Spaniel Clinic Photos.

     Yesterday's account of the spaniel training clinic was created on the go. I was mobile, away from home base, unable to create to my fullest ability. Therefore, no pictures. Today you get the pictures, with some brief explanations. Enjoy.

The first segment Friday, David did a bit on puppy handling, and socialization. In this photo he is working with my pup, Ginger.

Here David watches as Jim handles Monty on some marked retrieves. Stopping to the whistle was also worked into the drills during this session.

In the afternoon some older dogs were worked on harder marks, over a fence. During this session David worked some of the dogs on the Back command, and some directional hand signals.

Here a little Cocker from the U.P. handles the fence smartly.

In this short video, Gus is made to remain steady before being sent for the retrieve. The dummy had already been tossed, and Gus held back for a spell, but he hunts the mark enthusiastically for the dummy.

On day two we moved into the woods for a scent trailing drill. Here a helper gets ready to fire a cap before a mark is tossed for the dog. After the mark was tossed, the dog would be healed away, the mark picked up, and then the dog sent for the non-existing mark. The dog would be expected to follow the pre-layed scent trail that crossed the line to the mark. This drill worked well, and encourages a dog to be bold in it's trailing, and confident in it's nose.

Dogs and handlers waiting for their turn on the line.

The last drill on Saturday was a steady to flush drill. Here dogs and handlers, again, await their turn. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of this drill.

A quick shot of the sizable quail pen.

Saturday ended with a fantastic pig roast.

Views of the seating area. The tents came in handy, as we had showers, off and on, both days. When it wasn't raining it was hot and humid.

David and myself.

Spaniel Training; Buccleuch, Windrift, & Ginger

Sometimes the stars align, and good luck is bestowed upon us. Lately, I'm happy to say, good luck has come my way a few times. It started with finding a puppy, and rolled right on from there. One piece of luck to come my way was the opportunity to get to attend a Spaniel training clinic being hosted by Christine Lavier of Windrift Springer Spaniels in Cochranton Pa.
http://www.windriftspaniels.net/

Christine owns a beautiful property, both wooded and fields, ideal for birddog training with ravines, fences, and waterways. She's got a pigeon coop, and pens for both pheasant and quail, as well a a kennel, and barn. Tucked away in farm country, it's a perfect venue for a training clinic. But it gets better. Christine imported David Lisett, from Buccleuch Estate in Scotland to teach us all his tricks of the trade. David is well know in the spaniel community, as a 7 time championship winner in the UK, and Ireland, and from his spaniel training DVD set.

http://www.buccleuchgundogs.com/home

http://www.buccleuchgundogs.com/traininggifts/trainingdvd

The clinic format was to work the younger dogs, 4-12mos, in the morning, and the older dogs, 1-2yrs, after lunch on both Friday and Saturday, Sunday would be reserved for older dogs, and trial dogs. Of course before each session David talked a bit about his training philosophy, answered questions, and even solicited suggestions. A very approachable, soft spoken, and funny guy, David was adamant that the dog owners in attendance voice their concerns and suggestions, wanting to be as productive as possible when addressing each dog owners issue.

While it seemed like David may have imported a little Scottish weather with him, switching from showers with an occasional clap of thunder, to hot & sunny, and back again, the crowd remained enthusiastic. Springers were the order of the day, with a sprinkling of Cockers, and a Golden, an American Water Dog, and a Portugese Water Spaniel tossed in for color. The drilling included some basic marked retrieves, non-slip steadiness, fence handling, scenting, and some steady to flush. My personal favorite event was on the morning of the first day, when David demonstrated some puppy socialization, and bonding drills with my new pup, Ginger.

Performances of note; that is, those that stuck the most in my head. Gus, a springer from the Pittsburgh area, navigated the fence masterfully. Tess, a springer from Massachusetts, handled her first retrieve of a live bird beautifully, and then went on to absolutely rock the steady to flush drill like a pro. Cramer, the Golden ( from somewhere in Pa), did a fantastic job scent trailing and retrieving a live pigeon. Christine too, handled a young male who's name I've forgotten through an impressive series of drills teaching the dog to take a hand signal. And not to be forgotten; Luke, the American Water Dog who's a local boy to the area, did almost everything asked of him, and never showed any signs of quitting when things got tough.

Unfortunately, I did not stay for the third day, though I'd have liked to see the older dogs work. As I was picking up a puppy, I felt it would be wisest to depart early, as a 10 hour drive with a 9 week old pup is not assured to go smoothly. However, it did. Christine will be hosting this event next year, and David will be returning, so I too, will make the trip. This time I'll have a somewhat older dog, and hopefully she'll be somewhat impressive. Either way, she'll be fun.

Puppy Time; The New Girl is Here.

     Thought the weeks, days, and minutes passed slowly, they passed none the less. The stillness and quiet of a suddenly dogless home life has come to an end, and I now have the pleasure of introducing all of you to the new girl. So, without further delay, I give you Ginger.

     Ginger is the product of a breeding between Windrift Honeybee, and AFC Tulcan Tod. I came across this breeding in a round about fashion. I'd talked to Justin of Olive Ridge Springers, who put me in touch with Christine at Windrift Springer Spaniels, because he wasn't planning any litters. Christine didn't have any litters planned either, but put me in touch with Shane from Ontario. Shane had decided to breed the bitch he had gotten from Christine, Windrift Honeybee (Bee). After several e-mails, and phone calls an agreement was reached, and I knew where my next dog was coming from.

     As fate would have it, the age when Ginger would be ready to be separated from the rest of the litter coincided with a spaniel training clinic being hosted by Christine at Windrift, featuring David Lisett of Buccleuch Estate Scotland. As Shane would be attending the clinic, my wife and I decided to attend the clinic and pick up Ginger there, rather than putting her on an airplane. The clinic was fantastic, and I'm already planning to attend next year ( details will be posted separately, soon ). Hopefully Ginger will be reunited with her litter mates next year. As for her litter mates; her sister Trixie will be staying with Shane and her mother Bee, while her brother Quinn will be living in eastern Pa, and Pearson will be living in northern Va.

     While it's only been a couple of days I'm already seeing things in Ginger which make me think she'll be easy to train. Most importantly, the bonding is going well. My wife having never raised a puppy before, my dogs being adults when we married, we both want Ginger to bond with both of us in the same way my past dogs had bonded with me. So far they've enjoyed some nice mama time at home, and we've set up a dedicated mama only walk time. Ginger has already been introduced to the crew at the kennel, met the chickens and cows, been for a walk in the woods, and popped into the bath tub.