Outing at Circle W

Larsen received a compliment from Shoni.  She noted that when he hunted down a pheasant hen, he poked at it and caused her to fly, then he rocked back and sat.  Easily, he could instead have trapped the bird.

A gundog's job is to produce game for the gun.  It is exciting to watch a dog leap high after a pheasant, but the dog's primary responsibility is to get the bird aloft.  Larsen's actions, on a trappable bird, demonstrated that he has gotten deeper understanding of the game.

Larsen enjoys a run in the field at Circle W in Heflin, AL.

Field spaniel

It's not your fault if you've never run into a field spaniel.  The AKC rates them as the 140th most popular dog in America.  That's right behind the Xoloitzcuintli at 139.  (Welsh Springer Spaniels are at 124, about where they have been for a while.)

I've now met two in the past two weeks.  They are good looking dogs.  Compact with some substance. Both had beautiful heads and dark brown almond eyes.  Long ears (moreso than the WSS).  Nice sized mitts for a swimming dog.  I can't recall if their tails are docked.  And, like any spaniel, a sweet, quiet disposition.

I look forward to seeing at least one of them in the field.

Graham

In slapstick comedies involving the military, there is always a General that is ridiculously bedecked with ribbons and medals of dubious merit.  On the overwhelming effect of his own rosette and medal count, Graham could play that General, except that Graham is a dog, and more importantly, his medals and ribbons are for genuine accomplishments.  

Graham is everything you'd want in a hunting spaniel: bold, intelligent, biddable.  Marilyn and Graham make it all look easy, but the fact is that you have a great dog coupled with a handler that knew precisely how to bring out and direct those abilities.

In addition,  Marilyn observes other people and their dogs and generously offers welcome advice that is actually tailored to the situation, and not how you'd do it if you happend to be Marilyn and if your dog happened to be Graham.  Marilyn also plants birds, Marshalls (at our WSSCA Hunt Test as well as at her own), judges, and would probably make lunch for everyone if the ESS Rescue Team would let her.

Marilyn and Graham enjoy a time-out at the ESS Hunt Test.

Humphrey

Cathy V. can't pick favorites, but I can.  Humphrey is my wingman.  Humpers is the dog that blazed the path that I'm on with Larsen.  I saw Cathy's (and Humphrey's) frustrations first hand as she taught the dog to be steady to wing and shot.  It's a trail I'm on now, and when I'm down, I can think about how Cathy and Humphrey perservered.

Humphrey is a thinking dog.  He wants to please Cathy, sure, but if he can do it by improving on her instruction, he'll go for his own bright idea every time.  Sometimes he earned a good yelling at.  During his training, he'd get upset and crunch those birds - - not out of spite or meanness, since those are completely foreign concepts to Humphrey - - but out of insecurity and confusion.  Now that he knows what he has to do, he treats the birds as gently as babes.

The biggest transformation was in his confident, powerful, rolling gait in the field.  The dog has the best nose around.  He knows what to do, and it shows in his confident step.

Cathy carefully monitors his ailing hip, and each day afield is blessing for her and that special dog.

Cathy and Humphrey move toward the line.  

Humphrey hangs with the gallery at the ESS AKC Hunt Test (2/24/2013).

Zelda

Possibly seeking new challenges, Cathy V. allowed me to un-train Advanced Master Hunter Zelda at the Sunday Hunt Test.

The point of the exercise was to allow me to run an accomplished dog under the pressure of a genuine Hunt Test to see how my reactions, body language, and commands stacked up.  Unhappily, the stack was a house of cards, as Zelda quickly learned that I was there for little more than company as she joyfully hunted the field on her own.

Afterward, Cathy (and Aki, and just about everyone else who could speak to me with breaking into laughter) said that my commands were far too soft and mother-may-I for the dog.  What's funny is that I would have no problem at all using a snarling voice, which I reserve for special occasions with Larsen, except that Zelda not only was someone else's dog, but I see her as a little white pillow, and not the true hunting dog that lies within that Bo-Peep coat.

This is going to be easy!

Ready?

Frank entertains Zelda with a medley of tunes on his whistle.

Fly-away bird and time for water.

2012 breed rankings

Welsh Springer Spaniels clawed their way up from 130 to 125 (out of 175) and 17 out of 24 in the sporting dogs group.  They were nosed out by the newcomer Boykin spaniel and even the Spinoni!  

Cecil and Sunny

Cecil is Sunny's sire.  Both Cecil and Sunny dogs hunt with beautiful and fun-loving intensity.  They cover the ground thoroughly and efficiently and are attentive to their handlers (Susan R and Shoni) while exhibiting  their own intelligence in the field.  What a great pleasure to watch these dogs in the field.

Cecil says thanks.

(photo courtesy of Cathy V. and Statesman WSS)

Sunny and Shoni are ready to go.


(photo courtesy of Cathy V. and Statesman WSS)

Fall Fling 2012

Around 35 people and 30 dogs made it to the Fall Fling at Circle W for a day of training, picnicing, and camaraderie.  

Many thanks to Cathy V. for making the Fall Fling such a good time.  Thanks, too, to Aki, for managing the coffee-klatch and lunch, taking pics, and socializing puppies and baby Greer.   

Thanks also to Bill, Shoni, Al, Roger, Allen, Gary, Johnny for shooting and Susan, Marilyn, and Cathy, for heading up the three dog flights.  

Some memories:  

• Felix's tail was non-stop as he hunted for Jody, who now has two possible entries in the WSSCA test this November!  
• Jan's Skip used the wind with great intelligence, taking several angles and attacks to finally get a bird that had hidden itself in a dense clump of grass, surprising everyone but himself.
• Sunny is really one of the prettiest Welshies in the field.  You need to watch her.  She loves hunting for Shoni.  
• Rowdy hunted with drive, and he let everyone know what an awesome hunting dog he was by parading by all of us with his trophy.
• Cathy knows more than ever that Bing has big attitude.  Once he's been read to from the book, he promises to be one of her best clumbers yet.  
• Larsen is getting more steady-ish, and I was able to amp my "sit" command down from 11 to 9.

And those are just from my group.  Aki told me that Eve, an 18-month old, has it all, and loved being in the field.  Susan W's new puppy couldn't believe her good fortune when she found her way into the canvas tote filled with my bird bags, and so she proceeded to pull them all out.   

More hot days ahead, I'm sure, but that was really the fall kickoff for a lot of us.  

Eve fetches her first bird.

Jody thanks Felix for his fine field performance.

Bill and Hampton take a breather.

Shoni and the others provided safe, reliable gunning.

Frank M. works with a Welsh pup.

Rowdy showed enthusiasm in the field.

Larsen waits for instruction.

A wet and tired puppy.

MH collars

Orvis shot collars for Humphrey and Zelda, Master Hunters.

Shot collars make a fashion statement in the field. 

All wrapped up.

Always faithful

Kim Parkman of Pocataligo Kennels was featured in the November GunDog Magazine for her work training bomb-sniffing dogs that are deployed overseas in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

She trains field-bred labs for bomb certification. The labs are trained to respond to hand and whistle signals from afar, thereby protecting the serviceman sometimes with their very lives.

Kim's work contributed greatly to Larsen's success in the field, and she has turned some of her attention to this higher calling.

I'll link to the article when it becomes available on the GunDog website.

Cpl. Herb Hartfield and Susie in Afghanistan. Credit: GunDog Magazine and also Sgt. Jesse Stence.

Ready to go

We have a car full of dog-and-bird stuff, some room for two friends, and 30 quail waiting for us in the field.



Larsen preps for his big day on Saturday.

Susan and Mazie

Congratulations.

Wirehaired Viszla

Gundog breeds are among the most popular in America.  But that popularity is misleading because it is almost strictly limited to the Labrador Retriever (rank #1 in 2009) and Golden Retriever (#4).  The Lab has held the #1 position for the past 19 years.  English Springer Spaniels (#29), Brittanys (#30), Weimaraners (#31) and Vizslas (#42) form a nice mid-range cluster, but other gundogs start to move into the "rare breed" category. 

The rarity of many types of gundogs in American households is our national loss.  These breeds have wonderful class and elan, intelligence and friendliness and they deserve greater popularity.

One rarer breed that deserves some attention is the wirehaired Vizsla.

A Vizsla is a hunting dog of eastern European (Hungary) origins.  The Vizsla's wirehaired cousin is of recent vintage - - about the 1930s.  According to the AKC, the wirehaired Vizsla was developed as a cross between the Vizsla and the German Wirehaired Pointer.  (AKC WV)  The goal was go breed the great hunting traits of the Vizsla with the tougher and bristlier coat of the GWP (an equally fine hunting dog).  The AKC said that by 1944 60 WVs were registered in the Vizsla Klub Stud book.  By 2008, only somewhat more than 500 WVs had ever been registered in the aggregate with NAVDHA (an organization in the U.S. for pointing dogs) since 1986.

We ran across one of these creatures at a recent Rally and Conformation competition in Atlanta recently.  We can report that the little female pictured below is a handsome blonde and about as sweet, gentle, and affectionate as any dog at show, and possibly on the planet as well. 

This little girl is named "Tipsy."  According to her owners, she is the first WV ever entered in Rally in the U.S.  Tipsy looks to be about 20 inches at the whithers and maybe 45 or so pounds.  A nice handy-sized dog with an intelligent and honest face.  And did we mention her sweet dispostion? 

Let's hope to see more of these dogs around.

UKC Ch Palomia's Bahama Mama CGC ("Tipsy")

Owners, Susan Wilson & Nancy Edmunds.  Handler, Susan Wilson.