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Claire · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 9:58 am Post subject:

I have to say that whilst Whistle is nothing like a spaniel and won't simply jump into dense bushes without thinking Laughing

she is expected to go into the same areas on our shoot that the spaniels go. Last season I was standing behind a gun who shot a rather large cock and it landed right in the middle of the most hideous of gorse bushes. Any dog would have struggled to get in. Whistle needed a little help in that I had to try and move a part of the bush out of the way with my foot, but she still went in as far as was possible and dragged the bird out. I wouldn't have been as comfortable in sending her in if she wasn't docked and even then I was still wondering how many scratches and cuts she was going to come out with. Similarly on the last shoot of the season where we were invited as guests Whistle was in deep cover looking for a runner and it wasn't until the end of the day when a spaniel man started making comments about her and I thought, here we go another that hates HPRs AND weimaraners, but no, he was actually giving her praise because he said it wasn't often you saw a weimaraner on its belly in dense cover Very Happy

No, Whistle is nothing like a spaniel and will never work as enthusiastically as one either, but to some extent it is expected that she does and for that reason alone I am glad she is docked Very Happy

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windem bang · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 8:05 pm Post subject:

Sounds great Kiwi , if Scotland wisnae here I could fancy N.Z. Exclamation

Bill T.

munstyman · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:26 pm Post subject:

Sorry for delay been busy Shocked

Claire wrote:

BritAnnie · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:34 pm Post subject:

But that doesn't really hold water does it? Because there are different degrees of 'working'. I have a friend who is out three times a week picking up in the Autumn and Winter, her dogs get a free run twice a week in the summer (she has a large garden so they have the run of that as well.) I have another friend that does trialling in the Autumn/winter and working tests in the summer, but no exercise other than that and training sessions - would their movement be the same or different. Some non working dogs I know get more exercise than some working ones. How do you equate that?
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munstyman · Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 11:03 pm Post subject:

There are obviously degrees of fitness in any dog, both show and working, but as Crufts was at the end of the shooting season, maybe this was more obvious in this particular case Idea

. However it did show at least to me that a dog that has done a seasons work moves differently than a dog that is `exercised', and still leaves a question about judging movement in the show ring environment, especially given the context that we all hear, i.e. if its built correctly it will move correctly...but they don't `gallop' them in a show ring...and I don't trot them on a moor or wood, so which `gait' is technically correct for the breed standard given that the working dog is only trotted in the showring, which might well use different muscles if you get my drift:?: And which is being judged correctly by the various judges Question

Peter

windem bang · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 12:41 am Post subject:

I'm going dizzy trying to work all this out Exclamation

....

Could we start again please Question

It's like that old song --- "Your mummies not your mummy but your mummy dont know!"
Where working breeds are concerned how they trot around a ring doesn't interest me but how they run a piece of ground does ! Surely the proof of the pudding is in the eating ?

Bill T.

guy · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:27 am Post subject:

i wonder is it the style of exercise undertaken rather than the way of life? a dog that 'hunts' has a different need for muscles to a dog that just runs. The hunter runs and stops, turns sharply and turns back goes from full out to stationary in a moment. A dog that runs just runs. You can tell a footballer and a sprinter apart but both are well exercised.

Maybe to simplistic But I don't think it needs to be a 'working' dog to be in good condition.
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durham pointer · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 23 **Breed:**

kiwi · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:25 am Post subject:

ahhhhh you need the munchit and crunchit gwp, still plenty of them around....................man i love that description, thanks bill Wink

Benreeda · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:27 am Post subject:

I have lost it. My head is spinning with all your comments. What you all want is a good working dog and I am sure none of you are normally studying how much muscle your dog has. I know of one dog who is so muscled that a judge said he had growths on his legs. That is true isn't it Tracy. I also know he moved just as well when he didn't have all this muscle. Where is all this leading anyway? Just enjoy your dogs. Ok I will shut up so don't shoot me down in flames.