Like those involved in about every other human activity, we retrieverites have our own language. Among the initiated, it facilitates communication, but for the uninitiated, it frequently facilitates confusion, especially since some of our terms have multiple meanings. Thus some definitions are in order. Then, too, some terms have interesting histories that should be passed on. Ergo, I'll define a few of these terms, admitting that this list is incomplete. A full retriever-speak lexicon would probably fill this entire magazine, maybe more than once.

“Back!” can be used to send a dog from the handler’s side on a blind retrieve.

Back!: This command was first used to cast a distant dog (as in a blind retrieve) farther away from the handler. Since the dog is facing the handler, he must first turn around before he can run farther away.

Later, it also became the command to leave the handler's side at the start of a blind retrieve, the "logic" being that here too the dog runs away from the handler. However, if dogs were completely logical, they would always turn completely around before running, which would be a disaster in this secondary usage.

Fortunately, canine logic only goes far enough to induce them to do whatever their frequently illogical owners train them to do, so they run forward on Back when lining and in reverse when casting.

Blind: This has three meanings. First, it can mean a blind retrieve. Second, it can mean a waterfowl hunting blind. Third, it can mean a holding blind at field trials and hunt tests, where dogs and handlers wait to run a test.

Bumpers, a.k.a. dummies, come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors.

Bumper: This is a cylindrical object retriever trainers frequently use in training sessions as a substitute for birds. We call them "bumpers" because the earliest version was the boat-bumper boaters hang over the sides of their crafts to protect them when tied up to a pier. Hanging on the wall of my office, I still have a large boat-bumper I used back when nothing else was available. Today bumpers come in many sizes, shapes, and colors.

"Dummy" is a synonym for "bumper."

Cold Blind: This is a blind retrieve that is run without accompanying marks. The word "cold" here has nothing to do with the temperature. Perhaps "solo blind" would have been a better term, but to communicate effectively we have to use the language as it came down to us. Incidentally, "cold water blind" means a water blind run without marks; it does not mean a blind run in cold water (although that is quite possible).

Collar: This has two meanings. First, it can mean any sort of collar used in retriever training: chain-collar, strap-collar, slip-collar, and so forth. Second, it can mean the electronic collar, or e-collar, used for sending little e-messages to a distant retriever that isn't doing what he has been trained to do at any particular moment. I've often referred to my e-collar as my dog's "hearing aid."