Follow-up Friday 5-24-13

Posted in dog training, Follow-up Friday, Hunt Test by

Its Friday again and time to join Jodi at Heart Like A Dog and co-host I Still Want More Puppies for Follow-up Friday.  It’s the blog hop that: let’s you wrap up your week and leads you right into the weekend.

Today I will try to answer questions from the past week.

murphydogs asked:  Does their [Chessie] coat sunburn and bleach out as with Chocolate Labs?

I have seen some really bleached Chocolate Labs, especially if they have spent a lot of time in the field.  I have not noticed that our dogs’ coats bleach that much.  The only time I have noticed a real change in color is when they are blowing coat and then it is a lighter color just before it sheds.  I guess our dogs would say that they need more time in the field.  ;)

Jodi asked:  I’m assuming they are thicker during winter because the water is colder and the fur provides better protection?

Yes.  Our dogs usually start getting a winter coat in time for Fall hunting season.

Storm Has A Lot Of Spots Yo Fill In For Hunting Season

Storm Has A Lot Of Spots To Fill In For Hunting Season

BunkThePug asked:  Do you think Chesapeake Bay Retrievers would work well for someone who lives in an apartment in downtown Nashville? We seem to see them more in open spaces, and we’re wondering for this friend. She runs and will probably take the dog running and such!

They are very high energy dogs and need a lot of exercise just about every day.  Here is a great article from the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue site which may answer their questions.  I urge them to read and consider it:

Don’t Buy A Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Pups Are High Energy!

Pups Are High Energy!

dogloverofmax@gmail.com asked:  Ok, so I have a weird question…don’t be laughing at my total ignorance here but after they are totally perfect in all their training what is your ultimate goal from the training? I’m not sure if I’m really asking my question right but for example will you offer hunting trips or something for people without super trained dogs or is it just for your own enjoyment, etc. – does that make sense? Like just purely for fun or shows, a hunting business?

Not a weird question at all.  My own family members ask it often.  :lol:   I doubt our dogs will ever be “perfect”, but our ultimate goal is to run Master Hunter level tests with our dogs.  Getting a dog ready to run a test at that level takes a lot of training.  Thunder and Storm are both able to run Master level tests.  Whether they will pass is a whole other story.

Beyond that, it is a hobby.  Every hunt test is a completely different challenge for the dog and handler.  Ultimately we would like the dogs to earn Master Hunter titles, but Thunder and Storm have a way to go for that.  Should they title, many dogs continue to run tests just for fun and for the challenge.  Of course the training benefits both the dog and handler for hunting season too since our dogs are first and foremost hunting dogs.

I Like This Picture Of Storm

I Like This Picture Of Storm

Many of you asked if Storm missed her puppies.

After she looked around and didn’t find them and tried unsuccessfully to make the cat into a puppy, she pretty much moved on.  She doesn’t seem to be dwelling on them.  I even think that once she realized her puppy duty was finished, her milk started drying up all the faster.

This Picture is From Two Days Ago

This Picture is From Two Days Ago

Marcie asked:  Is there a spot on site to wash your dog off after done with the tests?

No.  If we need to rinse the dogs, we find a clean pond and swim them.  Also, our dog trailer has a water tank and we can use it to rinse the dogs off as necessary.  Usually we only rinse them if it is a mucky pond.  The ponds at the grounds where last weekend’s test was held are all very clean.

Storm Seasoned Test

Storm Seasoned Test 2011– This Pond Was Pretty Mucky

So We Rinsed Storm Off In This Pond

So We Rinsed Storm Off In This Pond

FleaByte asked:  Off topic – that fake goose – is it life size or bigger than life? Because oh my dog! It’s huge! I’m hoping my little Ryan doesn’t get THAT big!

Never fear.  That is a larger than life-size goose decoy.

A Better View Of Freighter With The Giant Decoys

Freighter With The Giant Goose Decoys

We did not end up getting Freighter yesterday because we were going to pick him up after training but training was cancelled due to rain.  We will pick him up tomorrow.  :)

Have a great holiday weekend!

This is a blog hop!

Hosted By Heart Like A Dog

Hosted By Heart Like A Dog

Thanks so much to Jodi at Heart Like A Dog and co-host I Still Want More Puppies for hosting this week’s hop.  Check out who else is hopping!

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

This ‘N That Thursday

Posted in dog training, Hunt Test, This 'N That Thursday by

Welcome to the This ‘N That Thursday blog hop!

A little of this and a little of that and everything in between…

I am still trying to catch up from my weekend of working at the hunt test.  The week before we were dressed in winter clothes but for the hunt test it was hot and sunny with temperatures in the 80′s.

I was working as the Marshall.  The Marshall’s main job is to organize the running order so that the test keeps moving.  Sometimes handlers are at other stakes or may be running multiple dogs at your stake.  Even though there is a set running order, you usually have to adjust it.  You also may have to call around to other stakes to see if a handler can break away to come and run their dog at your stake.  The Rules state that the Master test takes priority so you can request those handlers come over, but you cannot make them if they are waiting over at the Master stake to run their dogs.  Most people are very helpful and work with you so that the test doesn’t have to stop and wait for too long a time.  The pros at this test were very good at anticipating when they might need to run a dog and usually showed up just as I was starting to look for them.

This Pond Was Used For The Master Test 2011

This Pond Was Used For The Master Test 2011

I worked the Junior stake on Saturday and the Senior stake on Sunday.  The judges setting up these tests set up a super long walk from the parking to the test and from my Marshall station to the line.  I must have walked 100 miles over the course of the weekend.  Not really, but I was pooped.

I wanted to take some pictures of the running dogs but every time I thought to get my camera out, the judges wanted something.  The only picture that I took was the one I posted of Thunder yesterday.  The judges had asked for a “set-up” dog.  A “set-up” dog is used to retrieve practice marks.  Sometime the judges want to check where the mark is going to fall or to check the equipment.  I figured I could finally get a couple of pictures of a dog working.

Thunder "Set-up" Dog

Thunder “Set-up” Dog Or Not

Thunder’s handler took him all the way down to the line and the judges decided they did not need a “set-up” dog after all.  In the end all he did was eat a few blades of grass and I only got the one picture.

I was able to watch Freighter’s sister Sunny run the Junior test on Saturday.  It was a very difficult Junior test.  The first land  mark was a hand thrown dead bird.  The bird was thrown in cover and in front of a pond.  Many many dogs ended up in the pond when they blew over the mark which was in the deep cover.  The second land mark was a shot flyer and landed in a cut corn field on the other side of a road.  The dogs had to cross the road to get the bird.  Sometimes roads can be a problem for young dogs because the road may seem like a wall to them.  Most dogs seemed to have less of a problem with the second mark than they did with the first mark.

The water was also very challenging.  The wind was quite gusty.  The first water mark was a dead bird which fell behind a little island and in a dead tree.  Many dogs missed the bird and got up on the bank and ended up in the field behind the pond.  The second water mark was another dead bird.  It was thrown so that it fell at the edge of the pond.  The dogs had to exit the water, cross a little land peninsula, and re-enter the pond.  There were decoys in front of the peninsula and behind it.  Many dogs looked at that second set of decoys which took the dog’s eyes off the mark.

Senior Test Pond 2011

Senior Test Pond 2011

Sunny got so close to that last mark, but couldn’t come up with it.  She used her handle on the first mark of the day because she ended up in the pond.  Bummer.  Still for a tough test, she did OK.  I was glad we did not enter Freighter.  I am not sure how he would have done on that test.  :)

I did not get to see it, but the next day Sunny earned her first Junior pass.  Woohoo!  Congrats to Sunny and her trainer Darrin!  Three more to go!

Sunny From Training

Sunny From Training

We are bringing Freighter home today.  We want to work on his marking which has slid a bit as he has been learning handling.  Plus my husband would like to run him at tests, so they need to start working together.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Freighter Getting Ready To Run

Freighter Getting Ready To Train

With three dogs to train we are going to be quite busy.  Long time readers probably remember that this time of year, I am always behind in reading your blogs.  :)

This 'N That 3

This is a blog hop!

See who else is hopping along!

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Home Again

Posted in Fun, Puppies by

Storm came home on Sunday.  The first thing she did was look all around the house for her puppies.  She looked in every nook and cranny.  Apparently you never know where puppies might be hiding.  :)

Once she figured out that her pups weren’t here, the next most important thing was to check out her yard.

First She Checked Out Her Kennel

First She Checked Out Her Kennel

Then She Sniffed Her Yard

Then She Sniffed Her Yard

Then She Took A Good Long Look Around To Make Sure Everything Was In Order

Then She Took A Good Long Look Around To Make Sure Everything Is In Order

Storm will start back to light hunt test training.  She is out of condition and her milk is not yet all dried up so we will not run her in high cover or swim her.  We do not want any stimulation to make more milk because we would like to get her nice tuck up back as much as possible.  Friday I wrote about coats.  She is really blowing hers.  In fact she has bald in spots with no fur at all.  This is normal after pups and will probably get worse.  She won’t win any beauty pageants any time soon.  :)

I'm Still Cute

I’m Still Cute

Welcome home Storm!