Christmas past

Some scenes from Christmas as we file the year into history.

Aki places her jello salad onto a silver platter for her annual Christmas brunch with her friends.

A refreshing salad.

A business card holder with Larsen's likeness is a thoughtful gift from a colleague.

Some R&R during the Christmas season.

Steadying tips

You can also hand toss the birds when you want a flyer and teach the dog to stop when it sees the bird.  You can also tape wing the flyer when the dog becomes reliable at stopping when the bird is thrown, then you can send the dog for the retrieve.  If the dog is easy on the bird, you can recycle this bird over a period of time.  

When you are tossing the flyer, the dog will not quarter well because it knows that you have the birds and you are going to toss them.  That is OK.   Don't fuss at the dog to get it to quarter.  You are teaching it to watch you and stop on a flyer.  No need to confuse the dog with trying to teach several things at once.    As the dog learns this routine, you can plant a couple taped winged birds in the field for the dog to find and not toss a flyer.  You can use the taped wing birds to help teach the quartering pattern and keep the flush hard, and then mix in a hand tossed flyer for a steady opportunity.  

I feel that if I have the birds and the control of when the dog finds or sees one, then I stay the focus of their attention and they think I really do provide all of their "fun".    When they think they can go find their own "fun", the control power starts to change a little.  They will figure things out soon enough when you start hunting wild birds. 

Lots of ways to get to the end result. 

Thanks, and HT to SpringerDude

Deer chase

Right away I knew something was wrong.

Larsen went to the right and then to the left of the boardwalk that led from the condo to the beach.  He was tracking deer, and I knew that I was not in his mind in the least.  I hit the whistle once, but that only confirmed what was obvious to both of us.

The dog disappeared deep within the tangled laurel.  I walked to the end of the boardwalk and looked west in time to see a whitetail spring from the dune and onto the beach, heading east and straight toward the boardwalk.

If I'd been a smarter cowboy, I could have swung onto the back of that deer as it thundered by and rode that critter out of town three steps ahead of the posse.  Hot behind the deer came that stupid dog, busting out of the sedge and sea oats and  stretched flat out belly to the ground, eyes crazed with a jackpot-gleam of excitement, joy, and greed.  I jumped in front of Larsen and yelled at him to stop in a most insipid attempt to end the chase.

The deer turned from the beach into the dunes, with the dog behind him, keening.  Both broke into the sea oats and deeper into the spear-like spanish bayonett, weeping yucca, and the laurel where it is always dark even on a sunny day.

Running behind the two was a foolish exercise, though I did it anyway.  How could I catch those animals?  I could follow their tracks only by carefully picking my way through the undergrowth that they had burst through and during that time deer and dog could run the length of the island.  I found my way to a couple of vantage points but of course saw nothing.  I walked toward the condo to get some rain pants, figuring I was in for a day of island combing in the now-driving rain.

On my way I saw at the end of that trail, on the road, the deer.  Standing still and  with its head lowered.  I whistled.  Not for the deer, but figuring that the dog could not be far behind.  That was true!  Larsen came trotting up from the road and onto the pathway, sides heaving and tongue dragging.

Christmas lights

Viewing the light displays at the Sandcastle on Kiawah Island at Christmastime.

C'mon down and see us

Nothing like a warm welcome into town.

Better pizza

Making better pizza is a journey rather than a destination.  One of my correspondents recommends a pizza stone of steel!

- A 1/2" thick piece of A36 steel cut to fit on your home oven rack is better than any pizza stone.  Preheat for 1 hr at max temp your oven will do.  Most fabricators will do this for you.  Just make sure you wash the hell out of it before first use.

- All pizza/bread doughs using commercial yeasts (dry instant yeast, dry active yeast, fresh cake yeast) are MUCH better (tasting and handling) if you do a day (or more) retarded fermentation in the fridge.  You'll need to cut down the amount of yeast used and take the dough out of the fridge a couple of hours before use.

I've used mine for a few years now and haven't seasoned it.  However, it is VERY dry here in Denver, as I'm sure you know.  Obviously, seasoning wouldn't hurt.

I'm not a steel industry guy, but have practiced environmental engineering for 30 odd years, so I'm a bit paranoid.  I think all flat top grills are A36 steel, so no worries there.  I did the following when I got my piece from the fabricator:

- made sure there was no slag left (knocked off any loose sh$t)
- Washed/scrubbed it in the sink with detergent until a white cloth came up clean
- put it in the oven @ 550F for an hour figuring that would burn off an[y] volatiles

So far so good.  My piece weighs about 32 lbs.  If I were to do it again, I'd cut the piece in half perpendicular to its long axis.  It would be much easier to deal with in two 15 lb pieces!

JM Cremps, a store for boys

Oh, sure, too late for Christmas this year, but here is a store worthy of your consideration.  JM Cremps claims to be "the boy's adventure store."  Gear includes walkie-talkies, scout knives, flashlights, tents, and everything a kid might ever want for a day of adventure.

  

Christmastime is here

Charlie Brown: Isn’t there anyone, who knows what Christmas is all about?!

Linus: Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Lights please?

And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings o great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men.

That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Last minute shopping

Wild colors at the sporting goods store herald cruise season for people who cruise to emerald isles, which probably exclude those with silly spaniels.

  Larsen mugs for the camera below the purple and blue golf shirts.  

South Fork

A correspondent sent the following note to me:

Had a great time at South Fork Hunting Preserve’s first Continental Pheasant Shoot couple of weeks ago, and quail hunt afterwards.

South Fork Hunting Preserve is in Danielsville, Ga, which is northwest of Athens, Ga about  17 miles from Bowman and 78 miles from north Atlanta.

 

 

Twenty something

I ran the sweet and biddable Zelda at the Cocker Spaniel Hunt Test and earned her twentieth Master leg and my first.  I don't know if we qualified for an Advanced Master leg, but I intend to find out.

In the field, Zelda bounded downfield following a well-worn path.  I called her back and when she got about 3 yards away, I cast her to my left, downwind, so that when I pipped her to a turn, her nose picked up the scent in the crossing wind.  She established a nice pattern and flushed a fly-away.  I was asked to pip her back and I did so.  They tossed a bird for her, and, of course, she was stead, and the princess brought the bird back.

On the hunt dead, Zelda went far into the wind (again, to my right).  Another dog had explored this end of the field so there may have been scent there.  I let Zelda get way too far off and in an latch ditch effort I hit the whistle long and loud and yelled at her to sit.  With exaggerated semephoric signalling, I gave her the "over" command, and got her facing the bird, though upwind from it.  Zelda trotted along the treeline and found the bird and brought it back with her slow, royal retrieve.

On the water blind, Cathy told me to be sure that Zelda had no opportunity to run the bank.  I was ready to really push her out, but Zelda went into the lake with no undue encouragement, hit the opposite bank just downwind from bird and so found it immediately and swam back.

The water retrieve was equally uneventful as the dog swam out, grabbed the bird, and swam back without any fooling with the semi-submerged log or other distractions.

I loved how Zelda worked for me.  That's my girl!

Frank and Zelda show off their Master Hunter rosette at the Cocker Spaniel Hunt Test December 8, 2013.

A healthy dog with a sore back

A joyful early Christmas gift was Dr. Michelle's opinion that Larsen was a healthy dog with a sore back.  Dr. Michelle thought that the x-rays looked ok.  There were two maybe iffy spots where the disc could be smushed, but the indications were not alarming.

This diagnosis is far beyond the expectations that I'd set for myself when I saw that dog in pain.

Dr. Michelle recognized that Larsen is a bit long in the loin.  While that grants him flexibility in the rear end, a long loin also puts more pressure on some of those vertebrae and makes him more prone to back injury.

I'm not sure what the next steps are, but I think they involve mild exercise with no twists or turns rather than complete bedrest and another round of accupuncture/chiropractic manipulation.  I'll take Larsen back to Dr. Michelle next week for further evaluation and work and maybe some instructions on how to Larsen back to top shape without setbacks.  Although Larsen is not ready for the field, he may be a candidate for a shorter hike on the carriage path at Lake Alatoona and possibly a swim.

 



 Accupuncture designed to reduce muscular tension.

What's wrong with this picture?

T-Gate, Hartsfield Airport, Atlanta, Ga.

Hint: It's not the tea containers on the lower left that say "sweet," "sweeter," and "sweetest".

Thanksgiving pies

Mom made at least half-a-dozen pies for the 30+ people at Thanksgiving this year.  As pretty as this cherry pie is, you know that it did not last long.

Winchester

Winchester is a Beetle x Reba English Cocker.  Beetle and Reba are extraordinary field dogs.  Both hunt in beautiful patterns with a minimum of handling.  I can't wait to watch Winchester shoot-em-up.

Vickie shows off her new puppy, Winchester.

Spine tingling

Larsen is heading to Dr. Michelle's chiropractor clinic to see if there is anything we can do in addition to the pills and rest to get him back in the game.  Backs are tricky.  I understand that there are no guarantees, but we are in the early innings and I'm hopeful that he will fully recover.

Update

My vet's ears must have been burning because I got a call and a report.

• Blood looks good.  Chemistry, liver, kidneys look good.  
• CBC white blood cells slightly elevated at 1,111
• This can be caused by stress
• Could be allergy
• Or parasites.
• Fecal test last May was negative, so probably not parasites.  Probably stress or allergy.
• Thyroid normal
• Non-sterile urinalysis showed:
• Concentrated sample
• 1+protein
• Protein generally is not desired in urine.
• But it could be caused by the fact that the sample was concentrated.
• Specific gravity was about 10.40, which is near the top (10.50) of the normal range.
• Normally we would look no further but given his lack of energy, he may have a urinary tract infection.  It is possibly an issue.

Next steps: A sterile urinary sample.  This is done by flipping the dog on his back, taking an ultrasound to locate the bladder, and sticking a needle into the bladder to draw a sample.

Vet also said that there is a combo test for tick-borne diseases for $104.40.  This test will provide indications of IGC antibodies activity.  If it is positive, we will start Larsen on doxycycline.  If we start on the regime, we should know after the first few doses whether this is in fact the issue because he will start to recover right away.

No update

The 4:45 vet visit produced some blood work and more hypotheses.  I got some Tramadol for the leg injury.  The blood work and urinalysis should tell us whether the big organs are working.  This morning, I gave permission to do a tick titer to look for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

Larsen's appetite is good.  He's drinking water.  He can't rear back on his hind legs and so he climbs stairs like an old man.  His gait is good, with no indication of pain or limping.  His energy level is low.  

Mystery

It's not clear whether Larsen has one or two ailments.  On Sunday, he stopped mid-walk and sat.  I knew by his look that he hurt.  We eased our way back to the car and went home.  He stood around roach-backed and did not want to walk.  His appetite and energy were very low.  I poked and prodded everything and found no tender spots (lip licking or turning his head toward me).  I smelled his breath for any decay (stomach ache) or metallic (poison) smell but found nothing.

My initial conclusion was physical: a pull or twist to the right rear leg based on his stretching and his unwillingness to hop onto the couch.

Monday at the vets produced nothing but watchfulness.  We did no bloodwork.  Stools firm and no vomiting so probably no intestinal blockage.  He was de-hydrated, based on stickiness of his gums, so I forced Pedialyte into him (poured it down his throat from a Coke bottle).

On Tuesday, Larsen seemed more lively.  However, I noticed that he would not grab cheese from my lips because doing so would cause him to rear back on his hind legs and he did not want to do this.  He ate and, at dinner time, had a huge drink to the relief of Aki and me.

On Wednesday, after a walk, he spit up.  Stools a little loose.  But the walk otherwise was energetic, but deliberately short.  Then, at home, I set him in the back yard to chase a squirrel.  He took off, leaped onto some round rocks and twisted his right rear leg.

That hurt.  He cried and ran around like it really, really hurt.  I caught up to him and just soothed him.  Carried him into the house.

Questions: Was this a re-injury of something done on our walk on Sunday?  Was the initial injury on Friday in the metropark?  Is there something internal going on as well?

Vet appointment today at 4:45.

Larsen does his best to hide in the exam room.

Hiking the Emerald Necklace

Dave, Meg, Aki, and I hiked the Emerald Necklace Metropark trail near Boston Mills in Northeastern Ohio with Trigger and Larsen on Thanksgiving.  Trigger is Dave's son Geoff's Britt.  There was a lot of red and white flashing by on the snow-filled trail, and happy, tired dogs afterward.

Larsen enjoys the snow-filled wood.

Bird day

Went through quite a few birds in practice today, on this weekend before Thanksgiving.  I saw where Larsen was on the curve, which is to say really at the beginning.  Kind of surprising that he was so far back.  But we have a new approach that might help with the control and then one can always hope for rapid progression once the learning kicks in.

Place board training

Trainer Joe DeMarkis confesses to a revelation: obedience training has direct applicability to a field dog. This might be obvious, or it might not, but if it is true it opens the door to many training activities that those who live in cities and suburbs can do on a weeknight without benefit of birds or firearms.

One of these revelations is the so-called place board.  Joe says that dogs are place-oriented and that generalizations come hard.  Train the dog to understand that his place is on the place board, and then advance to more challenging scenarios.

The place board can be as simple as a repurposed Welcome mat, but ideally, it is raised off the ground.  This gives the dog bit of a feeling of not being fully in control (you are!) and it also makes it more convenient to work with smaller dogs.  In the photo below, Larsen is on a place board that is raised about an inch, but other place boards are about a foot or so from the ground.  The place board must be stable so that the dog is not fearful of the wobbling.

Introduce the dog to the place board by leading him or her onto it and commanding a sit.  Treat liberally.  Over time, you will get the dog to go to the place board on command.  Once this is reliably accomplished, you can have the dog retrieve items and return to the place board.

What a great way to improve the beautiful spaniel retrieve to hand!

 Larsen demonstrates his place board.

Pickup dog

The hunt test proceeded as anticipated, but not as hoped for in that Larsen showed no signs of slowing on the flush.  I'm facing a decision.  Shall I continue to try to get the dog study to the flush, or simply let him be a Senior Hunter and have fun and success in the field?

On the positive side, Larsen was tasked with being pick-up dog.  This is the trusty dog that swims the pond to gather in the bird that another dog has refused to retrieve.  It is a left-handed compliment since the pickup dog is one no longer in contention, but it is a compliment nonetheless because you want a steady dog that fetches birds expeditiously and without drama.

It's the Great Pumpkin!

It's not early autumn anymore.  Daylight savings time comes to an end this weekend, and the delightful blue domed weather we enjoyed in St. Louis is giving way to swirling pewter skies.  Put away the charcoal grill and find the crock pot.  No more fruited drinks, unless the fruit is a cherry at the bottom of an amber Manhattan.

 

Let's try it again

Well, ok, if you insist, but only if you are steady to the flush.

ESS Hunt Test

We'd hoped to steal a march and sneak out of St. Louis with a hunt test leg, but a broke dog is all we have to show for our dreams.  Larsen chased a running cock pheasant and didn't stop when he put the bird to flight, and our morning was over.

Larsen had been attentive to the whistle, which was pretty heavy in order to keep Larsen close at hand.  But when he caught scent of the running bird, and turned away from me to track it down, I knew that a sit whistle was chancy at best, and unhappily I was right.

We saw Debi, Kathy P., Deb B. and Jim as well as Tim and Cathy at the event.  A beautiful fall weekend in southern Missouri near St. Louis.

Larsen seems so very close to being steady.  I know that his breaking, and retrieving a shot pheasant is a set-back, but it still seems he is close.  Am I fooling myself?

The road to St. Louis

It seems a long time ago that we picked up Aki at the Atlanta airport and drove to St. Louis.

The drive took about 9 hours and we sent somewhere south of the city, to Fletcher, for a hunt test on Monday.  We stopped along the way and watched rice being loaded into storage bins along the Mississippi river.  We went hiking and found a box turtle.  We stopped by Grant's Farm and watched the Budweiser clydesdales stretch and plod about on the frosty morning.  We hiked the Route 66 trail.

Loading rice in Illinois along the Mississippi river.

At Grant's Farm

Budweiser Clydesdale carrier

Clydesdale




Along the Route 66 trail.

Upland hunting in NY

One of my correspondents opined on grouse hunting on public lands in NY.  The recommendations are valid in other areas as well.

If you're hunting public land in NY, you'll find that much of it is fairly mature.  The trick is to find the covers within the cover.
 Look for apple trees back in the woods.  They're the remnants of early homesteads and often attract grouse despite the overall maturity of the forest.   If you find creeks or swampy areas, hunt the edges of them.  The cover will be denser. If you can clearly identify stands of Beech, hunt them.
 Some of the best cover if you can find it will be stands of dogwood brush, pencil to hammer handle in diameter, with some alder on the edges.  This early in the season they often feed on dogwood berries and the density provides haven from predators.  It makes for tough shooting so use some strategy.  Get one guy on the sides or covering the back before the dog or other gunner pushes in and don't forget to take turns.
 Stands of prickly ash are also good, but murderous on the flesh (hence my username).  They're mostly found in reverting pastures alongside or near the dogwood.   You'll be hard-pressed to find a more bloodthirsty weed but it's good bird cover.  The trick to moving through it is to flow.  Don't stop, don't hesitate, just move like water and you'll be okay.
 Two other elements that will be critical to your success are conifers and slope.   If the cover looks great but there are no pines in sight, you probably won't find as many birds as places that do.  Remember, they almost always have an escape plan and there's nothing like dense stand of conifers for good hiding.
 Slope - not totally necessary but definitely worth looking for.  I've found that a cover with some slope will hold more birds than flatter areas.  If you're pushing up a hill, be extra ready when you're nearing the crest.   They'll often run to the top and wait for you to pass buy.  Once they figure out you're onto them they'll be ready to blow out before you are.  Beat them at their own game. (HT Briarscratch)

Robert Cleminson (British, active 1865-1868) On the grouse moor 18 x 14 in. (45.7 x 35.5 cm.)

Field time

Larsen was back in the field on Sunday after his conformation showings with Aki Friday and Saturday in Jonesboro, Georgia.

The highlight of the morning for Tim and me was sending Larsen after a cripple.  Neither of us knew any more than the general area where the bird went down.  Moreover, we did not pursue the bird right away.  Instead, after the shot and lost bird, we went back to field training and forced Larsen to quarter, flush, and sit.

Tim decided that the time was right, and I heeled Larsen toward the general area.  I then sent him as I would for field work.  Tim told me not to send him on a hunt-dead because we were not asking him to take a line anywhere.  We wanted him to hunt.

Tim and I sat back and watched as the dog worked a deadfall, then moved upfield along the tree line.  He wheeled and doubled back, working the air and the ground.  This was all Larsen.  We were spectators.  We heard the cluck of the chukar as it tried to run, but Larsen was on him.  Larsen brought him back for the retrieve.

As much fun as it is to train the dog, it is inspiring to see the spaniel take the initiative and bring back the bird.

The show goes on

Aki and Larsen are working center ring in Jonesboro this weekend.  Aki is applying her conformation handling skills under the heat of actual competition.  She finished second (out of two) to Trooper on Saturday but was entitled to go to the owner-handler group giving her a second twirl around the ring.

Aki gets a quick kiss from Larsen before the two of them head to Jonesboro.

Teeth cleaning done

Larsen’s done.  They are just watching him, but he is waking up.  His teeth cleaned up “nicely”.  No decay.  The vet said that he might be groggy for the next day or two, so TLC as far as exercise goes.  She thought I should feed him half rations today and if he holds it down, I can return to normal.  I might moisten the kibble with warm water to make it easier to eat since his gums might be sore.  Chicken and rice are fine too for a day or so.  The vet will keep him until the end of the day, just to observe him.

Cleaning a dog's teeth involves a big tradeoff because of the potential adverse effects of the anesthesia. Clean teeth and healthy gums are critically important to overall health, however, and it is worth the risk to get rid of buildup and the potential for gingivitis and worse.   

Safety first

Some pretty remarkable passages regarding the lack of gun safety from sporting writer Johnson J. Hooper's 1852 book "Dog & Gun."  You wonder if the "Frank" described in the paragraphs lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes, perhaps unlike so many of his friends!

Johnson J. Hooper, Dog & Gun, (1856) (University of Alabama Press).

Speaking of the improper and careless way in which some sportsmen handle their guns, brings to mind a day’s shooting I once had with one of the quickest shots I ever hunted with.

 While reloading, I was startled by the shot of Frank’s gun whizzing by me.  It appeared, by his account, that he had placed the gun across his shoulders, and in turning around, the cock caught by a twig which raised it sufficiently to strike the cap and explode.  He had shot a sapling asunder just about the height of my head, which caused me to think it a better subject to experiment upon than the head of a father of six children.

 . . .  but as to myself, I was sufficiently engaged in trying to dodge the muzzle of Frank’s gun, as he sometimes dropped the same in line for my heart, as we mounted a fence, or grasping it with both hands across his shoulders.

 . . .  and placing the butt of his gun on the ground, he held the bird up for me to see, and while he was so doing Dash jumped up to get the bird, and as his foot came down, it caught the cock of Frank’s gun; and as the hammer was down on the cap (instead of being at half-cock), another explosion occurred,--taking fortunately nothing but Frank’s hat brim; but had his hand been on the muzzle [as he often did], one of the best shots in the United States would have been minus a finger or two.

Bass Pro polish & waterproofing

I want something on my boots that keep the leather from cracking.  I'm a bit dissatisfied with mink oil.  The stuff goes on great and gives the leather a nice look and feel (although a little greasy) but it seems to wash off with the morning dew.  When your boots dry out at day's end, they look as parched as they had been before you oiled them.  I'm ready for something new.

At Bass Pro, I saw some polish that also doubled as a water proofing.  My experiments with regular Kiwi shoe polish were actually more successful than with mink oil.  Polish seemed to stay put after a day in the field, but I wondered if it was simply the color that stuck and not the oil.  I was hopeful the Bass Pro would do something.

The Bass Pro stuff was a little stiff to put on.  You had to warm it and really rub it in.  That's not a problem if it stays with the leather at least through a dewy morning.  The results so far are very nice.  The boots look more like oiled leather than polished leather.

I'll try the boots this weekend and find out if the Bass Pro boot polish passes the morning dew test.

   Bass Pro polish/waterproofing/conditioner.

The look is more along the lines of a dark oil or tanning rather than polish, which is perfect for a field boot.  

Home late

I got home late Friday after a long week in Chicago.  The little dog had been alone most of the day because Aki had left for California earlier in the day.

Larsen's head popped up in the laundry room door as I pulled into the garage.  He had been sleeping at the door in the belief that sooner or later someone would remember him and come home to him.

We played around when I came in, and he ran in circles, picked up his duck and ran upstairs where he placed the bird next to my pillow.  I love you too.

Saturday training

Larsen and I stopped by Tim's on a cool early fall morning.  We worked the field and then did some water work.  At the water, I pushed Larsen across the pond by following Susan's advice of ordering Larsen "back" every time he started to curl around or look back toward his home bank.  Susan said that she had to push Mazie across and that by the time the dog looks at you it is nearly too late.

Once on the other side, I had to handle Larsen back and forth to find the dummy.  Finally, and after Larsen had gone into the water and back out, he jumped on the dummy and brought it back.  What a great note to stop on!

Earlier, on the field, we worked Larsen on fly-off pigeons.  Larsen did fine and hupped himself before I hit the whistle.  We sat Larsen on blank pistol shots and on flush-and-fly-offs.  I worked on timing and thought about precisely when to hit that whistle.

Tim was ready with his blank pistol.

Carson held down the other side of the line with his toy shotgun.

Larsen enjoys the early fall the scene.

Get your motor running'

Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way

Yeah, darlin'
Gonna make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Like a true nature's child
We were born
Born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild

Last days of summer

The water at Lake Alatoona was warm even on a cool day, ushering in the first day of autumn.  In the south, it takes a while for summer to drift away and you can feel it still in the warm afternoons after the cool mornings.

Training report

We beat the rain, but not by much, as Larsen and I ran the traps at Tim's.  I described last week's fiasco to Tim, including my notion that Larsen was ready to bust out just based on his behavior on Friday and Saturday when I tried to work him on dummies.  Tim elected to go train at the field just to get some different vibes going.  We brought Flick the ESS and Avery the flatcoat along and, of course, Carsen whose 6th birthday is tomorrow.

I quartered Larsen with no birds in the field.  Periodically, Tim shot and Larsen sat on the shot.  Tim had his training pistol as well as his field gun so he was able at times to shoot off a real volley: bang-bang - - - - bang, as occurs in a hunting situation often times (miss, miss, and then a hit by the other gunner).

Ultimately, Larsen flushed two pigeons.  Both times the birds flew back toward our home base which made for dog-Frank-bird situations that are ideal to enforce a sit.  While this situation is unlikely to occur in a hunt test (the gunner would not turn and shoot back from whence the group came because the gallery is sitting there), it provided the successes that are so very important to get.

I am going to work at being more relaxed and of good cheer and not anticipating a screwup.  These things will occur, of course, but now I will start expecting success.  Larsen can do this and I can put more trust in him and get the behavior that I want.

Larsen hunted quite close to me and it was difficult to get him to range out, in part, I believe, because we were rolling the birds.

Larsen did well on the hunt dead and the blind.  He is learning to trust my directions on the hunt dead (and the blind) and that obedience will lead to the reward, namely the bird.

Very heavy rain rolled in as we were leaving Bowman.

Clounds like these cover the sky from the Gulf to Canada as heavy rains move in.

WSSCA Hunt Test

The 2013 Welsh Springer Spaniel Hunt Test is November 16-17 in Clark's Hill, South Carolina.  This is a new venue, although many of us have had the opportunity to run a dog in practice or walk the land.  There is a limit of 35 dogs.  We will get a block of rooms at the La Quinta Hotel in Augusta, Ga at I-20 exit 199 (Washington Ave).  The field is about 20 miles north of the interchange.

The WSSCA HT premium can be found at the WSSCA website.

Chromecast TV dongle

I used some credit card points to get a free Chromecast.  Chromecast is Google's TV interface.  It plugs into the HD port on a "smart" TV (that is, a TV that is capable of processing IP signals).  It also requires a power source.  Then you download the Chromecast app on your smartphone or iPad.

After that, you use your iPad or smartphone to requests to view YouTube or Netflix videos on your TV.  Your iPad or smartphone acts as a TV remote, in some sense.

We tried it last night and it worked exactly as advertised.  We watched some silly Welsh Springer videos and a few gundog training videos.

My goal is to see if we can get some of the shows that we watch, such as News Hour.  If I can get that small number of shows via Chromecast, I can then drop cable either altogether or to the minimum package.  I would either reduce total spending or use some of the savings to increase my Internet bandwidth.

McDonalds is my kind of place

Larsen may think that this is his kind of McDonalds as he inspects the cargo of chukar on the end of Cathy's van while we wait at the Douglassville exit of I-20 for Al and Shoni.

A dream come true

First the dream, then the true part, and then you can decide whether there is a parallel universe.

In the dream, a chukar flitted out horizontally, enticing Larsen to follow.  I did not blow my whistle fearing that he would not obey the sit command.  However, on his own, Larsen stopped and sat and made some indication to the bird to do likewise, which it did.  Now bird and dog sat together.  I stepped away for a moment, but as luck would have it, I was at the Atlanta Braves stadium and there was a nearby camera operator who might have caught the action.  I asked whether I could watch the replay in order to figure out what to do next.  The camera operator said sure, but first I'd have to watch some commercials that were queued up.  He asked me whether the dog would sit that whole time.  I said the dog would sit, but I wasn't sure about the bird.  At that time, my dream flitted off and that's all I remember.

At Tim's Larsen flushed a pigeon, and I hit the sit whistle.  Larsen sat, but then so did the bird, about three feet away.  Tim and I looked at each other, and Tim suggested that I let him get the bird, but not to use his name, since his name command is a school's-out dismissal and one where I would never get him back under control.  I told Larsen to "go-on," which is his start-to-hunt command, which he was not totally sure about, so I said, "ok," which is pretty close to a school's-out command.  Larsen pounced, put the bird up, and sat to the whistle.  Tim shot the bird, and then we parlayed some more to determine if and when to send Larsen for the retrieve.  (We did, and the retrieve was good.)

You decide for yourself whether the dream was a premonition.  I didn't learn that much from it, except not to be surprised by the surprising.

Season-end tomatoes

By August the garden is parturient: anticipating the harvest of September and October.  Tomatoes ripen throughout the summer, and by August's end we are ready to get into apple season and, later, into squash,   sweet potatoes, and pumpkins of fall.  Bob & April gave us some of their mountain-grown tomatoes during a visit a few weeks ago, neat and as a canned salsa.  What a great way to remember the summertime and friends.

Bounty from Bob's garden.

Instant gratification.

Something for later.  

Black Balsam Knob

This trail is southwest on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville at mile marker 420.  The hike is along a ridge to the knob, which provides for vistas to the right and to the left.  The trail is the 30 mile Art Loeb trail that links with both the Mountains-to-Sea (E-W) and Appalachian (N-S) Trails.

The gang stops for a breather on the Art Loeb trail near Black Balsam Knob.

SUV crate

Most SUVs have a sloped back to present a more streamlined profile.  However, this sloped back cuts interior space for your dog and gear.  Moreover, you want a setup with a front gate to prevent pup from bounding out when the rear hatch is opened.

Here is a contender from General Cage.  The price is around $200.  The crate is trapazoidal at about 32" at the bottom and maybe 24" at the top.  This permits you to have at least one rear seat up while also closing the tailgate of the car.

   The crate's 25" width means one crate per car.

Spring-loaded hardware makes assembly and gate use easy.  Gate opens with one hand.

You will probably replace this heavy, noisy metal pan with the lighter and more manageable ABS plastic pan.

A 55 lbs dog fits reasonably well, even when pouting.

There is room for gear on the side.

Reasonable headroom for a medium-sized dog and you can toss a towel or two on top.