Stufield outing

Aki and I meet with Susan to walk the family property at Stufield in Clark's Hill, SC.  Our goal was to find some fields suitable for the November Welsh Springer Spaniel Hunt Test.  The Stufield house sits on the cusp of a small hill that overlooks the Strom Thurmond lake (nee Clark's Hill Lake).  The property is about 15 miles north of Augusta.

We found some pleasant fields that held great promise for a test.  The fields were wonderfully long, but a bit narrow.  In some instances, the shots would have to be almost immediate to catch the bird before it found shelter in the wooded areas.  The grounds would be a wonderful challenge and the house a welcome area for the group to gather in the evening.

We toured Lake Mary, a small pond, to determine how to set up the water.  Unhappily, the pond had sprung a leak and was dreadfully low despite the summer's rain.  Susan later called Allen to report the pond's demise, and we will see if we can find the cause of the breach and repair it.

The outing was made complete by running Larsen on some dummies.  Susan tossed three at a time,and I sent Larsen here and there to gather them up.  The smart little dog showed that the weeks at Tim's were well spent and he delivered the dummies front and center right at my feet.

Susan, Aki, and little Rosey explore the land around Lake Mary.

A leak in the overflow plumbing was draining the pond.  

What's in your kit?

Training dogs is accompanied by bramble scratches, bird pecks, and miscellaneous mishaps.  I've got several first-aid kits, small enough to carry, and larger for the car.  Just thinking through my own I have several kits, storebought and self-assembled.  Sure, they have things like forceps (as well as whistles & compasses) but I'll tell you what I use regularly:

Used on people

• sunscreen
• bug repellent
• hydrogen peroxide (also for dog)
• bactine/neosporine
• band-aids
• waterless hand wash
• benadryl cream 

For dog

• saline eye wash & artificial tears (soother)
• gauze wrap (wiping cuts and dog teeth)
• blunt nose scissors (cutting out burrs & mats)
• prilosec (used once in a while on long trips)
• steel-toothed comb (tailgate check)
• benedryl tabs with dosage per 50lb written on plastic containing bag.

Some of these items are not exactly first aid, and only my car kit has the steel-toothed comb, for example, but I found that by putting things like sunscreen in the first aid kit, I rummaged through the kit regularly.  As a result, I didn't treat the kit like an untouchable shrine and I learned what was in it, what was useful, and I was more likely to think to pull out an aspirin or a bandaid if someone needs it.

Don't forget to refamiliarize yourself with the basics of canine first aid.

Paulding County Bird Club

Having nothing better to do, Larsen and I decided to walk the property we'd leased as a training field.  It's about an hour drive from home and it  took us a long while to find the gate with the combination lock that would let us into the property.  As a result, the morning was warming even before we hit the ground.

The fields were high in some places, which means that long pants are helpful, as would be longer boots.  We patrolled the roadway, across the stream that feeds the larger of the two ponds, and into the back fields.  Along the way, Larsen kicked up what I believe to be a grouse.  The bird was clearly a gamebird.  It was brownish/greyish and about the size of a chicken.  I looped Larsen and led him away from the area in case there were chicks about.

We took a few breathers due to the heat of the morning, and Larsen did a few bumper fetches from the pond to cool down.

Larsen enjoys the sights and smells on a sultry June morning in Paulding county.

Scaring up Big Bird

Even though rain was coming down sideways, Larsen and I decided to explore the front 40 of Bob's yard in Hayesville, North Carolina over the weekend.  Larsen was very pleased with what he saw, smelled, and rolled in.  We wandered our way toward the front of the property when Larsen flushed two enormous turkeys.  One went left, one went right, and both went to the tree line with Larsen in pursuit, somehow, of both.  I finally hit the whistle, but it was far too late to have any effect whatsoever on the dog, whose eyes were bugging out of his head.  I imagine he was hoping that somehow I would take a shot at one of those big birds.

After their escape, Larsen retraced his steps the point of the initial flush, hoping to pick up the scent and continue to trail.  I had absolutely no control as he tried first one and then another scent trail.  After some time, I pipped the frothing dog to a sit.  I got him by the ear and frog-marched him toward me and hit the "come" whistle a few times.  Then I lassoed him and headed to the house.

In another few days, we will be on the field trying for a MH leg.    

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)

Burge tower shoot

The first thing that you need to know about a tower shoot is that there is a hill, but no tower.  A truck filled with pheasants sits on the hill.  A handler tosses the birds into the sky, and they rocket away.  Around the tower in a large circle are gunners trying to shoot the birds as they zig and zag in the wind.

So what were Larsen and I doing at Burge Plantation during a tower shoot?  Someone has to get the pheasant when they fall from the sky, and who better than a black-nosed red & white spaniel?   Larsen fetched up a bunch of birds and had the time of his life.  He was a little confused at first as the sound of the guns came from different points on the compass, but once he saw the birds fall from the sky, he got with it.  Larsen and I hunted the easy ones and the hard ones.  We moved into the briars and got the winged ones and hunt-deaded the dead.

Things got a little wild at the end, with Larsen going rogue in order to flush the live birds in the field, but everyone (except me) had their eyes trained on the skies and it worked out well. The outing more or less "untrained" Larsen from being steady, but it was a wonderful time and the little dog was thankful from the bottom of his heart.

Clint set a Christmas-like tone with his rendition of Jingle Bells played on his bagpipe.

Puzzled but nonplussed by the bagpipes.

Larsen's first bird of the day was a nice hunt dead and retrieve.

The shooting got hot, but the little dog didn't flag. 

This hero shot is interrupted by the cackle of a cock 

New fields

Danny at Circle W has done some land swaps.  The result is a mix of good and bad news.

Gone are the fields that we've used for practice and Hunt Tests.  The hedgerows around the old "junior" and "master" fields have been being torn up.  The new owner hopes to grow corn.  Danny does not think he will be successful.  The Circle W is a Hunting Preserve and not a farm because, for whatever reason, crops won't grow in that river valley.

Danny also gave up the two fields off River Road.  We used the front field for pre-Hunt Test practice.  Larsen and I did our first real hunt together on that back field.  We went after a dozen birds that Danny set out in a not-too-challenging configuration.  It gave Larsen a chance to go after bird after bird after bird- - precisely what Allen W. said that dog needed.  Allen was right, and that hunt largely developed Larsen from a junior  dog to a senior dog.

That  far back field also has three enormous walnut trees.  According to Danny, the walnut trees will be cut down and the lumber sold off  as the new owner tries to pay the loan.  I told Danny that I had envisioned that I'd always assumed that one of those trees would provide a shotgun stock for his grandson or great grandson.

The new fields look promising.  They are wide and provide gunners with plenty of room for a shot.  The front field is across from Danny's sporting clays course and is easy to find.  The back fields are another mile down River Road.  These fields are picturesque and ringed with trees, and the the Tallapoosa River is just beyond the tree line.  Under Danny's management, the fields should be ready for the November WSSCA Hunt Test.

 The first new field is on Perryman Bridge Road across from sporting clay field. 

The new field is wide and long, with some interesting doglegs.

Cathy and Jeanne pull out of the new fields after a good day of practice on Danny's new fields.

JL Lester

Larsen and I had a lonesome practice at JL Lester this Sunday.  Cathy was at her lake house, Shoni was fetching up her dog, Sunny, and I never got around to seeing if I could invite myself to Tim's.  So, Larsen and I loaded up and headed out to Bremen and the old Lester farm.

I parked at the meeting house and Larsen and I walked to the field behind the west barn, which was always a nice field.  Unhappily, that field has been totally neglected and is shoulder-high brambles and deep weeds with no real pathways.  I picked up our equipment and packed back to field house and then down to the east barn.  We walked along the dirt road around the bend and set up camp in the shade of the trees that overhang the dry creek.

I took Larsen for three turns, and we sat in the shade and reflected upon the day while he cooled off between turns.  The day was cloudless, hot, and humid so I kept Larsen soaking wet and iced down and waited until his tongue returned to normal size before heading into the field with him for his second and third turns.

On each turn, I heeled him to the line (heel, sit, heel, sit).  I quartered him with decreasing success, because he recognized that I had a quail in my pocket.  I periodically shot my blank pistol and commanded him to sit.

These sits were not perfect, and in retrospect I erred severely in not making corrections on the spot and sometimes giving the command twice.  As the saying goes: practice does not make perfect.  Perfect practice makes perfect.

On two of his turns, I released a quail and shot the starter pistol.  He sat both times, and I pipped him in.  I quartered him after those releases, making sure that I started him in the direction opposite the bird's flight so that he understood that he was to resume hunting and not retrieving.  He was reluctant, but he obeyed.

We did three hunt deads of the type where I would drop a bird as we walked back to camp, and then I would turn and send him.  On one of the turns, I had to handle him (push him back) and he understood and obeyed immediately.  His retrieves were quite good, but they generally are on hunt deads.

Larsen takes a breather between turns on a hot July morning at JL Lester WMA.

Luke Weaver's farm

Luke Weaver graciously allowed WSSCA to use his farm for a Hunt Test at the May, 2013 Nationals.  The Nationals will be in Perry, Ga., about an hour and a quarter south of the Jackson, Ga farm.

Larsen and I drove to the farm to meet with Bill T.   We walked the land and talked dogs, hunting, and hunt test.  Bill will be a judge (along with Susan W.), so actually walking the land and talking set-ups was a good way to refamiliarize ourselves with the terrain, as well as a pleasant way to spend a July morning.  Larsen volunteered to show us how a dog would move in the field and help us visualize how the field setups would work.  


The farm has several large and interesting fields, with easy entry/exit for a pick-up truck full of dogs, if need be.  The pond was full and flush and perfect for a water retrieve, if our rain-luck holds out for another 11 months.

My only criticism of the property is that the land should get mowed soon.  If it lies fallow too long, the volunteers will turn to saplings.  As it is, the grass is thick and the birds have too much opportunity to burrow.  We might consider volunteering our own labor to get the field in shape.

The test will be limited to 25 Welsh Springer Spaniels.  To put into a bottle a day spent afield with 25 merry red & whites!

Frank and Larsen pull into Luke Weaver's farm.

Ready to hunt.  Just add one springer spaniel.

The cool pond tempts a hot dog.

That didn't take long.

A few sweeps of the broom will make this open-air shed the perfect place for lunch and awards.

Circle W morning

Larsen and I went to Circle W Game Prserve with the thought of training with Cathy and her dogs, Humphrey and Zelda.

We were mistaken, though, since Cathy was entertaining guests over the holiday weekend, so we nothing to do but walk the grounds by ourselves.  We made the best of it, though, as we kicked through the tall dewy grass looking for nothing in particular.  The morning also gave me a chance to put up the chicken wire in the quail coop where we were keeping our birds.  The birds had been escaping and raising havoc with Danny's dogs.

The Junior Field.  Tree line is at the Tallapoosa River.

Larsen heighs through the wet grass.

The Master Field.  Tower for tower shoots is in the background.

Larsen finds a painted turtle in the mud.

Time for a breather!

Gator

Lake Allatoona is a hydro power lake that laps at the base of Red Top Mountain in Emerson, Georgia. The lake fills in some very steep gradients in that mountainous foothill. The lake has a deceptively long shoreline because of the numerous fingers that run and and out of the steep grades.  It is not a bayou or lowland by any means. In short, this is no place for a gator. 

Yet on a hike down the old Chattanooga-to-Atlanta railbed, that's what Larsen and I saw. Two gators, in fact, each about three feet long. I took a video, but I'm afraid it has all of the clarity and demonstrative power of the Sasquatch photos. It might look to you like a big carp preambulating along the placid retention pond on the lee side of the rail bed.  I think it was a gator.

Range finder

Sure, the electronic range finders are flawless, but if you want to try to locate a bird that went down somewhere yonder try this:

The human eye is good at finding the middle.  If you are tryingto estimate to something along ways off, pick something in the middle and estimate to that.  You'll find that you are more accurate estimating smaller disatances You might even cut that distance in half again and estimate on that quarter and then multiply out.

Garden mister has a new app

Temperatures at the Wisconsin Hunt Test hit the mid-90's, which was more than uncomfortable, it was potentially dangerous to the dogs.

Judges and handlers kept an eye on the dogs in the field, breaking off a turn after a dog had completed a hard run. The handler was instructed to cool his or her dog down and return later for a second run.

We went through a lot of ice and water, of course. One thoughtful handler pulled out a garden mister of the sort used to spray plants with water-based fertilizers or insecticides. Filled with plain water, the mister was used to wet down the hot dogs. The mister works better than a garden hose, which even if had been available in the field, usually results in a dog that squirms away, with water running off the coat like the back of a duck.

If you decide you'd like one, buy a new one. Don't recycle one that's had its share of Roundup or Miracle Gro. This compact version works fine, as does the version with the flexible tube and wand, which helps you get to the dog's undercarriage.

Some hunt test memories

Let's take a look at some of the fun from Mezomanie. First up are Susan and Tatum. Susan ran little Tater on Saturday and the scamp earned her first Junior Hunter leg. Susan judged the Juniors and Seniors on Sunday and so was not able to run her dog. Susan and Tatum made the long trip from the South with Cathy V. and her clumbers, Humphrey and Zelda, in a great big white Econoline van.

Now that's something to think about next time you happen to be passing a non-descript Econoline.

Click the photos to see the whole thing.

Susan tells Tatum to get on.

Tatum checks out a promising patch of green.

Spaniel afield.

Tatum starts a nice to-hand retrieve.

On to the water work.

A beautiful working dog.

Tatum trudges ashore, her JH leg but a hands-length away.

Susan and Tatum share the spotlight.

Tatum thanks Susan for the awesome day.

The $300 lesson

It's not often that a day of training will cost you $300.

Larsen and I were at the edge of the farm pond at Circle W Hunting Preserve. George had the duck call, blank gun, and a dead bird. I steadied Larsen and gave a nod to George, who quacked, threw the bird, and shot the pistol.

Without hesitation, Larsen leaped into the water.

This is a fault. Larsen is supposed to wait until I give him the signal. Without hesitation, I leaped in after Larsen, hauled him out and sat him down. Unhappily, I leaped in with my iPhone in my pocket, and the device faded out. I'll put it in a bag of rice, I suppose, but I'm not holding my breath, and in fact went out and got another iPhone, and hence the $300 lesson that I received.

For what it's worth, I'm hopeful that the lesson stuck with Larsen. After getting unceremoniously pulled out of the water, he did not want to re-enter at all. I became concerned that I caused him to "fail" on a water retrieve, which Joe DeMarkis cautions against. At Susan W's suggestion, I played some games offline with Larsen: I walked about the edge of the field with him at heel. I let him fetch the bird, walk with me at heel with the bird in his mouth, give me the bird, and take it back. A little one-on-one fun time.

His second practice retrieve was much better. He sat on shore until I released him, swam for the bird and brought it in. It was not a perfect retrieve by any stretch since Larsen put the bird down and shook first, but it was not bad.




Larsen examines his new iPhone.

Six inches

Larsen and I worked at Tim & Cathy's this morning. Tim had Masters candidate Moses and Junior candidate Rags working. Frank M and Deb brought Mr. Wiggles and one other, but I'm not sure who.

I ran Larsen in the box. What this means is that I quartered him (let him run from left to right and then right to left in front of me and the two gunners) in an area defined as an imaginary rectangle with two corners set by the two gunners and the other two corners set 20 yards straight out from the gunners. Any bird that is found and flushed in the box should be killable by reasonably competent gunner. You want your dog to find and flush a bird in the box because that gives you the best chance for a clean kill. When the dog gets outside of the box and flushes a bird, the chance of making a clean kill falls. A wounded or missed bird makes for a fly-away bird that the dog chases, loss of control, and overall mayhem.

In my exercises, I quartered Larsen without having a bird in the field. Instead, I held a live bird by its legs behind my back. At an opportune moment, when Larsen's back was to me and he had demonstrated some good quartering, I took a few quick steps forward, planted the bird in the grass, and retreated. On his backhaul, lo and behold, Larsen found and flushed a bird. The bird was right in front of me, his handler! The bird was shot, and Larsen retrieved.

Larsen's quartering was very good. He listened to the whistle, and hunted aggressively. His retrieve needs work. Larsen returned the shot bird, but set it down on the ground about six inches from me. Setting the bird on the ground is a DQ at the Senior level. So this is what we will work on next.

Frank suggested that I work on the last six inches by doing a basement/backyard drill with him with cold game. The idea is that I would set up a little retrieve of six or eight feet. I would sit on the ground, legs out, and let Larsen retrieve the bird right to my lap. The goal is to get the retrieve up close and personal. I can then stroke Larsen and soothe him as I ask for the bird. All very up close.

Larsen's retrieve has improved greatly. We need a little more team work to pull it all together.

As an aside, Larsen's hunt dead was very good. He went out the 50 yards or so and hunted around. I was ready with the whistle to help him, but he seemed to have a pretty good idea. He found the bird and brought it back to hand, with (admittedly) a little trick on my own part. I turned to my left, he trotted to my right, and I kept right on turning until I could reach the bird as he went by on my right. I'm not sure if that is exactly cricket.

Let 'em hunt?

The question posed was whether hunting with a springer involves quartering accompanied by active handling and whistle pips, or just letting the dog hunt. The respondent is a successful springer trainer and has also judged for our Dogwood WSSCA tests. I'm reproducing the response in full for all of our enjoyment and knowledge.

I would say that at times, I am on the whistle with the dog but most of the time, I am just letting the dog hunt.

Quartering is all about searching for game. A dog that does not quarter well will miss game. This is not to be confused with a dog quartering in a methodical windshield wiper pattern over unproductive ground just because the pattern looks nice.

The quartering pattern should also have different "looks" depending on the wind. I am sure this is covered in most training books. I have learned that if I will not whistle, the dog will utilize the wind to its advantage to find birds. This shouldn't be a "taught" skill ... well.. the handler has to be "taught" what to expect and then stay out of the dogs way.

If one of my dogs breaks out of its search routine, then there is a reason it isn't turning or coming back across and it usually means get ready for a bird to flush.

When hunting my woodcock thickets, a nice wiper pattern is not going to be expected. Too many obstacles in the way. However, the dog should cover ground on either side of me. I will walk slower and make sure all the cover has been checked out based on the wind direction and scenting conditions. I want to make sure they at least pass cover on the downwind side. I hunt my dog towards objectives making sure we check out all the likely spots game might be hanging out.

I don't think it is any different than what one should expect from a hunting dog from a pointing breed. I would hope the pointing dog would be covering ground farther away from me than my spaniels. They should search and use the wind in a similar manner.

I would say that most spaniels are natural at quartering (ie covering ground on either side of the handler). There are drills that will help refine the skill but that is just another training drill.

Sometimes it is just this easy.

Zelda's big day

Zelda earned a Master Hunter leg on Friday at the Clumber Spaniel Nationals. Congratulations, Zelda.


Cathy and Zelda are pleased with Zelda's water blind at practice last weekend.

The season ends

Cathy V, with Humphrey and Zelda, and I, with Larsen, went to Danny's Circle W farm for one last spring practice before the Clumber Spaniel Nationals in Orlando next weekend.

It's spring in Alabama. Danny is out of quail and has given his fields their summer cuts. The fields have no more cover than you would see on your nicely manicured suburban lawn. The only areas with any cover at all seemed to be under water left behind by last Thursday's storms.

I got to the field early to run Larsen. Larsen and I finally found an area with some cover that was relatively dry, or at least not under water. The small area had a profusion of green spring grass and some old cane and many thorns. A nasty site to be sure, but one that might be similar to the Hunt Test grounds in Florida.

Cathy's goal on Sunday was to have a little simple fun with Humphrey and Zelda in this last run before the Clumber Nationals. No e-collars, no real challenges. Just run through the traps in short, fun installments. My goal for Larsen was to continue to work on the to-the-hand retrieve. Both of us were successful, and it put a great end to the season for Larsen and me.

Cathy fretted that Humphrey did not take a straight line in the Hunt Dead, and we both agreed that Humphrey would not take a straight line to his dog bowl. He seems to forget what he was after about half-way out, and then shifts from sight to nose and tracks down the bird. There is no doubt about his finding the bird, and it is not a pig & acorn thing. Humphrey being Humphrey, he believes his nose, and not his lyin' eyes. Who knows what Humphrey will do this weekend. Miss Zelda performed flawlessly and we hope she will add a Master leg to her trophy case.

Larsen and I continued to work the Joe DeMarkis method to get Larsen to crisply bring the bird to hand. (See post at Friday, April 8, 2011.) We made progress, with Larsen bringing the bird to a perfect Junior-level distance and putting the bird down. Finally, when running hunt deads at about 60 yards, Larsen twice brought the bird precisely to hand in a good Senior/Masters delivery.




Larsen finds a good spot for training.


A perfect Hunt Dead.



The promise of an open field.

Afield

Is there anything in the world like a spaniel in the field?


Larsen waits his turn at a hunting practice session.