Hey,
We're headed out to Walhalla to the Darby's hunt test. Keep your fingers crossed for us. We could make some significant progress this weekend.
Best regards,
Wish Us Luck
-
Greg Jennings
- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 5743
- Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 11:59 am
- Location: Springboro, OH
Wish Us Luck
FC Snips Spot-On Shooter SH
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
-
Greg Jennings
- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 5743
- Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 11:59 am
- Location: Springboro, OH
Hey all,
Prelim report here from my laptop in beautiful Clemson, SC.
We Q'ed today and completed our last leg of JH. We're bumping up tomorrow to SH. Keep your fingers crossed!
Best,
Prelim report here from my laptop in beautiful Clemson, SC.
We Q'ed today and completed our last leg of JH. We're bumping up tomorrow to SH. Keep your fingers crossed!
Best,
FC Snips Spot-On Shooter SH
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
Well good luck with the SH! I'll be getting Justus out in February for his first hunt test and start on the JH. Know where I can find a copy of that book "Qualify!"? I already got the info from the AKC and read that.
- Steven
Justus Kennels.com
Justus James Ayres SH CGC - Justus - Rest in Peace, buddy.
Wind River's JK Clara Belle - Belle
Wind River's JK Black Tie Affair - Tux
Justus Kennels.com
Justus James Ayres SH CGC - Justus - Rest in Peace, buddy.
Wind River's JK Clara Belle - Belle
Wind River's JK Black Tie Affair - Tux
-
sdgord
qualify
Steven,
I have been looking for a copy of qualify for about six months if you come up with a copy let me know. Steve from the Checkcord had found some copies for $150.00 each but that seems a bit high for a book that sold for $19.95. If I can come up with a reasonable bona fide copy I will let you know.SDGORD
I have been looking for a copy of qualify for about six months if you come up with a copy let me know. Steve from the Checkcord had found some copies for $150.00 each but that seems a bit high for a book that sold for $19.95. If I can come up with a reasonable bona fide copy I will let you know.SDGORD
-
Greg Jennings
- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 5743
- Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 11:59 am
- Location: Springboro, OH
Another preliminary report:
We Q'ed for our first SH Sunday. He had me sweating bullets. We had 7 total finds.
I'll post more later including lessons learned.
Best regards,
We Q'ed for our first SH Sunday. He had me sweating bullets. We had 7 total finds.
I'll post more later including lessons learned.
Best regards,
FC Snips Spot-On Shooter SH
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
-
12 Volt Man
- Rank: 5X Champion
- Posts: 820
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 1:25 pm
- Location: Utah
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snip
-
GrouseHunter22
-
Greg Jennings
- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 5743
- Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 11:59 am
- Location: Springboro, OH
All,
As promised earlier in this thread, here is coverage of the recent AKC Pointing Dog Hunt Test that I attended. I apologize in advance for the length, but I wanted to put everything in one post.
The test was Thanksgiving Weekend, November 27-28 at the Darby's Whitetail Kennels property in Walhalla, SC. That's about 100 miles NE of Atlanta mostly up I-85. Since I live in Montgomery, AL, it was a 4 hour trip for me. I stayed in Clemson, SC. It's about 15 minutes from there to the event location. There are some nice hotels closer that I will check out next time.
The test was very well run. Lunch was organized with the efficiency of a military operation. The food was hot, tasty and sufficient in quantity. With that said, I understand that the lunches have been better than that in the past.
The hunt test was, if not completely full, then nearly so. Things ran efficiently enough that all the braces were done in good sunlight despite the overcast. I've never seen it, but I hope to see one day a hunt test with a large, visible sign up to show the current brace and the brace "on deck".
The course for MH and SH was a moderate back course and a bird field. There were some birds in a short section of the back course. JH was bird-field-only. The field was a good compromise between cover and visibility. My dog is big running, so I would have liked a little more visibility.
There were lots of birds in the bird field. The gunners stayed in the bird field. It seemed to me that the gunners were competent. At least none of my birds got away. On two of my retrieves, the gunners both shot, and hit, the bird. I would have preferred that they only shoot once, but perhaps it's the better of the alternatives. I would also have preferred that the gunners meet the braces at the start of the bird field rather than coming from the far end. We had a find about 10 yards in and it took a long time (or it seemed like it
) for them to get there.
On Saturday, we tested for our last leg of JH. We had two finds and it was unremarkable. We passed with all 9's on one card and all 8's on the other (Earl is hard marker). I could have done a better job of keeping my dog running up and down the rows of sage grass rather than letting him get into the woods where there were lots of birds coveying back up. He caught a bird and that will probably set us back some.
On Sunday, we bumped up to go for our first leg of SH. We had 7 total finds: 1 on the back course, 2 points with retrieve, 1 where I relocated my dog and the bird flushed wild (my dog did a nice stop-to-flush), 1 with 1:30 left on the clock with two birds running wild and a safety called on the shot and finally with 30 seconds left, a find and retrieve of a cold dead bird (my heart was up in my throat). We had to do a set-up for our back because my bracemate was picked up on the back course. We passed with 8's and 9's on both cards.
I did some things well and did some stupid things:
Before the event, I sat down and made a little folder with directions, the hunt test premium, some information on local restaurants, etc. I knew the configuration of the course(s) and the length of the braces. I also jotted down some notes about my general game plan. That ended up helping me (mostly) do my job as a handler.
Saturday, I let my dog get too pumped up. I like the looks and the big breakaway and run of an excited dog, but I should have been thinking ahead and kept him calmer. He ended up breaking on the shot on our 2nd - 6th birds Sunday. Since we're training to Master Hunter requirements where the dog must be staunch until released, breaking on the shot is a mistake even though it's allowed in SH. I attribute the breaking partly to him getting trial wise from mistakes without correction Saturday. I think we'll be set back a little in our training.
Sunday, before the event, I spent some time working on some general obedience with my dog to remind him that I expect him to mind me even at hunt tests. I also took measures to keep my dog calm leading up to the test. I believe that both paid off.
Sunday, before my first attempt at SH, I walked one of the early braces in order to get a feel for the course. I timed how long it took us to get to the bird field. 10 minutes. Wow, I really didn't want to spend 20 minutes in the bird field, so in my brace I did everything I could to spend time on the back course. I ended up getting to the bird field with 15 minutes left.
During my SH brace, I tried to keep my dog away from areas that where the gunners couldn't shoot and where there were clumps of birds coveying back up. I felt that getting into a "covey" situation would pump him up and increase the odds of coming unglued. I could have done a better job of keeping him out of birds after the first find/retrieve, but he's a big-running dog.
I made every effort to keep my excitement down and, in general, to do everything just as in training. E.g., I came in from the side each time and lightly stroked his back and quietly praised him.
The 6th find was by a road and thus it was highly likely that the gunners would have to call a safety. So, I had my blank pistol out, cocked and ready. The scene that was in my head was that I would flush the bird or birds, they would fly over the road and I would shoot the blank pistol. At that point, if my dog broke, all would be OK. The birds though, there were two, were running like antelope, and I became fixated on the scene in my mind. We were now probably 20 yards in front of my dog and I couldn't see him. I finally chased them down and got them up; the birds flushed over the field and curved back toward the judges. The gunner finally called safety and I popped the blank, my dog broke and all was good. What I should have done was stay in sight of my dog and when I couldn't get the birds up, ask the judges to let me heel my dog away.
With seconds left, our 7th find was a dead bird. My dog picked up the bird without pointing. I told the judge that the bird was dead, but my heart was in my throat and I wasn't thinking straight....I was thinking about the bird he caught on Saturday...I was so eager to prove to the judge that the bird was dead that I threw the bird to the judge without asking if he wanted to see the bird. The judge wasn't ready to catch the bird and it created an awkward scene. He told me in a slightly irritated voice that he'd seen the bird was dead when my dog picked it up. His irritation was justified. It was my job to offer to show him the bird.
Since my bracemate was picked up, my dog didn't have an opportunity to back. So, we did a set-up. Given the direction of the wind, and how the bird was planted, the most probable location of the point was going to be in the tall sage grass and the backing down didn't provide a lot of contrast. Let's just say that we got through it and leave it there. Don't ask, don't tell.
All in all, it was a well-thought-out and executed hunt test and we'll be going back to their next hunt test this Spring.
Best regards,
As promised earlier in this thread, here is coverage of the recent AKC Pointing Dog Hunt Test that I attended. I apologize in advance for the length, but I wanted to put everything in one post.
The test was Thanksgiving Weekend, November 27-28 at the Darby's Whitetail Kennels property in Walhalla, SC. That's about 100 miles NE of Atlanta mostly up I-85. Since I live in Montgomery, AL, it was a 4 hour trip for me. I stayed in Clemson, SC. It's about 15 minutes from there to the event location. There are some nice hotels closer that I will check out next time.
The test was very well run. Lunch was organized with the efficiency of a military operation. The food was hot, tasty and sufficient in quantity. With that said, I understand that the lunches have been better than that in the past.
The hunt test was, if not completely full, then nearly so. Things ran efficiently enough that all the braces were done in good sunlight despite the overcast. I've never seen it, but I hope to see one day a hunt test with a large, visible sign up to show the current brace and the brace "on deck".
The course for MH and SH was a moderate back course and a bird field. There were some birds in a short section of the back course. JH was bird-field-only. The field was a good compromise between cover and visibility. My dog is big running, so I would have liked a little more visibility.
There were lots of birds in the bird field. The gunners stayed in the bird field. It seemed to me that the gunners were competent. At least none of my birds got away. On two of my retrieves, the gunners both shot, and hit, the bird. I would have preferred that they only shoot once, but perhaps it's the better of the alternatives. I would also have preferred that the gunners meet the braces at the start of the bird field rather than coming from the far end. We had a find about 10 yards in and it took a long time (or it seemed like it
) for them to get there.On Saturday, we tested for our last leg of JH. We had two finds and it was unremarkable. We passed with all 9's on one card and all 8's on the other (Earl is hard marker). I could have done a better job of keeping my dog running up and down the rows of sage grass rather than letting him get into the woods where there were lots of birds coveying back up. He caught a bird and that will probably set us back some.
On Sunday, we bumped up to go for our first leg of SH. We had 7 total finds: 1 on the back course, 2 points with retrieve, 1 where I relocated my dog and the bird flushed wild (my dog did a nice stop-to-flush), 1 with 1:30 left on the clock with two birds running wild and a safety called on the shot and finally with 30 seconds left, a find and retrieve of a cold dead bird (my heart was up in my throat). We had to do a set-up for our back because my bracemate was picked up on the back course. We passed with 8's and 9's on both cards.
I did some things well and did some stupid things:
Before the event, I sat down and made a little folder with directions, the hunt test premium, some information on local restaurants, etc. I knew the configuration of the course(s) and the length of the braces. I also jotted down some notes about my general game plan. That ended up helping me (mostly) do my job as a handler.
Saturday, I let my dog get too pumped up. I like the looks and the big breakaway and run of an excited dog, but I should have been thinking ahead and kept him calmer. He ended up breaking on the shot on our 2nd - 6th birds Sunday. Since we're training to Master Hunter requirements where the dog must be staunch until released, breaking on the shot is a mistake even though it's allowed in SH. I attribute the breaking partly to him getting trial wise from mistakes without correction Saturday. I think we'll be set back a little in our training.
Sunday, before the event, I spent some time working on some general obedience with my dog to remind him that I expect him to mind me even at hunt tests. I also took measures to keep my dog calm leading up to the test. I believe that both paid off.
Sunday, before my first attempt at SH, I walked one of the early braces in order to get a feel for the course. I timed how long it took us to get to the bird field. 10 minutes. Wow, I really didn't want to spend 20 minutes in the bird field, so in my brace I did everything I could to spend time on the back course. I ended up getting to the bird field with 15 minutes left.
During my SH brace, I tried to keep my dog away from areas that where the gunners couldn't shoot and where there were clumps of birds coveying back up. I felt that getting into a "covey" situation would pump him up and increase the odds of coming unglued. I could have done a better job of keeping him out of birds after the first find/retrieve, but he's a big-running dog.
I made every effort to keep my excitement down and, in general, to do everything just as in training. E.g., I came in from the side each time and lightly stroked his back and quietly praised him.
The 6th find was by a road and thus it was highly likely that the gunners would have to call a safety. So, I had my blank pistol out, cocked and ready. The scene that was in my head was that I would flush the bird or birds, they would fly over the road and I would shoot the blank pistol. At that point, if my dog broke, all would be OK. The birds though, there were two, were running like antelope, and I became fixated on the scene in my mind. We were now probably 20 yards in front of my dog and I couldn't see him. I finally chased them down and got them up; the birds flushed over the field and curved back toward the judges. The gunner finally called safety and I popped the blank, my dog broke and all was good. What I should have done was stay in sight of my dog and when I couldn't get the birds up, ask the judges to let me heel my dog away.
With seconds left, our 7th find was a dead bird. My dog picked up the bird without pointing. I told the judge that the bird was dead, but my heart was in my throat and I wasn't thinking straight....I was thinking about the bird he caught on Saturday...I was so eager to prove to the judge that the bird was dead that I threw the bird to the judge without asking if he wanted to see the bird. The judge wasn't ready to catch the bird and it created an awkward scene. He told me in a slightly irritated voice that he'd seen the bird was dead when my dog picked it up. His irritation was justified. It was my job to offer to show him the bird.
Since my bracemate was picked up, my dog didn't have an opportunity to back. So, we did a set-up. Given the direction of the wind, and how the bird was planted, the most probable location of the point was going to be in the tall sage grass and the backing down didn't provide a lot of contrast. Let's just say that we got through it and leave it there. Don't ask, don't tell.
All in all, it was a well-thought-out and executed hunt test and we'll be going back to their next hunt test this Spring.
Best regards,
Last edited by Greg Jennings on Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
FC Snips Spot-On Shooter SH
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
Sounds good. Running the upper levels on Sat is always easier because you usually don`t have the covey situation. I may try the spring test with a couple of dogs. We were at Centertown for a 3-day Thanksgiving trial. Tough Region to compete in, I took a 1st with Logan and Rick took a 3rd with Fritz. We felt lucky to leave with that.
brenda
-
Greg Jennings
- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 5743
- Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2004 11:59 am
- Location: Springboro, OH
Hi Brenda,
Welcome back. I hope you had a great trip to TX and KY. Congratulations on the placement with Logan. Please pass along my congrats to Rick and Fritz.
Thank you for the kind words. I hope you'll make it to the Darby's this Spring. I also hope to be running a certain little GSP that looks amazingly like Fritz....
Best regards,
Welcome back. I hope you had a great trip to TX and KY. Congratulations on the placement with Logan. Please pass along my congrats to Rick and Fritz.
Thank you for the kind words. I hope you'll make it to the Darby's this Spring. I also hope to be running a certain little GSP that looks amazingly like Fritz....
Best regards,
FC Snips Spot-On Shooter SH
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=3149