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.

Cowboy Life

Cowboy Life: The Letters of George Philip is a series of letters from Philip to his children documenting his younger days in southwest South Dakota at the tail end of the open range.  Philip spent a few years cowboying at the turn of the century before going to law school at U of M, returning home, and becoming a respected member of that country for many years.  

More than anything, the letters provide a portrait of the old-timers who were the real cowboys.  Philip's letters exhibit a genuine love and respect for those men, whatever their personal strengths or faults.  If you've ever seen some of those evocative photos of deserted homesteads out west and wondered what stories they could tell, Cowboy Life will give you a glimpse of the answer.

Structure in Action

Conformation events (dog shows) are more than beauty contests.  The true purpose of these events is to see which dogs most conform to the breed ideal.  In turn, the breed ideal or model has been determined based on the job that the dog was bred for. 

The book, Structure in Action: The Makings of a Durable Dog, explains how external clues in the form of the dog’s stance and gait provides judges with an indication of how well the dog fits with the ideal, and therefore how durable the dog will be in performing its assigned tasks in the field. 

The book helps you understand what to look for in a spaniel breed, once you cross-reference it with a breed standard and your own knowledge of breed performance.

Here are some interesting items:

• A short-necked dog is not really short-necked, but instead has a shoulder that is overly vertical (the shoulder blade should be about 45 degrees from the prosternum).  A dog’s front leg reach is approximately at nose-tip, and so a short-necked dog will have too short a reach relative to the ideal.  A short-reach dog will tire more easily in the field.
• An overly long neck, while sometimes elegant in appearance, can indicate insufficient muscling at the shoulders.  An upright neck carriage, associated with a long neck, inhibits swimming as the dog simply splashes through the water because the dog is too vertical and insufficiently horizontal.
• A high rear end means that the dog’s rear legs are too vertical.  Such carriage reduces the force with which the dog can accelerate using its rear legs.  It also means that the dog must exert more effort to lift its front when jumping and it places too much weight on the front structure, which leaves it  vulnerable to injury. 
• A rounded croup (i.e., a lower tail set than standard) means that spine curves too much and the dogs legs are under its body to a greater extent than they should be.  A steep or rounded croup can also inhibit the backward swing of the leg when running.
• A short croup means that the dog’s rear thighs are not sufficiently muscled, reducing power and drive.
• The loin in most dogs should be no more than 1/3 the length of the rib cage because there is on support for the spine between the attachment of the last rib and the hip.  The 1/3 rule seems to provide adequate support without costing the dog too much in flexibility and turning capacity.  (I wonder if spaniels would have somewhat longer loins due to their need for turns?) 

The book has much more and covers the dog from tip to tail.  Those that want to understand what judges should be looking for in the conformation ring will enjoy the discussion.

Who dunnit?

I can tell you this, it was not the little Welsh Springer Spaniel.  In fact, the little Welshie solved the crime.  But now I am getting ahead of the story.

Aki and I settled into a comfortable summer evening to watch TV.  We had recently figured out how to program the DVR and we called on Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie, to watch the Mystery of Hunter's Lodge.  

In this adventure, the urbane Poirot was enduring a holiday in the blustery English countryside at Hunters Lodge to participate in, or at least watch, a driven grouse shoot.  The holiday assembly included the rich uncle, a scheming brother and his alluring wife, the tormented game keeper who was also a half-brother, a bitter nephew, and other hangers on.  That evening, a shot rings out.  The rich uncle is dead.  Who amongst the party did it?  Who was the mysterious bearded man?  Poirot, Hastings, and Inspector Japp get busy. 

The episode is solved by the nosework of an intrepid Welsh Springer Spaniel.  Here's the little heroine in her climactic scene as everyone waits for her to drop the dime on the bad guy.

Quail Unlimited's new look

In principle, you should join conservation societies to promote the sport and the dogs that you love.  In the real world, you can inadvertently fund inefficiency and mis-management.  This seems to be the case with Quail Unlimited.

I joined the group because it claimed to be a conservation society, it was headquartered in Edgefield, SC, just across the river from Augusta, and I thought that a local organization in quail country would be the way to go.  The organization claimed:

Quail Unlimited® is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the wise use and management of America's wild quail, doves, upland game birds and other forms of wildlife.

Unhappily, for the three years I've been a member, there have been rumors of inefficiency and mis-management that I could never get the straight story on.  The latest magazine obliquely acknowledges some problems by claiming now to be on the right path, but does not explain what they were.  The Edgefield headquarters has been sold, and the group now is organized in Traverse City, Michigan, a beautiful town in the upper midwest (the upper pinkie of the Michigan mitten to be more precise). 

The latest issue of the magazine certainly looks promising, with this beautiful cover.  The photo essay "Wings Afield" is nicely composed and beautifully printed.  Photos of old Parker shotguns by Athens, Ga photographer Terry Allen make you want to cash in your 401(k) and buy one.  There's an article on a repeating shotgun written by the always persuasive smaller-gauge specialist Bill Hanus. 

The new magazine is nicely produced on heavier paper stock.






I took a look at what sort of managerial changes were made in the reorganization.  I cannot tell from the names how the changes will resolve QU's problems.  The Chairman of the Board remains the same, Cameron Harris.  But there seem to be fewer executives and directors in the new organization.  Let's wish QU well in its efforts to preserve, protect, and advance  the sport of upland bird hunting.

There are fewer directors and executives in the new QU.

Thumbs down!

Here's an idea from James Spencer (author of "Hup!" and many other books).  He suggests that if you are signaling your dog to go right (or left) that you point with your right (left) hand with your thumb down.  He said that this will prevent you from wildly waving your arm and confusing the dog.  Watch the 3 minute video.

Spencer on Signalling

Big Apple

There are no real dogs in Manhattan, I've decided.  Once in a while, you'll think you see a r&w, but (of course) it's just a Cavalier.  On occasion, you might see a lab.  Typically, though, you see small dogs that (poor things) spend their lives in high-rises.

An exception is Joe Augustin's "Feathered Tales".  It's about a country boy (upstate New York) made good on Wall Street, and living (it seems) pretty close to Central Park.  He picks up a couple of bird dogs and decides to get out of town.  He makes his way around the country in search of the "grand slam" (i.e., hunting all of the North American game birds: 20 species-American woodcock, greater prairie chicken, sharptailed grouse, Northern bobwhite quail, blue grouse, chukar partridge, greater sage grouse, gray "Hungarian" partridge, spruce grouse and ruffed grouse.)

It's a cute book, not all that well written, which is part of its charm.  It is a book-length love letter from a bird dog man to his bird dogs.

Training Spaniels

A how-to book that is based on a consistent, firm, caring approach.



Joe DeMarkis, the trainer and breeder with whom Larsen and I spent a weekend in March freely admits to using the training approach offered by Joe Irving.

Interpreting Irving's book through the DeMarkis seminar implies that the approach is soft, but definitely not touch-feely.  In DeMarkis' seminar, and described in Irving's book, there is some ear twisting and firm correction here and there when the dog blatantly disobeys, but there was also a huge premium put on building trust.  Or, as Irving would put it, a premium on genuine training rather than breaking.  Irving explains the difference thusly:

Some trainers are reluctant to admit [to their failures], but if we are honest, we must.  In the training of gun-dogs, more so perhaps than in most pursuits, an invaluable asset to the trainer is the ability to look inwardly, to understand himself and his own shortcomings, to recognize when the mistakes are his, and to learn and profit from them.

It is this gift of insight, coupled with the ability to understand a dog, that differentiates the trainer from the breaker.

Honest self-assessment, the ability to look at your own failures and shortcomings and learn from them and the ability to adapt your training approach to the particular dog separate the trainer from the breaker.  We will spend some time describing some of the finer points of this book.

English style

The UK and continental Europe oftentimes feature "driven hunts."  Beaters (traditionally handlers with their dogs) drive the game toward the shooters at the ends of the field.  The driven hunt is typically thought of as an elegant affair for the aristocracy using collectible-quality firearms. 

In contrast, rough shooting typically features a man in his tweeds and wellies and his faithful dog.  Mike Swan's book (first published in 2000) is a how-to that has chapters on guns, clothing, the dog, and how to comport yourself around the woods.         

"In most people's minds the first choice [of the rough shooter] is a spaniel, of which the English springer is the most popular. The best spaniels are eternal optimists in even the most barren country, hunting the roughest cover all day long, remaining close so that game is flushed in shot and retrieving the spoils to hand beautifully."

Spaniel inspiration for desk jockeys

While you are working at your desk, someone else is out teaching his spaniel to quarter and retrieve.



Boykin retrieving a quail.
Courtesy: GunDog Magazine



"Different breeds of spaniels have different methods of quartering and flushing game. Generally, Boykin spaniels, cocker and springer spaniels are very bold flushers who will sometimes catch the bird in midair. American water spaniels, Clumber and Sussex spaniels are more methodical and often have a softer flush. Some spaniels actually stalk and circle the birds rather than charge in. Whichever spaniel you choose to own, they are all a joy to hunt with when taught to work close to the gun."

Pam O. Kadlec, Hunting Quail The Spaniel Way, GunDog Magazine, May, 2008.

The receding past

During the past weekend, Aki, Kim, Meghen, and many other Welsh Springer people visited the estate sale of Mr. Francis P. Fretwell.  Mr. Fretwell was owner of Monfret Kennels in Greenville, which bred champion standard Poodles.   Mr. Fretwell also was former president and governor of the Poodle Club of America and the Italian Greyhound Club of America, according to his obituary.  

His estate's library was claimed to house the largest privately-owned collection of dog books in the world.  The estate selected the weekend of the Greenville dog show for the sale, which seems like something that Mr. Fretwell would have approved, given the congregation of gundog lovers at his former home.

Kim picked up a signed first edition from George "Bird" Evans among numerous other treasures.  Some of the dog books, including training books, were copywrited in the late 1800s and early 1900s and had interesting photos to match the elegant writing of the time.  There were beautiful gundog prints, trophies from bygone hunting tests and trials, gundog magazines and carefully archived newspaper articles.  

Aki says it was overwhelming, but that it was also a fascinating glimpse of the old gundog world.  The photos, prints, and stories are a gentle reminder that our own beloved campaigners too soon become part of this receding past. 

Another age

Red & white dogs from another age. Ready for the rough and tumble still.

Dogs of All Nations (1915), p. 36

***

Dogs and the hunt

Up to that point nothing happens in the country-side. The chains of sleep still weigh upon hunters. The beaters cross lazily, still mute and joyless. One would say that no one had the desire to hunt. Everything is still static. The scenary is still purely vegetal and therefore paralytic.

Book Review

The Working Springer Spaniel (Keith Erlandson)

There are any number of training books out there, and probably many of them are literate too, but Erlandson’s is exceptionally so. The book is not a how-to, although it is organized in that way, beginning with picking a puppy and so on. The book reads as though you were lucky enough to spend some time with an experienced and insightful trainer, breeder, and handler who provided you with his thoughts on the working springer.