ATB: Dog Training Recap

Breeding Better Bird Dogs - Two Pheasants and a Turkey

It's the end of October already! How quickly the seemingly long hot summer transitioned into brisk autumn days where leaves go through glorious stages of change, to eventually cascade from branches
and lie scattered on the ground, reminding me of a quilt of many colors. And this, THIS is the time of year the dogs live for. From Holly Beth, almost three,  to Molly and Wish who both turn 14 on their next birthday, all things Brittany enjoys this time of year most of all. Most everything we do all year long leads up to the joy and anticipation of the moments that October ushers in.

Bird Hunting 2016. Scooby, Maryann, John.

Beginning in the spring and continuing right up to opening day most mornings John leaves the house very early and heads out to run and train dogs.  They all get to go but not all at the same time.  It's a lot of work but it's also a lot of fun. We have great friends who regularly meet up with their dogs too. On any given morning over the course of several months our Brittanys are regulary run with not only other Brittanys (including French Brittanys) but also English Setters and Pointers. Occasionally a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Vizsla, German Shorthair Pointer, Gordon Setter and a Munsterlander have joined them.

Although he's not a professional dog trainer John is often contacted for advice and tips on training a close working gun dog for the walking upland bird hunter. He's always happy to take the time to offer suggestions over the phone.  He might suggest  bringing their dog to the field so he can informally evaluate them.  John does not train dogs for competitive field events although sometimes our own Brittanys or those from our program will participate in them, usually resulting in a placement.  We do enjoy introducing people to AKC hunt tests, especially those with young pups and that type of training can go hand in hand with training a bird dog in most instances.

We have a purpose driven breeding program and have achieved goals that we had in mind when we bred our first litter in 1990 and in doing so we have  reached a lot of milestones as well.  Breeding better bird dogs has been and always will be our first priority. Everything else is frosting on the cake!

Molly Rose - puppy at heart, going on 14 enjoying Moosehead.

Our circle of 'bird dog friends' grew immensely when John retired. Prior to his retirement he'd been working up to and over 60 hours a week leaving little time for dogs.  We'd been given landowner permission to use over 100 acres of field, orchard, and woods just down the road from us. Not that I really knew what I was doing but I did sure enjoyed those early training days with Molly, Wish, Rosie, Jack, Timberdoodle, Treasure, and Pippin! While I thought I was the one doing the teaching the fact of the matter is that they were the one teaching me. They showed me honoring before I knew what it was.  They taught me about the intensity of the point before I understood the importance of it. I observed strong, natural and inherent instincts hard at work before I could even articulate what I was seeing.  I delighted to learn about the scent cone by watching my dog naturally quarter a field in front of me, and so much more.

The summer of his retirement John and another friend helped a nearby pro-trainer in the field with the dogs he was training at his facility.  The following year John returned to assist on a full time basis when his trainer friend had a few serious health issues which fortunately were resolved.

Since we still had permission to use the field near our home that's where John started to run dogs the following summer. We could have two johnny houses there for our our quail, pigeons, and chukar partridge. Some mornings John was joined by others and their dogs and other times he had

Molly's daughter Rose, Moosehead Lake 2016 (almost 12)

the morning to himself with our dogs. For almost 10 years we enjoyed this property and many very special memories were made, leaving us grateful to the landowner for that opportunity.

This spring the news was disappointing when we learned we could no longer use that property as it was going to be turned into a hay field. Friends understood our disappointment and began to look around on our behalf for a new space.  Before too long new 'grounds' were obtained with another generous landowner. The only downfall was that the new land is 40 minutes away. We were spoiled with the other location being so close but everything worked out.  A good time was had by all from spring through to the fall. We were happy to hear how,  as a result of training efforts, a lot of the dogs did well in field events and hunt tests before Maine's bird hunting season began on October 1.

Bird Hunting - Canine family Affair

I make no excuses about not being a morning person and I'm not the early bird that catches the worm! Most of the actual bird hunting is left in John's capable hands and that of our friends.  I did enjoy one morning of hunting with our daughter.  Additionally, John and I headed to the Moosehead Lake Region in Maine for a few days with our entire ATB crew.  Ol' Ruff was rarely sighted! But the dogs loved the total freedom and the chance to spend one on one time with just the two of us. As did I. With the majority of our beloved Brittanys approaching 14, 12, 11, and 10 these moments in time are precious.  The younger dogs were actually taken out to hunt.  The seniors were happy to simply 'be'.

Speaking of lessons and things we learn from our Brittanys. Perhaps one of the greatest lessons we can learn from our senior dogs is the importance of living in the moment. We can experience this with dogs of any age but far to often we may be caught up with an urgency to

Wilderness paradise at Moosehead for ATB.

teach, train, or prepare them for something in particular. By the time the senior dog reaches their golden years the owners sense of urgency arises from the realization that the days of canine companionship are numbered. What may seemingly appear to be insignificant becomes a powerful demonstration of mutual act of love shared with and from them.  Or as we like to say around here "all for the love of the dog, both given and received."

As always thank you for your interest in All Things Brittany.  Take care and God bless.  John, Ann and our beloved canine crew

PS Looking for ATB family hunting photos for 2016 - you know where to send them! Thanks.

Hunting Dogs - Opinion

Seriously? Disposable Hunting Dogs?

Do you know how it is, to read something that just gets under your skin and makes you feel you just have to say SOMETHING, to somebody and speak out against what you know is wrong? Well, that’s the motivation behind this blog tonight and I definitely have SOMETHING to say to whoever will hear my heart.

Believe it or not, there is a shallow mindset among some (not naming any names, groups, organizations) that people who hunt with dogs do not care about their animals.  There is an assumption that we view them as disposable. For instance, if our hunting dog does not perform as we anticipate we abandon them and leave them in the woods.  Or worse, there is also the erroneous suggestion that hunting dogs are the reason for dog overpopulation.  You see, all these abandoned hunting dogs running at large seek out the nearest intact female, barge into the yard of the unsuspecting (so-called responsible) dog owner, have a grand old time, and leave behind an unwanted litter of hunting puppies which (according to something I was once told) then is taken to the local shelter, pound, rescue, vet etc. How absolutely preposterous, ridiculous, and yes asinine for anyone to believe such nonsense!!  Deep breaths Ann. Deep, deep breaths.

And here’s the gist of a conversation posted on one of the social networks just the other night. “Hunters think of their hunting dogs as disposable. They intentionally leave them behind at the end of the hunting season. They buy a new puppy every season.  The hunter throws their hunting dogs away. The hunters dump the dogs who don’t hunt or who are gun shy. After the season many will turn them out or shoot them because it’s cheaper to just get another dog than to feed one all winter long.”

I am very fortunate to have a wonderful circle of acquaintances throughout Maine and the country that enjoy the sport of bird hunting.  I also have friends who breed dogs for bear hunting, coon hunting, rabbit hunting and others. I know what goes into breeding a hunting/sporting dog.  It is not hit or miss. It is deliberate, and often the result of years of planning. The majority of dog breeders involved with improving their particular breed of sporting dog have purpose driven programs. By this I mean that they want to preserve the particular and unique strong instincts and traits within their line. They also want their dogs to not only hunt for them – but they want that same dog to curl up on the couch with their grandchildren, roll over for belly rubs, and share popcorn with them.

I’m tired of all hunters being painted with the same broad paintbrush. Sure. There are those hunters and dog breeders alike who do mess it up for the rest of us.  But the rest of us – the MAJORITY of us would really like to set the record straight.

By the way, I  know from my own experience with breed rescue that the majority of people surrendering are not bad people, and I feel it is wrong and unethical to make assumptions and judgements.  My experience in working with surrendered animals is that most of the time that owner is torn up pretty good about making that decision especially when it’s a local surrender.

A whole lot of time, money, resources, training, and most especially – love and caring – is the norm when it comes to a hunter bringing home a little hunting puppy.  I’d like to assume that most breeders work closely matching up a particular breed and it’s disposition to a particular family situation.  Most. Not all.

There are visits to the veterinarian, registration, micro-chip, health evaluations, puppy kindergarten, specific training tools, dog food, toys, leads, leashes, you name it the list is endless. Now I’ve not taken the time to itemize these expenses but suffice to say it all adds up.  You spend the first year or two just letting that puppy learn what it’s job is, expose them to whatever it is you want to hunt with them and you have fun. And as this is going on, a very strong human – animal bond is forming.  A strong human – animal bond that is just as powerful as it is with any other dog obtained under any other situation or circumstances. The difference here is that the hunting and sporting dog, bred with a particular purpose in mind is most often uniquely and supremely – a deliberate choice with much, much time and thought behind it. Some people wait for years for the hunting companion of their dreams, for their once in a lifetime best buddy.

It is absolutely ridiculous and ignorant to make a statement saying that hunting dog owners do not care for their animals!!!

If you’re not a hunter, then you’re not a hunter. Some of us are gatherers, some are harvesters, some are hunters.  Just because someone is a non-hunter, does not mean they are anti-hunting.

Many people who hunt with a dog own more than one.  Always in the back of their mind is the reality that one day their best canine bud is not going to move in the woods as well, that the hearing will go, perhaps the eyesight.  The last thing the hunter is going to do is leave that dog behind when they leave their hunting grounds then run out and buy another puppy for the next season. With all that is involved, most notably the time  -I cannot believe people think this way!

Many hunters absolutely WILL bring in a younger pup while the senior dog is still able to enjoy life. A new companion and many are the stories of how the senior dog rebounds for a while with their new young companion.

The strength of the loving human – animal bond is evident when the master is afield with their well trained hunting companion. There’s different kinds of hunting. And some dogs live in kennels, kennels that are dry, warm, and comfortable. The sporting, hunting dog is happiest when doing that thing they were created and bred to do while spending time with their family that loves them. The people who love and own them know this and provide training year round – just to give them the opportunity to hunt during the season of choice.  Those who want their dogs trained properly will often spend hundreds and thousands of dollars for their dogs to participate in a structured training program. During non-hunting seasons, many of these same dogs are actively engaged year round in various ‘performance’ events which simulate the actual hunting itself by competing in field trials or hunt tests etc. depending upon the breed.

As for the owners of sporting and hunting dogs.  Some participate with their dog in events targeted at youth and disabled veterans.  They provide training seminars for those with an interest in learning. They make themselves available to others to teach the basics. These dog owners may be surgeons, politicians, lawyers, small business owners or they may be your retired couple just down the street.  When their dog comes up missing, these hunting dog owners are frantic with worry until they are reunited with their dogs.

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it friends!  In the meantime, there are several Brittanys lying nearby who will be out in the field tomorrow bird hunting with my husband and I. They most definitely are not disposable. ~ Ann H. Short, J&A's Brittanys, Acton Maine

NOTE: This original article first appeared in my expired blog "Maine Hunting & Sporting Dog Owners" at Bangor Daily News on October 7, 2012.