Advice for first shoot..

Vinnie · Advice for first shoot..

Hi guys, long time no post! Been offline for a while and have really missed the forum! Will take me a fair old while to catch up on the news but hope all is well with you and your dogs.

I've been invited to take Jet along to a shoot next weekend - it'll be my first as well as his so I was just wondering what to expect! I thought it'd be good experience for us to be there and for Jet to soak up the sights and sounds even if we stay lurking at the back Rolling Eyes

No doubt I'll have to develop a thicker skin to cope with the 'comments' for A) being a woman and B) being a woman with a weimaraner Wink

!!!

So what happens during the average day? Would it be best for me to keep him on lead for at least this first outing? We've been on a couple of partridge counts over the past couple of months - Jet behaved brilliantly and worked really nicely so am confident about him working with other dogs in the field, but I guess this is a different scenario. We've done some training with duck and pheasant wings but he's yet to experience a whole bird so at the very least I hope we'll be able to bring something hope to work with Laughing

As always, any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Vin

p.s. here are couple of pics of Jet from partridge count a while back

p.p.s. ..a bit more news - since I last posted, Jet was awarded his GCDS silver - hopefully we're not too far off trying for the gold Very Happy

Click to see full size image

Helen

Welcome back!

What are you doing on the shoot? Is it a driven day? Are you in the beating line? or picking up? Has he been around gunshot and is confident? Lots of questions I know, but there are a lot of different scenarios.

I would suss out the situation before working him. That may take just the one drive, or more than that. There may be areas ideal for you to work him and areas where it might not be such a good idea. The areas where it might not be a good idea, are in woods, when there are lots of spaniels around. If Jet is hunting and then going on point, you don't want a spaniel stealing his point. However, if there are areas of open ground where they want someone to take in, Jet would really excell at that.

Well done on his KCGD Gold. A very good achievement.

Helen

Vinnie

Hey Helen

Thanks re KC award (only got silver so far but working towards gold...watch this space!)

I understand from one of the members of the shoot that it is a driven day (what does that mean??! Embarassed

). Apparently I will be able to pick and choose where I want to go and what I want to do with my dog, which is great but TBH, I don't know Shocked

- where would be a good place to start? Tag along to pick up and hope Jet doesn't show us up by dancing around a bird encouraging it to 'play'? Confused

(This is what he did when introduced to his first bit of cold game). As you pointed out, it would be good if there's some open space that he could work - but then what happens if he points something - I wont be shooting! Will there be someone nearby with a gun? Do I somehow signal to the guns that he's found something?! Sorry, I know these are rediculous questions, but I'd rather make an arse of myself on here amongst friends than look like a total divvy on Sat, lol! Laughing

I literally have not a clue as to what goes on during the average shoot - so I'm throwing myself in at the deep end somewhat, but I figure there's only one way to find out if you enjoy something....get out there and do it! Very Happy

Vinnie

josie

Hey there,

As another woman with a Weimy (!)...

The first 2 times we went to a shoot, we went without the dog. We did this because we had no idea what a shoot would be like, what happened, what roles there were to play and what were the "done" things. We thought it would be better to watch and pay complete attention without having to focus on the dog at the same time. We were in the beating line for 4 drives, then we stood behind the guns for 2 drives.

We were really glad we did it this way and it gave us a good overview of the workings of the shoot and we could focus on what was happening without the dog. You can also talk to people more without a dog and you make friends a lot more easily the first few times out.

After we'd been a few times like this, we actually decided not to take Slate at all, because the type of hunting which they did in a beating line was quite different to what was required in a field trial, which is what we're about to start doing and were aiming towards then. Good luck!

tashap

Take a spare lead just in case you drop yours or someone else does (guns usually really appreciate it) wear warm comfy socks and bring a spare pair to change into half way round can be a bit sweaty., don't forget your waterproofs Smile

Keep a bar of chocolate and a small bottle of water in your pocket if you can, one of the shoots I went on recently forgot to tell the new beaters that lunch wasn't back where we started and some of us went the whole day without any food.

I kept bonnie on the lead the first time we went and I do a similar thing when we go to a new shoot but what you could do is ask your keeper where he can be let off (usually where he can do least damage if things do go wrong), if your asked to go in the pen, take your time the birds will walk up the line of the fence so keep an eye out for any bends they often sit in there and thats when your dog might peg, same for general fences.

Other than that have a great time and enjoy yourself Smile

Helen

tashap

If your in a beating line REMEMBER to stay in line, ask how far the dogs can cover ground and watch the dogs around you, some of them will bump your dogs point which can ruin your training so try and get a flank if you can so that your dog can travel a bit to one side or the other without being fenced in by two others, that way if you do go on point competing with one is easier than competing with two.

Picking up is great but there are a few rules, if the gun has a dog its likely that they will want to pick up with it so they get first dibs so to speak if your asked to pick up during the drive then make sure your safe (I tend to kneel or sit out of range of the guns and then let the dog do the work) Pick up the birds nearest to you and furthest away from the gun that way they still have some to pick up.

One thing I have found really useful is a clicker, you can get them from sports shops cost about £10, each time a bird is dropped I click and then at the end when the birds are collected I can do a check to make sure I haven't left one behind.

Have you practised dispatching????

Helen

Vinnie

Wow! Thanks for all the advice and pointers (no pun intended.. Rolling Eyes

)

Things seem a lot clearer now, especially now I understand the whole 'driven' thing (nothing to do with getting into a landrover, lol! Laughing

)

Helen

tashap

Does sound like a nice shoot with someone that is understanding what a fantastic opportunity Smile

The shoots I started out on didn't think much of weimaraners so they were all smiles when bonnie had finished her day and pleasantly surprised. Only downside is being the only one you stick out liek a sore thumb...

Have a lovely time!

tashap

not sure why that came out twice Embarassed

Vinnie

Hi again, just loggin on to give my glowing report from yesterday Very Happy

We had THE most fantastic time, I still grin like an idiot when anyone asks me about it! I'd geared myself up for a slightly 'frosty' reception but the people on the shoot couldn't have been nicer or more welcoming. My young lad was a little superstar - he certainly surpassed my expectations and really turned some heads. (I dread to think what people's preconceived notions were before our arrival on the scene, as they were even impressed at the fact that he sat whilst I tied my shoelace without me having to stand on the lead....?!?!? Confused

).

Anyhow, first of all I asked if we could go and pick up behind the guns so we were sent into the woodland for the first drive. Now given Jet's reaction to cold game (i.e. dancing and bouncing around a previously frozen pigeon and doing everything bar actually touching it) I had prepared myself to swallow my pride and to do whatever it took to encourage him to hold a bird in his mouth. Bless his heart, he saved me from the humiliation - he went over to the first pheasant and picked it up as though he'd been doing it all his life Shocked

I was completely stunned but sooooo thrilled! Only thing was that he was very reluctant to bring it to me. It was at that point I wished I had someone experienced nearby to advise on the best course of action, but in the absence of such advice, I figured it'd be best to let him parade around with said pheasant as it was obviously such a novelty. He picked up two more during that drive - I couldn't in all good concience say they were 'retrieved' per se, but he carried the birds so I was happy. As he's so good retreiving dummies when training etc, I worked on the basis that the retreiving of game will come with experience, when carrying a freshly dead bird isn't such a huge novelty...would you agree?

For the next couple of drives we somehow ended up in the beating line..which I didn't think was ideal for our first outing but he didn't let me down - probably ranged out a little too far than would've been ideal but he was hunting well and in a field of rape he went on point - steady as you like and remained steady as I aproached him. He flushed the hen pheasant when I told him to 'get in' but it managed to escape unshot as it flew too low Confused

Because I'd obviously been concentrating on my dog, I was really shocked at the end of the drive when I realised all eyes had been on us - so many people came to speak to me about Jet and were so impressed with the way he'd worked and his point. I remember one chap's comment in particular - he was shooting and had two impeccably behaved labradors but he told me how much he'd enjoyed watching Jet work, how great it was to see a dog under such good control and that seeing the point had..and I quote...'made his day' Shocked

and then he thanked me for bringing him Shocked

Sorry to ramble on but I was really quite taken aback!

Other parts of our adventure included hitching a lift on the back of a pick up, (with me having to hold on to Jet as he couldn't steady himself properly - I had visions of him slipping off the back as we drove through the field, lol! ) and riding about in the back of a transit van sitting on straw bales with the rest of the beaters, a lab and a springer. Before we got in the van the first time, the lab owner looked at us in a very concerned manner and asked if my dog was friendly, to which I replied, 'yes, very!' as he is, and is still very well behaved around other entire males (I hope this is something that will continue as he matures..). He was very good in the van and sat still - it was the springer that caused the probs when it snapped at him Sad

but Jet didn't retaliate so the situation didn't escalate much to everyone else's relief, as some of them weren't dog owners and had looked a little worried!

Jet saw his first fox on the last drive before lunch and looked to give chase as it bolted out of the woods but he was easily recalled - phew! Temptation crossed his path again soon after when he was working along a hedgerow and a rabbit ran past him only inches from his nose. I told him 'no' and he left well alone! Hurrah!!! Very Happy

I stayed for lunch and had a chat but then dicided to call it a day. I'm sure Jet would've been able to carry on if I'd asked him to but he was starting to look tired on the way back to the farm in the van. As he's still only 15 months old I thought that the 4 hours of work in the morning was more than enough for our first outing, particularly with all the things we encountered in that time! I got a bit of flack for leaving when I made that call but I'm glad I did, Jet's still cream crackered today, bless him and that doesn't happen often! Laughing

All in all, I left after lunch feeling as though we'd actually been relatively useful rather than just tagging along (which is what I'd originally planned on doing). The other members of the shoot hoped that I'd be going back again after xmas and I definitely plan to (all I need to do now is convince my OH that me taking the dog to a shoot on his birthday weekend in January is a good idea.... Wink

).

Thanks again for all your advice - it really helped put my mind at ease -what would I do without you all! Very Happy

Vinnie

P.s. It would've been rude of me not to take a picture of my boy after his first shoot with our first brace of pheasant!

Click to see full size image

Helen

FANTASTIC! Well done. So pleased you had a good day!

Take your OH along with you. I'm sure he'll enjoy it!

Helen

tashap

excellent! Its is lovely when the looks of horror change to one of intrigue isn't it Laughing

So glad you had a good first outting.

You can practise the retrieves if you can ask for a bird you can have (I usually ask for one that can't be used for the pot) pop it in a pair of tights and then do a few retrieves with it using a REALLY nice treat.

Mike

Sounds like you had a great time Vinnie and it's great to hear that your boy did so well!

Daktari

Just wondered, is this the same Jet that was doing the game count last Autumn in Northamptonshire?

If so, Archie says hello!