An unexpected turn

The drive from Chicago to Atlanta is a long one, and it's no fun when you are sick.

Somewhere between Kentucky and Tennessee, Larsen started feeling out of sorts. His bowels simply squirted, which was in itself bad, but then he started vomiting. I reset Jill, the GPS, to the all-night emergency vet on Abernathy road and upped the speed as much as I dared. I stopped only when Larsen began panting heavily, which I knew meant either A or B. We arrived at the vet at about 8:00. I didn't leave until about 10:30, and without my dog in tow. The vet did blood (vitals were ok, but his weight was down 5 lbs or 10% of his normal body weight) and an x-ray to look for obstructions or a twisted gut.

After ruling those out, Larsen was put on an IV and catheter. They found some blood in his stool, which is always a concern, but the nature of it suggests that it was the result of straining rather than internal bleeding. They pumped into his veins water (hydration), antibiotics, and something to soothe and coat his stomach lining.

About 12 hours later, at around 10:00am, the vet called to report on Larsen's progress. She said she'd like to hold him another day at least to make sure that he is stabilized and on the upswing. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong other than a GI upset. Possibly some mild dehydration, as might be expected.

I stopped by to see him this afternoon, and he seemed like his same old self.

Larsen relaxes in the exam room during an afternoon visit. (Note IV insert in right-front fore leg.)

Time out

It wasn't all field work in Mazomanie, Wisconsin. We had a chance to do the town. Some members of the contingent found their way to the Duluth Trading Company retail store in downtown Mazomanie. Vickie D., the Hunt Test Secretary, is a buyer for the DTC, which is famous for its indestructible work clothing. If you need long-johns made out of fire hose, this is the place to come. I picked up a fire-hose fabric seat cover for the shotgun seat of the Muttmobile, which has taken some real wear from its primary occupant.

Susan and Cathy take some time away from the field to explore the Duluth Trading Company

Southern style

The team from the south came home from the Mazomanie Hunt Test with orange ribbons flying:

• Larsen earned his first Senior Hunter leg on Sunday.
• Tatum earned a Junior Hunter leg on Saturday. (Tatum didn't run on Sunday because Susan W., her owner and handler, was judging)
• Adaira finished her Junior Hunter title on Saturday.

That's just for the Welshies. In addition:

• Zelda (clumber) earned her Master Hunter.
• Humphrey (clumber) got his first MH leg.
• Rags (ESS) got a Junior leg, or possibly two.
• Millie (Am Cocker) earned her Junior Hunter title on Saturday and got a Senior Hunter leg on Sunday.
• Natasha (clumber) earned a JH leg and possibly a title.
  

(Click on photo to see entire picture)
Tatum is nonplussed, but Susan beams.

Mary and Adaira make quite a team.

Larsen retrieves his bird.


More photos will be posted in the near future.

Larsen earns his first Senior Hunter leg

Larsen earned his first Senior Hunter leg at the Hunt Test of the Cocker Spaniel Hunting Enthusiasts of Southeastern Wisconsin in Mazomanie, Wisconsin. It was an oven-hot 90+ degree weekend, and we went through about 40 lbs of ice keeping Larsen (and other dogs) and people cool.

Larsen NQ'd on Saturday in the Hunt Dead, one of his favorite exercises. Instead of taking a line to the downed bird, Larsen got confused and started hunting (quartering) and never made it back to the bird.

On Sunday, I did not let him dawdle on the Hunt Dead, but instead pushed him up the line as far as I was allowed to go within the rules. He got lost, but I pipped him to a sit to let him collect his wits. Then I sent him on to a successful find.

Larsen's land work on both Saturday and Sunday was very good. He was very responsive to the whistle. He hunted efficiently and enthusiastically. On both days, he returned promptly on fly-away birds. Larsen looked like a trusty field companion.

At the water on Sunday, I sat him and told him in no uncertain terms not to move until I said ok. The bird got tossed, and the judge gave me permission to send him. I waited, though, until Larsen looked away from the bird and into my eyes. Then I let him go. He came in, and put the bird down, which is not desirable, but he picked it back up, brought it to me, and we were in the books. I don't know who was more pleased, me, or Susan W., Larsen's breeder and one of the Sunday judges.

Photos to follow.

Let the dog hunt

We're heading to Wisconsin to have fun and hunt some birds. Let the dog have his nose. Welcome him home. Stand up straight. You expect great performance. He'll give you his great performance. Great day.

On our way

The show is on the road, and heading to Mazomanie for the weekend's Hunt Test.

Good heel, good boy

Larsen and I were walking Allatoona Pass last Sunday, and down the old railbed came the lady with her three black labs. Two labs are adolescents, and the third, the white-muzzled matriarch, is 13 years and 8 months. She rides in a wagon because her gait can be unsteady when she is tired.

Larsen was off-lead when we saw the group. I sat him. Then I heeled him and walked with him toward the two happy young dogs who were headed our way. Larsen stuck right with me. I halted him, and then dismissed him ("ok") and let him run to the rapidly-closing dogs.

That discipline and good behavior is like gold gleaming from a nugget.

Why it is hotter in Atlanta than in Mazomanie

It's hotter in Atlanta than it is in Wisconsin even when the daily high temperatures are the same.

The reason is simple: it never cools off in Atlanta. Sunset is a mere formality, with heat lingering through the night. Even excluding the effect of higher humidity, it is hotter in Atlanta because it does not cool off. On the other hand, Mazomanie, like the rest of Wisconsin, is always looking for an excuse to cool down.

Chart 1 shows in blue the hour-by-hour temperature in Mazonmanie (plus part of a forecast). The temperature tops out at 83 degrees. The hour-by-hour temperature for Atlanta is in red, and it tops out at 89 degrees. That's a 7% premium. An 89 degree day is pretty hot and an 83 degree day is tolerable, but that's not the half of it. Look at how the Atlanta nighttime temperatures stay in the mid-70s. That's real heat buildup.

To get an appreciation of how the buildup works, you can use the idea of a "degree day" that is used by the power industries to determine heating and cooling loads. The degree day is the difference between the temperature and a constant (60 degrees in the winter, and 65 degrees in the summer).

We apply the degree day idea to each of 24 hours in Chart 2. This chart shows how temperatures deviate from 65 degrees (a nice dog-like temperature) by the hour. These deviations can be thought of as "dog degrees," with a positive dog degree being part of a dog day.

Visually, you can see the distinction between Atlanta and Mazomanie over the course of the day. There are 263 degree-hours (number of hours x number of degrees in excess of 65) in the Mazomanie day but there are 352 degree-hours in the Atlanta day. This is a 34% difference.

This is why a high of 89 degrees in Mazomanie is cooler than a high of 89 degrees in Atlanta.

Click on charts to embiggen.

Art dot com

Not often do you see a Welshie featured in art, other than in an antiquary's drawing room. Here's a handsome and affordable offering from Art.com.

Thoughts for the HT

I had some success with Larsen's retrieves by staying upright and whistling him in. This contrasts with my previous method of turning somewhat and getting into a crouch to welcome him home.

Basement fetch drills. I saw in our basement fetch drills that when I went into a crouch, Larsen got a little wary of something and hesitated until I coaxed him in. In contrast, when I stood and just called him in, he came right to me and sat with the dummy or the buck. He responds better when I am upright. I tried in the field, and it showed some improvement with his performance.

In the field. At Sunday's practice, Larsen came in to within a step and then put the bird down. I told him to fetch it up and he did. I may recall a time or two when Larsen delivered the bird to hand. Once on a drive-by, more or less. He is very, very close to a senior pass.

At the water. Larsen's water retrieves to hand were very good. On his first, he set the bird down, shook, and then brought it in. On his second, he came straight to hand.

As for his performance at start of the water retrieve itself, Larsen lurched forward on the first retrieve, but I harumphed and he sat right back down, clearly recollecting the day I went in after him. I corrected him and then sent him for the water retrieve. This time, he waited beautifully. His eyes were stuck on the bird, but he waited. When he finally lifted his eyes from the bird and looked at me, I sent him.

Hunt dead. His hunt dead was perfect and to hand. I then let him walk with me while holding the bird. We played a bit, with me taking, then giving him the bird.

Overall. Larsen is quite close to getting a pass on all of his stages. My own performance as a handler will help him over any bumps, if I can keep my composure.

Mazomanie bound

The Cocker test in Mazomanie, Wisconsin on the July 30 and 31 will catch the tail-end of the heat wave. Temperatures in the mid-80s. This is 10 degrees cooler than Atlanta, but still will require some icy cold towels and plenty of water for the dogs.

Cage match, summer style

It's much too hot to do much horsing around, so Larsen and Caden do the next best thing by wrestling under the picnic table after dinner.

Mid-summer evening

The crape myrtle is heavy with lilac-colored blossoms.

Clouds of hydrangeas.

Larsen enjoys his shady arbor.

2011 WSSCA Hunt Test premium

Well, this is some forward motion. The Hunt Test premium is just about finished. Joe C. has created the PDF that permits the user to fill in the form on his computer. The user still has to print and mail the completed form to the HT committee, but at least it eliminates one side of the snail mail effort and it eliminates longhand penmanship from the form.

The rosettes are in process at Hodges Badge Company, and 100 bird bands are in the pipeline at National Band & Tag Co.


The treasured jewelery.

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.

Summer in the rear-view mirror

Is it mid-summer 2011 already? Fourth of July in Atlanta means the Peachtree Roadrace, a 10k for those who can take the steamy heat. Aki ran a credible time, and her reward was a new t-shirt. That, and Memphis-style pork ribs, and corn on the cob. Iced tea. Home-made peach ice cream. A loving dog.


Aki watches the progress of the ribs on the grill.


Aki and Larsen enjoy the holiday evening.

4th of July in Atlanta

The 4th in Atlanta means Peachtree Road Race. Aki ran and did credibly, given her lack of preparation. Astounding, really. Larsen and I headed to the foothills and Lake Alatoona for a cool-down after a Sunday of practice in the field.

Sunday really took the starch of us. It was a not day. I dumped a bucket of ice water over Larsen after his second run, and he did not jump away as a dog might normally do. He was hot. More to come on the training session, which was quite good.

A nap is in order after a busy Fourth of July morning.


Larsen unwinds after a a run at Lake Alatoona on a hot July 4 afternoon.

While we enjoy our freedoms

We remember those who have preserved them.

Therapy dog

Take a minute to stop by Laurel Hunt's Bark Wag Love blog.

Laurel is training Baker the Welsh Springer Spaniel to become a therapy dog and give comfort to kids in a local hospital that are in a tough spot at a too-young age.

You remember Baker, don't you?

Baker was the six-year-old Welshie re-homed from Indiana to North Carolina. Aki and I picked Baker up around Cincinnati and delivered him to Laurel in Tennessee.

All in that wagon train agreed that Baker was a sweet boy, but needed some training fundamentals. He didn't really know how to walk on a lead!

And now Baker is a therapy dog apprentice. What a fine turn of events, Laruel and Baker.

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.