Floras allowed to go beating on first shoot! And a question about dual purpose dogs

Vizslak

Vizslak

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As title really! :p We went out this morning to be 'assessed' as to whether or not they were going to allow a dreaded ginger peril out to cause mayhem and destruction on a shoot! :p :D Honestly, mention vizsla around here to anyone in the working world and they start quaking in there boots! :rolleyes: :p :D Stunned at her control and steadiness we got the thumbs up! :D Thing is it made me laugh as on returning back to the car we got the comment 'cant believe a bloomin' dog thats been to crufts is coming out beating'. I've never thought much of it with Flors, vizslas are (or at least should be) a true dual/triple purpose breed and I chose Flora to fullfill my working and showing criteria, but I guess it is pretty rare to have a dog/breed that can go out working and yet be a proper show dog too...dont get me wrong I know a lot of working gundogs attend crufts etc in specific working classes but very few I know of that can go in a breed class. So if I was to go away from vizslas (that wont happen, but in theory, just humour me! :o) and wanted another breed I could take on a days shooting and get to crufts with....what else could I pick?! I'm guessing another HPR breed? Anything else?
 
You'd still have to go for Working lines, but they still look like the same breed at least - Irish Water Spaniel, Clumbers, Field Spaniel and some retrievers - Curly Coat, Flat Coat, Chesapeake Bay. And then pretty much all the HPRs! :D

The IWS classes are supposed to be getting bigger as people want a Spaniel to work and show, but don't want to work an undocked dog. I should imagine they'll dwindle again as people realised how bloody minded they are :rolleyes: :D
 
But but but...the coats on most of those?! :eek: Surely working a dog with any form of coat would then mean they didnt look to special against non working counterparts in the ring?! Flora isnt docked, first one I've had undocked, purely cos I wanted to do crufts with her! Its actually caused her no probs at all so far, no splits as yet...I'm amazed to be honest!
Seriously...can clumbers actually work? the ones I see out showing look like they would struggle with a lap of the local park! :eek:
 
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kirstyhen said:
Oh, and...


Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, go Flora! :D Otto went dogging in today, he could do with some of her steadiness and control... :rolleyes: :D :D
Click to expand...

So did the blokes cocker spangley pants :p :D :o

And thanks...I'm chuffed she had him suprised...she suprised me that she did actually remember what a whistle was as tbh I have done sod all with her recently and always seem to get out and realise I've forgotten my whistle! :rolleyes: :o
 
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The IWS coat was pretty horrific, but mainly because he was a sensitive weirdo, working him never seemed to do much harm, in fact I think the undergrowth was fairly good for getting the dead hair out! :D
I know one Clumber that works, but I think the ones bred for it are few and far between, no doubt they'll split like the other Spaniels soon!

Otto split his tail today :rolleyes: wasn't even in heavy cover AND he was on his lead so couldn't have been thrashing about that much! He spent the entire length of one hedge stopping to chew it, so it must have been bad, to distract him from hunting! I think after the season's over, he will be visiting the special tail Vet!
 
Poor Otto :(
So I could get an IWS then?! :D ;) Does your mums one work well? What I really want I have to say is a PROPER spangle :eek: I cant believe I just admitted that in public! :o :D Is there a great difference in working/showing springers? Except of course the tail issue kind of puts pay to that anyway...and I'm sure a clean neat show condition coat would be virtually impossible!
 
He was a bit backwards, it took him 3 years to pick up game (one of the reasons he went back!) but he would have worked in the beating line ok, if he hadn't had so many nail issues (one of the other reasons!) Can't say I would chose one to work!

There is a breeder who breeds beautiful Working/Showing Springers, can't think of their name though :o They are gorgeous, apart from the tail issue though! :rolleyes:
Roo's coat always looks beautiful, even when he's been thrashing about in the undergrowth, he could go to a dog show any day during the season and look perfect.

Really you should just have a nice Springer and give up with that Showing malarky! :p
 
Ahhhh shurrup...me likes me showing...and ANYWAY at least I have proper breeds to show, I wouldnt go out and get a pure show dog I dont think, I like the fact in some small way I am actually promoting the whole fit for function rubbish that the kc spout and dont actually manage to prove in most cases! :rolleyes: MY show dog is fit for its function...and of course it helps its a PROPER, enjoyable, function! ;) :D
To be honest, I couldnt get Flora to pick up ANYTHING today! :o :eek: She's normally fine but wouldnt even pick a shot pigeon this morning, just found it, marked it, sat and looked at me like 'I aint touching that!' :o :eek: Not a problem on the beating line but I hope her retrieving comes back! When we got home she did 2 retrieves for me on the dummy...she wouldnt even do that when we were out! :confused:
 
Oh and Milo...he works/shows as well, tother two dont they is pure working demons! Although Tilly did quite well at a few lurcher shows I put her in actually....those lurcher terrier shows are soooooo competitive! I thought they would be a bit of fun! Ellie refuses to show...it is beneath her and she looks around the ring wondering where the agility course is! :rolleyes: :p :D
 
These aren't the dogs I was thinking about http://www.canouan.co.uk/pages/canken1.htm
Almost as nice, but not quite. I do think the 'dual purpose' Springers are just Show bred Springers that get taken out a few days shooting. To me to get a good dual purpose Springer line going, you'd be better off picking the working dogs that look more showy and using them as your foundations then adding in a bit of the show lines for the look. Hmmm, I see a niche market I can fill... not on your nelly while you can 't dock the bleeders!!

Otto refuses to pick handled game, he won't retrieve dummies either, so I thought I was a bit screwed when he refused game too! Then we swept a wood after the pickers up had been through and a volia, he picked a pricked bird everyone had missed. He just doesn't want to know if it smells human-y - 'You have clearly had this in your hand at some point, if you aren't going to be a bit more careful and keep hold of it, don't expect me to run around picking up after you!' :D :D
 
Perhaps there is hope for us yet then! She will retrieve a dummy but not this morning with everyone watching it seems! :p :rolleyes: He let his spaniel on it first though while she had to sit in a wait watching...I think that may have put her off, she has other dog issues still...if she thought it belonged to him and was technically his retrieve she wouldnt go in on it incase it caused issue...shes not up for confrontation with another dog.
 
Just picking up on the Clumbers mentioned earlier in the post. My friend is the secretary for the Working Clumber Spaniel club and has lots of them ;)

But I can assure you that the showbred ones are like a totally different breed! I seriously wouldn't advise anyone to buy one of those and expect it to work ;)
 
ah I guessed that may be the case, I couldnt imagine one of those things I've seen in the ring next to us working anything! :p ;) :D
 
Not in any way, shape or form answering the post but still related :p Jimmy (JRT)'s sister goes picking up on the shoot near her, and after they all laughed at the idea of a terrier doing that as not only is it a breed characteristic to kill all fur/feather by shaking it to death and her being 11inches high, carrying a pheasant, she's actually one of the best on the shoot :D

Well done :D
 
I would LOVE to take my Ellie (prt) picking up...shes way better than Flora! Thats really cool...we need photos of the gundog terrier please! :D
 
Good luck on your shoot - it will be so much fun.

As for a breed that you can show and work - the Large Munsterlander is one. There are currently no differences between the working and showing dogs and many dogs in the ring also work.
A very under appreciated breed in my opinion.
 
Oooooo oooo oooooh! And I love them, had forgotten all about them and very shocked that Kirstyhen forgot them too...shes a big fan! ;) :D Do they get much issue with tail splitting when working?
 
i know of a couple that have caught their tails but only one that has resulted in the loss of the end of tail. Munsterlanders can legally be tip docked if they are to be working dogs.

Here is my boy and his brother at the Munsterlander show yesterday
lokianddoug171010.jpg

Born with the instinct for work, full of running and very strong, will easily carry a full size fox.
 
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