Sunday, March 28, 2010

Spring Training

March 20 , 2010
Jersey, GA

Tessa and Shane, a 12-year old Irish Red Setter, met at the dog park about a year ago. Actually, they were in adjacent parks for months until one morning I noticed Shane's owner wearing a hunting vest so I introduced ourselves and now we all walk together, Tessa and Shane hunting for critters or playing fetch, Paul and I talking bird dogs.

Today Shane joined us at a NAVHDA training day for the first time. He is not training towards anything - tests and trials are long behind him. He is 12 years old and has retired from the hunting scene 3 years ago but we were curious to see how he would do.

Tessa found the first bird and pointed it and Shane immediately honored. For those of you who are not familiar: honoring or "backing" means that if if a dog comes across another dog on point, he must stop immediately and remain still, instead of rushing in to point the bird himself, and and possibly messing things up. It's a nice concept that Tessa hasn't grasped yet. We will need to work on it.

Shane still has his good nose, and points much nicer than Tessa - more intense, and very stylish - and one can tell that he knows his stuff. For 12 years old, he also has good endurance, although he is a little slower than he no doubt used to be. No match for Tessa who is 10 years younger and fast as the wind but he was holding his own really well.

After the field work, Tessa and I proceeded to the duck pond. Tod did some dummy work and Tessa got a chance to retrieve the Dokken dummy, and it didn't go too well. She was not too keen to pick it up. I have since ordered her one and she now seems to like it better.


Swimming of course is never a problem for my girl.

When all the training was done and everyone had left, Tessa took a little sitzbad in the duck pond. It is her idea of relaxing.

A Taste Of Spring

March 18, 2010
Sandy Creek Park, GA

Season Opener

March 14, 2010
Jersey, GA

First time on birds since December 6, and it looks like her obedience skills are finally oozing over into the field.

This was just a post-hunt test fun run. The birds were pretty bad, some just huddling, some walking, not many flying. I had to make sure she didn't grab one and run off with it - big no no! Was able to whoa her in situations where that was unthinkable last fall, and also heeled her out of a whoa and away from an injured bird. She did not run off into other people's fields - well, she tried, but responded to my recall - and at the end she heeled off-leash all the way back to the car - THAT was a first, it was always such a struggle to get her out of that field.

Lots of work ahead but I think I have my foot in the door.

Weather was dismal, very cloudy, no light. It even sprinkled when I took this photo - one of only two for that day.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Ah...Don't

March 13, 2010
Sandy Creek Park, GA

Practicing the long whoa...a good time to take some photos...or so I thought. Didn't know she was trying to break it until I looked at the image on my computer - the little sneak! Maybe I better pay attention to what she's up to than taking her photo.

With Love, Tessa

March 5, 2010
[at home]

The Whoa

March 4, 2010
Sandy Creek Park, GA

It's spring, and the birds are back...Tessa watches them settle on the field in dog park no. 3. I use the opportunity to practice the "whoa". We are slowly working our way up to 15 minutes using a variety of distractions. Instead of releasing her, I sometimes simply heel her away in the other direction. The off-leash heel is going well.

Not having access to birds much, we do what we can in the park. Our new sequence is a 5-minute whoa with distractions; I then toss her tennis ball into the woods, but keep her in the "whoa" for another minute or so. If I have a plastic bag with me, I blow it up and pop it after tossing the ball so as to simulate a gun shot (starter pistols are not allowed in the park) - works well enough. I then release her and ask her to fetch the ball. Hopefully this will teach her the sequence of whoa - bird flying - gunshot - her marking where the bird falls - waiting for the release - locating and fetching the bird. Of course we will need to see how this translates into the bird field.


Star-Spangled Tessa

March 1, 2010
[at home]

At Play

March 1, 2010
[at home]

Typical lunch break scene.

Lighted By The Blind

February 27, 2010
Athens, GA

While taking a long walk across campus, Tessa poses in front of the old Art School building.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Tessa's Shadow

February 27, 2010
Athens, GA

Tessa saw her shadow today and says, "sorry folks, six more weeks of winter!"

Dog Of Many Talents

February 27, 2010
Sandy Creek Park, GA