List_House
Midland, Pa (western, Pa)
MH
Posts:142
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| 03/31/2010 4:42 PM |
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I will be entering Wyatt into the oakridge hunt test at the end of this month. This will be a first for Me and Wyatt. I did plant birds for the JH course at the end of the season last year. So I have seen it. Wanted to see if anyone had pointers (pun intended) |
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zodiakgsps
NW PA
MH
Posts:1059
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| 03/31/2010 5:06 PM |
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Remember your blank gun -make sure it is loaded, be quiet, let the dog do its job and have fun!!!!!!!
I would have gone, but will be nearby at a field trial. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
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| 03/31/2010 7:18 PM |
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Don't forget the duct tape. Just kidding. One of my mentors strongly suggested the best thing I could bring to a hunt test was duct tape and that you put it over your mouth before you run. LOL. I think zodiak covered pretty much everything. The only thing she didn't mention is the reversible neck bands. The dog that is in the top of the brace wears the orange side up, and the bottom dog wears the yellow side up. Here is a link to what I am talking about.
www.lcsupply.com/Product/Collars-Leads-Check-Cords/Reversible-Reflective-Neck-Bands.html
Many folks also wear an orange hunting vest, but I do not believe that is required for Juniors, only Seniors and Master where they actually are using shotguns.
Have lots of fun and remember your dogs knows what he is doing so trust him. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
     
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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zodiakgsps
NW PA
MH
Posts:1059
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| 03/31/2010 7:28 PM |
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| I'm telling you Bev, I have duct tape in my training bag for when I work with other people, swear!!!!! |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
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List_House
Midland, Pa (western, Pa)
MH
Posts:142
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| 04/01/2010 5:48 AM |
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Belle, I don't remember any dogs wearing any reflective collars when I did this last year? Is this a requirement in the rules? I will stay quiet. I read the previous duct tape post. I have been doing that from the begining even on walks. Just recalling him every once and a while when he gets way out there! Or to see if I can call him off of something fun/interesting. Other than that the only sound is the bell on his neck.
The test I planted for last year had a bird field, so the dogs walked a loop through a field with no birds. About 250-300 yds then the came to the bird field about 100yds long 50yds wide. This year they said it will be a continuous bird field, what does that mean? How does it effect how you approach the test?
I have a wind checker for Deer hunting, are their rules against having that on the course? I normally use it when I am training to place the birds and be aware of where we should cross the scent cone. |
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zodiakgsps
NW PA
MH
Posts:1059
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| 04/01/2010 9:40 AM |
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Continuos course means birds will be salted throughout the whole course.
No rules against a wind checker...but I wouldn't use it, the dog should know to stay on the correct side of cover & use wind on it's own, to me, using a wind checker & constantly putting dog on right side could make the dog look bad.
You don't need a reflective collar if you have a yellow(or green) & an orange one, dogs should be wearing different colors for easy distinction for the judges if 2 of same breed are down together. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
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| 04/01/2010 9:59 AM |
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The clubs that do the hunt tests down in TX generally like everyone to use the reflective collars regardless. Don't know about where you are if they have a similar requirement. We always do the continuous bird fields at the HT in TX. I like it because the dog can find a bird anywhere. As zodiak said your dog will know the best position relative to the cover and the wind. When I did my first HT I just followed my dog pretty much unless he was heading off course in which case I just changed my direction and if he didn't respond I gave a holler so he knew I had changed directions. Now he watches for that so I don't have to say a word. Watch your dog when he runs I think you will see him adjust his position to where he works down wind of the cover. As he works an area he will position himself correctly. Judges are looking at that so you don't want to always be repositioning your dog. As zodiak said, it may make your dog look like he doesn't know how to hunt.
My boy also had gotten a bit wise to the bird wagon (the guy who typically plants birds for us uses an ATV) tracks and knows to follow and hunt either side in a HT. Ringo has also learned the types of cover they typically plant the birds in as well. So, he knows where to look. When he was little he was finding birds in cedars which surprised everyone because the cedars usually mask the smell of the birds. But to this day he still checks the cedars and from time to time it pays off because the quail will run into the cedars.
Where I train we are getting wild coveys and also we plant birds allot differently. The cover is different too, so he is learning to be pretty smart about where to look for birds. The HT are over down in TX for the year, so we are back in training. Ringo is up at the trainers and I go up on the weekends and work with him. He is still a big overgrown pup, so we are taking it slow with him. I would love to get his SH next fall, but we will see. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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List_House
Midland, Pa (western, Pa)
MH
Posts:142
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| 04/01/2010 1:32 PM |
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| That makes sense about the wind checker that is more for me then the dog. I could have ruined his run for him thank you! |
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:3914
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| 04/02/2010 4:37 AM |
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My thoughts,too.
The way you use the wind checker is not productive in many ways.
Let him learn to work the wind and scent the way he was bred to and he will do fine.
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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List_House
Midland, Pa (western, Pa)
MH
Posts:142
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| 04/26/2010 7:19 PM |
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Well we got 1 for 2 on his JH this weekend. Day one was a little warm and dry Wyatt ran very well and hunted hard. His bracemate Dusty was a bird magnet and ended up bumping up a few birds Wyatt looked very hard and found a softly planted quail at the end. It was out in plain site he pointed for long enough. He got good scores for hunting and trainability as the first bird he found was a already chewed bird and he retrieved it to hand. I can't take credit other than playing a little fetch now and then.
Day two I knew we were in trouble it was wet and the birds were not flying well at all. Since I have been having trouble with him busting in on birds I knew these were bad conditions for us. Wyatt runs pretty big for a GSP (I think). So he hunted through the first part (birdless) of the course well. The GWP we were with would catch up to him as he quartered and Growl to stop him. Wyatt would stop tuck the tail and hang out until I would say lets go or the other handler called his dog. once we made the turn towards the bird field Wyatt was stretched out pretty far (150-200yds) and he was over a rise. The judges informed me I should call him back so I started moving forward quickly as I came over ther small rise I saw I was to late. I saw a bird pop up in front of him only about 3' off the ground and back down well he had it. So I started the recall. He brought from about 100yds to with 3' with a little coaxing. But that was it, he knew in his mind we he found the bird he could catch them. That is what he proceeded to to do on the next 2 birds. He found them quickly and grabbed them even quicker. The last bird he flashed pointed from about 3' away and grabbed it. So they asked me to pick him up so we didn't create more of a problem with him.
The other handler in that brace was Mr. Nick Mellon (hypointe kennels) a trainer he said very nice things about Wyatt and said that he just needs whoa broke. So here I am on the internet trying to consume as much info as I can to start the whoa braking process.
My son and I still had a great time we were the only ones brave/stupid enough to tent camp this weekend! Thanks to all the great folks it was a good time. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6748
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| 04/26/2010 10:03 PM |
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I had the problem with Ringo. Once he learned to catch we had to teach him he couldn't catch the birds. So, I got him on some good flying birds and a check cord. After about three months of that he was holding his point pretty good, but was not steady to flush. He was however good enough to finish up his JH last fall with excellent scores. I then ran him at the JH level a few more times for fun, but only on nice days as I did not want the wet and risk having poor flying birds again.
Now he is back in bird school learning whoa, and steadiness through the flush. I posted some pictures in another thread on Sunday. I took them when I went up to work with him and his trainer. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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