Jack Honors True's Find - A real "AHA" moment for me!
(Click to see larger image of this quail in between the two boys)
(Click to see larger image of this quail in between the two boys)
We knew there was one bird to find but we (the people) had no idea where it was. True approached me for a brief meet and greet when suddenly he stopped on a dime in the dirt, so much so that he actually kicked dirt up - it reminded me of a kid sliding into home base at a little league game, no exageration here. I yelled to John that True was on point and at about that moment Jack came up through the other side of brush and he too slammed solid. And I had chills, honest to God, I did. I couldn't see any darn bird, but I knew that there had to be one that these two boys do not mess around. John yelled at me "can you see it?" Well no I couldn't, I didn't have my glasses on so how could I see 'it' -it being the bird. Then I guess he could see it because he said "I see it" it's between them. Between them? Between them where!? Oh! MY!!! YES !! I SEE IT! And then I said "WAIT! Let me get my camera" all the time hoping the dogs wouldn't move so I could capture this Kodak moment in the lives of these two Brittany dogs! So Jack honored True nicely and neither one of them could see this bird but every fiber in their being told them it was there. And I have the picture to prove it.
Having a pair of well-trained dogs hunting together is of great importance for many reasons. The way your dog reacts to another dog on point can be a delicate matter when there are other hunters involved. In a field trial if your dog steals the point of another dog, it's an immedieate pick up, or in other words - you are done for the day! When out with a friend hunting, stealing point may also mean the birds get busted with no one getting into position for a shot at the bird or the birds. Stuff happens. This is a good argument though for not hunting an untrained dog with one that is trained. Anyway - there's moments I'll remember all my life in regards to training and hunting with our Brittanys. This most definitely is going to remain in my top 3 !!
Having a pair of well-trained dogs hunting together is of great importance for many reasons. The way your dog reacts to another dog on point can be a delicate matter when there are other hunters involved. In a field trial if your dog steals the point of another dog, it's an immedieate pick up, or in other words - you are done for the day! When out with a friend hunting, stealing point may also mean the birds get busted with no one getting into position for a shot at the bird or the birds. Stuff happens. This is a good argument though for not hunting an untrained dog with one that is trained. Anyway - there's moments I'll remember all my life in regards to training and hunting with our Brittanys. This most definitely is going to remain in my top 3 !!
Rose, Scooby, and Treasure were also with us. I'm not much of an assistant trainer these days but I enjoyed watching the dogs and John. I posted a bunch of photos on Facebook of the outing which really was amazing. John begins by taking out a pair of dogs for a short run around the field to let them stretch their legs. Then he takes them one by one for birdwork, just keeping it simple and easy with little pressure. He does like to fire over each dog that points a bird that gets flushed. But it's not worth it to put pressure on them so early in the season, it can have some negative effects on them in the long run. I appreciate his manner with the dogs, recognizing the unique personality of each one. For instance, Scooby definitely is being goofy. One day he's on, the next day he's off on another planet but what good does it do to push him? We know what he has and what he is capable of based on our experiences with him in the past. Treasure has really come fully back into her own and John's considering her participation in upcoming AKC Hunt Tests. On the other hand, Jack isn't likely to get away with ANYTHING that does not measure up to ones expectation of a finished gundog. True, is at the same level of performance as Uncle Jack, yet due toTrues young age John's expecations of him are not as strong as they are for Jack. Even so, it is a thing of beauty to watch True and Jack work together, and it simply amazes me. And here I am counting the days until Jacks daughter Piper returns, looking forward to seeing how much she's grown and holding her in my arms again - for about 2 seconds before she's OFF!
Despite the fact that the local weather forecast calls for a major noreaster with 12" of snow predicted, I will remain firmly planted and solidly rooted in my belief SPRING HAS SPRUNG! This belief is supported in part due to the arrival of woodcock here at ATB. And speaking of which, I do have a story to tell about the woodcock population 'here'. Now I really have no empiracle evidence to prove that what I am about to say is true other than I'm telling you the truth. And as I weave this little tale it will be clear to those familiar with the nature of this gamebird I do not know much about them, other than my own personal and limited experience.
Every year since we moved here there has been 1 sole woodcock make ATB it's home. It was discovered quite accidently when Molly Rose was a year old. As she has very particular (peculiar?) bathroom habits in the woods one must exercise patience while she finds the most perfect spot for her needs. Usually this involves fallen leaves at the edge of wherever she happens to be. I had seen few woodcock in my life. Okay, I'll be even more transparent - I had NEVER seen woodcock up close and personal, only pheasant and grouse (partridge). I grew up with the ocean just down the street from my house and was more familiar with seabirds. This means I was very familiar with the Sandpiper. So I'm out in the yard waiting for Molly to "go" and suddenly her countenance changed completely as she leaned forward, brought a foot up, and demonstrated a very pretty Molly-esque type point. But on what?! She didn't move as I play-whoaed her and approached from the side and then the front. Suddenly I saw what I thought was a Sandpiper, but only briefly. It took flight and made what I thought was a really cool sound. It was all pretty exciting to both Molly and me and I went up to the house to tell John. Tired from a long day at work, plus the long commute home it was clear he wasn't as excited about it as I was and certainly didn't believe me that a sandpiper would be around here. And that was that. As our canine crew increased slowly but surely in numbers over the following years and my understanding of training bird dogs increased this phenomena would repeat itself every spring, in about the same location but with different dogs. When Timber was here I used to work him in a stand of pine trees in back of our house which have since been thinned out. It was wet and kind of boggy but offered a chance for me to develop some easy paths to walk while letting the dogs 'hunt'. He made the discovery too of this mysterious sandpiper (yes I know my ignorance is now gleaming brightly!). A couple of summers ago, when we cleared even more of our land and put the pond in, the dogs discovered a nesting Sandpiper. I learned to keep the dogs away from these areas because I really did eventually come to believe it was a resident woodcock. So very often the dogs would lock up, facing the neighbors property and I figured out the bird was staying around enough to play with the dogs. Do they do that? I dunno! Our homing pigeons will plague the dogs relentlessly sometimes, landing on the top of the outdoor kennel runs and walking on the tin roof. Well, now that a lot of the snow has melted down back the dogs are loving all the fresh, new scents of springtime. I've been watching them enjoy their longer running periods around our property which are complimented with their recent excursions to do some birdwork in local fields. I have noticed they have been drawn to that particular area where the "Sandpiper" has been discovered in past years. I said as much to John but he politely dismissed my theory. Yesterday, Pippin caught my eye with her very dramatic stance - talk about square. She stood solidly, frozen as a statue but was in an area I could not easily get to. I had my camera though and zoomed in to catch a shot of her. The moment came and went and it was soon time to bring the dogs back up and get them fed and settled. Later on, John came in and said "Guess what Jack just did and what I just saw when I was cleaning out in back of the garage?" So Jack gets the glory for something that I have known all along. That there is 1 woodcock, that comes back here year after year to find a place to nest and hatch a bird or two. This means of course there must be more than 1 of them around. And someday - I will get a picture of my Sandpiper-Woodcock. Actually, the Woodcock is related to the Sandpiper and to the Snipe and they all have similar characteristics. In the end - this is my story and I'm sticking to it.
And that's all she wrote! Take care and God Bless and oh yes Molly is bigger. John, Ann and ATB
Despite the fact that the local weather forecast calls for a major noreaster with 12" of snow predicted, I will remain firmly planted and solidly rooted in my belief SPRING HAS SPRUNG! This belief is supported in part due to the arrival of woodcock here at ATB. And speaking of which, I do have a story to tell about the woodcock population 'here'. Now I really have no empiracle evidence to prove that what I am about to say is true other than I'm telling you the truth. And as I weave this little tale it will be clear to those familiar with the nature of this gamebird I do not know much about them, other than my own personal and limited experience.
Every year since we moved here there has been 1 sole woodcock make ATB it's home. It was discovered quite accidently when Molly Rose was a year old. As she has very particular (peculiar?) bathroom habits in the woods one must exercise patience while she finds the most perfect spot for her needs. Usually this involves fallen leaves at the edge of wherever she happens to be. I had seen few woodcock in my life. Okay, I'll be even more transparent - I had NEVER seen woodcock up close and personal, only pheasant and grouse (partridge). I grew up with the ocean just down the street from my house and was more familiar with seabirds. This means I was very familiar with the Sandpiper. So I'm out in the yard waiting for Molly to "go" and suddenly her countenance changed completely as she leaned forward, brought a foot up, and demonstrated a very pretty Molly-esque type point. But on what?! She didn't move as I play-whoaed her and approached from the side and then the front. Suddenly I saw what I thought was a Sandpiper, but only briefly. It took flight and made what I thought was a really cool sound. It was all pretty exciting to both Molly and me and I went up to the house to tell John. Tired from a long day at work, plus the long commute home it was clear he wasn't as excited about it as I was and certainly didn't believe me that a sandpiper would be around here. And that was that. As our canine crew increased slowly but surely in numbers over the following years and my understanding of training bird dogs increased this phenomena would repeat itself every spring, in about the same location but with different dogs. When Timber was here I used to work him in a stand of pine trees in back of our house which have since been thinned out. It was wet and kind of boggy but offered a chance for me to develop some easy paths to walk while letting the dogs 'hunt'. He made the discovery too of this mysterious sandpiper (yes I know my ignorance is now gleaming brightly!). A couple of summers ago, when we cleared even more of our land and put the pond in, the dogs discovered a nesting Sandpiper. I learned to keep the dogs away from these areas because I really did eventually come to believe it was a resident woodcock. So very often the dogs would lock up, facing the neighbors property and I figured out the bird was staying around enough to play with the dogs. Do they do that? I dunno! Our homing pigeons will plague the dogs relentlessly sometimes, landing on the top of the outdoor kennel runs and walking on the tin roof. Well, now that a lot of the snow has melted down back the dogs are loving all the fresh, new scents of springtime. I've been watching them enjoy their longer running periods around our property which are complimented with their recent excursions to do some birdwork in local fields. I have noticed they have been drawn to that particular area where the "Sandpiper" has been discovered in past years. I said as much to John but he politely dismissed my theory. Yesterday, Pippin caught my eye with her very dramatic stance - talk about square. She stood solidly, frozen as a statue but was in an area I could not easily get to. I had my camera though and zoomed in to catch a shot of her. The moment came and went and it was soon time to bring the dogs back up and get them fed and settled. Later on, John came in and said "Guess what Jack just did and what I just saw when I was cleaning out in back of the garage?" So Jack gets the glory for something that I have known all along. That there is 1 woodcock, that comes back here year after year to find a place to nest and hatch a bird or two. This means of course there must be more than 1 of them around. And someday - I will get a picture of my Sandpiper-Woodcock. Actually, the Woodcock is related to the Sandpiper and to the Snipe and they all have similar characteristics. In the end - this is my story and I'm sticking to it.
And that's all she wrote! Take care and God Bless and oh yes Molly is bigger. John, Ann and ATB
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