Tune-Up Drills: Refreshing Memory, Momentum & Decision-Making with Land & Water Features
Hello retriever enthusiasts,
As spring test season approaches and winter conditions begin to ease, many dogs show subtle signs of rust: slightly softer momentum through transitions, less precise memory on retired falls, or hesitation on complex lines. This is the ideal time for tune-up drills — short, targeted sessions that use natural land and water features to refresh handling, memory, and decision-making without high volume or fatigue.
Tune-up drills are not about teaching new concepts. They remind a capable dog how to carry a line, ignore tempting intermediate features, and stay committed en route. They are especially valuable right now because they can be run with low reps and high success.
Important Safety Note on Water Work Do not resume water retrieves until the combined air + water temperature exceeds 110°F (ideally 120°F+ for longer swims). Cold water poses a far greater risk than cold air. If conditions are not safe, skip water entirely and focus on land-based tune-ups.
4 Proven Tune-Up Drills Using Land & Water Features
Land Tune-Up Drills These typically involve a series of blinds set in a pattern (e.g., 3–9 blinds in a line or fan shape) at varying distances/angles. The dog runs successive blinds, accepting casts and whistles to navigate past old falls or features.
Purpose: Reinforces handling, prevents hunting old falls, and builds acceptance of pressure.
Example: A basic land tune-up might have 5 blinds in a row, with the handler casting the dog past previous fall areas. Pat Burns and Andy Attar note it also helps the handler sharpen timing and cues.
Water Tune-Up Drills These use water features like points, islands, or shorelines to teach dogs to carry momentum, accept casts in water, and continue past tempting land without stopping. Often called "panic drills" because they address dogs' stress around water handling.
Purpose: Gets dogs comfortable being stopped/handled in or near water, preventing "island syndrome" (climbing out early) or no-go's.
Example: A common setup has blinds running over points, past points, to islands, or shore-to-shore swims. The dog must continue swimming past the first land feature to the blind. Pat Burns emphasizes easing tension in early season with these.
Continuing Shore / Down-the-Shore Tune-Up
Setup: Mark thrown on a long shoreline with multiple small points or indentations.
Execution: Send the dog along the shore, requiring him to continue past each point without stopping or swinging in. Reward only for driving straight to the fall.
Purpose: Builds decision-making en route — the dog learns to ignore tempting features and stay committed to the original line.
Field transfer: Enhances carry and focus on long shore retrieves or marks with multiple shoreline features.
Dennis Voigt's Swim-By Tune-Up
Setup: Set up a series of blinds increasingly parallel to the shore, with a final "swim by" to a point on a parallel shore. The dog swims along the shore, accepting casts to continue without returning directly to the handler.
Execution: Send the dog on the first blind (perpendicular to shore), then progress to more parallel blinds. On the final swim-by, whistle sit in water, then cast to continue swimming past you to the shore point. Reward only for carrying past without landing early or turning back.
Purpose: Refreshes handling in water, teaches the dog to swim past the handler without stopping or returning prematurely, and builds momentum through transitions. Dennis Voigt popularized this as a "panic drill" to address water-handling stress and prevent "beach syndrome."
Field transfer: Critical for long water blinds and angle-entry marks where dogs must swim past the handler or points without breaking line.
Integration Tips
Keep sessions short (4–8 retrieves total) and high-success.
End each session on a clean rep (as we discussed in Finishing Strong).
Use these drills 3–4 times per week now, then gradually add complexity as spring conditions improve.
Pair with land-based foundational refreshers (e.g., wagon wheel or cast-off drills) to keep everything sharp.
Field Transfer
Dogs that run consistent tune-up drills with land/water features arrive at tests with refreshed memory, stronger momentum through transitions, and better decision-making en route. They carry lines straighter, resist the pull of intermediate cover or points, and hunt more efficiently in the fall area — qualities that lead to higher scores and fewer faults.
Tune-up drills are not about adding volume. They are about reminding the dog what excellence looks like before the season ramps up.
If you’re using land/water feature drills this month, which ones are giving you the biggest refresh? Share in the comments or on Instagram (@flyinghighretrievers). We all get better together.
Here is to sharp dogs and strong spring starts,
Ryan Fisher
Owner and Team Development Officer
Flying High Retrievers
Long Island, New York
