Gundog people

Clodagh said:
Just to bring a bit of reality into this thread. Today I’ve been training the dogs that I have no idea what I’m doing, the dummy is not where I thought I put it and ignoring my instructions will be far more fruitful than actually hunting where I tell you to. 🤦‍♀️
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This is number 1 reason why Zazu doesn't listen to me, he usually knows better than I do 🤦🏽‍♀️
 
Took the youngsters to Dogitude today mostly for Sassy to socialise a bit....she fell in love with dock diving and had to be forcibly removed from the platform eventually! We had a go at the gundog retrieve competition too - I had asked to run NFC but as loads of other FT/WT level dogs were entered they put my scores in anyway. After the open round of retrieves over fences and off a pond and then 2 runoffs Saz won the whole thing! She's been renamed The Tiny Tornado by the sponsors 🤣

I was mostly delighted how she handled crowds, strangers and new dogs and she isn't the most confident dog in the world

Just spotted a fab photo of Mimi over the fence by the pro photographer, Bernard Hand!
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I had a couple of hours out with my favourite trainer this morning, we met in a lovely woodland that has a huge variety of terrain and cover, big trees, little busyh trees, young tree belts and open grassland and areas of bracken. I worked with Toast first to remind him that I'm in charge and not just his taxi driver (he's a wily old dog at 9 years and his default is 'if in doubt hunt and sweep), He remembered his stop whistle but needs some reminding about basic direction and handling.
Next up was Freya who really upped her game today (perhaps waiting in the car made her super keen) she was really believing my direction on long and tricky blinds with lots of distractions, previous marks and children playing in another part of the wood. Unfortunately she's due in season soon so the next working test nearby on 7th June is looking unlikely (that's why I'm trying to remind T that he is a well trained gundog so that I can take him instead!)All in all a very pleasant and productive morning.
 
Thistle said:
I had a couple of hours out with my favourite trainer this morning, we met in a lovely woodland that has a huge variety of terrain and cover, big trees, little busyh trees, young tree belts and open grassland and areas of bracken. I worked with Toast first to remind him that I'm in charge and not just his taxi driver (he's a wily old dog at 9 years and his default is 'if in doubt hunt and sweep), He remembered his stop whistle but needs some reminding about basic direction and handling.
Next up was Freya who really upped her game today (perhaps waiting in the car made her super keen) she was really believing my direction on long and tricky blinds with lots of distractions, previous marks and children playing in another part of the wood. Unfortunately she's due in season soon so the next working test nearby on 7th June is looking unlikely (that's why I'm trying to remind T that he is a well trained gundog so that I can take him instead!)All in all a very pleasant and productive morning.
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It’s lovely when it comes together. Reminds us why we continue!
 
I took Scout to a friend who used to train professionally but now just does her own. She was very good. It shows the benefit of going to different people I think, she came up with different exercises and ways round things than Steve (who has sadly moved away and left me).
Scout was great, really keen as on new ground (to him). And she had her dog out. Scout did more retrieves than I’d ever try and do in one session, as he can be so unenthusiastic I have to watch for signs of boredom. He was great until he wasn’t! 🤦‍♀️. He is so good at directional work (probably too good as he’ll stop and ask for help a bit too often (sometimes while out of my sight 🤣). Which is my fault. Anyway he got bored like a switch flicking and just wandered off, sniffing, mid retrieve. And then didn’t recall either. Embarrassing. So homework is recall training 🙈.
 
Today I took all four just out on the lawn to practice running through a lane of dummies to the one I want. Ffee is fabulous, nailed it every time. Pen was great but did need a recall reminder when she started gawping on return. Scout and Red I started with just two distraction dummies and they were ok, not amazing. P came and helped which was so much easier. They were obsessed with the white plastic dummy at 2 o’clock (once I got up to 4), I presume as the others are muted. As long as P stood near that one we were ok. 😥
 
druid said:
Ah but @Clodagh Steve's new location is much more convenient for my future puppy collection!

We were up in NI for retrieve training this weekend. Some good work. Some stuff to work on. Handling at a distance needs more confidence.

Sassy can apparently levitate.
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Is it happening? Are you getting a pup? Crossing to the dark(er) side 😄
 
Met up with friends tonight to train, thought the dogs might be tired after a full weekend camping and agility, I was wrong 🤣🤣

Marks memories and blinds into and through some tall ferns, they were both flying so really pleased
 
Good day at the office for Saz coming 3rd in her first Novice WT. Mimi was 5th due to some pilot errors but happy with how she hunted.

Skaer was 5th in the Open, hunting let her down but that was expected. Only dropped 2 marks over 3 retrieves including a 100y blind downhill from a stop to shot out over a ditch and a stream.

Toughest spaniel tests I've ever run
 
Toast got dragged out of semi/summer retirement this week. I had a Novice working test planned yesterday and Freya is in season. He has had a couple of training sessions in the 10 days prior to the test, remembered that he had a stop whistle, direction a bit hit and miss, still good marking but isn't always 'with' me as he's now 9 and thinks that he knows everything and can do a good job without me. (Which to be fair he can when it's picking up) His default setting is hunt and sweep and he naturally pulls towards cover to look for things. At his age he's allowed to have an opinion!
He was generally a GOOD DOG! Mostly listened, ran some fabulous straight lines, hunted mostly where told. We had one huge battle where he had winded a blind that was to be picked later, I wanted a different blind, further up the hill and to the right. I eventually won the battle but it took a lot of handling, at least I kept him in the general area and eventually managed to push him that little more right, around a big bank of nettles and into the trees where the blind was. My aim was not to get a zero with him, which I achieved. After looking at the scores he came 12th out of 40, lots of zero's and some well known local triallers running good novice dogs so very pleased with the old man. I had a lovely comment from one judge (on a test that he scored 38/40) that if his 9 year old dog ran a test as well as Toast then he'd be over the moon. I'll take that! Maybe I'll do some more tests this summer.

I need mating vibes pleas as madam wouldn't cooperate at all last season so we're trying again this time.
 
If you are struggling to get her mated just go for side by side AI - results are the same as natural tie and it's far less stressful if you have a maiden who isn't playing ball
 
druid said:
If you are struggling to get her mated just go for side by side AI - results are the same as natural tie and it's far less stressful if you have a maiden who isn't playing ball
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I've had the dogs semen evaluated in prep for AI. He is a proven stud. Age 9, 75% viability so happy with that. He's sired 11 litters so knows the game. We'll have a try mating her this time, Xmas was very busy, extra people and dogs in the house, too much stress. Hopefully this time more relaxed. I've also been getting her to stand and relax with my arm under her tummy whilst I scratch her tail and press on her back. She's getting better at not collapsing. I have a plan B for AI
 
Thistle said:
I've had the dogs semen evaluated in prep for AI. He is a proven stud. Age 9, 75% viability so happy with that. He's sired 11 litters so knows the game. We'll have a try mating her this time, Xmas was very busy, extra people and dogs in the house, too much stress. Hopefully this time more relaxed. I've also been getting her to stand and relax with my arm under her tummy whilst I scratch her tail and press on her back. She's getting better at not collapsing. I have a plan B for AI
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Sounds like you have sorted but training seems to do sod all for these sorts of ladies but surely won't do any harm - I get called for a lot of these AIs and sometimes it's honestly just the easier option!
 
druid said:
Sounds like you have sorted but training seems to do sod all for these sorts of ladies but surely won't do any harm - I get called for a lot of these AIs and sometimes it's honestly just the easier option!
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Your advice has convinced me to firm up a plan for AI, pg was 0.8nmol last Thurs, day 8, 5.6nmol today day 12, retest Wed, AI lady is in my area Thurs late pm which may work otherwise I'll have to travel to her (over an hour) as she's working the other side of East Anglia mostly for a few days. Last time when I eventually got bloods done after Xmas she was over on day 17 so didn't try as too high a risk of a singleton. So it seems like she may accelerate very rapidly with a fairly narrow window. Her cycle is 5 and a half months.
 
Thistle said:
Your advice has convinced me to firm up a plan for AI, pg was 0.8nmol last Thurs, day 8, 5.6nmol today day 12, retest Wed, AI lady is in my area Thurs late pm which may work otherwise I'll have to travel to her (over an hour) as she's working the other side of East Anglia mostly for a few days. Last time when I eventually got bloods done after Xmas she was over on day 17 so didn't try as too high a risk of a singleton. So it seems like she may accelerate very rapidly with a fairly narrow window. Her cycle is 5 and a half months.
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Sounds like you should be ok Thursday pm depending on what machine the bloods are being run on
 
Thistle said:
Your advice has convinced me to firm up a plan for AI, pg was 0.8nmol last Thurs, day 8, 5.6nmol today day 12, retest Wed, AI lady is in my area Thurs late pm which may work otherwise I'll have to travel to her (over an hour) as she's working the other side of East Anglia mostly for a few days. Last time when I eventually got bloods done after Xmas she was over on day 17 so didn't try as too high a risk of a singleton. So it seems like she may accelerate very rapidly with a fairly narrow window. Her cycle is 5 and a half months.
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Surge vibes have worked, 28 nmol this morning, day 14, AI tomorrow afternoon
 
Thistle said:
AI is Friday now, 48hrs after ovulation (probably later today) is recommended peak fertility.
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Pretty irrelevant for a side by side as semen lasts up to 5 days in the bitch, more important with subfertile and chilled semen (frozen obviously needs much closer timing!). Fingers crossed for a nice litter for you!
 
I have everything crossed, dog and bitch are a good match, both , especially the bitch have decent breeding, plenty of FtCh and IGL finalists (and a winner) but not too hot or quirky, both very laid back dogs in the house but very keen workers. Fully health tested, I've done all my homework, just needs some luck now. If it doesn't happen then I'll be sad but not devastated.
 
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