For a dog at Lightning’s stage, already with good experience returning well on marking retrieves, a particular challenge that needs to be addressed explicitly is returning thru obstacles such as cover, especially with a bird. This is a different picture from returning when the handler is in clear sight at the start line, and both of my Goldens tended to break down on their returns when we first began to train on such lines years ago.

So today, while driving around looking for a good place to throw a few poorman marks for Lightning, I spotted this area off the side of a dirt road in a nearby park :

These were not long retrieves, but there were lots of landing spots I could throw the bird to where Lightning would have an obscured path back to me once he picked up the bird.

Not surpassingly, his first few returns were unsatisfactory. He would pick up the bird and then ignore my come-in whistle, instead playing with the bird or carrying it sideways or further away. On those retrieves, I had to go to him. If necessary I would have used his check cord to draw him back to the start line, but it didn’t happen to be necessary. Once I was close to him, he was willing to chase me back carrying the bird.

I don’t know whether further reinforcement than just the chance for another retrieve was necessary, but I had some sliced ham with me and used that to reinforce a whistle Sit once we were back at the start line. Not only did that create a strong positive association with the return, but Lightning also readily gave up the bird to get the treat.

After several retrieves that showed gradual improvement, Lightning finally began picking up the bird and coming straight back. A few more sessions in areas with high grass, both in clumps and strips, and other obstacles such as logs, mounds, and ditches, will hopefully strengthen Lightning’s returns even more.