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 unbeliev...