I was going to run some dogs yesterday because it was supposed to be in the low to mid 60’s. It was 72 at daylight and by the time I was ready it was 74 degrees. I didn’t do any dog training.
Luke on point and Lucky, on the left, honoring.
Luke pointing a quail.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Lucky is 13 years old and nearly deaf. Yesterday when I cleaned pens he came back into his kennel as I filled his water bucket. He enjoys the attention but I wondered if he thinks I quit talking to him. I talk to all of the dogs. (I even talk to the pigeons.) A few days ago I came up from the back on the lawn mower and Lucky was lying on the concrete floor of his kennel. He heard the mower when I got close, jumped up and looked the wrong way at first.
Last hunting season, he hunted with us for a couple of hours then got separated. I beeped his e-collar but he wasn’t sure where I was or he never heard the beeps. I had a Garmin GPS on him so I knew where he was hunting. When I got back to the truck I drove as close to him as I could then walked. He was tired and stayed in front of me back to the truck.
A few years ago I had a female pointer named Angel. She was a daughter of Lester’s Snowatch. A friend, Gailen Cooper wanted to run her in a shooting dog trial. She was still a derby. We entered her in the Missouri Open Derby. There were 21 or 22 dogs entered.
When it came time for her to run, no dog had pointed a bird. At about 20 minutes into her 30 minute run she went on point. She looked really good as Gailen went in front of her to flush. A small covey got up. She didn’t move. As he walked to her another 3 or 4 birds flushed. He stroked her up and led her away.
He turned her loose and she went about 50 yards and went on point again. I thought it was probably a single but this time another covey flushed. She was steady to wing and shot. He stroked her and led her away. He turned her loose and she was well out front at the end of time.
At the end of her run Gailen rode up beside me and said, “You know what I did to her. What did you do, I asked. I talked to her just like you do”.
A long way from where Angel had pointed the two coveys another dog pointed a single quail later in the trial. The only birds found in the trial. The dog that found the single got third. Angel got second and a dog that didn’t see a bird took first.
I ran her in an Open Shooting Dog, walking trial later, while she was still a derby. In the walking trial they had scouts that were on horses. Angel stayed in front of me most of the time but I had to send the scout two different times because when she got on a hedge row or fence row she took it to the end. She hadn’t found a bird and at the end just as the judge called time I rounded a clump of brush and saw her on point. Had I seen her on point before time was called, the point would have counted. In this trial they placed her third. A young man had a dog that pointed a quail in this trial that didn’t get a placement.
I’m not trying to say that trials are unfair or bad. I don’t understand them. Judges are looking for certain things. The dog that won the horse back trial went on to win several championships. I sold Angel to a guy in Canada that I thought would field trial her. She didn’t do that well for him but she had several pups that are winning.
I have registered Tur Bo and Sally Joe in both AKC and American Field. I have run them both in AKC Junior Hunter tests. In Junior Hunter, I think, they only have to point a quail and stay on point for a few seconds. Tur Bo ran in two tests and qualified in both. Sally ran in two but only qualified in one. To be a Junior Hunter they must qualify in four tests and then AKC will put the Junior Hunter designation on their registration.
Senior Hunter and Master Hunter get progressively harder. For Senior Hunter, I think, they have to be steady to wing and shot and retrieve to hand. They also must honor a brace mate. A Master Hunter must be steady to wing, shot and fall. The Master Hunter must also stay steady as the brace mate retrieves. Although I don’t see very many AKC hunt tests around I may continue to run in them. All of the dogs can qualify in their tests so it’s not as competitive as the field trials.
Usually, this really hot weather only lasts a couple of weeks. I hope that is the case, then I will be back to training dogs.
Betsy pointing a quail.
Tur Bo
Dolly pointing Tur Bo backing.