When casting into wind, a dog tends to over-rotate because the wind pushes the dog. We will more often than not see dogs dig straight back or scallop when we cast into wind. This is a very good reason not to use voice with an into wind cast. Vice versa, when casting with the wind a dog tends to under rotate and have excessive lateral change in the direction of the cast. This indicates that using voice with the cast would be appropriate.
When I first started talking about the use of voice I said, “Deciding whether or not to use your voice with a cast can be tricky.” Occasionally there’ll be conflict. You’ll come across moments when you need to increase the dog’s momentum (use voice) but you don’t want to add rotation (stay silent). Normally when this happens tackling momentum takes priority (use voice). But once you recognize your dog has its momentum back, you should stop using your voice if over-rotation is still a concern.
Now that you know how the angle of the cast, body movement and voice affect the direction the dog moves in with a cast, you will be better equipped to predict what information to give your dog. To sum up, if you want more lateral change in the direction of the cast or to minimize the amount of rotation, increase the angle of the cast by moving your arm incrementally toward the 9 or 3 o’clock position, take a micro-step, and stay silent when giving the cast. If you want to decrease the amount of lateral change in the direction of the cast or generate more rotation, move your arm incrementally toward the 12 o’clock position, stay in position and use voice when giving the cast. If you want to generate momentum, use your voice with the cast.
Finally, it’s important to be in the moment. Pay close attention to how your dog responded to the cast it was previously given, in particular the previous one given in the same direction. For example. Before giving a cast to the right, when possible you should recall how it responded to the cast you previously gave to the right. Based on the dogs reaction to the previously given cast to the right, you should make appropriate adjustments if necessary. Did the dog dig back or scallop? Perhaps you need to take a step or refrain from using voice or increase the degree of the cast. You might only need to make adjustments in one area or you may need to make adjustments in all three.
I hope this information will help you get better casts from your dog and ultimately better blinds and greater success. Pease feel free to share this with your friends. If you have questions, please leave them in the comments section and I'll answer them as soon as I can. Photo credit Johnny Feltovic
