Gun Dog Forum

phermes1

Question; what is the typical/expected range of a dog in trials like these? I get what you're saying about not wanting to see the dog the entire brace, but from the 1 time I went grouse hunting, in that cover, the dogs were out of sight in no time.It didn't require much distance for them to disappea...

phermes1

Doesn't strike me as a good idea going around that much gunfire with such a young pup. Lots more bad things can happen than good. I would leave him home. JMHO

phermes1

I do believe running on hard surfaces presents a risk to young dogs who are still growing and whose growth plates are not yet closed up. I do believe there are studies backing that up. I'd have to dig them up, though. Now ... that only deals with hard surfaces, ie, pavement. I can't see stairs ever ...

phermes1

I wish I lived closer as I would be there in a heartbeat!

phermes1

All good advice, especially the last 2 posts, although I don't think the rules say you can't tell the handler if you hit the bird or not. I couldn't find it written down and never had a gunner refuse to tell me either way. You definitely can NOT help the handler flush the bird, though. Take the hand...

phermes1

My dad has a Vinci and has let me use it a few times. Really nice gun, you won't regret it.

phermes1

I have a lot of respect for the effort behind such an accomplishment. Congrats!!!

phermes1

When you have him on a lead, he should know to handle himself properly, so definitely teach him that - but that's not your original question. I would not run a dog on lead on hard surfaces until they are least 18-24 months old. That kind of hard impact is not good for the joints or growth plates, an...

phermes1

Congrats!

phermes1

Did you learn much about the resistance that heartworms are starting to show towards products like Heartguard? They are a big concern in Florida. My dogs have always been on heartguard because, basically, any dog that isn't on a preventative WILL have heartworms. If Heartguard is no longer 100% effe...

phermes1

You know, what's really sad here: 95% of the people on this board were probably completely unaware of an ADA issue with field trials, and most, if given the opportunity to rationally discuss it, would be quite open-minded. They're not the 'bad guys'. They didn't even know what was going on. This was...

phermes1

The only reasoning I can figure is - if you can get the dog to back by whoaing it, then it's a serviceable hunting dog. Not sure I'd agree with that, since if it's off on its own it might very well steal point instead, but that's the reasoning I can see behind it. I would prefer to see the dog slow ...

phermes1

And there's the rub...people have differing viewpoints on what constitutes "see or acknowledged". I agree. :) Until a few years ago, it only said 'acknowledge', which I always took to mean the dog starts to slow down or shows some sort of inclination to honor before you whoa it. Once they changed i...

phermes1

The mounted handler must ride behind the walking handler and maintain his horse at the pace of the walking handler. That requirement is really easy to do and I did it 2 weeks ago under the watchful eyes of AKC representative Gary Sadler. The same is required of the ATV handler. It just requires goo...

phermes1

Yes, once the dog has 'seen or acknowledged' the other dog on point.

phermes1

Jeff, Did the AKC provide the event-giving clubs any specific guidance on what would be considered proper usage of a horse/atv while handling? As a frequent chair/secretary/competitor, my concern is simple; maintaining a level playing field. A horse or atv can be abused, and other organizations, lik...

phermes1

Sign me up! Thanks!

phermes1

Great news! Glad you found him!

I would recommend a duralon collar with either a Boomerang tag or a riveted nameplate.

http://www.boomerangtags.com/

phermes1

More often than not, when a friend of mine has had their dog go missing for more than a couple hours, the dog had been found and picked up. It was either still at the house of the person that found it or at the local shelter. Also, when scouting shelters, insist on going in and seeing the dogs yours...

phermes1

I was at work, in the cafeteria getting a soda. Went over to the TV's and saw the first tower smoking. All the news said was that a plane had struck the tower. I had no idea of the scale of the hole in the building, so I looked at it and figured some dumb*ss in a Cessna screwed up. Perfect example o...

phermes1

I would love to give it a try, but it doesn't look like there are any trials even remotely close to me. Oh well.

phermes1

For what it's worth, when I take my dogs to the beach, my approach is that that's their off-time, so I don't use the word 'fetch' when I'm there. They run around, chase seagulls, I throw sticks for them, they have a good ol' time. I don't give them any commands, so as a result, there aren't any comm...

phermes1

Congrats!

phermes1

My main concern is potential abuse as well. How is the speed of the handler going to be regulated? NSTRA requires a walker for each disabled handler on an ATV, and I believe they're experimenting with speed regulators as well. That appears to me like a very common-sense, easily-applied procedure. I ...

phermes1

Internet message boards never fix issues like this. This post never should have happened.

phermes1

topher40 wrote: Only when they dont buy dogs from me! People that pay that much for a dog are self insuring in most cases.

No doubt.

My point being, Some folks will spend thousands to get a good dog. I don't see how it's much different to spend thousands to keep from losing one you already have.

phermes1

There are also people out there that will spend thousands of dollars to buy a trained hunting or field trial dog. Are they crazy, too?

phermes1

The biggest thing I would want insurance for are accidents; snakebite, major injury, major surgery, etc. Big-ticket items when I don't have a few grand laying around. Routine care isn't really a big enough burden to justify insurance. The problem is that any insurance policy I've seen puts caps on t...

phermes1

I tried it once years ago. I paid montly premiums for a year and a half before my first claim - which they then proceeded to deny 90% of before sending me a check for $20.

It might be better now, but in my experience, it wasn't worth it.

phermes1

They work great for a dog that accepts them. One of ours is crate-trained and does great in wire or plastic crates, but she's figured out how to escape the soft crates. Leave her alone for a minute and she hooks one nail into the zipper, opens it up and is out in seconds. Tying the zipper shut doesn...

phermes1

The outcome coulda been a lot worse than a 6 week layoff.

Glad to hear he's OK!

phermes1

Screams blockage to me. I second the ultrasound.

phermes1

Sounds to me like the breeder doesn't have the pedigree to hand over. I can't really think of a good reason to not provide it.

phermes1

Glucosamine and chondroitin, and all of the suggestions above.

Also, if he only has 2 weeks to get the dog in shape, don't try to cram 4 weeks of conditioning into 2.

phermes1

Greg Jennings wrote: Very weighty for a Friday evening. So, right now, I believe I'll retire to the couch with a Dos Equis and a good book.

When he goes to Rome, they do as he does.

phermes1

remmy wrote:I don't think bells are allowed in AKC trials.

We asked an AKC rep that was at one of our trials years ago and he said they were allowed.

phermes1

Can your dog wear a bell at an AKC trial? Yes

Will the judges look down on it? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on the judge.

Will the bell hurt your chances? Maybe, if your dog ever shows up behind.

Would I put one on MY dog? No. Because of the answers to the last 2 questions.

phermes1

Some of the posts that lead up to it acted as though it was the end of the world of a dog was altered. That's just not the case.

I think what you were reading were responses to others acting like spay/neuter would solve all of the world's problems. It won't.

phermes1

Enough people saying "I think I got it" at least confirms for me that I'm not being totally thick about it. I mean - what is she driving at? What are we supposed to do now? What is her perception of our role in this, and how does she recommend we change? In 100 words or less. I re-read both of those...

phermes1

Greg Jennings wrote:Thorina wins the prize for the longest post ever.

No kidding.
I'm still not even sure what her actual point is either... :roll:

phermes1

Well said, ezzy.

phermes1

Agreed with taking him off food completely for a day. Also - if he doesn't get better, it might be a matter of that food just not agreeing with him. I've had that happen before. Perfectly good food, nothing wrong with it, just one of my dogs didn't do well on it. Switched him to a different food and...

phermes1

SubMariner wrote:
Now we just have to figure out how old the "new addition" needs to be to do snake avoidance.

I can already tell you, Bud doesn't deviate much from the guidelines he has, which I think is 6 months and 20 lbs.

phermes1

I have yet to hear of a dog around here bitten by either a spider or a scorpion. In either case, the scorpions here don't amount to more than a bad bee sting. I think recluse spiders have been found in Florida, but aren't native. I don't think either poses a real threat to my dog's life, which is my...

phermes1

Since the vaccine was created using the western diamondback, and I live in Florida where A) that snake isn't an issue and B) the vaccine's effectiveness on the snakes that are a threat, I've chosen not to get it done. That is a decision that I've second-guessed a few times, and if, God forbid, I eve...

phermes1

Congrats!

phermes1

With price as no object, I'd most likely go with Honda. I've ridden a friend's Honda a few times - fast, good handling, lots of power, and comfortable. I also have to mention Yamaha. I have an 04 Beartracker that has served me extremely well for 7 years despite me beating the tar out of it. Some of ...

phermes1

My wife recently told me of a study on rottweilers that she had seen. Of the rottweilers in the study that lived long lives, not a single one was neutered before the age of 4. I think that the knee-jerk reaction to fix everything you don't plan on breeding as soon as humanly possible is wrong. No do...

phermes1

Regarding peroxide - great idea. Also, if a tablespoon doesn't work, give it more until it does. A vet friend of mine told me you pretty much can't give the dog too much. Don't give it an entire bottle all at once, but if the recommended dosage for its bodyweight isn't doing the trick, more isn't go...

phermes1

Can't say I'd trust many of Mark's statistics.

For eastern grounds, there is a place in western Kentucky near Paducah that I've heard good things about. Never been, personally. Why the VCA hasn't given it more consideration is beyond me.

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