EP 69: Build a Confident Water Dog: A Transition Guide

Water work can make—or break—a retriever.In this episode, Chris Rud sits down with Dan Ihrke to walk through the complete progression they use to develop confident, reliable water dogs before advancing to Seasoned and Finished level work.They discuss building water attitude, introducing force-to-pile in water, teaching water T, avoiding common mistakes that destroy confidence, and why timing, simplicity, and momentum matter far more than most trainers realize.Chris also shares the unbelievable story of losing a trailer wheel on the way to a field trial, turning an ordinary weekend into one he'll never forget.Whether you're training your first retriever or refining your program, this episode is packed with practical concepts you can immediately apply.Topics include:Building a dog's water attitudeTransitioning from land to water drillsForce-to-pile in waterWater T fundamentalsPreventing cheating and loss of momentumReading your dog's confidenceBalancing pressure and successCommon handler mistakesTrailer disasters, field trials, and learning the hard wayIf you're serious about developing better retrievers, this episode is one you'll want to revisit.