--- title: Marks and Blind Retrieves Explained | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/guides/marks-and-blind-retrieves/ 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/) - [Guides](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/) - Marks and blind retrieves explained # Marks and blind retrieves explained A mark is a bird the dog sees fall; a blind retrieve is a bird the dog never saw, found by following the handler's direction. Marks use the dog's memory and drive, blinds use trust and handling, and a hunting dog needs both. Key points - Mark: the dog sees the fall and remembers where - Blind: the handler directs the dog to an unseen bird - Marks come first; blinds build on them - Hunt tests combine both on land and water Watch any duck hunt and you see both. Birds fall in plain sight and the dog marks them. Another bird is hit across the pond, tucked in cover, and no dog saw it. That second retrieve is the one that separates a dog who hunts with you from one who hunts near you. Here is the vocabulary and how each skill is taught. ## Marks The AKC defines marking as the dog's ability to make a mental note of the location of the downed bird when allowed to see the fall, and says dogs can show it by reaching the area and hunting it out or by going directly to the bird. It is one of four abilities scored in the hunting tests. A retriever training article on the vdd-gna.org site describes marks building once a dog is steady: the dog sits, watches a bumper thrown at an angle and goes only on command. Later two bumpers are thrown to form a diamond, and the dog is sent to one while the other is picked up, which teaches it to remember positions even when its own location changes. See [mark](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/mark/) and [double](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/double/) in the glossary. ## Blind retrieves A blind retrieve asks the dog to run to a bird it did not see, by taking casts from the handler. The same article describes blinds as building on marks: the dog first watches a bird dropped out of sight while the handler uses a raised hand to show the direction, and the dog is sent only once lined up. Eventually birds are thrown where the dog cannot see them, and the dog learns to take a line from hand signals alone. For water blinds it describes starting easy, with a bird thrown from the far bank, and then adding hidden birds and denser cover as skills grow. Other trainers describe a progression from pattern blinds to cold blinds, starting short and lengthening. Read the [blind retrieve](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/blind-retrieve/) and [cast](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/cast/) entries for the terms. ## Both together in a test Ducks Unlimited describes hunt tests as simulations of field situations built around marked and blind retrieves on land and water, with an example test that included a triple mark and a double blind. Dogs are judged pass or fail against a standard, with scores from 1 to 10 for categories like marking, style, perseverance and trainability. The AKC's Junior level asks for four retrieves, two from land and two from water, up to 100 yards each. If a test is your goal, the [AKC Junior Hunter page](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/akc-junior-hunter/) shows what comes first. ## Practicing at home Short single marks on grass or in shallow water build the memory for marking. For blinds, trainers describe starting short and visible, then lengthening. Work with a helper where you can and keep sessions to a handful of retrieves so the dog stays keen. A hunt test club practice day is a good place to see both skills run by experienced handlers. ## Where Richard fits Richard Gebhart has run and qualified at an AKC Master National and runs dogs and assists clients at local weekend AKC retriever hunt tests, where both skills are judged. Ask him how your dog is ready for each, or read about the [Advanced Waterfowl Program](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/advanced-waterfowl/), which introduces cold blinds. Related reading on the line is [steady to shot](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/steady-to-shot/). ### Sources (3) - American Kennel Club : [akc.org/sports/retrievers/hunting-tests/join/](https://www.akc.org/sports/retrievers/hunting-tests/join/) (checked October 27, 2026) - Ducks Unlimited : [ducks.org/hunting/retriever-training/retrievers-a-beginners-guide-to-hunt-tests](https://www.ducks.org/hunting/retriever-training/retrievers-a-beginners-guide-to-hunt-tests) (checked October 27, 2026) - Verein Deutsch-Drahthaar, Group North America : [vdd-gna.org/post/training-the-perfect-retriever-drags-marks-and-blinds](https://www.vdd-gna.org/post/training-the-perfect-retriever-drags-marks-and-blinds) (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/) ### Keep reading - [Mark](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/mark/) - [Blind retrieve](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/blind-retrieve/) - [Steady to shot: what it means and how it is taught](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/steady-to-shot/) - [AKC Junior Hunter](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/akc-junior-hunter/) ## Questions owners ask [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### Which comes first, marks or blinds? Marks. Blind retrieves build on the dog's basic sense of retrieving and its willingness to take direction. ### What is a double or a triple? Two or three birds down in a row, with the dog remembering where each fell. See the glossary entries. ### Can a dog be good at marks but poor at blinds? Yes, and it is common. The skills use different parts of the relationship with the handler.