---
title: Gun Dog Glossary | Royal Gun Dogs
url: https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/
business: Royal Gun Dogs
trainer: Richard Gebhart (professional gun dog trainer since 2002)
phone: (530) 341-4496
email: royalgundogs@yahoo.com
trains_at: Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, Rio Vista, CA 94571 (Solano County)
booking: call or text Richard directly
---

- [Home](https://royalgundogs.com/)
- Glossary

# Gun dog glossary

This glossary defines the words trainers and hunt test judges use, from force fetch to delivery to hand. Each entry explains the term in plain language and shows where it appears in training and AKC tests.

## All pages in this section

[Term ### Force fetch Force fetch is a training method that teaches a dog to take, hold and deliver an object on command, whether or not it feels like it.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/force-fetch/)[Term ### Steadiness Steadiness is a dog's ability to stay in place, sitting calmly at the line or in the blind, until it is told to go.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/steadiness/)[Term ### Blind retrieve A blind retrieve is a retrieve to a bird the dog did not see fall, directed by the handler's commands.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/blind-retrieve/)[Term ### Mark A mark is a retrieve where the dog sees the bird fall and must remember where it landed.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/mark/)[Term ### Honoring Honoring is when a dog sits quietly at the line, without breaking, while another dog works.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/honoring/)[Term ### E-collar conditioning E-collar conditioning is the step-by-step process of teaching a dog what an electronic collar's signals mean before it is used in the field.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/e-collar-conditioning/)[Term ### Started dog A started dog is a gun dog that has completed foundation training and basic field work but is not yet polished.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/started-dog/)[Term ### Finished dog A finished dog is a gun dog trained to a high, dependable standard across marks, blinds, steadiness and handling.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/finished-dog/)[Term ### Hunt test A hunt test is an event where a retriever is judged against a standard, not against other dogs, on realistic hunting tasks.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/hunt-test/)[Term ### Field trial A field trial is a competition in which retrievers are ranked against one another and the best performances place.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/field-trial/)[Term ### Line manners Line manners are a retriever's calm, controlled behavior at the line while it waits to be sent.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/line-manners/)[Term ### Hold conditioning Hold conditioning is training that teaches a dog to keep an object in its mouth calmly and gently until told to release it.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/hold-conditioning/)[Term ### Cast A cast is a directional signal, usually a hand motion with a whistle, that sends a dog left, right or back.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/cast/)[Term ### Double A double is a retrieve where two birds fall in view of the dog before it is sent for either.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/double/)[Term ### Delivery to hand Delivery to hand is when a retriever returns with a bird and gives it into the handler's hand without dropping it.](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/delivery-to-hand/)

Trainer talk can sound like another language when you are new to it. Each page below gives a short definition, why the skill matters for a California hunting dog, and where you will see it on test day. Start with the term you heard most recently, and follow the links at the bottom of each page to the guides and programs that go deeper.

## Where to begin

New to retriever work? Read [mark](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/mark/), [blind retrieve](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/blind-retrieve/) and [steadiness](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/steadiness/) first, since most other terms build on them.

Shopping for a dog or a trainer? [Started dog](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/started-dog/) and [finished dog](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/finished-dog/) explain how those labels are used. Richard Gebhart answers questions on any term when you call.

### Sources (2)

- American Kennel Club : [akc.org/sports/retrievers/hunting-tests/](https://www.akc.org/sports/retrievers/hunting-tests/) (checked October 27, 2026)
- Hastings Island Hunting Preserve : [hihp.com/royal-gun-dogs-dog-training/](https://hihp.com/royal-gun-dogs-dog-training/) (checked October 27, 2026)

### Your trainer

Richard Gebhart has trained dogs professionally since 2002, learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti, and has run and qualified at an AKC Master National.

[Meet Richard](https://royalgundogs.com/richard-gebhart/)

### Related

- [Gun dog training guides](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/)
- [Questions and answers](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/)
- [Retriever hunt tests](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/)
- [Training programs](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/)

### Where Richard trains

Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, near Rio Vista in Solano County. Call before you drive out.

[Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Hastings+Island+Hunting+Preserve+Rio+Vista+CA&destination_place_id=ChIJA_E9R8AphYAR_4YnvcqbaAU)