A Retriever’s Unlikely Path to
Hunting Retriever Champion!
The Story of Lady Roxanne VIII - “Roxy”
2/22/2005 - 8/17/2019
About the author:
Dan Mikals is an avid duck hunter having hunted ducks for over 30 years with 12 of the most recent years guiding professionally in the north Texas region of the country. He is the founder of “Four Curl Nation” his guide service.
He has also written “Duck Hunting Success Simplified”, “Duck Hunting Tips & Tricks Vol. I, II & III” and “The World’s Most Interesting Duck Hunter.” All of which can be found on Amazon.com. His passion is being actively involved with anything remotely having anything to do with ducks and duck dogs. He takes pride in the fact that he has personally trained his latest retriever “Roxy” taking her from being a 7 week old free pup that he found in the newspaper all the way to attaining her HRCH title. She has enthusiastically been retrieving ducks for his family, friends and his clients for nine years.
This season he will be introducing his latest addition to the family, a fireball of a female yellow lab he affectionately and appropriately calls “Blaze.” He has coined a variation of a popular credo: “Give a man a duck, feed him for a day. Teach a man to hunt and you will feed his passion for a lifetime.”
Dan Mikals is an avid duck hunter having hunted ducks for over 30 years with 12 of the most recent years guiding professionally in the north Texas region of the country. He is the founder of “Four Curl Nation” his guide service.
He has also written “Duck Hunting Success Simplified”, “Duck Hunting Tips & Tricks Vol. I, II & III” and “The World’s Most Interesting Duck Hunter.” All of which can be found on Amazon.com. His passion is being actively involved with anything remotely having anything to do with ducks and duck dogs. He takes pride in the fact that he has personally trained his latest retriever “Roxy” taking her from being a 7 week old free pup that he found in the newspaper all the way to attaining her HRCH title. She has enthusiastically been retrieving ducks for his family, friends and his clients for nine years.
This season he will be introducing his latest addition to the family, a fireball of a female yellow lab he affectionately and appropriately calls “Blaze.” He has coined a variation of a popular credo: “Give a man a duck, feed him for a day. Teach a man to hunt and you will feed his passion for a lifetime.”
Introduction:
From day one I chronicled every aspect of training and hunting behind my wonderful Labrador retriever, Roxy. I am not sure why exactly I started this practice but I found it to be cathartic. Periodically I would revisit my notes and find amusement in some of the easily correctable mistakes I made early on. Thankfully this is a breed that forgives and forgets about as fast as it takes them to inhale their food.
Documenting our progress allowed me to fully appreciate what magnificent animals these truly are. Inevitably life happens and unfortunately our focus sometimes is temporarily diverted away from our faithful companions as their faithfulness can be taken for granted. Looking back allows me to be reminded of our special bond and her unending faithfulness.
What follows are the highlighted peaks and valleys of our four year journey. This is not a how-to manual nor is it a revolutionary training program of any sort. I am making this story available to encourage those that are new to the sport so they can gain confidence from that fact that if someone as ill equipped as I can accomplish this feat well surely they can as well.
From day one I chronicled every aspect of training and hunting behind my wonderful Labrador retriever, Roxy. I am not sure why exactly I started this practice but I found it to be cathartic. Periodically I would revisit my notes and find amusement in some of the easily correctable mistakes I made early on. Thankfully this is a breed that forgives and forgets about as fast as it takes them to inhale their food.
Documenting our progress allowed me to fully appreciate what magnificent animals these truly are. Inevitably life happens and unfortunately our focus sometimes is temporarily diverted away from our faithful companions as their faithfulness can be taken for granted. Looking back allows me to be reminded of our special bond and her unending faithfulness.
What follows are the highlighted peaks and valleys of our four year journey. This is not a how-to manual nor is it a revolutionary training program of any sort. I am making this story available to encourage those that are new to the sport so they can gain confidence from that fact that if someone as ill equipped as I can accomplish this feat well surely they can as well.
Part I. Meager Beginnings
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. - Unknown
Lady Roxanne VIII, call name “Roxy,” entered our lives as a six week old puppy (as opposed to the traditional recommended seven weeks but more on that later) in circumstances that were liken to the famous line from “A Tale of Two Cities” in that it indeed was the “best of times and the worst of times.”
My family and I had just gone through some very dark days of personal tragedy and extreme financial loss, the resultant wounds of which if left untreated, threatened to permanently stunt the growth of my marriage as well as the emotional development of my children. To put it plainly, we were a mess in a mess.
As a husband and father searching for any kind of relief whatsoever I came up with the bright idea either by divine providence, dumb luck or sheer desperation that a puppy might enable us all to experience joy again and allow us to give and receive love once more. I could not recall the exact “ah ha” moment, but I was resolute that this would surely be the course we were going to take.
Rewind: The first retriever I had ever owned and trained for hunting was given to me when I was still in college. She was the last of the litter, “full breed, but sorry no papers.” All I knew was I wanted a dog that would retrieve what I shot and had I no higher expectations whatsoever.
Heck, I didn’t know enough to realize there was so much more that these dogs could do than your basic 20-30 yards retrieves. Someone suggested I get the book ‘Water Dog’ by Richards A. Wolters that was written before I was born. My “initial” retriever training needs were met as I began to explore the possibilities.
Fast Forward: I am now 20 years older and not much wiser. I begin my search for a working retriever in the local paper. I wasn’t smart enough to look into specific bloodlines and pedigrees, nope; all I wanted were papers this time so “if” I want to compete in some kind of competition I could.
After making a few calls I ended up communicating back and forth with one particular guy by e-mail concerning his litter and he was asking $600.00 for each pup. As fate would have it, he notices my e-mail address was from the same company he was attempting to be employed by and suggested that if I could help him get a job that I can have pick of the litter for free.
Turns out he is an independent truck driver NOT a “real” breeder but what I was to learn later he was actually the dreaded “backyard” breeder; an individual that breeds indiscriminately for profit.
I forwarded his information to my traffic department not because I thought my influence would even remotely assist him in gaining a contract but mainly because I had told him I would.
A week later he gives me a call and asked me when I am going to pick up my pup because he was just informed the he was awarded a contract with my company. Wow, great news for the both of us; he gets a job and I get a free pup. (Note to self: Dogs are never free.) The only catch was I needed to take the pup a week early because he was going out of town. I read somewhere that developmentally it is recommended that a pup stay with its momma for 7 weeks but I didn’t think one week would hurt.
The kids and I loaded up the next day for the 80 mile trip to meet him half way and pick out our new adopted family member. Nothing in the world puts a smile on your face like puppies! I had told him I wanted a black female and he brought three to choose from.
The kids took turns and we finally settled on our girl. We had come up with her name on the way out and she probably heard her name a minimum of 100 times on the way back as they all took turns holding her and loving on her. The joy and elation was to be short lived though. It wasn’t two days after having her home that she stopped eating and had continuous diarrhea. When we picked her up she weighed 8 lbs and in less than a week she had lost half of her body weight because she wouldn’t eat and at this point could not even stand up.
We took her to the vet and it was determined that she had a severe case of hook worms that were caught most likely as a result of the poor conditions in which she had been whelped. She was given an I-V and meds and we were given specific instructions for her care. Unfortunately no promises were given in regards to her recovers based in part to the severity of her weight loss, infestation and her youth.
For the next five days we held our collective breath as we spoon fed her blended chicken, rice and green beans that had been slow cooked in a crock-pot. It was a pathetic sight to behold. Fortunately day five had her up and reaching for the food and begging for more. We had turned a corner and she was well on her way to a full recovery.
The next several months were filled with your typical young puppy antics. Many hours were enjoyed watching her explore her new surroundings in wonderment as she was oblivious to the impending crisis that was going to impact our lives shortly.
It was simply amazing to observe the calming effect on all of us when we shifted our focus away from the day-to-day troubles to that energetic little ball of fur. These precious times allowed us to forget, if only for a moment, the cares of the world. We were about to lose our dream home and needed to find a house to rent fast.
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. - Unknown
Lady Roxanne VIII, call name “Roxy,” entered our lives as a six week old puppy (as opposed to the traditional recommended seven weeks but more on that later) in circumstances that were liken to the famous line from “A Tale of Two Cities” in that it indeed was the “best of times and the worst of times.”
My family and I had just gone through some very dark days of personal tragedy and extreme financial loss, the resultant wounds of which if left untreated, threatened to permanently stunt the growth of my marriage as well as the emotional development of my children. To put it plainly, we were a mess in a mess.
As a husband and father searching for any kind of relief whatsoever I came up with the bright idea either by divine providence, dumb luck or sheer desperation that a puppy might enable us all to experience joy again and allow us to give and receive love once more. I could not recall the exact “ah ha” moment, but I was resolute that this would surely be the course we were going to take.
Rewind: The first retriever I had ever owned and trained for hunting was given to me when I was still in college. She was the last of the litter, “full breed, but sorry no papers.” All I knew was I wanted a dog that would retrieve what I shot and had I no higher expectations whatsoever.
Heck, I didn’t know enough to realize there was so much more that these dogs could do than your basic 20-30 yards retrieves. Someone suggested I get the book ‘Water Dog’ by Richards A. Wolters that was written before I was born. My “initial” retriever training needs were met as I began to explore the possibilities.
Fast Forward: I am now 20 years older and not much wiser. I begin my search for a working retriever in the local paper. I wasn’t smart enough to look into specific bloodlines and pedigrees, nope; all I wanted were papers this time so “if” I want to compete in some kind of competition I could.
After making a few calls I ended up communicating back and forth with one particular guy by e-mail concerning his litter and he was asking $600.00 for each pup. As fate would have it, he notices my e-mail address was from the same company he was attempting to be employed by and suggested that if I could help him get a job that I can have pick of the litter for free.
Turns out he is an independent truck driver NOT a “real” breeder but what I was to learn later he was actually the dreaded “backyard” breeder; an individual that breeds indiscriminately for profit.
I forwarded his information to my traffic department not because I thought my influence would even remotely assist him in gaining a contract but mainly because I had told him I would.
A week later he gives me a call and asked me when I am going to pick up my pup because he was just informed the he was awarded a contract with my company. Wow, great news for the both of us; he gets a job and I get a free pup. (Note to self: Dogs are never free.) The only catch was I needed to take the pup a week early because he was going out of town. I read somewhere that developmentally it is recommended that a pup stay with its momma for 7 weeks but I didn’t think one week would hurt.
The kids and I loaded up the next day for the 80 mile trip to meet him half way and pick out our new adopted family member. Nothing in the world puts a smile on your face like puppies! I had told him I wanted a black female and he brought three to choose from.
The kids took turns and we finally settled on our girl. We had come up with her name on the way out and she probably heard her name a minimum of 100 times on the way back as they all took turns holding her and loving on her. The joy and elation was to be short lived though. It wasn’t two days after having her home that she stopped eating and had continuous diarrhea. When we picked her up she weighed 8 lbs and in less than a week she had lost half of her body weight because she wouldn’t eat and at this point could not even stand up.
We took her to the vet and it was determined that she had a severe case of hook worms that were caught most likely as a result of the poor conditions in which she had been whelped. She was given an I-V and meds and we were given specific instructions for her care. Unfortunately no promises were given in regards to her recovers based in part to the severity of her weight loss, infestation and her youth.
For the next five days we held our collective breath as we spoon fed her blended chicken, rice and green beans that had been slow cooked in a crock-pot. It was a pathetic sight to behold. Fortunately day five had her up and reaching for the food and begging for more. We had turned a corner and she was well on her way to a full recovery.
The next several months were filled with your typical young puppy antics. Many hours were enjoyed watching her explore her new surroundings in wonderment as she was oblivious to the impending crisis that was going to impact our lives shortly.
It was simply amazing to observe the calming effect on all of us when we shifted our focus away from the day-to-day troubles to that energetic little ball of fur. These precious times allowed us to forget, if only for a moment, the cares of the world. We were about to lose our dream home and needed to find a house to rent fast.
What many in our situation may have viewed as the beginning of the end we took an approach similar to that of the young pup. We opened our eyes and took it all in, viewed this temporary set-back as an opportunity to explore possibilities.
When Roxy was four months old we moved from our 5,000 square foot dream home that had several ponds in the back acreage to a small 1500 square foot rent house and two storage buildings but it all sat on an acre! Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. I now had a fenced in training area and the kids had plenty of room to play. I quickly overcame the initial shock or in the words of George Costanza I had to deal with “shrinkage” brought on by the move but quickly grew to adapt to the new surroundings. It helped significantly that all three of my kids literally only had to walk across the street to their elementary and middle schools.
Roxy’s basic training had been going well. I was following “10 Minute Retriever Training” thru force fetch then graduated to Evan Graham’s “Smart Works” retriever training program. In hindsight I wish I had used Evan’s stuff from the beginning but I never knew it existed until I was past FF.
FF went surprisingly well. I worked in two 5-10 minute sessions each day and used an outdoor deep freezer as a training table. By keeping the session short, upbeat and encouraging I found Roxy took to learning fairly well and she quickly progressed through all stages of FF. Yard work was fun for the both of us as we both were learning/following a new system of training.
I made sure to introduce her to as many sights, sounds, smells and experiences as I could. By doing this she became more confident in herself and trusting of me. Our bond continued to grow. I even introduced her to dock dog jumping contests. She placed 5th!
When Roxy was four months old we moved from our 5,000 square foot dream home that had several ponds in the back acreage to a small 1500 square foot rent house and two storage buildings but it all sat on an acre! Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. I now had a fenced in training area and the kids had plenty of room to play. I quickly overcame the initial shock or in the words of George Costanza I had to deal with “shrinkage” brought on by the move but quickly grew to adapt to the new surroundings. It helped significantly that all three of my kids literally only had to walk across the street to their elementary and middle schools.
Roxy’s basic training had been going well. I was following “10 Minute Retriever Training” thru force fetch then graduated to Evan Graham’s “Smart Works” retriever training program. In hindsight I wish I had used Evan’s stuff from the beginning but I never knew it existed until I was past FF.
FF went surprisingly well. I worked in two 5-10 minute sessions each day and used an outdoor deep freezer as a training table. By keeping the session short, upbeat and encouraging I found Roxy took to learning fairly well and she quickly progressed through all stages of FF. Yard work was fun for the both of us as we both were learning/following a new system of training.
I made sure to introduce her to as many sights, sounds, smells and experiences as I could. By doing this she became more confident in herself and trusting of me. Our bond continued to grow. I even introduced her to dock dog jumping contests. She placed 5th!
I made it a point to take her everywhere I could. One day while training at a local park that had a pond where I was doing some rudimentary “handling” in water with hand signals and whistle commands a guy pulls up and asks what in the world was I doing? (I must have been making quite a spectacle of myself.) I told him I was training my dog. He asked if I was a member of any hunting retriever clubs to which I responded “no.” He proceeded to tell me that he used to be the secretary for the Cowtown Hunting Retriever Club and that he was no longer a member but gave me the name of the president of that club. I thanked him as he drove off. Strange encounter indeed. I don’t remember his name but I owe so much to him for pointing me in the right direction.
Part II. Transition.
“A dog will teach you unconditional love. If you can have that in your life, things won’t be too bad.” – Robert Wagner
So much is happening so fast. Roxy is developing both in mind and body and I, as a trainer have become like a sponge absorbing information from books, DVD’s, the observation of other successful trainers and their dogs as well as hands on experience at our club training days. It was finally time to put her in her first real hunting situation.
Roxy’s first dove season.
Part II. Transition.
“A dog will teach you unconditional love. If you can have that in your life, things won’t be too bad.” – Robert Wagner
So much is happening so fast. Roxy is developing both in mind and body and I, as a trainer have become like a sponge absorbing information from books, DVD’s, the observation of other successful trainers and their dogs as well as hands on experience at our club training days. It was finally time to put her in her first real hunting situation.
Roxy’s first dove season.
What fun! Not many birds but I saw the light come on in her head as if she said “so this is what it is all about?” Her excitement highlighted her/my shortcomings i.e. control at the line. She saw that we would shoot at these moving birds and she fully expected to have something to retrieve at every shot. She would break on the shot and whine when she saw birds that were out of range and we didn’t shoot. I had to tie her down for her own safety and to keep her from forming a bad habit. The whining we nipped in the bud early. No noise would be tolerated. It was hard for her but she quickly complied.
Before I joined Cowtown I attended a training day at one of the members’ expansive property in Decatur TX. All I can say is WOW! I never imagined what all was possible for these magnificent dogs to accomplish if one was willing to devote time, persistence and perspiration. If I could have paid to become a member that first day I would have done so on the spot:
Cowtown Training Day – Decatur TX
Cold, overcast, windy and occasional sprinkles.
Set-up: Left 70 yards and right 40 yards over a hill thrown marks (real frozen ducks) from wingers with a diversion on 2nd mark and then a blind split between, up the hill approx. 80 yards after crossing the water. Water was only about 30-40 yards.
1st run the Go-bird (1st bird the retriever is sent after) was frozen and it stuck in the mud just below the waters surface. Roxy ran all around it but never found it. I had to handle and she finally brought it in. 2nd mark was easy. Diversion was easy. Blind was a different story. She took a decent initial line and I handled her off the scent from old AOF (Area of the Fall) and the wingers. Three casts to the pile of orange bumpers and she would not pick it up. She walked all over pile, sat on pile but would NOT pick up. I called her in and my buddy Steve and I drove her around to the pile. I identified the pile multiple times and she appeared to know what to do. We took her back to the line, sent her back right to the pile. Same thing! A couple of cast and she finally picked it up.
All we could figure was she picked up three ducks and was looking for a 4th duck not orange bumpers? (Never had worked with orange before. Ordered 6 the next morning because they are harder for the dog to see and as such are good for training on blind work.)
2nd run. She broke bad on 2nd shot. The duck calls, shooting and excitement of real ducks was too much. I put her back in the truck. No birds for you!
3rd run. Steady at the line. Good clean retrieves AND she picked up the blind. Getting better.
Things I learned:
Keep whistle in mouth at ALL times. Learn to talk with it in.
Send her for Marks on her name and blinds with “Back.” (I was saying back for everything.)
Get orange dummies.
Before I joined Cowtown I attended a training day at one of the members’ expansive property in Decatur TX. All I can say is WOW! I never imagined what all was possible for these magnificent dogs to accomplish if one was willing to devote time, persistence and perspiration. If I could have paid to become a member that first day I would have done so on the spot:
Cowtown Training Day – Decatur TX
Cold, overcast, windy and occasional sprinkles.
Set-up: Left 70 yards and right 40 yards over a hill thrown marks (real frozen ducks) from wingers with a diversion on 2nd mark and then a blind split between, up the hill approx. 80 yards after crossing the water. Water was only about 30-40 yards.
- Mark - An object that is thrown in the air to simulate a falling bird. Can be a real duck, plastic bumper or any other synthetic imitation duck.
- Wingers - A remote controlled apparatus that catapults an object into the air via a series of rubber tubes and pulleys set on a framework of aluminum tubing designed to repeatedly replicate the flying and falling of a duck in the same general vicinity regardless of times used.
- Blind - A retrieve where the dog does not get the benefit of marking the fall of an object through the air but must rely totally on the handler (dog trainer) to direct them to the object by lining them up properly in the correct direction then “handling” them via whistle and hand movements until the retrieve is completed.
- Diversion – a mark thrown at some point of the retrieve that is intended to distract the dog in such a way that their resolve for staying on task is tested.
1st run the Go-bird (1st bird the retriever is sent after) was frozen and it stuck in the mud just below the waters surface. Roxy ran all around it but never found it. I had to handle and she finally brought it in. 2nd mark was easy. Diversion was easy. Blind was a different story. She took a decent initial line and I handled her off the scent from old AOF (Area of the Fall) and the wingers. Three casts to the pile of orange bumpers and she would not pick it up. She walked all over pile, sat on pile but would NOT pick up. I called her in and my buddy Steve and I drove her around to the pile. I identified the pile multiple times and she appeared to know what to do. We took her back to the line, sent her back right to the pile. Same thing! A couple of cast and she finally picked it up.
- Handle – The act of interrupting a retrievers natural hunt for an object and assisting them to completion by whistle, hand and voice commands.
- Cast – While under the handlers control the sending of a retriever in a particular specific direction. Can be left, right, straight left back or straight right back, angle back angel in or come straight back in.
- Pile – When training multiple dogs or specific concepts that require repetition it is advantageous to set large amounts of training dummies out in the same area in close proximity.
- Line – A) The spot where the dog and handler begin the test.
All we could figure was she picked up three ducks and was looking for a 4th duck not orange bumpers? (Never had worked with orange before. Ordered 6 the next morning because they are harder for the dog to see and as such are good for training on blind work.)
2nd run. She broke bad on 2nd shot. The duck calls, shooting and excitement of real ducks was too much. I put her back in the truck. No birds for you!
3rd run. Steady at the line. Good clean retrieves AND she picked up the blind. Getting better.
Things I learned:
Keep whistle in mouth at ALL times. Learn to talk with it in.
Send her for Marks on her name and blinds with “Back.” (I was saying back for everything.)
Get orange dummies.
Work on OB (obedience) and control at line.
She did MUCH better in her crate in back of the truck. No barking but some whining.
I met some wonderful people that not only shared a passion for training dogs but were also more than willing to communicate their expertise with such a newbie greenhorn as myself. I observed ‘everything’ and if I didn’t understand something I was not afraid to ask questions.
The funny thing that I had to overcome was that everyone was sooooo nice, almost to a fault. I noticed that advice was given only if asked and in such a manner as to not offend. I quickly learned that many ‘new’ trainers think they have the best dog in the world and are not receptive or don’t want to hear that maybe their dog isn’t as great as they believe and it was more than likely that any shortfalls of the dog could be directly attributed to the trainer. Ouch, a bitter pill, but not so for me as I already knew and came to grips with the fact that I knew nothing so what was there to be offended at?
I learned that running multiple marks and long blinds was great and was what we were building up to BUT that obedience was paramount. Without solid control at the line and in the field it would be impossible to progress to the higher level of training I desired. I was also given many valuable pieces of advice that benefited me tremendously. The hardest to incorporate was/is to slow down when giving casts. Pause/breath before redirecting your dog and do not let the excitement of being at the line cause you to lose focus of the overall objective, that being; getting your dog from point A to point B in as an efficient manner as possible.
I began incorporating all kinds of information and found that I had a willing student that had plenty of desire and such a willingness to please that she made training enjoyable for the both of us. The key I found was to keep all training sessions ‘short.’ Being an ex-college athlete with less than exceptional natural ability my motto was; in order to get better I must train harder and longer than the others. In the dog world, for me anyway, I found that more repetitions and longer sessions would only dampen her enthusiasm. I found by cutting the training short and leaving Roxy excited for more greatly contributed to building her desire for future training sessions.
Duck Hunting – It’s what these dogs are made for.
She loved the scents and sounds of hunting and quickly identified the loading up of equipment at home in the morning or night before meant good things would be coming shortly. Talk about excitement. Her training continued on a daily basis as her and my sons first duck season quickly came upon us. I had not duck hunted in over 18 years and I was just as excited as they were. In hindsight I probably had her out duck hunting way too early. She was only nine months old at the time and the potential for creating and or ingraining bad habits was not worth the experience but frankly I didn’t know any better. I gladly took being lucky over being smart in this instance but would not do it again in the future.
Our first hunt found us at my old stomping grounds in the LBJ National Grasslands in Decatur TX. Many memories flooded back to the years spent hunting out here with my first retriever ‘Bullet.’ These memories were shared with my son Daniel Jr. on the drive out and our excitement levels were off the charts. We arrived and quickly got set up and situated in the blind. Gun safety rules were quickly reviewed with my son and Roxy was staked out beside me. Waiting on the last few minute before legal shooting light seemed like an eternity.
It didn’t take long for the first flight of teal to buzz our spread as they sounded like small jets overhead. Roxy was on full alert and my son had the look on his face like “you weren’t kidding, those things are fast.” I wish I could say we dropped some birds in that first flight but the excitement was too much for all of us as we went O-fer.
It wasn’t long before a single came in and I told my son to “take it.” Daniel missed on the first and second shots but connected on a long third. This would be Daniels and Roxy's first duck and she would have to work for it as it was only 35 yards out but swimming away from us. I unleashed (take that however you would like) my girl who let out a quick bark of excitement as she left the blind and crashed into the water. She couldn’t get to the bird fast enough and in her frustration let out a few whines/whimpers as she closed the gap.
With Roxy only five yards away from her prize the duck dove out of sight. This was a new twist and we hadn’t trained for this scenario so Roxy just tread water in circles until it came back up ten yards away. The chase was back on and just when she was about to get her first duck it dove again. Not to be outdone, so did Roxy. She went under, completely out of sight for what seemed like an eternity. (In reality probably only 2-3 seconds) My boy and I looked at each other and were like. “What the…” To our relief and surprise she emerged with the duck! On one hand I had wished someone else was there to share that awesome experience and on the other hand I was glad we were alone because the hooting and hollering that took place on her swim back, well, lets just say we made a bit of a scene.
She did MUCH better in her crate in back of the truck. No barking but some whining.
I met some wonderful people that not only shared a passion for training dogs but were also more than willing to communicate their expertise with such a newbie greenhorn as myself. I observed ‘everything’ and if I didn’t understand something I was not afraid to ask questions.
The funny thing that I had to overcome was that everyone was sooooo nice, almost to a fault. I noticed that advice was given only if asked and in such a manner as to not offend. I quickly learned that many ‘new’ trainers think they have the best dog in the world and are not receptive or don’t want to hear that maybe their dog isn’t as great as they believe and it was more than likely that any shortfalls of the dog could be directly attributed to the trainer. Ouch, a bitter pill, but not so for me as I already knew and came to grips with the fact that I knew nothing so what was there to be offended at?
I learned that running multiple marks and long blinds was great and was what we were building up to BUT that obedience was paramount. Without solid control at the line and in the field it would be impossible to progress to the higher level of training I desired. I was also given many valuable pieces of advice that benefited me tremendously. The hardest to incorporate was/is to slow down when giving casts. Pause/breath before redirecting your dog and do not let the excitement of being at the line cause you to lose focus of the overall objective, that being; getting your dog from point A to point B in as an efficient manner as possible.
I began incorporating all kinds of information and found that I had a willing student that had plenty of desire and such a willingness to please that she made training enjoyable for the both of us. The key I found was to keep all training sessions ‘short.’ Being an ex-college athlete with less than exceptional natural ability my motto was; in order to get better I must train harder and longer than the others. In the dog world, for me anyway, I found that more repetitions and longer sessions would only dampen her enthusiasm. I found by cutting the training short and leaving Roxy excited for more greatly contributed to building her desire for future training sessions.
Duck Hunting – It’s what these dogs are made for.
She loved the scents and sounds of hunting and quickly identified the loading up of equipment at home in the morning or night before meant good things would be coming shortly. Talk about excitement. Her training continued on a daily basis as her and my sons first duck season quickly came upon us. I had not duck hunted in over 18 years and I was just as excited as they were. In hindsight I probably had her out duck hunting way too early. She was only nine months old at the time and the potential for creating and or ingraining bad habits was not worth the experience but frankly I didn’t know any better. I gladly took being lucky over being smart in this instance but would not do it again in the future.
Our first hunt found us at my old stomping grounds in the LBJ National Grasslands in Decatur TX. Many memories flooded back to the years spent hunting out here with my first retriever ‘Bullet.’ These memories were shared with my son Daniel Jr. on the drive out and our excitement levels were off the charts. We arrived and quickly got set up and situated in the blind. Gun safety rules were quickly reviewed with my son and Roxy was staked out beside me. Waiting on the last few minute before legal shooting light seemed like an eternity.
It didn’t take long for the first flight of teal to buzz our spread as they sounded like small jets overhead. Roxy was on full alert and my son had the look on his face like “you weren’t kidding, those things are fast.” I wish I could say we dropped some birds in that first flight but the excitement was too much for all of us as we went O-fer.
It wasn’t long before a single came in and I told my son to “take it.” Daniel missed on the first and second shots but connected on a long third. This would be Daniels and Roxy's first duck and she would have to work for it as it was only 35 yards out but swimming away from us. I unleashed (take that however you would like) my girl who let out a quick bark of excitement as she left the blind and crashed into the water. She couldn’t get to the bird fast enough and in her frustration let out a few whines/whimpers as she closed the gap.
With Roxy only five yards away from her prize the duck dove out of sight. This was a new twist and we hadn’t trained for this scenario so Roxy just tread water in circles until it came back up ten yards away. The chase was back on and just when she was about to get her first duck it dove again. Not to be outdone, so did Roxy. She went under, completely out of sight for what seemed like an eternity. (In reality probably only 2-3 seconds) My boy and I looked at each other and were like. “What the…” To our relief and surprise she emerged with the duck! On one hand I had wished someone else was there to share that awesome experience and on the other hand I was glad we were alone because the hooting and hollering that took place on her swim back, well, lets just say we made a bit of a scene.
That first duck season was great in so many ways. I was doing again what I had once loved so much and was able to share the good, bad, ugly and memorable with my son.
I started training whenever possible with the guys in the club that had access to land & wingers and in the process formed some good friendships. Roxy continued to make progress as our training became more technical in nature while we were building a solid foundation through constant repetition i.e. teaching, training and enforcing with the purpose of eventually running her in hunt tests. That day for entering her in her first test finally came:
Training & Testing
Lonesome Dove Hunt Test: Comanche TX
Couldn’t sleep night before. Alarm set for 4:00
Loaded up truck with essentials then go to bed at 8:30pm trying to deposit some sleep.
Wake up at: 12, 2, 2:30 3, 3:30 (debate if I should just get up and make breakfast, nah) fall back asleep until 5:00 when my wife Lisa’s alarm wakes us up! Turns out my alarm was set for PM! Start the morning with “shit, shit” wife tells me to stop cursing. Hustle up and I am quickly on the road at 5:15am. Dang it, I figured a leisurely drive would take three hours. Going to have to make better time.
7:45 Arrive to check-in and test dog scheduled to run at 8:00.
Put Roxy in crate-she will not stop barking.
Couple quick observations: wear full camo on next, bring comfortable chair, and buy a quality short lead for the line.
8:15 watch test dog.
1st test is on water. Two separate single marks. Should be easy.
50 dogs signed up.
8:30 Roxy still barking in back of truck. Ugh…
9:45 she finally quiets down while I type this inside truck.
Cool and windy. Note: always bring extra clothing “just in case.”
Nice folks. EVERYONE is friendly and encouraging.
Watched a 10 yr old girl run a dog. It was cute how excited she, the girl, was. Biggest grin when final bird was retrieved.
10 dogs ahead of me still. Going to be awhile. Looks like it will be a long day.
Took Roxy to run off some steam and handle her business. Calming down now. All the guns and dogs not as exciting to her as 1st thing this morning.
Well, the saying “be careful what you ask for comes to mind.” So in the handler’s meeting this morning they asked if anyone had any questions. No one did so I asked, in the event of a winger malfunction (like they had when they were testing this morning) and a no bird is declared does the dog go back to the holding blind or come back 3 or more dogs later? Answer: “it won’t happen.”
Fast forward to my number being called. Approaching the holding blind Roxy is beside herself. The entire short walk has her straining at the lead and pulling forward on only her back two legs. Once we arrive she is trying to get under, around and over the holding blind. Duck calls, guns, splashes, ducks and whistles are overloading her senses and working my nerves.
The guy we are waiting on has a dog that swims out to the duck but will not return all the way. On both birds! Hollering, whistling and carrying on. Taking absolutely forever. Meanwhile… spaz-girl is about to blow a gasket. Finally it’s our turn. We get to the line and the judges ask if I have any questions? Nope, I’m ready. Roxy is settled in the three inch deep mud/slop. (Thankfully I remembered to pack my knee high waterproof boots) I hit the duck call (while holding her on lead) they release the winger and it misfires. Judges kindly ask me to go back to the holding blind and they will run me after the next dog. I take spaz girl who was brought to the waters edge and retired to the blind. She is really amped now. Our turn again. Judges apologize for inconvenience. I get her set up, blow the call and snap! Same results… misfire. Now it’s back to the truck while they iron things out. UGH…….
Call me back to the line a third time and Roxy is practically dragging me to the waters edge. Judges apologize again and I proceed to hit the call. Duck is thrown, gun is fired and I released Roxy a bit early, just as the bird hit the water. She was all over it. Straight out and straight in with a nice heal and sit at the line already aligned for the second bird. I hit the call, bird is thrown and gun is fired. I hold her two counts this time after the duck hits the water. I see that she is dialed in and I send her. Nails it again. Comes back to heal and I put the lead back on her. Judges ask how old she is. I proudly say a little over a year. They comment that she is a “good” dog and I am proud of my girl. (I later learn that when a judge says you have a good “looking” dog that your dog in actuality ran so bad that this was the only positive thing that could be said.)
Allergies start to kick in as I make my way back to the truck. I am so proud of her. I compose myself and give her some loving as I dry her off. What a good girl. Now I’m off to see what the other tests are doing then get some lunch. Roxy is chilling like this is no big deal.
Tex-Mex for lunch. Yummmm
Found out 50 dogs in started hardly EVER happens. 20-30 is usually considered full. Going to be a long afternoon but land work should go twice as fast. Bought $25.00 worth of raffle tickets. Hoping for the best but have to stay until the end to claim my “prizes.” Glass is half full kinda guy.
4:00pm should have been done by now. Whew its getting hot and they just called my number. Several dogs had a LOT of trouble on these marks. Wide open field and ducks were getting great height and distance but the wind was blowing strong from directly behind us out towards the birds. Get to the holding blind and she just sits and chills. Short wait, dog in front had a no bird. Several people were sent home and they were NOT happy campers.
Roxy is MUCH calmer now. No tugging or whining. Judges call us up and we take our seat on the bucket. 1st bird is marked, she runs right over it then the does an about face and picks it up. Returns to hand nicely. 2nd bird I think she will miss upwind by three feet but she front foots it. She’s a better marker than me that’s for sure. Judge asks me why I had the lead on the 1st mark and didn’t put it on the 2nd. Told him I am preparing for the next level. Told me again I have a real good dog. Chest is puffing a bit more as I take her to the truck.
She must be tired and hungry because she is chilling. Turned the air on inside the truck to celebrate in the cool air. She did great! Now the wait… Last dog ran at 6pm. Dinner and awards ended at 9:30. Went home empty handed from the raffle but got her first ribbon and pass. Going to be a long ride home and a late night but now I am hooked. More reading, watching training videos, continuous training and dreaming of running her with the big dogs.
Big D HRC 2nd Started Test.
4:30am Entire family is coming. Going to be a tight fit in the Tacoma because Roxy is spoiled and won’t be riding in the back.
Arrive in plenty of time. Clear skies, 20mph winds and high of 80 degrees. Nice!
AM Land. She is hyper, again. Leash seems to contribute to the straining forward. A bit concerned with her front right paw. Got a sticker stuck in it a couple of days ago and she licked it raw. Dime sized hot-spot and won’t stop oozing.
First mark is 50 yards max in low cut field. She is dialed in and amped. Gun goes off after duck is thrown and she is off like a shot. One of the fastest dogs out today. So fast she blows by it, runs over it, without smelling it. Gets 90 yards out and finally turns back to AOF and picks it up.
Second mark is about 60 yards out and she does the same thing. Blows right over it but quickly returns to AOF and retrieves it. Both retrieves are to heel and delivery to hand in good control. Good girl, now its back to the truck to doctor up her now bleeding foot. She doesn’t seem to notice.
Watched five “finished” dogs run. Three marks and a blind. I think Roxy can handle the retrieves but not sure about the walking up off lead and the honoring. Stopped in at the seasoned and it is more of the same concerns. Easy marks and one blind with one diversion. All retrieves should be cake but the obedience off lead is a concern.
PM Water. My good luck has followed from last week. She is not straining as bad as the land tests on the way up but still too much. The first bird is accidentally thrown from the second station “behind” me instead of the one we are facing. Good thing she hears the splash and knows there is a duck out there somewhere. Judges ask me to release her to retrieve so they don’t have to restart the test. No biggie. Gets it and comes right to heel. 2nd duck is released and she breaks as it hits the water. Going to have to work on that. I’m thinking because I had my hand on her is why she tries to leave early. I have an entire duck hunting season to work on obedience. At least I have a plan and have seen to what level I need to get her.
Now boredom is setting in. End of the day and we are waiting for food and ribbons and a 2 ½ hr drive home. Beautiful day out with my family. They don’t seem to cherish it as much as I do but the kids are looking forward to the raffle. We end up winning one of the better prize packages and Daniel and I split the goods. Food, free beer, and another pass; I’m digging this the most. Side note: Lisa is looking “smoking hot” in her camo and tank top. Got to sign off now…
1st Pheasant Tower Shoot in Corsicana, TX
WOW! Talk about fun. We drove an hour and a half down to Corsican TX to “Upland Game Preserve.” I was told about this place by buddy Steve from Cowtown HRC during my last training day with him. When I got home from training I looked this place up on line and e-mailed him with my interest in providing my dog to do retrieve during the tower shoot. He responded right back and invited me out the coming Saturday.
I showed up on the grounds about 8:00 am. Cold, cloudy and windy. Temperature was 42 but 20mph wind chill had it at lower 30’s. Handler’s meeting at 8:30 (coffee and donuts provided in a VERY nice ranch house/club house/lodge. Went out to stations situated behind shooters that surrounded a four story high tower. Driving the one mile, all down hill, in mud from two days of rain was fun. I was really giving myself a 50/50 chance of making it out without needing to be towed by a 4 X 4 or tractor.
Met some nice guys that had hunted there before and also wanted to provide dogs to retrieve. They and their dogs were not too experienced. We took our positions with each handler sitting about 30 yards behind but between two shooting stations. I was thinking I didn’t get a very good area to work Roxy based on the hard wind going right to left and me being to the right of the tower.
I cleared out my little area and put out my chair along with water and bowl for Roxy-girl. The cover was dying off but still thick with briars, stickers, thorns and high grass. The horn went off and the announcement was made for shooters to “lock & load.” One or two pheasants were thrown from the tower and they flew anywhere they wanted but mostly they would turn with the wind. The doubles tended to fly together.
It didn’t take long for one to come our way and it was dispatched cleanly by the shooters in front of us. Roxy marked it and retrieved to hand nicely. She was nuts for the first two shooting sessions. Creeping and wining at the line. Solved that with a tree limb to the backside. She quickly learned a valuable lesson by figuring out that not ALL the falling birds were hers. The other handlers were becoming impatient with the perceived lack of birds so they moved further around and down wind. I moved slightly to my left and now was able to cover four shooting stations instead of two.
All said and done I figure Roxy retrieved 30+ birds. Some were easy right in front of us but others sailed for 80 or more yards in thick cover. Those were the most challenging and she really had her prey drive kick in on the running down of cripples. One runner flew up and she batted it down with her paw and then retrieved it. She was exhausted after the final session and a bit gimpy on her right front paw due to taking a large thorn in her pad on the 2nd or 3rd bird of the morning.
I started training whenever possible with the guys in the club that had access to land & wingers and in the process formed some good friendships. Roxy continued to make progress as our training became more technical in nature while we were building a solid foundation through constant repetition i.e. teaching, training and enforcing with the purpose of eventually running her in hunt tests. That day for entering her in her first test finally came:
Training & Testing
Lonesome Dove Hunt Test: Comanche TX
Couldn’t sleep night before. Alarm set for 4:00
Loaded up truck with essentials then go to bed at 8:30pm trying to deposit some sleep.
Wake up at: 12, 2, 2:30 3, 3:30 (debate if I should just get up and make breakfast, nah) fall back asleep until 5:00 when my wife Lisa’s alarm wakes us up! Turns out my alarm was set for PM! Start the morning with “shit, shit” wife tells me to stop cursing. Hustle up and I am quickly on the road at 5:15am. Dang it, I figured a leisurely drive would take three hours. Going to have to make better time.
7:45 Arrive to check-in and test dog scheduled to run at 8:00.
Put Roxy in crate-she will not stop barking.
Couple quick observations: wear full camo on next, bring comfortable chair, and buy a quality short lead for the line.
8:15 watch test dog.
1st test is on water. Two separate single marks. Should be easy.
50 dogs signed up.
8:30 Roxy still barking in back of truck. Ugh…
9:45 she finally quiets down while I type this inside truck.
Cool and windy. Note: always bring extra clothing “just in case.”
Nice folks. EVERYONE is friendly and encouraging.
Watched a 10 yr old girl run a dog. It was cute how excited she, the girl, was. Biggest grin when final bird was retrieved.
10 dogs ahead of me still. Going to be awhile. Looks like it will be a long day.
Took Roxy to run off some steam and handle her business. Calming down now. All the guns and dogs not as exciting to her as 1st thing this morning.
Well, the saying “be careful what you ask for comes to mind.” So in the handler’s meeting this morning they asked if anyone had any questions. No one did so I asked, in the event of a winger malfunction (like they had when they were testing this morning) and a no bird is declared does the dog go back to the holding blind or come back 3 or more dogs later? Answer: “it won’t happen.”
Fast forward to my number being called. Approaching the holding blind Roxy is beside herself. The entire short walk has her straining at the lead and pulling forward on only her back two legs. Once we arrive she is trying to get under, around and over the holding blind. Duck calls, guns, splashes, ducks and whistles are overloading her senses and working my nerves.
The guy we are waiting on has a dog that swims out to the duck but will not return all the way. On both birds! Hollering, whistling and carrying on. Taking absolutely forever. Meanwhile… spaz-girl is about to blow a gasket. Finally it’s our turn. We get to the line and the judges ask if I have any questions? Nope, I’m ready. Roxy is settled in the three inch deep mud/slop. (Thankfully I remembered to pack my knee high waterproof boots) I hit the duck call (while holding her on lead) they release the winger and it misfires. Judges kindly ask me to go back to the holding blind and they will run me after the next dog. I take spaz girl who was brought to the waters edge and retired to the blind. She is really amped now. Our turn again. Judges apologize for inconvenience. I get her set up, blow the call and snap! Same results… misfire. Now it’s back to the truck while they iron things out. UGH…….
Call me back to the line a third time and Roxy is practically dragging me to the waters edge. Judges apologize again and I proceed to hit the call. Duck is thrown, gun is fired and I released Roxy a bit early, just as the bird hit the water. She was all over it. Straight out and straight in with a nice heal and sit at the line already aligned for the second bird. I hit the call, bird is thrown and gun is fired. I hold her two counts this time after the duck hits the water. I see that she is dialed in and I send her. Nails it again. Comes back to heal and I put the lead back on her. Judges ask how old she is. I proudly say a little over a year. They comment that she is a “good” dog and I am proud of my girl. (I later learn that when a judge says you have a good “looking” dog that your dog in actuality ran so bad that this was the only positive thing that could be said.)
Allergies start to kick in as I make my way back to the truck. I am so proud of her. I compose myself and give her some loving as I dry her off. What a good girl. Now I’m off to see what the other tests are doing then get some lunch. Roxy is chilling like this is no big deal.
Tex-Mex for lunch. Yummmm
Found out 50 dogs in started hardly EVER happens. 20-30 is usually considered full. Going to be a long afternoon but land work should go twice as fast. Bought $25.00 worth of raffle tickets. Hoping for the best but have to stay until the end to claim my “prizes.” Glass is half full kinda guy.
4:00pm should have been done by now. Whew its getting hot and they just called my number. Several dogs had a LOT of trouble on these marks. Wide open field and ducks were getting great height and distance but the wind was blowing strong from directly behind us out towards the birds. Get to the holding blind and she just sits and chills. Short wait, dog in front had a no bird. Several people were sent home and they were NOT happy campers.
Roxy is MUCH calmer now. No tugging or whining. Judges call us up and we take our seat on the bucket. 1st bird is marked, she runs right over it then the does an about face and picks it up. Returns to hand nicely. 2nd bird I think she will miss upwind by three feet but she front foots it. She’s a better marker than me that’s for sure. Judge asks me why I had the lead on the 1st mark and didn’t put it on the 2nd. Told him I am preparing for the next level. Told me again I have a real good dog. Chest is puffing a bit more as I take her to the truck.
She must be tired and hungry because she is chilling. Turned the air on inside the truck to celebrate in the cool air. She did great! Now the wait… Last dog ran at 6pm. Dinner and awards ended at 9:30. Went home empty handed from the raffle but got her first ribbon and pass. Going to be a long ride home and a late night but now I am hooked. More reading, watching training videos, continuous training and dreaming of running her with the big dogs.
Big D HRC 2nd Started Test.
4:30am Entire family is coming. Going to be a tight fit in the Tacoma because Roxy is spoiled and won’t be riding in the back.
Arrive in plenty of time. Clear skies, 20mph winds and high of 80 degrees. Nice!
AM Land. She is hyper, again. Leash seems to contribute to the straining forward. A bit concerned with her front right paw. Got a sticker stuck in it a couple of days ago and she licked it raw. Dime sized hot-spot and won’t stop oozing.
First mark is 50 yards max in low cut field. She is dialed in and amped. Gun goes off after duck is thrown and she is off like a shot. One of the fastest dogs out today. So fast she blows by it, runs over it, without smelling it. Gets 90 yards out and finally turns back to AOF and picks it up.
Second mark is about 60 yards out and she does the same thing. Blows right over it but quickly returns to AOF and retrieves it. Both retrieves are to heel and delivery to hand in good control. Good girl, now its back to the truck to doctor up her now bleeding foot. She doesn’t seem to notice.
Watched five “finished” dogs run. Three marks and a blind. I think Roxy can handle the retrieves but not sure about the walking up off lead and the honoring. Stopped in at the seasoned and it is more of the same concerns. Easy marks and one blind with one diversion. All retrieves should be cake but the obedience off lead is a concern.
PM Water. My good luck has followed from last week. She is not straining as bad as the land tests on the way up but still too much. The first bird is accidentally thrown from the second station “behind” me instead of the one we are facing. Good thing she hears the splash and knows there is a duck out there somewhere. Judges ask me to release her to retrieve so they don’t have to restart the test. No biggie. Gets it and comes right to heel. 2nd duck is released and she breaks as it hits the water. Going to have to work on that. I’m thinking because I had my hand on her is why she tries to leave early. I have an entire duck hunting season to work on obedience. At least I have a plan and have seen to what level I need to get her.
Now boredom is setting in. End of the day and we are waiting for food and ribbons and a 2 ½ hr drive home. Beautiful day out with my family. They don’t seem to cherish it as much as I do but the kids are looking forward to the raffle. We end up winning one of the better prize packages and Daniel and I split the goods. Food, free beer, and another pass; I’m digging this the most. Side note: Lisa is looking “smoking hot” in her camo and tank top. Got to sign off now…
1st Pheasant Tower Shoot in Corsicana, TX
WOW! Talk about fun. We drove an hour and a half down to Corsican TX to “Upland Game Preserve.” I was told about this place by buddy Steve from Cowtown HRC during my last training day with him. When I got home from training I looked this place up on line and e-mailed him with my interest in providing my dog to do retrieve during the tower shoot. He responded right back and invited me out the coming Saturday.
I showed up on the grounds about 8:00 am. Cold, cloudy and windy. Temperature was 42 but 20mph wind chill had it at lower 30’s. Handler’s meeting at 8:30 (coffee and donuts provided in a VERY nice ranch house/club house/lodge. Went out to stations situated behind shooters that surrounded a four story high tower. Driving the one mile, all down hill, in mud from two days of rain was fun. I was really giving myself a 50/50 chance of making it out without needing to be towed by a 4 X 4 or tractor.
Met some nice guys that had hunted there before and also wanted to provide dogs to retrieve. They and their dogs were not too experienced. We took our positions with each handler sitting about 30 yards behind but between two shooting stations. I was thinking I didn’t get a very good area to work Roxy based on the hard wind going right to left and me being to the right of the tower.
I cleared out my little area and put out my chair along with water and bowl for Roxy-girl. The cover was dying off but still thick with briars, stickers, thorns and high grass. The horn went off and the announcement was made for shooters to “lock & load.” One or two pheasants were thrown from the tower and they flew anywhere they wanted but mostly they would turn with the wind. The doubles tended to fly together.
It didn’t take long for one to come our way and it was dispatched cleanly by the shooters in front of us. Roxy marked it and retrieved to hand nicely. She was nuts for the first two shooting sessions. Creeping and wining at the line. Solved that with a tree limb to the backside. She quickly learned a valuable lesson by figuring out that not ALL the falling birds were hers. The other handlers were becoming impatient with the perceived lack of birds so they moved further around and down wind. I moved slightly to my left and now was able to cover four shooting stations instead of two.
All said and done I figure Roxy retrieved 30+ birds. Some were easy right in front of us but others sailed for 80 or more yards in thick cover. Those were the most challenging and she really had her prey drive kick in on the running down of cripples. One runner flew up and she batted it down with her paw and then retrieved it. She was exhausted after the final session and a bit gimpy on her right front paw due to taking a large thorn in her pad on the 2nd or 3rd bird of the morning.
She minded real well back to the truck and stayed quiet in the crate while I ate at the lodge. What a spread! There was a bunch of free BBQ and beer provided for the shooters and handlers. Spent an hour or so talking with the hunters and handlers. I had a GREAT time and look forward to being a regular out there. He has another shoot in two weeks. I plan on being there!
2007- 2008 Dove & Duck Season
Opening Dove
Paid $200.00 for a season lease of eight different locations. I was excited because three of them were close to the house. Ugh… lesson learned. This guy was in it for the money. He leased the land, any land, from area farmers but did not manage the crops for dove hunting and as a result we saw very few birds. Actually, I think we saw more hunters on opening day than birds. We ended up with eight birds between my son and me.
In the following weeks we tried a few of the other locations with even worse results. Luckily I hooked up with a guy that gave us unlimited access to his checker boarded sunflower fields for the rest of the season. It was great! We had passing shots and when we were board we would walk the rows and shoot at flushed birds. Daniel shot three boxes of shells the first time out. Over the next several weeks his shooting would greatly improve though. This place and the amount of birds really helped Roxy with her enthusiasm and increased her hunting ability as the sunflowers were pretty thick.
Spring Upland Hunt Test – What the h-e-double hockey sticks was I thinking?
Talk about the wheels falling off… Two days with two tests each day and NO passes. First test she honors well and sits on the flush and retrieves the two birds. I’m thinking we got this licked but she broke on the diversion. Dang it, but I’ll be quicker on the whistle next time. Second test she decides to chase the Monarch butterflies instead of quartering the field. She is having fun but I’m concerned she is not responding to whistle and or voice.
Next day she is no longer quartering with a purpose and eventually finds the birds but will not attack the cage to flush the bird. Act like she is scarred. In hindsight I should have gone back home last night. Ugh…
Long, cold & windy weekend but the family was there and the kids had a great time. Well, the wife, not so much. I find out after the fact that it is NOT a good practice to run an Upland test until the dog is older and more mature. Reason being that you spend all your time training to develop control while running strait lines and then you step into an upland test and let them zigzag and hunt on their own all over Gods green earth. Counterproductive at her age anyway. That expensive lesson will leave a mark…
1st “Seasoned” Test in Rockwall TX
Am Water: Been training at the Finished level for some time now. Blind work is good as well as control at the line. I’m feeling pretty good about our chances. First test is set up on a small tank running off a pallet. Cold blind strait across tank “maybe” 60 yards with the first mark to the right just out of the water in some tall grass at the base of the damn 50 yards or so. The second mark being a short in your face splash to the left only 40 or so yards.
2007- 2008 Dove & Duck Season
Opening Dove
Paid $200.00 for a season lease of eight different locations. I was excited because three of them were close to the house. Ugh… lesson learned. This guy was in it for the money. He leased the land, any land, from area farmers but did not manage the crops for dove hunting and as a result we saw very few birds. Actually, I think we saw more hunters on opening day than birds. We ended up with eight birds between my son and me.
In the following weeks we tried a few of the other locations with even worse results. Luckily I hooked up with a guy that gave us unlimited access to his checker boarded sunflower fields for the rest of the season. It was great! We had passing shots and when we were board we would walk the rows and shoot at flushed birds. Daniel shot three boxes of shells the first time out. Over the next several weeks his shooting would greatly improve though. This place and the amount of birds really helped Roxy with her enthusiasm and increased her hunting ability as the sunflowers were pretty thick.
Spring Upland Hunt Test – What the h-e-double hockey sticks was I thinking?
Talk about the wheels falling off… Two days with two tests each day and NO passes. First test she honors well and sits on the flush and retrieves the two birds. I’m thinking we got this licked but she broke on the diversion. Dang it, but I’ll be quicker on the whistle next time. Second test she decides to chase the Monarch butterflies instead of quartering the field. She is having fun but I’m concerned she is not responding to whistle and or voice.
Next day she is no longer quartering with a purpose and eventually finds the birds but will not attack the cage to flush the bird. Act like she is scarred. In hindsight I should have gone back home last night. Ugh…
Long, cold & windy weekend but the family was there and the kids had a great time. Well, the wife, not so much. I find out after the fact that it is NOT a good practice to run an Upland test until the dog is older and more mature. Reason being that you spend all your time training to develop control while running strait lines and then you step into an upland test and let them zigzag and hunt on their own all over Gods green earth. Counterproductive at her age anyway. That expensive lesson will leave a mark…
1st “Seasoned” Test in Rockwall TX
Am Water: Been training at the Finished level for some time now. Blind work is good as well as control at the line. I’m feeling pretty good about our chances. First test is set up on a small tank running off a pallet. Cold blind strait across tank “maybe” 60 yards with the first mark to the right just out of the water in some tall grass at the base of the damn 50 yards or so. The second mark being a short in your face splash to the left only 40 or so yards.
.
Roxy two whistles the blind but blows past the 1st mark and heads to the top of the damn so I give her a quick clean handle to the bird. I can tell she was going to go long and I would have lost her on the back side, just hate having to handle already. Second bird is easy and we head back to the truck.
PM Land: Test has a cold blind to the right at around 75 yards with two marks out in a rolling field with cover 12-18” high. Shouldn’t be too tough. Walk-up is cake but then things get weird. Roxy starts walking funny as we approach the bucket as if she had stickers in all her paws. I ask the judges if I can check and they say go ahead. I don’t find anything but she doesn’t want to settle in next to me as she continues to walk gingerly and now she is acting very tentative. I set her up on the blind and one whistle her to the bird. She is running fine and her tail is back up “until” she comes back to the bucket and she starts the funny walk again. Reminds me of the first time I put the neoprene boots on her. It was funny then but not so much now.
She is steady on the two shots and takes off like a rocket strait on course after being sent on the first mark. I feel better that she is running with confidence again. I say “open & safe,” put the gun on the stand and turn back to watch her smack the first mark but to my horror, she runs over the bird and keeps going! No sign of letting up either. I can’t handle her anymore and I hope she checks down quickly but instead she does a loop into the wind as I believe she winds the 2nd bird station. I determine she has no idea where the bird is and decide to put an end to this by giving her a hard sit whistle, tell the judges I’m picking her up and bring her in.
Many of the competitors thought I picked her up way too fast thinking I should have let her hunt the field some more. I felt it was more important that she really mark and not be rewarded for what I thought was an out of the area hunt. Beside, I was kicking myself for NOT working on shorter marks prior to the test. Sad thing was I was warned by a training partner to do just that. So I was madder at myself than anything else. She was only doing what I had trained her to do by going long. Long quiet reflective ride home.
Come to find out, the weird experience at the line could be attributed to a dog that ran earlier that had explosive Hershey squirts right there at the line. Seems more than a few dogs reacted the same way. Guess I wouldn’t have wanted to walk through there in my bare feet either. I chalk the day up to handler training error and dumb luck. Oh well, time to shorten the marks and get her concentration up.
Lonesome Dove Hunt Test October 18 & 19 2008
At 4am I get up and get on the road to Comanche TX. Today we are taking our 2nd shot looking for our 1st Seasoned pass. I have been diligently working the last couple weeks on marking drills with extra emphasis on the check-down but still mixing in some longer marks. Arrive at 7am and it I still dark so I set the alarm for 8am and catch some z’s. Up at 8 and get checked in. Meet my buddy Steve and his son as they are running in Seasoned as well.
AM Land: Starting with a short cold blind 70 yards or so then two marks in knee high broom weed, both fall right to left. Then a “walk-out” mark as you exit the test.
Roxy is solid on the blind. Three crisp whistles with sharp responses and we have the bird. First mark comes from the right, fire and gun jams as I try to re-load 2nd shell. I am fidgeting trying to get spent shell out and now Roxy is looking at me just as 2nd mark is thrown. I get 2nd shell chambered and fire late up in the air as Roxy has crept a bit. Now for the fun since she didn’t see the 2nd mark. I take my time and line her up as if it is a blind and send her on her name. She lines the bird. Whew!
Line her up for the 2nd mark and she goes past it, circles towards the gun station to say hi, and then turns back into the AOF and steps on the bird. Walk-out goes w/o a hitch as bird is thrown, I hit sit and she sits, shoot and she retrieves. Judges have a word with me to discuss that next time gun jams, just swing the gun and don’t shoot just say “bang” or whatever. (Note to self: say “mark”). They both say I handled it well though.
PM Water:Small stock pond. Cold blind across to the right ¼ of pond then another 15 yards on land for a total of 50 yards “maybe.” Two marks will come left to right then a diversion on the 2nd mark return.
Roxy nails the blind easily and we get seated on pallet. 1st mark is thrown and the 2nd has a malfunction. Roxy is about to blast in for the first since there is no second bird coming. Judge calls no-bird and tells me to leash Roxy. He comes by the holding blind and says she was amped and ready to break is why he told me to do that. Thanks!
Come back out and re-run marks and diversion with no problems. Waiting for dinner I am asked if I pass will I run Seasoned in the morning or Finished. A couple people try to dissuade me but I am resilient and plan on moving up to Finished if I pass. My thinking is; I have been training to the higher level and just wanted to be able to say we passed this level with all the extra stuff thrown in at such short distances. Ribbon awarded for 1st Seasoned pass that evening. Off to Finished in the am.
10/19/08 “Finished” and running with the big dogs!
Had a terrible night sleep in the truck. (Note to self: never sleep in the back seat again! 6’2” 190 doesn’t fit well in a Tacoma Pre-Runner.) Woke up at 8am and registered.
AM Land: Three marks thrown right to left starting on the left with a hot blind between the first two and a diversion on the way back from the blind. Roxy is 12th and the first four dogs all fail! The memory bird that is 125 yards through patches of prickly pear is causing 90% of the handlers to have to handle. The gallery is grumbling saying the judges should scrap the test. The 5th dog passes but breaks on the honor. 6th & 7th pass due to switching up the marks doing them 1,3 then 2. Hmmm… Works for some but not I am told my dog is up in two. Experience some movement in the lower unit along with a heightened heart rate. Get Roxy from the truck and bring her to the holding blind. Pulse is through the roof. My first Finished test and only 3 dogs have made it past the first series. I prepare myself as best I can for a blow-up/melt-down out in the field.
I am called to the line and I can hardly hear anything outside my heart that is causing my shirt to move and an elevated pulse that is pounding in my temples. I do well to get set on the bucket and load my gun. Call for the marks and I nervously hit the safety, panic, slap it back in time to catch the first mark in flight and loudly hit safety again. Roxy and I are amped. Manage to shoot the 2nd & 3rd marks without having to call her back and me not passing out from holding my breath. Release Roxy for go-bird and remember to “open & safe” the gun.
All the dogs have smacked this 1st mark but to my horror, not Roxy. She runs past it and puts on a hunt that took 10-15 seconds but felt like minute and manages to dig it out and bring it in. Ahh.. the sweat feeling of successfully retrieving our first Finished test mark. I am so hyped up I can’t think what my strategy is/was so I let her pick where she wants to go and she lines up for the long memory. I gently ask her “where’s your mark?” then say “good” when she has her head in the right direction. Then I tell her “way back, way back” in a low voice before releasing her with a loud “ROXY.” (Note to self, just after I say “way back, way back” I think I might accidentally send her on the softly spoken word “back.” Work on not sending her until the hand is out over the head.)
Not being a high roller by any stretch of the imagination, she manages to take the correct path through the prickly pear. Most dogs veered right and with the wind blowing left to right they ended up way off line and required handling. Roxy took a great line all the way out but stopped just short and hunted towards the winger where she stopped in to say hi. She quickly realized she was not in the right place and resumed her hunt back to the mark and picked it up. WOW! I did not use/waste a handle. Almost EVERYBODY handled that mark.
Didn’t take long. Victory was short lived. I send her on what I think should be an easy pick-up and she goes out and practically stepped on it but kept on going, hunting long. The judge says “breath” and I think she is talking to me but in actuality she was rooting for the dog to wind the bird. Roxy circles a bit but gets out of AOF and near the planted blind. I hit a hard sit, pause to regroup and handle her back to the bird. Ugly and took awhile but she never blew off a whistle or took the wrong cast. She completely turned the hunt back over to me. I’m proud of my girl!
Line her up for a real cool 100 yard blind. Have to run her through a gap in the bushes, prickly pear and finally a slot between two dead trees then push on back to the edge of the woods. If the dog goes too far you lose sight and the dog could become lost. I line Roxy up and she goes off line after running 30 yards. Left back and she splits the trees and drives to just short of the bird. A couple over’s back and forth right in front of the bird and she picks it up and gets a “good girl” from me as I have forgotten about the diversion. The judge thankfully says “diversion bird” and I scramble for the gun, load and shoot just at the top of the arc. Hit the sit whistle and then call her in. She puts on a short hunt and brings in the diversion. DEEEEEEP breath…
This is where you find out real quick how you did. When sitting on the honor bucket the judge will either tell you to load your gun or leash your dog. The latter meaning you are done. “Load your gun” comes after a long pause and I am elated! I tell Roxy to “heal, sit, no-bird.” Shots ring out and she is pretty steady. Flinches a bit when the handler releases her dog but we get up and leave. Success so far!
I walk Roxy out past the truck as I almost hyperventilate as I ponder the fact that so far I and only a handful of handlers made it past the first series. Roxy gets plenty of hugs and “atta girls.” I know I am the sappiest handler out there at this level probably but to be perfectly honest, I don’t care since I am so proud of her getting this far. More than I could have hoped for given the difficult circumstances. Off to lunch and then the water series in the afternoon.
At lunch I meet the guy that tried to dissuade me from stepping up. He had run the water series earlier and said his dog blew up and was a mess. He said it was a tough test so having some extra time, I went and watched a few dogs run and was not overly impressed by the level of difficulty. Ignorance is bliss, especially when you’re still buzzing from an earlier land pass. Off to lunch!
PM Water: Nerves are starting to get to me and I head out to the test and arrive just as they start the handlers meeting. Perfect timing. The only problem I see is the 2 & 3 marks converging close together. One pro states that he thinks they are actually in-line. The test dog runs and there are only 5 handlers there. I’m now number 4 on the run list. No time to waste as I get Roxy aired and ready.
This water series is being held in a rock quarry. Real cool looking with high walls on one side and shallow running water surrounded by patches of reeds, weeds and piles of chunk rock. I am a bit concerned as Roxy had sliced a chunk of her back right pad while preparing earlier in the week. Vet said she would be fine but the rocks I’d imagine wouldn’t feel too great.
In the holding blind I am amused by the black male poodle that is currently working. Yes, a poodle. Slowest dog I have ever seen, even slower than Roxy but truth be told it gets the job done. The bad news was it took 18 minutes to be exact. The good news is Roxy will look like greased lightning to the judges after that. My only thought on this test is getting past the first two tight marks, after that I am golden. If I have to handle on anything other than the blind, I am toast.
“Handler to the line.” I make my way with Roxy off lead and am a bit concerned that she may get ahead of me as we meander our way down an embankment to the line but she does fine. As I am getting adjusted on the pallet the judge asks me if my heart has stopped racing yet. “Ummm, that would be a no” is my response. They both proceed to make fun of my choice of footwear. Seems all the other handlers wear knee-high boots at the water work and I just kept my comfy clod-hoppers on. No biggie, I’m not scared of a little mud and water.
Memory bird is easy, 40 yards out to our right. 2nd mark land about 85 yards and the third is now around 95-100 yards down the left shore. Roxy is locked in and I send her. She passes it in the weeds, checks down and picks it up cleanly. Now for the 2nd. Line her up and release her and she takes the same line as the first. Oh crap! I turn away to put the first duck in the bucket and say “Rut Row” in my Scoobie-doo impersonation to which the judge comments “oh yea of little faith.” I turn to find that she veered off, just short of the decoys and regained the correct line. Wow! In my mind, if she can dig this bird out, the rest will be cake. Short hunt and she stands over the bird, looks up and back towards me as if to say “didn’t think I would find it, did ya?” and brings back the prize. I proceeded to give her an “atta girl” and line her up for the gimmie.
3rd mark is cake, now time for an under the arc hot blind. This is the blind that a judge was telling me about last night that would eat some people’s lunch. I’m thinking “what’s the big deal?” You handle your dog to the bird regardless of what’s out there or where you are sending her. I have confidence in her control and our team-work so I line her up and kick her off. Sit whistle 40 yards out. She’s thirsty so I let her drink. Kinda funny as I catch my breath and she continues lapping up the water. I’m in no hurry now, just reading my dog. She gives me her attention again and I give her a right hand back. 20 more yards and I have to hit the sit. More drinking. I’m a bit frazzled as we near completion of this test but she could care less and she is out enjoying herself. Two more casts and it’s bird time, bringing her back in to “good girl, good girl.”
Thank the judges for their time and gather the ducks and Roxy and leave the line. Heart is racing; mind is whirling a million miles an hour. Did we really just do this? I start to recount the tests, any cast refusals? No. Any blown off whistles? No. More than one handle on a mark? No. I remember saying “open & safe” at all the appropriate times but did I just now put the gun up with the safety on? Oh my gosh! Did I leave it off? I watched the next handler and all was good. No gun safety issues. Whew!
Back to the truck and I am walking on air. We just ran it clean. I feel real good about our chances. Get back to the truck and give Roxy an extra helping of food and even give her the rest of my ice-cold Gatorade. She enjoys it all. Now its time to hurry up and wait. I proceed to drive to the Seasoned test to see how everyone was doing and of coarse I am asked how we did to which I ever so casually say “ran it clean.”
Back a headquarters the judges start making the calls. I’m the 6th one called up and run to get my ribbon and shake the judges hands. I have to sit down quickly as the reality begins to set in that we passed our first Finished test and a hard one at that. It was my understanding that only 8 of the 26 dogs that were entered passed! That three hour drive home was the most enjoyable time I can ever remember driving on the road. Just kept replaying the weekend in my mind and thinking how proud I was of my girl. Fall hunt test season has drawn to a close and the next couple months will be spent hunting, training and preparing to run with the big boys in the spring.
2008 Dove & Duck season
Can be described in one word: uneventful. Low numbers is an understatement. Worst season ever. Roxy ended up going on 20 hunts this fall/winter season: 82 dove & ducks plus an additional 45 pheasant at a tower shoot for a total of 127 retrieves. I can remember a few awesome marks and retrieves on some wounded ducks that flew 100+ yards. Blind work is not where I wanted it to be. No birds were lost but it seemed that she developed a problem taking a straight back when swimming in big open water. Ping – ponging back and forth wasted valuable time and kept her in the cold water way too long. This will definitely need to be addressed soon.
Part III. In Pursuit of a Finished Title
February 7th & 8th Raven’s Way HRC Madisonville, TX (just north of Houston.)
My wife Lisa and I drove down the Friday night before the test in order to get a hotel and a good nights rest as we both had a big weekend ahead of us. Roxy and I obviously had the hunt test but Lisa was going to meet her new-found father that lives in Houston. Readers Digest version: while visiting her grandmother over Christmas in Louisiana she stopped in to a local grocery store and the following transpired:
Woman: Is your name Lisa?
Lisa: Yes
Woman: I just knew it. I’m so and so and am related to your father Johnny Ray.
Lisa: Johnny Who?
Now, as you could imagine, that was definitely a Christmas to remember…
Well rested, up and at em at 7am and thankfully the test grounds are only 17 miles away. Get checked in with plenty of time and we make our way to the water test that is set up in a wetlands area. Awesome sight as hundreds of wood ducks are wanting in.
Saturday AM Water Test was set up as follows: Dog and handler are on a point. 1st mark from the left lands in the water and requires a water/land/water retrieve with a varying distance of 80-60 yards depending on how far the 20mph winds push it back towards us. 2nd mark lands to the right on land at about a 45 degree angle from the 1st and is approximately 90 yards. Open water swim with decoys set on the far shallows then up a couple gentle hill and valleys to the mark. 3rd mark is a right hand 180 degree swing from the 2nd mark and lands in open water with wind pushing it straight away. I’d guess 100-120 yards. Blind is set between the 2nd & 3rd marks about 10 yards back and to the left at the waters edge on a point coming from the opposite shore approximately 70 yards.
“Dog to the line.” Shots go off and Roxy is steady and swings well with the gun on the go-bird. Send her for the long swim and she has no problems other than it took forever. Set her up for the outside mark when she returns and she takes a left hand banana path but goes directly to the mark. Set her up for long memory on land and she throws me a bit when she takes a wide left hand banana path again which causes her to beach on the last point then she makes her way to the decoys for a sniff. Slight palpitation as I remember two hunts ago when I sent her for a decoy that got loose. She dismisses the plastic and heads up the hill and steps on the mark. Set her up for the blind and I 4-whistle ping-pong her tightly to the blind. 1st series is done and I feel real good.
(Call backs for land. Water took soooo long that they decided to call out the handlers that had failed in the morning and tell them that they would be running last “if” there was enough day-light left. Roxy made the cut.)
Saturday PM Land Test set up as follows: 1st mark from the right is thrown right to left at 80 yards. 2nd mark from slightly right of center (looking into sun) is thrown left to right and is approx. 110 yards but almost inline with first mark. Go bird is way left and thrown behind a small hill. Blind right of the 1st mark and is placed on the side of a levee just short of the crest about 80 yards. Diversion bird is thrown from the right of blind maybe 30 yards away from handler.
“Dog to the line.” Shots go off and Roxy is a little loose at the line. Gets out about 2’ and I call her back to heal. She picks up go-bird and then the out side mark with no issues. She takes a great line to the middle bird but hunts short. I use my handle and ping pong her to the bird because I didn’t realize it was deeper than it was. The blind work is nice. One quick whistle to get her back on line and she nails it. Drove the side of the hill without being pushed by the wind or pulling to the top flat like so many other dogs did. The diversion was horrible. It was not shot up and out but rather down at knee level and landed directly in line between me and Roxy’s return path. She did not switch and picked it up easily. Honoring went off without a hitch. Told her “no bird” as she honored and we made our way to the truck. Couple ours later we were rewarded with our 2nd Finished pass.
Sunday AM Water Test set up as follows: Wind blowing 20 mph from directly behind us at the line. 1st mark is a long 125 yard memory in running water off to the far right that requires 3 water entries. 2nd mark is also in running water at about 75 yards in front of us but drifts away the longer it sits. The final mark is 90 degrees to the left of the 2nd on land among some gently rolling hills (the same AOF as last nights land test) and requires the crossing of a small cove. The blind is set between the 2nd and 3rd marks across the water. Diversion is thrown over our heads upon return and lands in the edge of the water among the decoys.
“Dog to the line.” Shots go off and Roxy is steady on the first two shots but gets out ahead of me when I swing to the left so I shoot strait up instead of towards the mark. Gun is NOT on shoulder and judge gives me a gun safety warning after I release Roxy. On the first mark she cheats the bank but goes directly to the mark w/o a hunt and returns in a strait line through the water. Knucklehead. I was thinking of lining her up for the long memory but she lines herself up for the center bird so I give it to her. No problems there. Now its time for the long memory. I take my time as I set her up on the line I want her to take. She has her head steady and is ready so I kick her off with a loud “Roxy” as I need her to drive deep with multiple re-entries. She takes and holds an awesome line! Unfortunately she misses the mark by 10’ on the upwind side and continues her drive all the way to the far shore and stops as she winds the ducks in the winger station. I give her a second to figure it out and hunt back towards the mark but she proceeds to approach the winger station so I hit a hard sit/3 second pause/ and left handed over cast back into the water and she takes it beautifully and nails it. The blind is painful as she takes a good initial line but then I have to ping pong her, again, to the blind. Mix in a cast refusal for good measure. Ugh… Diversion requires a quick handle but other than using up my handle I think we are good.
Sunday PM Land Test set up as follows: Wind is picking up and is gusting 20-30mph left to right. 1st mark is an in your face from the left and lands 15 yards directly in front of the line. 2nd center mark is thrown inline with first but 125 yards out and onto a flat. 3rd 70 yard mark requires a big swing to the right and lands on top of a flat but requires the dog to go down, through and up a gully. Blind is set out about 80 yards between 2nd and 3rd marks.
“Dog to the line.” Shots go off and Roxy almost breaks on the first in-your-face mark. Re-heel her and 2nd shot has her creeping again. Swing for the 3rd shot and she is out 3’ from me creeping. I re-heel her then send her. No problem on 1st mark. Line her for the deep 2nd mark but as I replay it in my mind I didn’t kick her off with a loud “Roxy” like I should have but just gave her a normal “Roxy.” (Part of me thought she might pick up the short mark first and I wasn’t sure if the judges might call that a switch) She takes a good line but pauses 2/3 of the way when she winds the blind, BB station or the scent cone from the drag that the diminutive young man created as he literally “repeatedly” drug the duck by its beak through the tall grass from the blind to where he was planting it. She swings her head in the direction of the blind and I say to myself, “we are done.” She stops for a second and looks back towards the mark and I can see her thinking. For a brief moment I think we might still have a chance of continuing to play but as it turned out, being force-fed a snoot full of bird scent proved to be too much for her as she honored her nose over the memory of the fallen mark. I hit the sit and followed up with a come in whistle. Thanked the judges and took it to the house.
In hind sight I should have lined her up in the morning on the down-wind side of the long memory. Who knows, I may have been able to keep that handle in the tool bag for this afternoon. I know I could have handled to the long bird and the short would have been cake along with the blind that she had already identified. Line manners “may” have still failed me. Will never know but I will clean them up, that’s for sure. Overall I was most proud of her driving through on the long memory in the morning then taking the “money” cast to the mark. To me, though that handle may have cost me later, I believe in the bigger scheme of things, she passed right there.
The 1st step is admitting you have a problem…
Cowtown HRC Feb 20 & 21 2009
Cowtown is my home club and we are excited about this test especially since our fall test was cancelled due to the incoming hurricane that tracked directly over the test grounds. I brought my two oldest kids with me as they always enjoy getting out and spending time at hotels and traveling. We get settled in Friday night for a good nights sleep after the two hour drive since we will be getting up at 5am to assist with the set-up on Saturday.
Saturday AM land. Judges trick this test out. First mark is 60 yards slightly left of middle coming straight toward us. Second mark is 75 yards, comes from the right and is thrown right to left. Third mark is 125 yards, a big swing all the way left for a left to right throw and is only visible for a brief moment due to the trees and hills behind it. Dog goes up and over a slight hill, down a bit and mark is on the next upslope. A diversion is thrown on the last mark retrieved. You “no” your dog off it, heel and turn away as a blind is planted under the arc of the 2nd mark. Run the blind and then pick up the diversion. All of the other dogs struggled with the long go-bird as they hunted short and some had trouble with the poison bird on the blind.
Marks 1 & 2 are thrown but I get a no-bird on the 3rd. Roxy crept a bit but came back to heel on each shot. Went back to the holding blind, waited two dogs and came back. The girl is amped up and is jumpy at the line. “Mark, shot, heal, mark, shot HEAL, Mark shot. After the 3rd shot she is in the sprinters stance and 1.5’ away from me. I pause to make sure she is dialed in then release her. Takes off like a rocket, easily goes down and back up depression and front foots the mark. I line her for the far right 2nd mark and she front foots it again. Last mark, line her up and she steps on it. Diversion is shot and as I open & safe the gun the bird boy comes out to plant the bird and I believe Roxy spots him. I turn and heel her away for a second and then line her up for the blind. She has her eyes on the diversion and I “no” her off, re-heel her and give her a “good” when she looks in the direction I want. Send her on a loud “back” and she never sniffs or looks at the diversion but ran directly to the blind. One quick whistle and an over as I stopped her 5’ to the right of the bird. Comes in, picks up the diversion and we exit. Fast & clean. I’m thinking, “who’s dog is this?” Absolutely smashed the test. The regional HRC representative is there and says I have a heck of a good dog. I am pumped as I put her up and my kids are excited as well as they have watched 8 or so dogs struggle with this set up. Off to the afternoon water and I’m feeling real good.
Saturday PM Water: Test is set up back in a slough that I would absolutely love to hunt ducks in. 1st mark is thrown right to left from the far right and lands behind some tall weeds in a small pool about 60 yards away. 2nd mark is thrown right of center left to right and lands on a side of a hill approximately 90 yards away. 3rd mark requires another big gun swing 180 degrees from 1st mark, thrown left to right and lands behind some floating logs on the land approximately 85 yards. The blind is planted between 2nd & 3rd marks out about 85 yards at a base of a stump. There is a cheating bank that the judges want you to keep the dog off the entire way out.
Get to the line and Roxy is excited. 1st mark has her creep 18” heal, sit. Now for the wheels off moment of the day: 2nd shot she creeps again about the same distance but now the shell is stuck in gun and I have to fiddle with it. I don’t swing toward 3rd mark (my eventual undoing) but have gun pointed straight ahead of me. Guess what, she is focused on the woods where the barrel is pointing. I finally remove the shell just as 3rd mark is thrown. Give a quick heal, mark but have to shoot straight up as she did not come back to heal and never saw the 3rd mark. I did not handle in the AM so I think I can get through this. Send her on the 2nd mark and she puts on a small hunt but comes up with the bird. Send her on the 1st mark and she steps just past it on the upwind side and then puts on a big hunt out of the area and is heading back towards me behind the winger. I have to handle her to the mark. Ugh… 3rd mark I will need some luck. Take my time and line her up and she takes a great initial line but hooks with the bank and goes over the top of the small mound. I have to handle her now as she has gone out of sight. The blind is a hack job as she wants to beach early. I eventually get her to the blind and proceed to the honor bucket. Creeps a bit but doesn’t break though she flinched like she was about to. Ribbons are passed out and we don’t make the cut. Talk to the judges and the double handle did me in.
Sunday AM Water: Test is set up in some wetlands that has a bunch of running water. 1st mark comes out from the right at about 55 yards angles in right to left and lands on the back side of a point. 2nd mark is 90 or so yards right of center thrown from tip of point right to left and makes a BIG splash that keeps many of the dog’s attention. 3rd mark is from another point on the left thrown left to right and lands in some mud/plowed dirt. Diversion is thrown from behind us as the dog returns from last retrieve. Blind is set between the 1st & 2nd marks out at 100 yards in the middle of an open field.
Creeping again on all three shots but responds to heal command. Send her on the go-bird and she puts on a brief hunt after taking a terrible initial line (a judge in gallery says most of the dogs are being sucked in to the big splash effect of the 2nd mark and the point.) and returns using the same route. Give her a verbal easy and she front foots the 1st mark thrown. Half the dogs over run the mound and keep going. Line her on the final bird and she just misses it, again, and after a short hunt picks up the chicken. Diversion is cake. The blind initial line is great but once she passes the point she drifts right. Give her an over and she takes it literally and a bit too far. This is where it gets messy. I have two cast refusals out of the next four whistles. I think between the wind and running water she didn’t hear me OR she saw the bird. Couldn’t have smelled it since she was on upwind side. So I challenged the blind but the whistle refusals could hurt me later.
Sunday PM Land: Pretty straightforward test set up on some rolling hills. 1st mark comes out from the right at 3 o’clock about 70 yards thrown right to left between some trees on a side of a hill. 2nd mark from 10 o’clock position thrown from left to right and lands on a peninsula about 80 yards away. Final mark is from 8 o’clock thrown from left to right and only 75 yards. Blind is set on the side of a slope far side of a valley about 90 yards away at the base of a tree. Wind is from the left and slope angles away.
“Dog to the line” 1st & 2nd marks are thrown and she is creeping again but re-heeling quickly. 3rd mark malfunctions and we get a no-bird. Back to the holding blind and wait for one more dog. Back to the line and she is real loose. By the 3rd mark she is two feet ahead of me and in the sprinters crouch. Judge softly says “re-heel your dog” but I don’t think he is talking to me and I release her. As she jets out to the go-bird I ask him if he was talking to me? He responds, “yes.” Ugh… Roxy proceeds to pick all three marks up quick & cleanly. Line her for the blind and she fights the wind and slope factors so much that I have to sit her and cast her over. Now I have to left hand back her into the wind and I get two more cast/whistle refusals as she winds the bird and picks it up. Move over to the honor bucket and she creeps a bit but does not break. I am sick with the release on the go-bird. Any chance I had is probably lost when you combine line manners and cast refusals. My thoughts are confirmed later as no ribbon is awarded the girl. Judge says that the overall work was not up to the “finished” standard though I have a good dog. Just need to clean up the line work and blind work, a recurring theme.
It’s been a long weekend. My kids were recruited to fill some vacant bird-boy slots and ended up working all day at the seasoned test site. They are whipped, I’m beat and Roxy doesn’t know any better. She is happy because she just was fed an extra large dinner and had plenty of cool water to drink. She gets to sleep on the way home. Oh the life of a dog. Little does she know that Monday is a new day and the sit standard has been raised and will be enforced.
Big D HRC in Tioga, TX Sept 26th & 27th
Been awhile since the last test but the memory, ugh still hurts. Recently we took a step back as Roxy had lost some enthusiasm due to an imbalance in training. Too much technical work and too many triples so for the last two weeks before this test we did 1-2 singles per day and no blinds but incorporated plenty of obedience work. She is back to her old self again just in time for the test.
Saturday AM water is a breaking bird test to say the least. We are set up in a “honey hole” next to a narrow and very steep creek. 1st bird comes out from the left from our side of the creek and lands in some thick cover on the opposite bank for about a 40 yard retrieve. 2nd mark comes from 11 o-clock strait toward us and lands 5’ in front with a splash that gets us wet. 3rd mark comes from 2 o-clock left to right and lands in the channel for a 30 yard mark. Diversion on last retrieve then a 70 yard blind to 1 o-clock thru a narrow corridor with heavy cover on both sides out to the middle of an open field.
Pretty tight set up. Marks go off and she gets a bit unsteady with the splash in front but stays put. Additional OB work is paying off so far. She retrieves 2nd, 3rd then 1st mark w/o a hitch. She no goes on the diversion for a second then retrieves it. Line her for the blind and handle her quick and tight so as not to lose her in cover. 3 casts later with no refusals and she has the duck. A very nice start.
Saturday PM Land Fairly straight forward test. 1st mark comes straight at you from the 1 o-clock position for a 100 yard mark. 2nd mark comes from 11 o-clock left to right from behind some trees and lands in the middle of a large open featureless field at 110 yards. 3rd mark comes from 10 o-clock right to left landing in some cover at the base of a tree line up a hill for an approx 95 yard mark. The blind is outside the marks coming from the 2 o-clock position down an incline then up some gravel to the right of an evergreen bush for a 90 yard blind.
Front foots the go bird and is about to do the same to the 1st mark thrown when she winds the 2nd mark, swings her head and begins to change direction. I give a very quick whistle and one cast back to the mark. Send her on the last mark and nails it as well. Take my time setting her up for the blind and send her. One whistle as she veers off line at the base of the bush and she gets her blind. I have considerable trouble at the honor bucket getting a new gun to load. Nerves, ugh… Finally get situated and whisper to her several quiet “no-birds” and we make it thru w/o any trouble that I can see.
The entire family is here and we go off to help my buddy Jay run some puppy stakes before dinner. Daniel wins a backpack and a knife at the drawing and Roxy gets another Finished Pass. Great day! Beautiful weather and I am glad to see Roxy dialed in. She had a great time. Make the drive home and am thankful it is only an hour and a half away. Great day, but long day.
Sunday AM Land At first glance test looks pretty easy until the dogs start running that is. 8 out of the first 16 dogs fail. Wow! All 8 passing dogs are run by the same pro, Bill Ackers I think. All of his dogs love him, are well behaved, mark and handle well.
1st mark comes from 11 o-clock right to left and lands in an open field 85 yards or so. 2nd mark is a big swing to the right coming from 2 o-clock left to right over the trees and lands at the base of the woods near some thick cover. 3rd mark comes from 12 o-clock left to right and lands 125 yards out. Blind is set just left of 11 o-clock at 95 yards. Line runs just at the edge of the 1st mark winger station. Middle mark runs to the right of two winger station, down a hill, across sent from two blinds, across a slight ravine AND
behind some thick woods.
1st mark was the undoing of “many” slower dogs because they winded the winger stations or Blind boy in the trees causing them to hunt the trees on the left. If they made it past the initial scent path they had to negotiate the diagonal mowed path that carried another group of dogs out of sight behind the trees on the right. Roxy was amped up and I took advantage of this fact by delaying her release on the long middle go-bird to get her good and dialed in. Took off and had no trouble with factors as she nailed it. Take my time a get her lined on the 2nd bird and she takes a laser path straight to the bird… and then… pauses, looks back at me… then proceeds to roll on the bird and I don’t mean just a little bit. I am in shock and mortified. 2-3 seconds feel like minutes as I can imagine the judges marking us down… Finally I risk using a handle and give her the come-in whistle. She picks up the bird like no big deal and settles in for the 3rd mark. Front foots it and returns to the line w/o the extracurricular activities this time thank God. Line her for the blind and two quick whistles later and we are on the honor bucket. She is getting antsy and to make matters worse the honor shoots 1st & 3rd marks and she “thinks” about taking off. A quick “heal” and she settles back in. Done and off to PM Water.
Sunday PM Water Oh my! We are set up on the tip of a long narrow point in a slew area with plenty of reeds and lily-pads. 1st 45 yard mark comes from 3 o-clock right to left and lands in a large clump of lily-pads next to some reeds and access to shore. 2nd 45 yard mark comes from 12 o-clock right to left as well but lands behind a large patch of reeds. Diversion is thrown at last bird retrieved. Narrow long 85 yards channel blind is a monster thru thick lily-pads. Shore is covered with reeds and if your dog beaches early you will lose sight of him. Wind is blowing strong left to right directly down the channel. Nice!
I have to set the bucket up at the edge on a slant towards the water to get both Roxy and I as
close to the edge as possible without falling in. The reeds are tall directly to my right making it
difficult to mark the 1st bird. She gets the go-bird without any difficulty. She gets off line on
the 2nd mark as a large lily-pad that is curling back on itself from the wind reveals a brown
underside that resembles a duck in her mind. She bee line to it and takes a bite, pulls and feels
resistance and then releases it to continue the hunt. By now she is turned around in the sea of
lily-pads and decides to head for shore to the left of the bird. I handle her to the bird and she
heads back.
I remind the judge to throw the diversion and in his haste to get out of the chair, destroys the
chair, thus delaying the throw (a good thing given the gale force winds blowing the previous
diversions across the slew). Roxy handles the bird easily. Now for the blind… the good news is
I kept her in the middle of the channel the entire way. Only took 20 or so whistles though…
But, I had “zero” cast refusals. It was awesome! She really wanted out of that channel BUT she
stayed with me in spite of ME shorting the blind by 5 yards. I had her casting back and
forth just short of the duck. Finally I cast her back and she got it. Took 10 minutes for
the blind!
Wow, what a day! Roxy gets another pass and it time to take it to the house! Go Roxy!
Two more passes and she will have her HRCH Title!
Texoma HRC Sunday only (honey dues Sat.)
Spur of the moment trip to Oklahoma with Daniel & Sarita. Had to take care of some things on
the home front Saturday morning and early afternoon but was able to hit the road mid-day headed north to Oklahoma. We stopped at my dove lease to get a couple corrections in at the line for creeping. Light drizzle but no birds flying so I had Daniel yell “there’s one” and throw up his gun to test Roxy’s steadiness. Two tests and two corrections. The second was a minor creep, just a raising of the butt off the ground but she got the message. A lone dove comes straight for us and Daniel fires two shots as I get one final correction in before the rain becomes steady. We pack up and hit the road. Arrive in time for the drawing and enjoy hanging with fellow HRC folks. Good people. Head to the motel 6 and get some much needed Z’s.
AM Land Middle mark is thrown first; left to right landing on top of a ledge about 80 yards in front on the other side of a small puddle/wetland marsh area. 2nd mark from the right is 80 yards right to left and finally the last mark on the left is 75 yards left to right angle in. Blind is in line with the 1st mark about 100 yards through some high grass with thick cover on both sides where the dog could be lost.
Big hunt on first mark as she goes long on the upwind side of bird. Mills around for a bit and I think I may need to handle so I stand up. She see’s me stand and hunt closer towards me and picks up the bird. Steps on the 2nd & 3rd birds then 1 whistles the blind thus erasing any doubt in the judges mind about that first mark. Judges joke with me saying it was unsportsmanlike to allow her to hunt deep on the 1st mark and identify the blind. I responded by telling them two things; one, there was no bird planted and two I am not that good. Honor bucket goes well and it’s back to the truck.
PM Water Now this is a cool duck hole located on the back of a long pond in the slew. We have the dog work off a dog stand in about 18” of water at the base of a willow tree. Only two marks are thrown with a diversion and a blind. 1st 50 yard mark comes from 1 o’clock right at us. 2nd 60 yard mark comes from 12 o’clock right to left and lands in some cover about 10 yards from the shore. Diversion comes from 3 o’clock and splashes in-line with the return of the 2nd mark. Blind is between 1st mark and diversion 95 yards on land in the very back back of the winding creek channel/cove. Wicked Grand level blind is what everyone is saying!
Roxy is steady on the Ruff Stand as many of the dogs had never been on one but she has hunted on stands, chairs and platforms in the past. She steps on marks 1 and 2 and has no trouble with the diversion other than returning at an incredibly slow pace. The muddy bottom and just under swimming water? Weird. She is acting like the poodle that ran earlier. I line her for the blind on the stand but in hindsight I should have lined her from the water at my side since the judges allowed it. Not sure what I was thinking… She kicks off for the blind at a 45 degree angle away from me. I’m like “what the heck?” Quick whistle at 10 yards away leaves a bunch of meat between her and the blind. Right hand over and she carries it beautifully until she hits land and I sense she is about to hunt. Whistle sit and a left hand back gets her off land, through the water and back on land before the next whistle sit. Right hand back and she wants to hook into some cover. For whatever reason, 75% of the dogs go here and many of them get lost in the cover and are dropped as a result. Another quick whistle and she takes a great final cast for 30 yards right to the bird. Awesome job! The gallery gives an appreciative applause. “If” a handler was able to get his dog to the last 20 yards it often became a ping pong drill as they would not go through the last water and up into the cover to dig for the bird. I guess because of the multiple water entries and the distance combined with the wind and cover all made it difficult. Having a dog that is slow and methodical really pays off in these tight situations. We got another pass on a tough weekend where only 8 out of 19 dogs passed. I am stoked! Only one pass left for a title. Kids were great all weekend and Roxy was too. Now we hunt for the next three months until our next test.
Duck Season is why I train.
10/24/09 Wetlands Youth Hunt
I was supposed to guide a youth hunt consisting of 4 boys and their dads. Upon arrival I am told that there were several cancellations and that “I can accompany Jeremy and his dog to assist if I want.” I am a bit put off by the miscommunication but decide to make the best of it. I am also told that my decoys will not be necessary, we will be using his. This puts me off a bit more as I have my son Daniel with me to film the hunt over the Cherokee Sports Featherlite Decoys to submit to Freddy King. Ugh.
We drive out to the spot we will be hunting marked by his four dozen decoys in a tangled pile in the middle of the road. When I say mess, I mean a terrible tangled wad of decoys and line that nothing short using a good pair of tree pruners for an hour or so will unloose. The sun is starting to come up and I suggest we use my decoys. He responds, “no, I’ll get them untangles.” 10 minutes of no progress later and I make the offer again and he relents. 15 minutes later we are set up 5 minutes before legal.
Teal everywhere! Roxy is on a platform and is whining like mad. Nicking her only makes her yelp louder. Hold her muzzle while saying “quiet” does the trick. Poor thing. Been too long since hunting for real. First flight lands in spread and the boys take out two birds and three decoys. Roxy gets her fix and settles back in like a pro.
Many birds to shoot but none are hit. These kids are having a tough time. Jeremy’s dog is breaking non-stop. They drop a triple with two easy birds in the spread and one long one about 85 yards that will be a blind as neither dog saw it go down. Jeremy proclaims “we will just have to pick it up when we are done.” Huh? I line Roxy up and one whistle her to the bird. Jeremy and everyone else is impressed. Daniel forgot to film it. A whole hour and a half of hunting and four boxes of shells we end up scratching out two limits and head back. We are all primed for the season to start.
Finished duck season with 20 hunts that I guided and an additional 5 hunts with just my son and friends. Roxy ended up retrieving 397 ducks this season! Prey drive is amped up and we will have to work on line manners to tighten her up for test season that is right around the corner. All in all, it was an awesome season for Roxy, my son and I but I have to admit I am already looking forward to next Saturday being able to sleep in my own bed and not having an alarm wake me up at 4am.
Cowtown HRC in Fairfield, TX Feb. 20 & 21 2010
Saturday AM Land Test is set up in a pasture bordering a wooded creek running on the left and then bending to the right. Three marks are thrown starting from the left to right. First mark on left is thrown left to right angled in and lands 50 yards. The second mark is also thrown from left to right and lands 120 yards away. The third mark is thrown right to left and lands at approximately 100 yards. Blind is planted under the arc/in line with the 1st mark. Judges inform us that the wind is blowing from left to right so they want us to challenge the blind. Meaning, WARNING, “don’t let your dog drift right in order to wind it. Understand?” Honor bucket is set to the left of the line.
Roxy is excited as we approach the holding blind. Reminds me of her very first started test when she was trying to look around and under the holding blind. We get to the line and even with all the excitement she heals very well. Judge explains the test to me as I had just pulled up from running bird boys and ducks to several tests. Seems pretty straight forward other than the honor shooting twice, first at nothing to signal the blind and then the 2nd at the first mark. Marks go off and Roxy is creeping a bit and I have to tell her to heal after each mark. On the third mark down she is out too far so I re-heal her back to the bucket. At this point her attention goes out towards the middle bird and I take my time to get her focused on the last bird down. She is off like a rocket and pounces on the mark with a hop. I send her on the 1st short mark by putting my hand over her head and softly her “easy” to which she interprets as a release and takes off. Wonder how the judges will interpret that? She comes back with the duck and we line up for the last long memory. Release her after telling her “way back” and give her a loud “Roxy.” Picks up the mark after a quick button hook on the over run.
Now for the HIGHLIGHT – PLAY OF THE DAY. Set her up for the blind that runs under the arc of the 1st bird thrown 1st challenge. 2nd challenge, there is a creek channel that is directly behind the bird station and you will loose your dog if it takes that route. 3rd challenge with the wind blowing left to right your dog must pass in close proximity of the duck buckets. Lastly, judges want tight control meaning; don’t let your dog wind the bird. All that said, I line her up and once I see her head lock in on the target area I say “good” and she begins to crouch. She knows her task. I release her and she proceeds to run a laser straight to the blind with no whistles required, a first for me in a test!
The honor is another battle with creeping. Normally I tell her “no bird” and you can see she visible relaxes as she settles into “relax” mode. Well, not this time. She is excited and the two shots I fire are almost too much as I have to re-heal her back to the bucket after the 2nd shot. She was actually getting into the sprinter crouch and I thought I was going to lose her. She re heals and the judge releases us. Whew! Nice run but man she is pumped up.
Saturday PM Water “BIRTHDAY BLINK” I previously forgot to mention that today is Roxy’s fourth birthday. What is real cool is that she is just one pass away from her HRCH title and what makes it even more special is that this test is at my home club and I would be surrounded by many friends who helped me and watched Roxy and I grow along the way. Couldn’t have scripted it any better. Now on to the test…
Not really a water test, more like a puddle and mud test. We are set up in a flooded field with absolutely no swimming water. The ankle to knee high cover is all a dark brown and blends in with all the mud. The birds are thrown in order from right to left. First mark is relatively short thrown from right to left at approximately 60 yards. The middle mark is thrown right to left angle in but lands at about 90 yards. The final mark is a big swing to the left thrown from left to right and lands maybe 100 yards. The blind is set up between the 2nd & 3rd marks at around 90 yards. A diversion is thrown after the blind is retrieved.
Test sets up pretty straightforward. No tricks other than the left marks being kind of close. The only problem with this area is there is absolutely no distinguishing features out there other than the bird boy blinds. Everything else looks the same and the birds blend in with the mud and cover. Roxy is juiced at the line again but re-heals on the first command after each mark is thrown. Send her on the last bird down and she passes on the down wind side but quickly circles back and picks up the bird. As I prepare to receiver her and line her for the 2nd mark I want to send her on the outside/ 1st bird down but I wait to see where she lines herself up. She comes in with the duck looking straight at the first mark so I think I we are on the same page. Release her and just before she gets to the mark she loops to the left and decides to go for the middle bird. No big deal as she hadn’t established a hunt but I am concerned already with the thought of having to resend her on the 3rd mark down the same line. Well, those concerns must now be put on hold as she goes long on the upwind side of the mark. I let her hunt awhile as I don’t want to use my handle thinking I will probably need it on the last mark. This turns out to be a bad strategy. As both judges tell me later, I allowed her to stay too long out of the area and that resulted in her memory of the 3rd mark to be greatly washed away. I finally handle her to the mark and line her up again for the outside mark with no handle at my disposal. She just has to get it on her own. She takes a great line and is down wind of the mark by probably 5 yards. Stops as she gets a whiff of the scent, BLINK, the proceeds to carry her initial path to the next county! A true “what the heck” moment. We had it done. All she had to do was honor her nose and then hammer the blind like I knew she would along with the diversion and we were done. She would have been titled. It would have been awesome! But it was not to be. In true Roxy fashion, if she can’t find the mark on the first pass her default option is to go long. Poor thing. She knew there was a mark out there but just kept running a straight line until the judge told me to handle my dog. My heart sank. I handled her back to the bird. I don’t know why I ran the blind since I knew I was done. Guess I wanted to end on a positive note. I could tell Roxy could sense my disappointment as her head was down and ears were back on that final retrieve. Of course she 2 whistled the blind perfectly. We passed on the diversion and thanked the judges. Her birthday title was not to be.
In hindsight I could have done three things differently. First, I could have sent her on the middle mark instead of the outside mark. Line her to go down wind of both marks. Second, send her to the outside mark but heal her on my right side thus taking the picture of the middle mark out of her sight. Third, I should have handled quicker when she was in the area of the fall on the middle mark. Judges told me it would have NOT counted as a handle as long she established a hunt in the area. My delay caused too much memory to be lost. Having that handle available on the last mark would have equaled HRCH. Handler error, AGAIN!
This hurts bad. Proud of Roxy, but extremely disappointed in myself.
I need to incorporate check down & “cow-chip” drills in my training. I need her to establish and maintain a hunt in the area of the fall. She gives up way to easily and defaults to going long. Line manners are tough on the blood pressure and heart rate as well.
Sunday AM Land OMG! Toughest test I have ever witnessed. My confidence is already low and then I watch the test dog run. Test starts with a poison bird to the right and handler is asked to shoot twice. No your dog off that bird then run a 90 blind through terrain changes and cover between the 2nd and 3rd marks. Once that is completed, pick up the poison bird and get set for the marks that are thrown in order from the left to right. First mark right to left lands behind some cover in front of the woods at about 100 yards. Second mark is thrown from same area as first but left to right towards the blind at 80 yards. Third mark is thrown right to left towards blind and lands at 70 yards. On the last bird retrieved a diversion is thrown. Six shots are fired on this test. A bunch of stuff is happening and my head is spinning a bit as I try and formulate a plan.
Walk up diversion goes well. She sits to shot and comes back to heal. I no-bird her off the mark as she re-heals but her head stays focused on the poison bird. Line her for blind and release her and watch her bolt towards the poison bird. Quick whistle and handle her back to the blind with no refusals and no issues. Send her to pick up the poison and I am a bit relieved. Take my time on the bucket as she is all wired and bouncing around, head swinging etc. Call for the marks that don’t top the tree lines on this cloudy day to begin with. Making matters worse, she is not looking towards the first mark. Creeping again I re-heal her and she is spazzing and “maybe” sees 2nd mark. Swing for the third and she see’s this one and has already crept out and is in sprinters stance. Breaks and I quickly re-heal her. Duck lands belly up. Nice, but I needed that to happen on the other two birds she did not see. Of course she is all over the first mark. Now for the first mark that I think she did not see. Line her and she takes a good line but hooks to the right too early and proceeds to go into the woods and is headed deeper and away from mark. I have to handle as she has begun a roaming/meandering hunt. Final middle mark goes terribly. She takes a direct line towards the blind, sniffs around, then proceeds to go deep again. Deep as in, in the creek out of sight deep. Have to handle her back and we are done. I turn around and say to the judge “running the diversion is pointless right?” and he kind of half nods but the other judge picks up the diversion so I shoot it and complete test but I already know we are done. Day after birthday is no better.
I am disappointed, frustrated and ready to pack it up. I figure no good can come from afternoon water other than creating a breaking habit on top of excessive creeping so I get my test responsibilities covered and high tail it back to town to catch my daughters volleyball tournament with tail between legs…
Admittedly, I don’t train a whole bunch for the next 6 months. Spend my weekends watching my daughter play volleyball, take family vacations, fish and pretty much relax and take it easy. Dove season comes and I am guiding again so Roxy “maybe” retrieves 20 birds in September. Funds are tight and it has been so hot out that I pass on running and working the Cowtown test and choose to instead go out to the ranch and do some prep work for the upcoming hunting season. I manage to train in the early morning before it gets too unbearable and Roxy is doing well. Huh, maybe she is settling in and knows what this is all about. For the next week I train every night just before dark and every morning we do bucket work in the kitchen before I feed her. I am pleasantly surprised and begin to mull over the possibility of running her at Big D because it is a close test without travel expenses and I can just do one day and see how it goes. I train on Thursday and Friday before the test and I decide to give it a shot.
Big D 9/25/10 Tioga, TX AM Land Triple “T” = Tight, Tough Test. Start by walking directly in front of the honor dog on way to bucket.(Note to self, in future heal Roxy on opposite side away from honor dog) Judge hands me 4 shells and I sit down to take in the test and relax my breathing as I recognize the many dangers this test presents. The cover is thick with many small trees and large bushes sprinkled around the tall grass that covers the multiple terrain changes that include a diagonal ditch that leads to a creek. I load two shells and the test begins with the honor shooting to represent the blind followed by the first mark coming from the right that lands just to the left of middle at about 45 yards. Second mark also comes from the right side but is thrown right to left angled back landing about 65 yards away. Third shell is now loaded as I swing all the way around to the left for the third mark going left to right and landing about 100 yards in an opening among the trees. A diversion is thrown on the way back from the third mark and then the blind is run and then you hopefully proceed to the honor bucket not bleeding too bad.
I walk up and have no clue what dog will show up today, the spaz from Cowtown or the solid retriever I know she is. We pass the honor dog and she is fine, maybe forging a bit too far ahead but still not out of control. (I will need to tighten this up in the near future.) Receive four shells from judge and sit down to take in the test. Ready or not here we go… The honor shoots and in my excitement I take the gun off safe. I quickly put it back on safe then click it loudly off safe when the first mark hits the top of the mark. Roxy crouches but does not break. Second mark is thrown and she scoots up about six inches. My barrel is down as I re-heal her and swing to the third mark and load my third shell. She is ready to go as I stand to take the third shot. She is in sprinters crouch and I release her. Some of the dogs take pause at the scent area of the diversion bird but she speeds by with the pedal to the floor. Momentum takes her past the mark but she recovers and quickly returns with the first mark. I was planning on sending her for the middle bird but she wants the far one on the right so I align her to the correct opening and release. She front foots second mark and returns quickly. Now I line her for the shorter final middle mark, whisper “easy, easy” and release. Goes directly to the bird, I load forth shell and blow whistle and fire as she returns. Diversion falls, I call her in and release. Again, no problem with diversion. Deep breath as I line her for the blind. Kick her off and she fades a bit left so I sit and give a right back. She takes it literal and I need to recast with a left over. Sit her again just before the ditch and give a right hand back. Veers a bit right, give her a control sit and then a quick tweet, tweet to the bird. Proceed to honor bucket and she needs a couple soft “no-birds” and “heal” because the guns and marks have her itching for more. She stays under control and we are dismissed. Over half way there since diversion and honor were added to this test. I am not over-confident though because I have been here before only to have the afternoon blow up. But, I would rather be here in this position with a handle available going to the afternoon water than any other scenario.
PM Water Duck Hole Afternoon water looks pretty straightforward. First mark comes from the right and lands in a slew surrounded by tough cover and is a short mark around 40 yards or so. Second mark again comes from the right almost inline but further out landing on the edge of some weeds approx 70 yards requiring the dog to push through water land water transitions and thick cover. Third mark is a big swing to the left and is thrown in a channel angle back at about 60 yards. Blind is run straight out to 80 yards. Water land water land and placed on the second point behind a bush. I am feeling confident, three marks and a blind and we should be titled.
First mark is thrown and Roxy is steady. Second mark is thrown and she is in “the crouch” as I rotate left for the big turn and third mark. She tracks with the gun, watches mark and then is released with a huge water entry. As I open and safe the gun the judge tells me if I have aspirations’ of running in the Grand that I cannot “push” the dog as I swing the gun. Meaning, I kept barrel pointing down instead of raising it as we swung left. Got it! Thanks. She returns without issue and I want to release her for the closest short mark and she aligns herself also to that mark. Nice to see we are on the same page. Release her and she stomps it. She aligns herself up for the final mark and again I release her and she smacks it. No handles at all today and I’m thinking all I have is this “simple” blind and we are home free. What possibly can go wrong right? First off, I should have had her heal on my right side to remove the old mark and the decoys from her vision. Mistake one. As I attempt to line her, her attention is fixated on the decoys. I should have healed her facing the decoys, no-birded her off them, then re-set on dead bird. Mistake two. I say good when she glances at the point and release her. Her initial line is good but does not last long as she drifts left. A very quick whistle and right hand back has her scalloping. I’m thinking this is starting to get ugly. I right hand angle back and she takes a good line to exactly where I wanted her to be and I sit her for what should be the final cast back. I give a right hand back and she takes it but once she enters the water off the steep bank and is out of sight, she swims left. I cannot see her but I can see water moving. The judges stand up and I am about to stand on the bucket when she emerges on the other bank 10-12 yards too far left! I am thinking “Oh crap!” They will fail me for not challenging the blind. I right hand over her to the bird and she nails it then returns. Ugh… She ran flawless all day until this last blind. Now I put it in the hands of the judges.
While eating dinner I hear only 8 dogs past our finished flight out of 23 to start and only 5 passed the other finished flight. I am not feeling as confident as I was earlier. That blind is weighing heavy on my mind. It finally comes to ribbon time and Roxy is the third dog called. Even as I type this and recall the feeling of that moment I begin to tear up. I am on cloud nine as I approach the judges and many are yelling “title, title, title.” (More on that in a moment) I can hardly speak has as I receive the paperwork, finished pass ribbon and the title ribbon. All I can do is nod my head yes as the judges shake my hand, tell me I have a fine dog and warn me to put the ribbons and paperwork in a dry place.
When one titles, there is a tradition in the Hunting Retriever Club world that the handler gets a bucket of ice water dumped on him similar to the football coach near the end of a game getting Gatorade dumped on him. In my case I had the good fortune of getting two buckets poured ever so slowly since many of my friends were in attendance and wanted to participate. Wow! That is a shock to the system for ya.
After the drenching I took my seat and just let the moment sink in. Over four years of training, hunting, learning, persevering and loving this wonderful dog of ours. I thanked God for knowing exactly what I needed and what my family needed to get through some pretty tough times. Roxy could care less as she sat next to me on the way home. It helps that she persevered in spite of my shortcomings as a rookie trainer/handler. We both learned many valuable lessons together along the way. For her, nothing has changed other than the extra helping of food I gave her today. She still is loved and cared for just like she always has come to expect. It’s an awesome way to live really. No worries and total faith in us to provide for all her needs.
Another chapter has concluded but is the story over? Who knows? After all, she is only four and a half years old. Might entering the Grand ever be a possibility? May have to give this some more thought…
What is a title?
I found the following describes it to a T (written by Sandy Mowery. Get permission from her. Sent email to front & finish dog training news. She is a frequent contributor.
"What is a Title, Really?"
"Not just a brag, Not just a stepping stone to a higher title, Not just an adjunct to competitive scores."
"A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor that dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard. And though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count."
"A title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed...
And a Title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed (or you did), and that in the end your faith was justified."
"A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a Title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return."
"And when that dear short life is over, the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name."
"A Title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received permanently."
Roxy two whistles the blind but blows past the 1st mark and heads to the top of the damn so I give her a quick clean handle to the bird. I can tell she was going to go long and I would have lost her on the back side, just hate having to handle already. Second bird is easy and we head back to the truck.
PM Land: Test has a cold blind to the right at around 75 yards with two marks out in a rolling field with cover 12-18” high. Shouldn’t be too tough. Walk-up is cake but then things get weird. Roxy starts walking funny as we approach the bucket as if she had stickers in all her paws. I ask the judges if I can check and they say go ahead. I don’t find anything but she doesn’t want to settle in next to me as she continues to walk gingerly and now she is acting very tentative. I set her up on the blind and one whistle her to the bird. She is running fine and her tail is back up “until” she comes back to the bucket and she starts the funny walk again. Reminds me of the first time I put the neoprene boots on her. It was funny then but not so much now.
She is steady on the two shots and takes off like a rocket strait on course after being sent on the first mark. I feel better that she is running with confidence again. I say “open & safe,” put the gun on the stand and turn back to watch her smack the first mark but to my horror, she runs over the bird and keeps going! No sign of letting up either. I can’t handle her anymore and I hope she checks down quickly but instead she does a loop into the wind as I believe she winds the 2nd bird station. I determine she has no idea where the bird is and decide to put an end to this by giving her a hard sit whistle, tell the judges I’m picking her up and bring her in.
Many of the competitors thought I picked her up way too fast thinking I should have let her hunt the field some more. I felt it was more important that she really mark and not be rewarded for what I thought was an out of the area hunt. Beside, I was kicking myself for NOT working on shorter marks prior to the test. Sad thing was I was warned by a training partner to do just that. So I was madder at myself than anything else. She was only doing what I had trained her to do by going long. Long quiet reflective ride home.
Come to find out, the weird experience at the line could be attributed to a dog that ran earlier that had explosive Hershey squirts right there at the line. Seems more than a few dogs reacted the same way. Guess I wouldn’t have wanted to walk through there in my bare feet either. I chalk the day up to handler training error and dumb luck. Oh well, time to shorten the marks and get her concentration up.
Lonesome Dove Hunt Test October 18 & 19 2008
At 4am I get up and get on the road to Comanche TX. Today we are taking our 2nd shot looking for our 1st Seasoned pass. I have been diligently working the last couple weeks on marking drills with extra emphasis on the check-down but still mixing in some longer marks. Arrive at 7am and it I still dark so I set the alarm for 8am and catch some z’s. Up at 8 and get checked in. Meet my buddy Steve and his son as they are running in Seasoned as well.
AM Land: Starting with a short cold blind 70 yards or so then two marks in knee high broom weed, both fall right to left. Then a “walk-out” mark as you exit the test.
Roxy is solid on the blind. Three crisp whistles with sharp responses and we have the bird. First mark comes from the right, fire and gun jams as I try to re-load 2nd shell. I am fidgeting trying to get spent shell out and now Roxy is looking at me just as 2nd mark is thrown. I get 2nd shell chambered and fire late up in the air as Roxy has crept a bit. Now for the fun since she didn’t see the 2nd mark. I take my time and line her up as if it is a blind and send her on her name. She lines the bird. Whew!
Line her up for the 2nd mark and she goes past it, circles towards the gun station to say hi, and then turns back into the AOF and steps on the bird. Walk-out goes w/o a hitch as bird is thrown, I hit sit and she sits, shoot and she retrieves. Judges have a word with me to discuss that next time gun jams, just swing the gun and don’t shoot just say “bang” or whatever. (Note to self: say “mark”). They both say I handled it well though.
PM Water:Small stock pond. Cold blind across to the right ¼ of pond then another 15 yards on land for a total of 50 yards “maybe.” Two marks will come left to right then a diversion on the 2nd mark return.
Roxy nails the blind easily and we get seated on pallet. 1st mark is thrown and the 2nd has a malfunction. Roxy is about to blast in for the first since there is no second bird coming. Judge calls no-bird and tells me to leash Roxy. He comes by the holding blind and says she was amped and ready to break is why he told me to do that. Thanks!
Come back out and re-run marks and diversion with no problems. Waiting for dinner I am asked if I pass will I run Seasoned in the morning or Finished. A couple people try to dissuade me but I am resilient and plan on moving up to Finished if I pass. My thinking is; I have been training to the higher level and just wanted to be able to say we passed this level with all the extra stuff thrown in at such short distances. Ribbon awarded for 1st Seasoned pass that evening. Off to Finished in the am.
10/19/08 “Finished” and running with the big dogs!
Had a terrible night sleep in the truck. (Note to self: never sleep in the back seat again! 6’2” 190 doesn’t fit well in a Tacoma Pre-Runner.) Woke up at 8am and registered.
AM Land: Three marks thrown right to left starting on the left with a hot blind between the first two and a diversion on the way back from the blind. Roxy is 12th and the first four dogs all fail! The memory bird that is 125 yards through patches of prickly pear is causing 90% of the handlers to have to handle. The gallery is grumbling saying the judges should scrap the test. The 5th dog passes but breaks on the honor. 6th & 7th pass due to switching up the marks doing them 1,3 then 2. Hmmm… Works for some but not I am told my dog is up in two. Experience some movement in the lower unit along with a heightened heart rate. Get Roxy from the truck and bring her to the holding blind. Pulse is through the roof. My first Finished test and only 3 dogs have made it past the first series. I prepare myself as best I can for a blow-up/melt-down out in the field.
I am called to the line and I can hardly hear anything outside my heart that is causing my shirt to move and an elevated pulse that is pounding in my temples. I do well to get set on the bucket and load my gun. Call for the marks and I nervously hit the safety, panic, slap it back in time to catch the first mark in flight and loudly hit safety again. Roxy and I are amped. Manage to shoot the 2nd & 3rd marks without having to call her back and me not passing out from holding my breath. Release Roxy for go-bird and remember to “open & safe” the gun.
All the dogs have smacked this 1st mark but to my horror, not Roxy. She runs past it and puts on a hunt that took 10-15 seconds but felt like minute and manages to dig it out and bring it in. Ahh.. the sweat feeling of successfully retrieving our first Finished test mark. I am so hyped up I can’t think what my strategy is/was so I let her pick where she wants to go and she lines up for the long memory. I gently ask her “where’s your mark?” then say “good” when she has her head in the right direction. Then I tell her “way back, way back” in a low voice before releasing her with a loud “ROXY.” (Note to self, just after I say “way back, way back” I think I might accidentally send her on the softly spoken word “back.” Work on not sending her until the hand is out over the head.)
Not being a high roller by any stretch of the imagination, she manages to take the correct path through the prickly pear. Most dogs veered right and with the wind blowing left to right they ended up way off line and required handling. Roxy took a great line all the way out but stopped just short and hunted towards the winger where she stopped in to say hi. She quickly realized she was not in the right place and resumed her hunt back to the mark and picked it up. WOW! I did not use/waste a handle. Almost EVERYBODY handled that mark.
Didn’t take long. Victory was short lived. I send her on what I think should be an easy pick-up and she goes out and practically stepped on it but kept on going, hunting long. The judge says “breath” and I think she is talking to me but in actuality she was rooting for the dog to wind the bird. Roxy circles a bit but gets out of AOF and near the planted blind. I hit a hard sit, pause to regroup and handle her back to the bird. Ugly and took awhile but she never blew off a whistle or took the wrong cast. She completely turned the hunt back over to me. I’m proud of my girl!
Line her up for a real cool 100 yard blind. Have to run her through a gap in the bushes, prickly pear and finally a slot between two dead trees then push on back to the edge of the woods. If the dog goes too far you lose sight and the dog could become lost. I line Roxy up and she goes off line after running 30 yards. Left back and she splits the trees and drives to just short of the bird. A couple over’s back and forth right in front of the bird and she picks it up and gets a “good girl” from me as I have forgotten about the diversion. The judge thankfully says “diversion bird” and I scramble for the gun, load and shoot just at the top of the arc. Hit the sit whistle and then call her in. She puts on a short hunt and brings in the diversion. DEEEEEEP breath…
This is where you find out real quick how you did. When sitting on the honor bucket the judge will either tell you to load your gun or leash your dog. The latter meaning you are done. “Load your gun” comes after a long pause and I am elated! I tell Roxy to “heal, sit, no-bird.” Shots ring out and she is pretty steady. Flinches a bit when the handler releases her dog but we get up and leave. Success so far!
I walk Roxy out past the truck as I almost hyperventilate as I ponder the fact that so far I and only a handful of handlers made it past the first series. Roxy gets plenty of hugs and “atta girls.” I know I am the sappiest handler out there at this level probably but to be perfectly honest, I don’t care since I am so proud of her getting this far. More than I could have hoped for given the difficult circumstances. Off to lunch and then the water series in the afternoon.
At lunch I meet the guy that tried to dissuade me from stepping up. He had run the water series earlier and said his dog blew up and was a mess. He said it was a tough test so having some extra time, I went and watched a few dogs run and was not overly impressed by the level of difficulty. Ignorance is bliss, especially when you’re still buzzing from an earlier land pass. Off to lunch!
PM Water: Nerves are starting to get to me and I head out to the test and arrive just as they start the handlers meeting. Perfect timing. The only problem I see is the 2 & 3 marks converging close together. One pro states that he thinks they are actually in-line. The test dog runs and there are only 5 handlers there. I’m now number 4 on the run list. No time to waste as I get Roxy aired and ready.
This water series is being held in a rock quarry. Real cool looking with high walls on one side and shallow running water surrounded by patches of reeds, weeds and piles of chunk rock. I am a bit concerned as Roxy had sliced a chunk of her back right pad while preparing earlier in the week. Vet said she would be fine but the rocks I’d imagine wouldn’t feel too great.
In the holding blind I am amused by the black male poodle that is currently working. Yes, a poodle. Slowest dog I have ever seen, even slower than Roxy but truth be told it gets the job done. The bad news was it took 18 minutes to be exact. The good news is Roxy will look like greased lightning to the judges after that. My only thought on this test is getting past the first two tight marks, after that I am golden. If I have to handle on anything other than the blind, I am toast.
“Handler to the line.” I make my way with Roxy off lead and am a bit concerned that she may get ahead of me as we meander our way down an embankment to the line but she does fine. As I am getting adjusted on the pallet the judge asks me if my heart has stopped racing yet. “Ummm, that would be a no” is my response. They both proceed to make fun of my choice of footwear. Seems all the other handlers wear knee-high boots at the water work and I just kept my comfy clod-hoppers on. No biggie, I’m not scared of a little mud and water.
Memory bird is easy, 40 yards out to our right. 2nd mark land about 85 yards and the third is now around 95-100 yards down the left shore. Roxy is locked in and I send her. She passes it in the weeds, checks down and picks it up cleanly. Now for the 2nd. Line her up and release her and she takes the same line as the first. Oh crap! I turn away to put the first duck in the bucket and say “Rut Row” in my Scoobie-doo impersonation to which the judge comments “oh yea of little faith.” I turn to find that she veered off, just short of the decoys and regained the correct line. Wow! In my mind, if she can dig this bird out, the rest will be cake. Short hunt and she stands over the bird, looks up and back towards me as if to say “didn’t think I would find it, did ya?” and brings back the prize. I proceeded to give her an “atta girl” and line her up for the gimmie.
3rd mark is cake, now time for an under the arc hot blind. This is the blind that a judge was telling me about last night that would eat some people’s lunch. I’m thinking “what’s the big deal?” You handle your dog to the bird regardless of what’s out there or where you are sending her. I have confidence in her control and our team-work so I line her up and kick her off. Sit whistle 40 yards out. She’s thirsty so I let her drink. Kinda funny as I catch my breath and she continues lapping up the water. I’m in no hurry now, just reading my dog. She gives me her attention again and I give her a right hand back. 20 more yards and I have to hit the sit. More drinking. I’m a bit frazzled as we near completion of this test but she could care less and she is out enjoying herself. Two more casts and it’s bird time, bringing her back in to “good girl, good girl.”
Thank the judges for their time and gather the ducks and Roxy and leave the line. Heart is racing; mind is whirling a million miles an hour. Did we really just do this? I start to recount the tests, any cast refusals? No. Any blown off whistles? No. More than one handle on a mark? No. I remember saying “open & safe” at all the appropriate times but did I just now put the gun up with the safety on? Oh my gosh! Did I leave it off? I watched the next handler and all was good. No gun safety issues. Whew!
Back to the truck and I am walking on air. We just ran it clean. I feel real good about our chances. Get back to the truck and give Roxy an extra helping of food and even give her the rest of my ice-cold Gatorade. She enjoys it all. Now its time to hurry up and wait. I proceed to drive to the Seasoned test to see how everyone was doing and of coarse I am asked how we did to which I ever so casually say “ran it clean.”
Back a headquarters the judges start making the calls. I’m the 6th one called up and run to get my ribbon and shake the judges hands. I have to sit down quickly as the reality begins to set in that we passed our first Finished test and a hard one at that. It was my understanding that only 8 of the 26 dogs that were entered passed! That three hour drive home was the most enjoyable time I can ever remember driving on the road. Just kept replaying the weekend in my mind and thinking how proud I was of my girl. Fall hunt test season has drawn to a close and the next couple months will be spent hunting, training and preparing to run with the big boys in the spring.
2008 Dove & Duck season
Can be described in one word: uneventful. Low numbers is an understatement. Worst season ever. Roxy ended up going on 20 hunts this fall/winter season: 82 dove & ducks plus an additional 45 pheasant at a tower shoot for a total of 127 retrieves. I can remember a few awesome marks and retrieves on some wounded ducks that flew 100+ yards. Blind work is not where I wanted it to be. No birds were lost but it seemed that she developed a problem taking a straight back when swimming in big open water. Ping – ponging back and forth wasted valuable time and kept her in the cold water way too long. This will definitely need to be addressed soon.
Part III. In Pursuit of a Finished Title
February 7th & 8th Raven’s Way HRC Madisonville, TX (just north of Houston.)
My wife Lisa and I drove down the Friday night before the test in order to get a hotel and a good nights rest as we both had a big weekend ahead of us. Roxy and I obviously had the hunt test but Lisa was going to meet her new-found father that lives in Houston. Readers Digest version: while visiting her grandmother over Christmas in Louisiana she stopped in to a local grocery store and the following transpired:
Woman: Is your name Lisa?
Lisa: Yes
Woman: I just knew it. I’m so and so and am related to your father Johnny Ray.
Lisa: Johnny Who?
Now, as you could imagine, that was definitely a Christmas to remember…
Well rested, up and at em at 7am and thankfully the test grounds are only 17 miles away. Get checked in with plenty of time and we make our way to the water test that is set up in a wetlands area. Awesome sight as hundreds of wood ducks are wanting in.
Saturday AM Water Test was set up as follows: Dog and handler are on a point. 1st mark from the left lands in the water and requires a water/land/water retrieve with a varying distance of 80-60 yards depending on how far the 20mph winds push it back towards us. 2nd mark lands to the right on land at about a 45 degree angle from the 1st and is approximately 90 yards. Open water swim with decoys set on the far shallows then up a couple gentle hill and valleys to the mark. 3rd mark is a right hand 180 degree swing from the 2nd mark and lands in open water with wind pushing it straight away. I’d guess 100-120 yards. Blind is set between the 2nd & 3rd marks about 10 yards back and to the left at the waters edge on a point coming from the opposite shore approximately 70 yards.
“Dog to the line.” Shots go off and Roxy is steady and swings well with the gun on the go-bird. Send her for the long swim and she has no problems other than it took forever. Set her up for the outside mark when she returns and she takes a left hand banana path but goes directly to the mark. Set her up for long memory on land and she throws me a bit when she takes a wide left hand banana path again which causes her to beach on the last point then she makes her way to the decoys for a sniff. Slight palpitation as I remember two hunts ago when I sent her for a decoy that got loose. She dismisses the plastic and heads up the hill and steps on the mark. Set her up for the blind and I 4-whistle ping-pong her tightly to the blind. 1st series is done and I feel real good.
(Call backs for land. Water took soooo long that they decided to call out the handlers that had failed in the morning and tell them that they would be running last “if” there was enough day-light left. Roxy made the cut.)
Saturday PM Land Test set up as follows: 1st mark from the right is thrown right to left at 80 yards. 2nd mark from slightly right of center (looking into sun) is thrown left to right and is approx. 110 yards but almost inline with first mark. Go bird is way left and thrown behind a small hill. Blind right of the 1st mark and is placed on the side of a levee just short of the crest about 80 yards. Diversion bird is thrown from the right of blind maybe 30 yards away from handler.
“Dog to the line.” Shots go off and Roxy is a little loose at the line. Gets out about 2’ and I call her back to heal. She picks up go-bird and then the out side mark with no issues. She takes a great line to the middle bird but hunts short. I use my handle and ping pong her to the bird because I didn’t realize it was deeper than it was. The blind work is nice. One quick whistle to get her back on line and she nails it. Drove the side of the hill without being pushed by the wind or pulling to the top flat like so many other dogs did. The diversion was horrible. It was not shot up and out but rather down at knee level and landed directly in line between me and Roxy’s return path. She did not switch and picked it up easily. Honoring went off without a hitch. Told her “no bird” as she honored and we made our way to the truck. Couple ours later we were rewarded with our 2nd Finished pass.
Sunday AM Water Test set up as follows: Wind blowing 20 mph from directly behind us at the line. 1st mark is a long 125 yard memory in running water off to the far right that requires 3 water entries. 2nd mark is also in running water at about 75 yards in front of us but drifts away the longer it sits. The final mark is 90 degrees to the left of the 2nd on land among some gently rolling hills (the same AOF as last nights land test) and requires the crossing of a small cove. The blind is set between the 2nd and 3rd marks across the water. Diversion is thrown over our heads upon return and lands in the edge of the water among the decoys.
“Dog to the line.” Shots go off and Roxy is steady on the first two shots but gets out ahead of me when I swing to the left so I shoot strait up instead of towards the mark. Gun is NOT on shoulder and judge gives me a gun safety warning after I release Roxy. On the first mark she cheats the bank but goes directly to the mark w/o a hunt and returns in a strait line through the water. Knucklehead. I was thinking of lining her up for the long memory but she lines herself up for the center bird so I give it to her. No problems there. Now its time for the long memory. I take my time as I set her up on the line I want her to take. She has her head steady and is ready so I kick her off with a loud “Roxy” as I need her to drive deep with multiple re-entries. She takes and holds an awesome line! Unfortunately she misses the mark by 10’ on the upwind side and continues her drive all the way to the far shore and stops as she winds the ducks in the winger station. I give her a second to figure it out and hunt back towards the mark but she proceeds to approach the winger station so I hit a hard sit/3 second pause/ and left handed over cast back into the water and she takes it beautifully and nails it. The blind is painful as she takes a good initial line but then I have to ping pong her, again, to the blind. Mix in a cast refusal for good measure. Ugh… Diversion requires a quick handle but other than using up my handle I think we are good.
Sunday PM Land Test set up as follows: Wind is picking up and is gusting 20-30mph left to right. 1st mark is an in your face from the left and lands 15 yards directly in front of the line. 2nd center mark is thrown inline with first but 125 yards out and onto a flat. 3rd 70 yard mark requires a big swing to the right and lands on top of a flat but requires the dog to go down, through and up a gully. Blind is set out about 80 yards between 2nd and 3rd marks.
“Dog to the line.” Shots go off and Roxy almost breaks on the first in-your-face mark. Re-heel her and 2nd shot has her creeping again. Swing for the 3rd shot and she is out 3’ from me creeping. I re-heel her then send her. No problem on 1st mark. Line her for the deep 2nd mark but as I replay it in my mind I didn’t kick her off with a loud “Roxy” like I should have but just gave her a normal “Roxy.” (Part of me thought she might pick up the short mark first and I wasn’t sure if the judges might call that a switch) She takes a good line but pauses 2/3 of the way when she winds the blind, BB station or the scent cone from the drag that the diminutive young man created as he literally “repeatedly” drug the duck by its beak through the tall grass from the blind to where he was planting it. She swings her head in the direction of the blind and I say to myself, “we are done.” She stops for a second and looks back towards the mark and I can see her thinking. For a brief moment I think we might still have a chance of continuing to play but as it turned out, being force-fed a snoot full of bird scent proved to be too much for her as she honored her nose over the memory of the fallen mark. I hit the sit and followed up with a come in whistle. Thanked the judges and took it to the house.
In hind sight I should have lined her up in the morning on the down-wind side of the long memory. Who knows, I may have been able to keep that handle in the tool bag for this afternoon. I know I could have handled to the long bird and the short would have been cake along with the blind that she had already identified. Line manners “may” have still failed me. Will never know but I will clean them up, that’s for sure. Overall I was most proud of her driving through on the long memory in the morning then taking the “money” cast to the mark. To me, though that handle may have cost me later, I believe in the bigger scheme of things, she passed right there.
The 1st step is admitting you have a problem…
Cowtown HRC Feb 20 & 21 2009
Cowtown is my home club and we are excited about this test especially since our fall test was cancelled due to the incoming hurricane that tracked directly over the test grounds. I brought my two oldest kids with me as they always enjoy getting out and spending time at hotels and traveling. We get settled in Friday night for a good nights sleep after the two hour drive since we will be getting up at 5am to assist with the set-up on Saturday.
Saturday AM land. Judges trick this test out. First mark is 60 yards slightly left of middle coming straight toward us. Second mark is 75 yards, comes from the right and is thrown right to left. Third mark is 125 yards, a big swing all the way left for a left to right throw and is only visible for a brief moment due to the trees and hills behind it. Dog goes up and over a slight hill, down a bit and mark is on the next upslope. A diversion is thrown on the last mark retrieved. You “no” your dog off it, heel and turn away as a blind is planted under the arc of the 2nd mark. Run the blind and then pick up the diversion. All of the other dogs struggled with the long go-bird as they hunted short and some had trouble with the poison bird on the blind.
Marks 1 & 2 are thrown but I get a no-bird on the 3rd. Roxy crept a bit but came back to heel on each shot. Went back to the holding blind, waited two dogs and came back. The girl is amped up and is jumpy at the line. “Mark, shot, heal, mark, shot HEAL, Mark shot. After the 3rd shot she is in the sprinters stance and 1.5’ away from me. I pause to make sure she is dialed in then release her. Takes off like a rocket, easily goes down and back up depression and front foots the mark. I line her for the far right 2nd mark and she front foots it again. Last mark, line her up and she steps on it. Diversion is shot and as I open & safe the gun the bird boy comes out to plant the bird and I believe Roxy spots him. I turn and heel her away for a second and then line her up for the blind. She has her eyes on the diversion and I “no” her off, re-heel her and give her a “good” when she looks in the direction I want. Send her on a loud “back” and she never sniffs or looks at the diversion but ran directly to the blind. One quick whistle and an over as I stopped her 5’ to the right of the bird. Comes in, picks up the diversion and we exit. Fast & clean. I’m thinking, “who’s dog is this?” Absolutely smashed the test. The regional HRC representative is there and says I have a heck of a good dog. I am pumped as I put her up and my kids are excited as well as they have watched 8 or so dogs struggle with this set up. Off to the afternoon water and I’m feeling real good.
Saturday PM Water: Test is set up back in a slough that I would absolutely love to hunt ducks in. 1st mark is thrown right to left from the far right and lands behind some tall weeds in a small pool about 60 yards away. 2nd mark is thrown right of center left to right and lands on a side of a hill approximately 90 yards away. 3rd mark requires another big gun swing 180 degrees from 1st mark, thrown left to right and lands behind some floating logs on the land approximately 85 yards. The blind is planted between 2nd & 3rd marks out about 85 yards at a base of a stump. There is a cheating bank that the judges want you to keep the dog off the entire way out.
Get to the line and Roxy is excited. 1st mark has her creep 18” heal, sit. Now for the wheels off moment of the day: 2nd shot she creeps again about the same distance but now the shell is stuck in gun and I have to fiddle with it. I don’t swing toward 3rd mark (my eventual undoing) but have gun pointed straight ahead of me. Guess what, she is focused on the woods where the barrel is pointing. I finally remove the shell just as 3rd mark is thrown. Give a quick heal, mark but have to shoot straight up as she did not come back to heal and never saw the 3rd mark. I did not handle in the AM so I think I can get through this. Send her on the 2nd mark and she puts on a small hunt but comes up with the bird. Send her on the 1st mark and she steps just past it on the upwind side and then puts on a big hunt out of the area and is heading back towards me behind the winger. I have to handle her to the mark. Ugh… 3rd mark I will need some luck. Take my time and line her up and she takes a great initial line but hooks with the bank and goes over the top of the small mound. I have to handle her now as she has gone out of sight. The blind is a hack job as she wants to beach early. I eventually get her to the blind and proceed to the honor bucket. Creeps a bit but doesn’t break though she flinched like she was about to. Ribbons are passed out and we don’t make the cut. Talk to the judges and the double handle did me in.
Sunday AM Water: Test is set up in some wetlands that has a bunch of running water. 1st mark comes out from the right at about 55 yards angles in right to left and lands on the back side of a point. 2nd mark is 90 or so yards right of center thrown from tip of point right to left and makes a BIG splash that keeps many of the dog’s attention. 3rd mark is from another point on the left thrown left to right and lands in some mud/plowed dirt. Diversion is thrown from behind us as the dog returns from last retrieve. Blind is set between the 1st & 2nd marks out at 100 yards in the middle of an open field.
Creeping again on all three shots but responds to heal command. Send her on the go-bird and she puts on a brief hunt after taking a terrible initial line (a judge in gallery says most of the dogs are being sucked in to the big splash effect of the 2nd mark and the point.) and returns using the same route. Give her a verbal easy and she front foots the 1st mark thrown. Half the dogs over run the mound and keep going. Line her on the final bird and she just misses it, again, and after a short hunt picks up the chicken. Diversion is cake. The blind initial line is great but once she passes the point she drifts right. Give her an over and she takes it literally and a bit too far. This is where it gets messy. I have two cast refusals out of the next four whistles. I think between the wind and running water she didn’t hear me OR she saw the bird. Couldn’t have smelled it since she was on upwind side. So I challenged the blind but the whistle refusals could hurt me later.
Sunday PM Land: Pretty straightforward test set up on some rolling hills. 1st mark comes out from the right at 3 o’clock about 70 yards thrown right to left between some trees on a side of a hill. 2nd mark from 10 o’clock position thrown from left to right and lands on a peninsula about 80 yards away. Final mark is from 8 o’clock thrown from left to right and only 75 yards. Blind is set on the side of a slope far side of a valley about 90 yards away at the base of a tree. Wind is from the left and slope angles away.
“Dog to the line” 1st & 2nd marks are thrown and she is creeping again but re-heeling quickly. 3rd mark malfunctions and we get a no-bird. Back to the holding blind and wait for one more dog. Back to the line and she is real loose. By the 3rd mark she is two feet ahead of me and in the sprinters crouch. Judge softly says “re-heel your dog” but I don’t think he is talking to me and I release her. As she jets out to the go-bird I ask him if he was talking to me? He responds, “yes.” Ugh… Roxy proceeds to pick all three marks up quick & cleanly. Line her for the blind and she fights the wind and slope factors so much that I have to sit her and cast her over. Now I have to left hand back her into the wind and I get two more cast/whistle refusals as she winds the bird and picks it up. Move over to the honor bucket and she creeps a bit but does not break. I am sick with the release on the go-bird. Any chance I had is probably lost when you combine line manners and cast refusals. My thoughts are confirmed later as no ribbon is awarded the girl. Judge says that the overall work was not up to the “finished” standard though I have a good dog. Just need to clean up the line work and blind work, a recurring theme.
It’s been a long weekend. My kids were recruited to fill some vacant bird-boy slots and ended up working all day at the seasoned test site. They are whipped, I’m beat and Roxy doesn’t know any better. She is happy because she just was fed an extra large dinner and had plenty of cool water to drink. She gets to sleep on the way home. Oh the life of a dog. Little does she know that Monday is a new day and the sit standard has been raised and will be enforced.
Big D HRC in Tioga, TX Sept 26th & 27th
Been awhile since the last test but the memory, ugh still hurts. Recently we took a step back as Roxy had lost some enthusiasm due to an imbalance in training. Too much technical work and too many triples so for the last two weeks before this test we did 1-2 singles per day and no blinds but incorporated plenty of obedience work. She is back to her old self again just in time for the test.
Saturday AM water is a breaking bird test to say the least. We are set up in a “honey hole” next to a narrow and very steep creek. 1st bird comes out from the left from our side of the creek and lands in some thick cover on the opposite bank for about a 40 yard retrieve. 2nd mark comes from 11 o-clock strait toward us and lands 5’ in front with a splash that gets us wet. 3rd mark comes from 2 o-clock left to right and lands in the channel for a 30 yard mark. Diversion on last retrieve then a 70 yard blind to 1 o-clock thru a narrow corridor with heavy cover on both sides out to the middle of an open field.
Pretty tight set up. Marks go off and she gets a bit unsteady with the splash in front but stays put. Additional OB work is paying off so far. She retrieves 2nd, 3rd then 1st mark w/o a hitch. She no goes on the diversion for a second then retrieves it. Line her for the blind and handle her quick and tight so as not to lose her in cover. 3 casts later with no refusals and she has the duck. A very nice start.
Saturday PM Land Fairly straight forward test. 1st mark comes straight at you from the 1 o-clock position for a 100 yard mark. 2nd mark comes from 11 o-clock left to right from behind some trees and lands in the middle of a large open featureless field at 110 yards. 3rd mark comes from 10 o-clock right to left landing in some cover at the base of a tree line up a hill for an approx 95 yard mark. The blind is outside the marks coming from the 2 o-clock position down an incline then up some gravel to the right of an evergreen bush for a 90 yard blind.
Front foots the go bird and is about to do the same to the 1st mark thrown when she winds the 2nd mark, swings her head and begins to change direction. I give a very quick whistle and one cast back to the mark. Send her on the last mark and nails it as well. Take my time setting her up for the blind and send her. One whistle as she veers off line at the base of the bush and she gets her blind. I have considerable trouble at the honor bucket getting a new gun to load. Nerves, ugh… Finally get situated and whisper to her several quiet “no-birds” and we make it thru w/o any trouble that I can see.
The entire family is here and we go off to help my buddy Jay run some puppy stakes before dinner. Daniel wins a backpack and a knife at the drawing and Roxy gets another Finished Pass. Great day! Beautiful weather and I am glad to see Roxy dialed in. She had a great time. Make the drive home and am thankful it is only an hour and a half away. Great day, but long day.
Sunday AM Land At first glance test looks pretty easy until the dogs start running that is. 8 out of the first 16 dogs fail. Wow! All 8 passing dogs are run by the same pro, Bill Ackers I think. All of his dogs love him, are well behaved, mark and handle well.
1st mark comes from 11 o-clock right to left and lands in an open field 85 yards or so. 2nd mark is a big swing to the right coming from 2 o-clock left to right over the trees and lands at the base of the woods near some thick cover. 3rd mark comes from 12 o-clock left to right and lands 125 yards out. Blind is set just left of 11 o-clock at 95 yards. Line runs just at the edge of the 1st mark winger station. Middle mark runs to the right of two winger station, down a hill, across sent from two blinds, across a slight ravine AND
behind some thick woods.
1st mark was the undoing of “many” slower dogs because they winded the winger stations or Blind boy in the trees causing them to hunt the trees on the left. If they made it past the initial scent path they had to negotiate the diagonal mowed path that carried another group of dogs out of sight behind the trees on the right. Roxy was amped up and I took advantage of this fact by delaying her release on the long middle go-bird to get her good and dialed in. Took off and had no trouble with factors as she nailed it. Take my time a get her lined on the 2nd bird and she takes a laser path straight to the bird… and then… pauses, looks back at me… then proceeds to roll on the bird and I don’t mean just a little bit. I am in shock and mortified. 2-3 seconds feel like minutes as I can imagine the judges marking us down… Finally I risk using a handle and give her the come-in whistle. She picks up the bird like no big deal and settles in for the 3rd mark. Front foots it and returns to the line w/o the extracurricular activities this time thank God. Line her for the blind and two quick whistles later and we are on the honor bucket. She is getting antsy and to make matters worse the honor shoots 1st & 3rd marks and she “thinks” about taking off. A quick “heal” and she settles back in. Done and off to PM Water.
Sunday PM Water Oh my! We are set up on the tip of a long narrow point in a slew area with plenty of reeds and lily-pads. 1st 45 yard mark comes from 3 o-clock right to left and lands in a large clump of lily-pads next to some reeds and access to shore. 2nd 45 yard mark comes from 12 o-clock right to left as well but lands behind a large patch of reeds. Diversion is thrown at last bird retrieved. Narrow long 85 yards channel blind is a monster thru thick lily-pads. Shore is covered with reeds and if your dog beaches early you will lose sight of him. Wind is blowing strong left to right directly down the channel. Nice!
I have to set the bucket up at the edge on a slant towards the water to get both Roxy and I as
close to the edge as possible without falling in. The reeds are tall directly to my right making it
difficult to mark the 1st bird. She gets the go-bird without any difficulty. She gets off line on
the 2nd mark as a large lily-pad that is curling back on itself from the wind reveals a brown
underside that resembles a duck in her mind. She bee line to it and takes a bite, pulls and feels
resistance and then releases it to continue the hunt. By now she is turned around in the sea of
lily-pads and decides to head for shore to the left of the bird. I handle her to the bird and she
heads back.
I remind the judge to throw the diversion and in his haste to get out of the chair, destroys the
chair, thus delaying the throw (a good thing given the gale force winds blowing the previous
diversions across the slew). Roxy handles the bird easily. Now for the blind… the good news is
I kept her in the middle of the channel the entire way. Only took 20 or so whistles though…
But, I had “zero” cast refusals. It was awesome! She really wanted out of that channel BUT she
stayed with me in spite of ME shorting the blind by 5 yards. I had her casting back and
forth just short of the duck. Finally I cast her back and she got it. Took 10 minutes for
the blind!
Wow, what a day! Roxy gets another pass and it time to take it to the house! Go Roxy!
Two more passes and she will have her HRCH Title!
Texoma HRC Sunday only (honey dues Sat.)
Spur of the moment trip to Oklahoma with Daniel & Sarita. Had to take care of some things on
the home front Saturday morning and early afternoon but was able to hit the road mid-day headed north to Oklahoma. We stopped at my dove lease to get a couple corrections in at the line for creeping. Light drizzle but no birds flying so I had Daniel yell “there’s one” and throw up his gun to test Roxy’s steadiness. Two tests and two corrections. The second was a minor creep, just a raising of the butt off the ground but she got the message. A lone dove comes straight for us and Daniel fires two shots as I get one final correction in before the rain becomes steady. We pack up and hit the road. Arrive in time for the drawing and enjoy hanging with fellow HRC folks. Good people. Head to the motel 6 and get some much needed Z’s.
AM Land Middle mark is thrown first; left to right landing on top of a ledge about 80 yards in front on the other side of a small puddle/wetland marsh area. 2nd mark from the right is 80 yards right to left and finally the last mark on the left is 75 yards left to right angle in. Blind is in line with the 1st mark about 100 yards through some high grass with thick cover on both sides where the dog could be lost.
Big hunt on first mark as she goes long on the upwind side of bird. Mills around for a bit and I think I may need to handle so I stand up. She see’s me stand and hunt closer towards me and picks up the bird. Steps on the 2nd & 3rd birds then 1 whistles the blind thus erasing any doubt in the judges mind about that first mark. Judges joke with me saying it was unsportsmanlike to allow her to hunt deep on the 1st mark and identify the blind. I responded by telling them two things; one, there was no bird planted and two I am not that good. Honor bucket goes well and it’s back to the truck.
PM Water Now this is a cool duck hole located on the back of a long pond in the slew. We have the dog work off a dog stand in about 18” of water at the base of a willow tree. Only two marks are thrown with a diversion and a blind. 1st 50 yard mark comes from 1 o’clock right at us. 2nd 60 yard mark comes from 12 o’clock right to left and lands in some cover about 10 yards from the shore. Diversion comes from 3 o’clock and splashes in-line with the return of the 2nd mark. Blind is between 1st mark and diversion 95 yards on land in the very back back of the winding creek channel/cove. Wicked Grand level blind is what everyone is saying!
Roxy is steady on the Ruff Stand as many of the dogs had never been on one but she has hunted on stands, chairs and platforms in the past. She steps on marks 1 and 2 and has no trouble with the diversion other than returning at an incredibly slow pace. The muddy bottom and just under swimming water? Weird. She is acting like the poodle that ran earlier. I line her for the blind on the stand but in hindsight I should have lined her from the water at my side since the judges allowed it. Not sure what I was thinking… She kicks off for the blind at a 45 degree angle away from me. I’m like “what the heck?” Quick whistle at 10 yards away leaves a bunch of meat between her and the blind. Right hand over and she carries it beautifully until she hits land and I sense she is about to hunt. Whistle sit and a left hand back gets her off land, through the water and back on land before the next whistle sit. Right hand back and she wants to hook into some cover. For whatever reason, 75% of the dogs go here and many of them get lost in the cover and are dropped as a result. Another quick whistle and she takes a great final cast for 30 yards right to the bird. Awesome job! The gallery gives an appreciative applause. “If” a handler was able to get his dog to the last 20 yards it often became a ping pong drill as they would not go through the last water and up into the cover to dig for the bird. I guess because of the multiple water entries and the distance combined with the wind and cover all made it difficult. Having a dog that is slow and methodical really pays off in these tight situations. We got another pass on a tough weekend where only 8 out of 19 dogs passed. I am stoked! Only one pass left for a title. Kids were great all weekend and Roxy was too. Now we hunt for the next three months until our next test.
Duck Season is why I train.
10/24/09 Wetlands Youth Hunt
I was supposed to guide a youth hunt consisting of 4 boys and their dads. Upon arrival I am told that there were several cancellations and that “I can accompany Jeremy and his dog to assist if I want.” I am a bit put off by the miscommunication but decide to make the best of it. I am also told that my decoys will not be necessary, we will be using his. This puts me off a bit more as I have my son Daniel with me to film the hunt over the Cherokee Sports Featherlite Decoys to submit to Freddy King. Ugh.
We drive out to the spot we will be hunting marked by his four dozen decoys in a tangled pile in the middle of the road. When I say mess, I mean a terrible tangled wad of decoys and line that nothing short using a good pair of tree pruners for an hour or so will unloose. The sun is starting to come up and I suggest we use my decoys. He responds, “no, I’ll get them untangles.” 10 minutes of no progress later and I make the offer again and he relents. 15 minutes later we are set up 5 minutes before legal.
Teal everywhere! Roxy is on a platform and is whining like mad. Nicking her only makes her yelp louder. Hold her muzzle while saying “quiet” does the trick. Poor thing. Been too long since hunting for real. First flight lands in spread and the boys take out two birds and three decoys. Roxy gets her fix and settles back in like a pro.
Many birds to shoot but none are hit. These kids are having a tough time. Jeremy’s dog is breaking non-stop. They drop a triple with two easy birds in the spread and one long one about 85 yards that will be a blind as neither dog saw it go down. Jeremy proclaims “we will just have to pick it up when we are done.” Huh? I line Roxy up and one whistle her to the bird. Jeremy and everyone else is impressed. Daniel forgot to film it. A whole hour and a half of hunting and four boxes of shells we end up scratching out two limits and head back. We are all primed for the season to start.
Finished duck season with 20 hunts that I guided and an additional 5 hunts with just my son and friends. Roxy ended up retrieving 397 ducks this season! Prey drive is amped up and we will have to work on line manners to tighten her up for test season that is right around the corner. All in all, it was an awesome season for Roxy, my son and I but I have to admit I am already looking forward to next Saturday being able to sleep in my own bed and not having an alarm wake me up at 4am.
Cowtown HRC in Fairfield, TX Feb. 20 & 21 2010
Saturday AM Land Test is set up in a pasture bordering a wooded creek running on the left and then bending to the right. Three marks are thrown starting from the left to right. First mark on left is thrown left to right angled in and lands 50 yards. The second mark is also thrown from left to right and lands 120 yards away. The third mark is thrown right to left and lands at approximately 100 yards. Blind is planted under the arc/in line with the 1st mark. Judges inform us that the wind is blowing from left to right so they want us to challenge the blind. Meaning, WARNING, “don’t let your dog drift right in order to wind it. Understand?” Honor bucket is set to the left of the line.
Roxy is excited as we approach the holding blind. Reminds me of her very first started test when she was trying to look around and under the holding blind. We get to the line and even with all the excitement she heals very well. Judge explains the test to me as I had just pulled up from running bird boys and ducks to several tests. Seems pretty straight forward other than the honor shooting twice, first at nothing to signal the blind and then the 2nd at the first mark. Marks go off and Roxy is creeping a bit and I have to tell her to heal after each mark. On the third mark down she is out too far so I re-heal her back to the bucket. At this point her attention goes out towards the middle bird and I take my time to get her focused on the last bird down. She is off like a rocket and pounces on the mark with a hop. I send her on the 1st short mark by putting my hand over her head and softly her “easy” to which she interprets as a release and takes off. Wonder how the judges will interpret that? She comes back with the duck and we line up for the last long memory. Release her after telling her “way back” and give her a loud “Roxy.” Picks up the mark after a quick button hook on the over run.
Now for the HIGHLIGHT – PLAY OF THE DAY. Set her up for the blind that runs under the arc of the 1st bird thrown 1st challenge. 2nd challenge, there is a creek channel that is directly behind the bird station and you will loose your dog if it takes that route. 3rd challenge with the wind blowing left to right your dog must pass in close proximity of the duck buckets. Lastly, judges want tight control meaning; don’t let your dog wind the bird. All that said, I line her up and once I see her head lock in on the target area I say “good” and she begins to crouch. She knows her task. I release her and she proceeds to run a laser straight to the blind with no whistles required, a first for me in a test!
The honor is another battle with creeping. Normally I tell her “no bird” and you can see she visible relaxes as she settles into “relax” mode. Well, not this time. She is excited and the two shots I fire are almost too much as I have to re-heal her back to the bucket after the 2nd shot. She was actually getting into the sprinter crouch and I thought I was going to lose her. She re heals and the judge releases us. Whew! Nice run but man she is pumped up.
Saturday PM Water “BIRTHDAY BLINK” I previously forgot to mention that today is Roxy’s fourth birthday. What is real cool is that she is just one pass away from her HRCH title and what makes it even more special is that this test is at my home club and I would be surrounded by many friends who helped me and watched Roxy and I grow along the way. Couldn’t have scripted it any better. Now on to the test…
Not really a water test, more like a puddle and mud test. We are set up in a flooded field with absolutely no swimming water. The ankle to knee high cover is all a dark brown and blends in with all the mud. The birds are thrown in order from right to left. First mark is relatively short thrown from right to left at approximately 60 yards. The middle mark is thrown right to left angle in but lands at about 90 yards. The final mark is a big swing to the left thrown from left to right and lands maybe 100 yards. The blind is set up between the 2nd & 3rd marks at around 90 yards. A diversion is thrown after the blind is retrieved.
Test sets up pretty straightforward. No tricks other than the left marks being kind of close. The only problem with this area is there is absolutely no distinguishing features out there other than the bird boy blinds. Everything else looks the same and the birds blend in with the mud and cover. Roxy is juiced at the line again but re-heals on the first command after each mark is thrown. Send her on the last bird down and she passes on the down wind side but quickly circles back and picks up the bird. As I prepare to receiver her and line her for the 2nd mark I want to send her on the outside/ 1st bird down but I wait to see where she lines herself up. She comes in with the duck looking straight at the first mark so I think I we are on the same page. Release her and just before she gets to the mark she loops to the left and decides to go for the middle bird. No big deal as she hadn’t established a hunt but I am concerned already with the thought of having to resend her on the 3rd mark down the same line. Well, those concerns must now be put on hold as she goes long on the upwind side of the mark. I let her hunt awhile as I don’t want to use my handle thinking I will probably need it on the last mark. This turns out to be a bad strategy. As both judges tell me later, I allowed her to stay too long out of the area and that resulted in her memory of the 3rd mark to be greatly washed away. I finally handle her to the mark and line her up again for the outside mark with no handle at my disposal. She just has to get it on her own. She takes a great line and is down wind of the mark by probably 5 yards. Stops as she gets a whiff of the scent, BLINK, the proceeds to carry her initial path to the next county! A true “what the heck” moment. We had it done. All she had to do was honor her nose and then hammer the blind like I knew she would along with the diversion and we were done. She would have been titled. It would have been awesome! But it was not to be. In true Roxy fashion, if she can’t find the mark on the first pass her default option is to go long. Poor thing. She knew there was a mark out there but just kept running a straight line until the judge told me to handle my dog. My heart sank. I handled her back to the bird. I don’t know why I ran the blind since I knew I was done. Guess I wanted to end on a positive note. I could tell Roxy could sense my disappointment as her head was down and ears were back on that final retrieve. Of course she 2 whistled the blind perfectly. We passed on the diversion and thanked the judges. Her birthday title was not to be.
In hindsight I could have done three things differently. First, I could have sent her on the middle mark instead of the outside mark. Line her to go down wind of both marks. Second, send her to the outside mark but heal her on my right side thus taking the picture of the middle mark out of her sight. Third, I should have handled quicker when she was in the area of the fall on the middle mark. Judges told me it would have NOT counted as a handle as long she established a hunt in the area. My delay caused too much memory to be lost. Having that handle available on the last mark would have equaled HRCH. Handler error, AGAIN!
This hurts bad. Proud of Roxy, but extremely disappointed in myself.
I need to incorporate check down & “cow-chip” drills in my training. I need her to establish and maintain a hunt in the area of the fall. She gives up way to easily and defaults to going long. Line manners are tough on the blood pressure and heart rate as well.
Sunday AM Land OMG! Toughest test I have ever witnessed. My confidence is already low and then I watch the test dog run. Test starts with a poison bird to the right and handler is asked to shoot twice. No your dog off that bird then run a 90 blind through terrain changes and cover between the 2nd and 3rd marks. Once that is completed, pick up the poison bird and get set for the marks that are thrown in order from the left to right. First mark right to left lands behind some cover in front of the woods at about 100 yards. Second mark is thrown from same area as first but left to right towards the blind at 80 yards. Third mark is thrown right to left towards blind and lands at 70 yards. On the last bird retrieved a diversion is thrown. Six shots are fired on this test. A bunch of stuff is happening and my head is spinning a bit as I try and formulate a plan.
Walk up diversion goes well. She sits to shot and comes back to heal. I no-bird her off the mark as she re-heals but her head stays focused on the poison bird. Line her for blind and release her and watch her bolt towards the poison bird. Quick whistle and handle her back to the blind with no refusals and no issues. Send her to pick up the poison and I am a bit relieved. Take my time on the bucket as she is all wired and bouncing around, head swinging etc. Call for the marks that don’t top the tree lines on this cloudy day to begin with. Making matters worse, she is not looking towards the first mark. Creeping again I re-heal her and she is spazzing and “maybe” sees 2nd mark. Swing for the third and she see’s this one and has already crept out and is in sprinters stance. Breaks and I quickly re-heal her. Duck lands belly up. Nice, but I needed that to happen on the other two birds she did not see. Of course she is all over the first mark. Now for the first mark that I think she did not see. Line her and she takes a good line but hooks to the right too early and proceeds to go into the woods and is headed deeper and away from mark. I have to handle as she has begun a roaming/meandering hunt. Final middle mark goes terribly. She takes a direct line towards the blind, sniffs around, then proceeds to go deep again. Deep as in, in the creek out of sight deep. Have to handle her back and we are done. I turn around and say to the judge “running the diversion is pointless right?” and he kind of half nods but the other judge picks up the diversion so I shoot it and complete test but I already know we are done. Day after birthday is no better.
I am disappointed, frustrated and ready to pack it up. I figure no good can come from afternoon water other than creating a breaking habit on top of excessive creeping so I get my test responsibilities covered and high tail it back to town to catch my daughters volleyball tournament with tail between legs…
Admittedly, I don’t train a whole bunch for the next 6 months. Spend my weekends watching my daughter play volleyball, take family vacations, fish and pretty much relax and take it easy. Dove season comes and I am guiding again so Roxy “maybe” retrieves 20 birds in September. Funds are tight and it has been so hot out that I pass on running and working the Cowtown test and choose to instead go out to the ranch and do some prep work for the upcoming hunting season. I manage to train in the early morning before it gets too unbearable and Roxy is doing well. Huh, maybe she is settling in and knows what this is all about. For the next week I train every night just before dark and every morning we do bucket work in the kitchen before I feed her. I am pleasantly surprised and begin to mull over the possibility of running her at Big D because it is a close test without travel expenses and I can just do one day and see how it goes. I train on Thursday and Friday before the test and I decide to give it a shot.
Big D 9/25/10 Tioga, TX AM Land Triple “T” = Tight, Tough Test. Start by walking directly in front of the honor dog on way to bucket.(Note to self, in future heal Roxy on opposite side away from honor dog) Judge hands me 4 shells and I sit down to take in the test and relax my breathing as I recognize the many dangers this test presents. The cover is thick with many small trees and large bushes sprinkled around the tall grass that covers the multiple terrain changes that include a diagonal ditch that leads to a creek. I load two shells and the test begins with the honor shooting to represent the blind followed by the first mark coming from the right that lands just to the left of middle at about 45 yards. Second mark also comes from the right side but is thrown right to left angled back landing about 65 yards away. Third shell is now loaded as I swing all the way around to the left for the third mark going left to right and landing about 100 yards in an opening among the trees. A diversion is thrown on the way back from the third mark and then the blind is run and then you hopefully proceed to the honor bucket not bleeding too bad.
I walk up and have no clue what dog will show up today, the spaz from Cowtown or the solid retriever I know she is. We pass the honor dog and she is fine, maybe forging a bit too far ahead but still not out of control. (I will need to tighten this up in the near future.) Receive four shells from judge and sit down to take in the test. Ready or not here we go… The honor shoots and in my excitement I take the gun off safe. I quickly put it back on safe then click it loudly off safe when the first mark hits the top of the mark. Roxy crouches but does not break. Second mark is thrown and she scoots up about six inches. My barrel is down as I re-heal her and swing to the third mark and load my third shell. She is ready to go as I stand to take the third shot. She is in sprinters crouch and I release her. Some of the dogs take pause at the scent area of the diversion bird but she speeds by with the pedal to the floor. Momentum takes her past the mark but she recovers and quickly returns with the first mark. I was planning on sending her for the middle bird but she wants the far one on the right so I align her to the correct opening and release. She front foots second mark and returns quickly. Now I line her for the shorter final middle mark, whisper “easy, easy” and release. Goes directly to the bird, I load forth shell and blow whistle and fire as she returns. Diversion falls, I call her in and release. Again, no problem with diversion. Deep breath as I line her for the blind. Kick her off and she fades a bit left so I sit and give a right back. She takes it literal and I need to recast with a left over. Sit her again just before the ditch and give a right hand back. Veers a bit right, give her a control sit and then a quick tweet, tweet to the bird. Proceed to honor bucket and she needs a couple soft “no-birds” and “heal” because the guns and marks have her itching for more. She stays under control and we are dismissed. Over half way there since diversion and honor were added to this test. I am not over-confident though because I have been here before only to have the afternoon blow up. But, I would rather be here in this position with a handle available going to the afternoon water than any other scenario.
PM Water Duck Hole Afternoon water looks pretty straightforward. First mark comes from the right and lands in a slew surrounded by tough cover and is a short mark around 40 yards or so. Second mark again comes from the right almost inline but further out landing on the edge of some weeds approx 70 yards requiring the dog to push through water land water transitions and thick cover. Third mark is a big swing to the left and is thrown in a channel angle back at about 60 yards. Blind is run straight out to 80 yards. Water land water land and placed on the second point behind a bush. I am feeling confident, three marks and a blind and we should be titled.
First mark is thrown and Roxy is steady. Second mark is thrown and she is in “the crouch” as I rotate left for the big turn and third mark. She tracks with the gun, watches mark and then is released with a huge water entry. As I open and safe the gun the judge tells me if I have aspirations’ of running in the Grand that I cannot “push” the dog as I swing the gun. Meaning, I kept barrel pointing down instead of raising it as we swung left. Got it! Thanks. She returns without issue and I want to release her for the closest short mark and she aligns herself also to that mark. Nice to see we are on the same page. Release her and she stomps it. She aligns herself up for the final mark and again I release her and she smacks it. No handles at all today and I’m thinking all I have is this “simple” blind and we are home free. What possibly can go wrong right? First off, I should have had her heal on my right side to remove the old mark and the decoys from her vision. Mistake one. As I attempt to line her, her attention is fixated on the decoys. I should have healed her facing the decoys, no-birded her off them, then re-set on dead bird. Mistake two. I say good when she glances at the point and release her. Her initial line is good but does not last long as she drifts left. A very quick whistle and right hand back has her scalloping. I’m thinking this is starting to get ugly. I right hand angle back and she takes a good line to exactly where I wanted her to be and I sit her for what should be the final cast back. I give a right hand back and she takes it but once she enters the water off the steep bank and is out of sight, she swims left. I cannot see her but I can see water moving. The judges stand up and I am about to stand on the bucket when she emerges on the other bank 10-12 yards too far left! I am thinking “Oh crap!” They will fail me for not challenging the blind. I right hand over her to the bird and she nails it then returns. Ugh… She ran flawless all day until this last blind. Now I put it in the hands of the judges.
While eating dinner I hear only 8 dogs past our finished flight out of 23 to start and only 5 passed the other finished flight. I am not feeling as confident as I was earlier. That blind is weighing heavy on my mind. It finally comes to ribbon time and Roxy is the third dog called. Even as I type this and recall the feeling of that moment I begin to tear up. I am on cloud nine as I approach the judges and many are yelling “title, title, title.” (More on that in a moment) I can hardly speak has as I receive the paperwork, finished pass ribbon and the title ribbon. All I can do is nod my head yes as the judges shake my hand, tell me I have a fine dog and warn me to put the ribbons and paperwork in a dry place.
When one titles, there is a tradition in the Hunting Retriever Club world that the handler gets a bucket of ice water dumped on him similar to the football coach near the end of a game getting Gatorade dumped on him. In my case I had the good fortune of getting two buckets poured ever so slowly since many of my friends were in attendance and wanted to participate. Wow! That is a shock to the system for ya.
After the drenching I took my seat and just let the moment sink in. Over four years of training, hunting, learning, persevering and loving this wonderful dog of ours. I thanked God for knowing exactly what I needed and what my family needed to get through some pretty tough times. Roxy could care less as she sat next to me on the way home. It helps that she persevered in spite of my shortcomings as a rookie trainer/handler. We both learned many valuable lessons together along the way. For her, nothing has changed other than the extra helping of food I gave her today. She still is loved and cared for just like she always has come to expect. It’s an awesome way to live really. No worries and total faith in us to provide for all her needs.
Another chapter has concluded but is the story over? Who knows? After all, she is only four and a half years old. Might entering the Grand ever be a possibility? May have to give this some more thought…
What is a title?
I found the following describes it to a T (written by Sandy Mowery. Get permission from her. Sent email to front & finish dog training news. She is a frequent contributor.
"What is a Title, Really?"
"Not just a brag, Not just a stepping stone to a higher title, Not just an adjunct to competitive scores."
"A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor that dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard. And though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count."
"A title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed...
And a Title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed (or you did), and that in the end your faith was justified."
"A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a Title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return."
"And when that dear short life is over, the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name."
"A Title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received permanently."