Freighter ran his first Master test this past weekend.  As with most things, there was good and bad.

The good: He made it through to the third series.  This means he was steady for a bunch of marks and did not break.  He also completed the honor.  This is something hubby has been working on with him all summer.  Freighter has come a long way with his steadiness.  Another positive, he made it through two fairly difficult series which for his first Master test is not bad, (a pass would have been better 🙂 ).  He was also fairly calm in the holding blind on Saturday, (another thing hubby has been working on).

The bad: He has developed a creep on the line.  Creeping means that he moves ahead of his handler.  He does not leave, but then hubby has to recall him to his side before sending him.  That is something to work on because who wants to deal with that, and creeping can lead to breaking.  Freighter was not as well behaved in the holding blind on Sunday as he was on Saturday.  Another thing to work on.

The big issue and the thing that caused Freighter to fail was that when he was coming back with a bird during the third series, he dropped it on the bank of the pond and would not pick it up again.  That is something he did as a young pup but not really since.  True the bird was pretty nasty which is often the case on the second day of a Master test run on a hot weekend, but Freighter needs to get over that.  I guess we will have to get a nasty wet bird and practice Freighter holding it.

Otherwise his work was good and that is a nice positive to take away.  He has another test this weekend so hopefully hubby can get a bit of cleanup work in this week.

Finally, Freighter’s Senior Hunter certificate came in the mail yesterday.  Congrats to Freighter and hubby on a great accomplishment.

SRR’s Northern Gales Of November SH
SRR’s Northern Gales Of November SH

Don’t miss our review and giveaway of Dogsters ice cream style treats for dogs.

Dogsters Branded Portable Bowl And A VIP Coupon For A Free Box Of Dogsters
Dogsters Branded Portable Bowl And A VIP Coupon For A Free Box Of Dogsters

17 thoughts on “Freighter’s First Master Hunter Test~The Good And The Bad”

  1. Congrats Freighter and Hubby… well I like nasty birds, I found one today on the street…
    I cross my paws and wish you 87 tons of good luck for the next test this weekend :o)

  2. Freighter! I still think of you as a puppy! Congratulations to you and your trainer. Hey, as a rottweiler, I’m impressed with any retrieving that is completed. Dropping stuff because I just feel like it is, well, what I do!

    -Otto

  3. Coco and Freighter must have had a telepathic chat! Not only did she not like “yucky” birds, she disdained that these trophies had other doggie scents. What more could you expect from a Duchess? Poor Freighter will have to “eat crow”! Since he is a wise boy, it will not take him long to get everything right in the partnership! He handled the tough stuff.
    Stay cool!

  4. Well done, Freighter! It is good to hear that you are becoming more steady. I don’t know if I would want to pick up a nasty old bird either…so I cannot blame you for dropping it. :-O

  6. I imagine I wouldn’t much want to pick up a nasty bird either. UGH, LOL And I get the creeping thing, dogs can be sneaky sometimes.

  7. Good work Freighter! BTW, creeping is really sneaking, and any dog knows humans really don’t notice us when we are sneaking 😉

  10. Ohhh, creeping is no good. Naughty boy, Freighter! I’m glad most of the test went well and that you have a clear idea of what to work on!

    1. He is the only one of the three that creeps. Thunder sits. If Storm wanted to go, she would not bother with creeping. I guess Freighter thinks it is a good alternative to breaking. It is not. He will learn!

  11. Freighter, for your first Master Series We Think ou did a tremendous job. Yes, a pass would be better and especially after you did all that work, but you’ll do better next weekend and we are keeping our paws all crossed.

  12. Good job!! The not-so-good will improve with practice. I wouldn’t want to carry a “nasty” duck in my mouth, either. 🙂

  13. It sounds like he is making progress, even though he still has some stuff to work on. Funny, I would think dogs wouldn’t mind if the bird was nasty…they love rolling on dead things, don’t they? I guess there’s a difference in rolling on it and carrying it! 🙂

  14. Hi Y’all!

    Maybe Freighter is tryin’ to tell you he’s bored with all this testin’ and wants to get to the “real” hunting!

    Oh “the creep”. Yeah! I’ve started doing that to my Human, or when she tells me “sit” I put the butt down but scooch forward at least a foot. She hasn’t figured out how to correct it, and to be honest, since I’m 9 and 1/2 years old, and don’t show or run trials, I don’t think she’s really been tryin’ to figure it out.

    Y’all come on by,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

  15. oh darn freighter you will get it next time, you pulled off a really hard test. good job on making it to the third and then I know all too well the darn last bird that gets you that fail. 🙁

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