A successful training day

Larsen enjoys the early morning run before practice begins at Circle W.



Larsen retrieved the bird to hand.

That is a success, and a glimmer of a promise that one day he will pass his 3 JH legs. Then on to SH.

The day began early for us.  We got to Danny's before 7:00. I wanted to give Larsen a good chance to air it out and fool around before we buckeled down to work. The group finally gathered around 9:00am CDT. Because there were 10 of us, we split into 2 groups of 5. Our team went to the usual field.

We ran our practice session like a hunt test. We had a dog on the field, one on deck, and one in the hole, and we kept it moving.

Marylin made me keep my promise not to have any birds shot over Larsen. Finding and flushing the bird were not on the day's punch list.  As Marilyn once so kindly (but I believe honestly) observed, he has a good nose and beautiful quartering. So it has to be the retrieve. What else is left?

Instead, we did shake-a-bird.

Marilyn took one end of the line and Sandy the other. I was in the middle with Larsen. I pipped him one way and another while first Marilyn and then Sandy made trilling noises and shook the bird to attract Larsen's attention. At my signal, Marilyn tossed the bird, Larsen pounced, and I pipped him in.

The retrieves were not picture perfect. Some of it was (of course) handler error. But the bottom line is retrieves they were.

This is a big, big step forward. I can now envision genuine accomplishment. I was so happy for that little dog, and, I'll admit, myself as well.

We had a very solid working group with Frank M. and his wife Deb, Sandy and Bill D., Kathy and Marilyn. Frank and Marilyn have judged HTs before so their insights and criticisms for dog and handler were absolutely invaluable. What a great September morning.

Some scenes from the practice.

Larsen tours the grounds.

 

Sandy and Bill share a lighter moment.

Shoni steadies herself for a shot.

Frank M. mans the right flank.

Larsen cools down after a rousing round of shake-a-bird.

Shoni gets a kiss from Sunny.

Sunny on the hunt.

Sunny quartering.

A great morning in the field.