Beechfield.
These pigeons have me in circles. I now have the hen back sitting her egg and the cock was doing his sitting when I got home from work. I had the loft sealed to stop any of the squeakers slipping through the bob wires and there I was watching the news and the hen lands on the sun room window and gives me a dirty look. She flitted to the herb garden fence as I walked to the loft, ran along beside me on the garage roof and then dived into the loft the minute I opened the door. Keen? Eh.
Later.
I’m no longer sure which bird is which sex. The cock was sitting the single egg and now there are two!
The Wee Res.
The Luckster for a walk and the BWFD (Big White Fluffy Dog) for a swim.
Lucky looking very much a nice pup but other than doing what he’s asked in a very limited way there’s not much to tell just now. He’s on the verge of sitting on command but no further. I took the launcher and a pigeon. It was difficult to tell what was going on as the swallows had a habit of being just six inches off the ground in front of him at inopportune moments. I think he was about to acknowledge the bird but a swallow distracted him and I had to launch the bird. It startled him and he gave a wee yelp but it didn’t affect him for long.
Wednesday 8th July 2009
The Signal Centre.
The pointer’s job is to find the bird. Coco can find and point a bird but he learnt nothing tonight. I did everything right. I dropped the bird off on the far side of the ground and drove round so that I was one hundred and fifty yards down wind of the bird. I got the dog out and he ran straight to the bird only stopping for a dump along the way. Again he stood up on his toes to point but nothing happened when I triggered the launcher. I had to release the bird with Coco’s nose not a foot from the bird and he didn’t try to snap at it. So I’ll have to think about what to do with the monster and for now I don’t think bird work is on the cards.
17c. Bright. SW 2 -3. Bright and balmy.
Ross and I took Basso, Chris, Jalad and Judy to the hill. The wind was really awkward so we went up beyond The Paddock and ran across the face on a cheek wind and then across The Paddock. That was the first pair the second got from The Paddock back to the car. The first pair were Chris and Basso and they got nearly half an hour, 28 minutes to be precise. This is hard running being broken ground and unmanaged heather. Chris had the edge over Basso in that he ran better lines but Basso is a speed merchant and can use this even in the hardest terrain. Basso looked for water more than Chris and this disrupted his pattern but both dogs deserve credit for effort and drive if not exactly tram line lines. Second pairing was Jalad and Judy. Judy lasted the best part of twenty five minutes but unfortunately was down a gear. She’s doing ground and nice lines but it’s as if the second choke on the Webber isn’t working. Jalad lasted a whole five miutes. This is the warmest day he has been out and just perhaps this is the first indication that 30 kgs is just not going to work . I had noticed at bit of spine starting to show and had increased his grub a bit. Maybe I need to think again?
Black Mountain.
15.5c. Swirling mist tending towards drizzle (that fine rain that wets you through) <3> NW.
Took Chris, Jalad & Roxy in an attempt to miss the forecast heavy persistent rain. I managed that but that was about all. The wind meant no surplus walking but as I put my leg over the fence the only good thing I could think of was that although this wasn’t a great training day it was a particularly good getting fit day.
Worried about Jalad’s loss of form I decided to run him with Roxy to give him a a bit of impetus. This worked and I ran them for fifteen minutes. They did exactly what I asked of them. Because I started off walking on a down wind, cheek wind, the pattern left a lot to be desired but the dogs did just what I asked of them. They ran away out across the wind to my right but my path meant they ended up behind me when they went to my left so I would call them back to me and send them right again. Roxy coped with this better than Jalad but both of them pleased me with their work rate and desire. I don’t believe that Jalad ever fronted Roxy so he still needs plenty of work and I will cut back on his grub a bit, at least until he reaches something like full fitness.
This left me with the width of the main piece of ground to do with Chris but we could now run completely straight into the wind. Every once in a while you get a top performance, out of the blue and this is what happened today. I had decided that I would keep him in sight and this was more difficult than you would expect as apart from the topography I had banks of drifting mist to contend with. Even if a dog only gets a couple of long casts it can be difficult to curtail his future casts as the dog wants to go out to the distance he feels has been set for the day. Unexpectedly Chris turned every time I asked should it be fifty or five hundred yards. On a couple of occasions I even turned him in the middle and sent him back out if I became aware that drifting fog was going to hamper us. Added to this he was flat, no more than fifteen yards, and he was very even in the depth of his bite. I noted what time I started him at but I never looked at the watch again, I was enjoying myself so much. Not only does Chris have a good turn of pace he always runs with a spring in his step should the run be five or fifty minutes. I have seen him do it a lot but I still find it very impressive. He looks like he is really enjoying himself and I suppose he is. In addition he puts a bit of a spurt on when he’s crossing you and you tell him to “Get on”. It’s as if he was worried you were going to pick him up and is delighted that you didn’t. So I ran the big dog until we ran out of ground. I just put him on the lead and headed for the car. No free running today. Even on a clear day a dog can get disorientated and try to return to the car. Potential disaster awaits such foolishness on a misty day.
Back home at Beechfield it is a much better day so I’ll let down the bob wires in the loft and maybe take Coco for a find and or Lucky who could do with more running just now. The growth of both of my pups is pleasing we very much. Coco, at nine months is as tall as but not quite a well made as Chris and Lucky is a fine lump of a dog at five months, quickly closing the gap on Basso.
Later.
Took Lucky for a walk on The Practice. It is typical that with pups you are seeing things for the first time nearly every time you take them out. Today it was his nose. Even walking down wind he was drawn round into the wind all the time. I wasn’t, however, that pleased to see a slight nervousness about him with strange sounds. Today it was a dog barking in the distance. It distracted him every time it made a noise. I suppose he just needs more exposure to strange places and strangers.
Black Mountain
15.5c. Sunny. S 2> The air felt much warmer than what it said on the thermometer. Events bore that out.
Nelly and I took Judy, Basso & Coco to the hill.
This was Coco’s first real run on the hill. I cast him off on his own at first and he shaped up quite well but he got bored after about five minutes so I picked him up and cast off the other two. Later on I ran him with Judy who was the slower of the other two and he ran with her for a time. What was interesting was that this was heavy going and Coco never even looked like giving tongue which was good. Later on when they were free running he also ran around quite well doing his own thing and he was at least two hundred yards away at times, quite happy to be on his own. He is looking very big and very powerful.
There is no doubt that Coco’s attitude to hunting has changed since he had those few finds. He realises that there is fun in them thar hills.
Basso and Judy ran hard for ten minutes and for a good while after they had a wallow in a bog hole. They covered a heap of ground and both handled beautifully. Basso was head and shoulders better than Judy. He covered more ground, was faster and if anything handled sharper than the Old Girl.
The Signal Centre.
Took Coco for a point at the Signal Centre. Did everything right and still got no satisfaction. Two woodies conspired to wreck the outing. They were foraging for seeds just down wind of the launcher and when Coco flushed them he wasn’t going to do any more running in case he made a mistake. Then to really snatch defeat from the jaws of victory the launcher wouldn’t release. I was however greatly relieved when Coco lept about four feet in the air when I flushed it manually. I was , paradoxically, pleased to see him have a greater desire to catch the pigeon. (Apologies to Muttley.)
Going to The Wildfowler for tea so Tam can have a swim in Strangford Lough.
Blackwood.
Researched a walk I used to use years ago and now remember why I stopped using it. Ok for spaniels but would be no good for pointers. Tam needed the run but he didn’t really need a run in the conditions today which would have been bright sun had we not been below the canopy. Thankfully there were several pools of water for him to wallow/swim in as it was very humid. Make you think of thunder. The one positive note was that I found in several clearings the most amazing clumps of brambles and well in flower so if we get a kilo or two later on we mau have some of Granny O’Neile’s World Famous Blackberry Ice Cream.
Lucky’s toe still looks swollen although he isn’t favouring it and the launcher’s transmitter needs a new battery so neither of the pups will get anything other than a walk for Coco, and that only if the rain holds off.
Beechfield.
When I rang the vet yesterday to book Lucky an appointment they were unable to take us until 16:50 today. (We had a double bank holiday Monday and Tuesday) I was concerned at the delay so gave Lucky 125 mg amoxcillan and by the time we got there this afternoon the swollen toe was starting to decrease in size. Surprise surprise it was a wound and not a nail bed infection so Ross had been correct when he thought he saw Coco bite Lucky on Sunday morning. (They were only playing) I have known nail bed infections inflate very quickly but until now this sort of swelling on a wound was unknown to me. I have to say I am very pleased that it was a wound and not an infected nail bed as pups that have this sort of problem seem to carry them into adulthood. I’ll have to work hard to make up lost time over the weekend.
Black Mountain.
10:30.
14.5c. SSW 2>. Threatening rain. Bright but not sunny.
Took Judy, Jalad and Basso as they seem to need the most work. I decided to run Judy and Basso together but Judy decided to eat grass and look for a hole to wallow in. I then cast off Jalad and he and Basso ran on till Basso had done twenty minutes and Jalad fifteen. For all that Basso is a speed deamon I really never considered that Jalad’s sheer power could be bested by a speed freak but Jalad looked decidedly second best beside Basso. They both would have looked for water had there been any but I was pleased with their application.
I took a big decision this morning. Judy is retired from competition. It isn’t that she has lost her desire but she has lost her pace and as a top performer I see no merit in entering her in events where she won’t do herself any credit.
13:00
On the way back from Antrim I stopped at the mountain again but only took out Basso and Jalad and I can tell you Judy wasn’t impressed. I was able to run the pair straight into the wind across our ground and they both gave me the full fifteen minutes. It started to rain on the down wind back to the car but both the dogs seemed to relish the cooler conditions and if anything ran better than than they had from fresh earlier this morning.
If any of you want a dog to do a bit of counting and rule you and your kennel with a rod of iron I have a candidate.
Black Mountain.
17c. SW 2> Started off very dry, bright and sunny.
I got the weather I wanted I just got it in the wrong order. It started off so dry and warm it was unbelievable. I made a few calls from the heather and it was beautiful but I got mugged by a very heavy squall on the way back down to the car. It would have been better for the dogs if it had rained while they were running.
Chris and Jalad.
I hadn’t really seen the competitive streak that was evident in Chris this morning. There was no way he was going to let Jalad take the wind and the only thing that stopped him from taking the forward cast every time was that he was easy to handle and I could keep him on the correct line. I have never handled a dog that understands the turn whistle like Chris. My own dogs get all confused if I blow the turn when they are in the middle of the beat but not Chris. That he understands the turn in these conditions doesn’t mean he is delighted to comply but at least he does comply and it only takes a finger pointed in the right direction and he’s off, which is just as well as I’m flying with a wing down at the moment. Jalad was more like himself this morning as well and both dogs deserve credit for effort, guts, if not exactly blistering pace. Fifteen minutes into the wind.
Roxy and Basso.
This pair made the running look easier than the first pair even though they had better ground. Roxy pleased me and was more or less perfect but for the first time in ages she went off the radar on a hare line, (I saw where Puss went). The scent knocked her up a gear and although she was good before the hare she was even better after. Basso is easily the fastest dog in the kennel at the moment and he could reel Roxy in when he put his mind to it but he got pulled about by larks.
The second pair got about twenty minutes and when we reached water it seemed like a natural place to stop. I decided to let them free run back to the car but when I got to a natural vantage point I sat down to make a call to Shaun but before I dialed Roy rang. When I finished that call I called Shaun so I was sitting in the heather in the sun for a half an hour with the dogs having a good gallop. It took several severe wiggings from Roxy to disabuse Chris of the notion that she was available for sex but all four charged about for all of these thirty minutes.
I cut my call to Shaun short in an effort to avoid a squall I saw coming and I did avoid it but another I wasn’t aware of mugged me at the back of the quarry and I got soaked.
So the dogs had a good blow out and at this stage Chris and Roxy could compete with Jalad not far away and needing a few more runs and Basso not far away and needing birds which he should get in Yorkshire next week.
17:00
The Wee Res.
I suppose there are reasons why it is obvious that I should draw comparisons between Coco and Roi, Prince of Darkness. Colour for one. Although Roi was black and Coco is brown they both have the unusual self coloured pattern. Then there’s size. Both big dogs. When Coco sits beside me he looks me straight in the eye. Then there’s their brains. Coco is still the most intelligent dog I have worked with but Roi was intelligent as well and just about trained himself. Coco isn’t a self trainer but he has picked up everything asked of him on the first occasion and usually with the minimum of fuss. So it proved today with turning and dropping. It so happens that there was a stiff breeze that we were able to walk into and I just peeped Coco when he was towards either side and he turned. He is a bit skittish out on his own so at first I just asked him to sit, something he already does well. After we sat and watched the ducks and gulls for a while I walked him back to the car and because he was more confident he went further away. Again each time I peeped him he turned and came back at pace. This time when he was close I blew the stop whistle and he threw himself to the ground. He did this a few more times successfully and then it was back home in the car.
With Judy not now going to Yorkshire in theory there is a space in the car but I can’t think of a combination of dogs left at home that would allow the big dog to go. If I take a fifth dog it is more likely to be Lucky and he’s too young to take maximum benefit from such a trip.
The Practice.
No time spent with a young dog is ever wasted but just now not a lot seems to be happening with Lucky. It is usually a still summer’s evening when he is out and he seems distracted by nearly any noise and dogs barking in the distance seem particularly distracting. That said he’s happy to be out with me and he will approach strangers even if he is a bit diffident if they make, even a friendly, move towards him. He chased a few swallows showing a turn of pace and a neat whip round. The most pleasing thing at this time is that he does everything with a nice naturally high head carriage.
This has been a badly disrupted week but hopefully now the trailer’s lights are sorted out and that means that I am just about ready for the season. I only have a one man tent at the moment so unless the four man that I have ordered arrives sharpish Jay won’t be able to go with me the first weekend but we have just about everything we need for camping.
Jay, Nelly and I are heading for Yorkshire on Friday night for a few days training and counting. The plan is to take Chris, Basso, Jalad and Roxy for training and Lucky just for the trip. If I left Lucky behind he would have to go in a run with Coco and that would mean playing/barking dogs 24/7. Ideally I should take Coco and leave Lucky but I’m not sure that Tam or Judy would put up with a pup for five days. I just can’t wait to get at the grouse and we might put in a day at the CLA.
Bess is now with the family of the electrician who was fixing the lights. She is looking a trifle thin at the moment due no doubt to her exploratory operation but on the other hand her coat is so glossy she looks like a slug on a dewy morning. She is still a bit tender too as I found out when I went to lift her to check if she is in season. In all other respects she looks well and is in good form. I can’t help thinking she has landed on her feet ending up where she is.
Maybe Ross and I will get to the hill tomorrow but we’ll see. He’s that knackered he just wants to sleep on his days off. I suppose if you work sixteen hours a day you deserve to be knackered.
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