Shadow Lawn Kennels?????

[Doc & Nash]

Has any body ever heard anything about this outfit, and their dogs? Maybe some of you who are doing the field trials could give me some feed back??

[Don Miller]

Yes, it is owned by Evonne Skeen. She did some puppy training for me. If you are talking about buying a puppy, I did not buy mine from her. She does have some puppies out of excellent bloodlines. Both Slim and Lean Mac pups if I am not mistaken. PM me if you have any other questions.

[4DUKHTN]

Evonne is a personal friend of mine. She has had puppies from Slim and other excellent bloodlines, but she has sold some of her dogs cutting back on her training. I have a puppy out of Slim, named Dash, and love him...He doesn't know when enough retreiving is enough...he will work and work so you have to be displicined and quit because Dash won't. If you would like to visit her place or see one of her puppies, let me know, I need to get back over to Pontotoc and visit her also.
Jason

[Wildfowler]

I have an off topic question for Don Miller Hole Hunter, if you don't mind. My question is similar in scope to the retriever question I posted recently. I just haven't quite answered my first question, and any insight that you or anyone else can offer would be greatly appreciated.

How do you know who "Slim" and "Lean Mac" are? You seem to know them by their first names, as if you know them "personally". Is there some kind of online resource available where you can look up the names of dogs who are field trial champs? I mean how did you hear about them? I'm not trying to put down these two dogs you mentioned. But the reason I ask this question is because I am trying to evaluate the quality of a recent litter of lab puppies. I mean, how would someone like me who has never heard of "Slim" and "Lean Mac" before, learn more about them, or other dogs like them?

I ran the AKC reports for the puppies I am interested in, but I wouldn't know where to start a search on "Slim". I wonder how many dogs out there have the name "Slim" in their registered name? I hope I am making some sense, with the way I have presented my question.

Disclaimer:

I have never attended any sort of field trial event. I am sure that this would be very clear to me if I would just get involved with the process.

Thanks.

[Don Miller]

I am new to the hunt test and field trail game. My dog is out of a Master Hunter female and Greenwings Chances Are Slim, the 2000 Canadian Field Trial Champion. I good place to get info on AKC Champions is workingretriever.com Hope it will be of some help.

[Don Miller]

Let me correct my self. The info you are wanting can be found in the Retriever Field Trial News. I subscribe to it. It gives all the info on all of the field trail and hunt test results nation wide and a lot of info on the top retrievers in the different classes. I can't find an email address or phone number, but the mailing address is Retriever Field Trial News 4379 South Howell Ave. Suite 17 Milwaukee Wi. 53207-5053. If I am not mistaken, I paid $44 for a one year subscription. I promises it is well worth it if you want to keep up with whats going on in the retriever world.

[goosebruce]

Spend a lil time round this stuff, and you WILL think you know some of those dogs personally. Cause the promient ones (like lean mac) have left their mark on their pups, and you see some the same things out of dogs from those lines, even with different parents. Lean Mac is arguably one of the best ft dogs of all time, and is the most bred to dog of all time, and you see that in the off spring. The entire ideal behind ft's (and for that matter ht's to an extent) is to improve the gene pool of our hunting dogs. If there werent for ft's, nobody would know about dogs like lean mac, save for the lucky few who hunted over him and wanted a dog like him. Instead, he's bettered the breed, and had a major impact on dogs for decades from now, worldwide.
I'm betting 50% of upper level hunt test dogs have lean mac lines within the very near future. Percentage may be higher than that. That said, never underestimate the bottom side of dat peddygree either though! travis

[Wildfowler]

OK, now were're getting somewhere. Thanks guys!!

[Big Lou]

You can try going tothis site:
http://www.akc.org/store/index.cfm

From her you can look up dogs by name and run reports on them. Good Luck! [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[chance]

Lean Mac---Ebonstar's Lean Mac---2X national field trial champion. His progeny has been very successful also. "Prize"--Maxx's Surprise---national field trial champ. "Ford"---Fordlands Bored out Ford---Amateur Field trial champ.This dog is in Jackson Mississippi. Sam Milton owner.
You look for the top side of the breeding to bring something to the table but the bottom side--bitch--is at least half of the equation.Good bloodlines such as this are expensive but, it is still your best shot at obtaining a retriever that excels at what it loves to do best--retrieve!
Good luck and find a good retriever club to join. Nothing like the fellowship of others who enjoy your same fun.

[Glenn]

Ebonstar's Lean Mac was never a 2X National Field Champion. He was a 2X National Amateur Field Champion. Mike Lardy never won a National Open with him.

I saw Lean Mac run in derbies in the early 90's in Calf. The dog could not handle and the owner was asking a huge price for him. At that time, $40,000 for a dog that could not handle was crazy. The guy I was working for turned the dog down because of the lack of basics the dog had.

Boy, what an investment Sherwin and Pam made.

[Bobby Williams]

Goosebruce
Was LeanMac pulled from the GOG last year? I believe he was because the handler (not Mike Lardy) was afraid he would break because he was not use to having a gun shot over him. He probably would not pick up one of those rubber duckies either. For my limited experience I would rather have a pup off your dog Rowdy than Leanmac. Your dog knows how to hunt and with a little more training he will handle someday. Not in the near future but someday. Just kidding.
Another reason Leanmac was pulled was he had nothing to gain and everything to lose. He had over a million dollars worth of semem floating around and if he did not win the price would have dropped.
Don't get me wrong I am not taking anything away from the dog he is great for what he does. I just don't think I would want to be in a duck blind with him.

[Drake]

Cookmducks,
I am going to see Evonne this evening to train with her. I purchased a pup from her out of Slim also. I have been nothing but pleased with his progress. We are in training for the hunt tests coming up this fall. I am fairly new to the hunt test scene, and Evonne has helped me in knowing the little things that are necessary in a hunt test. There are so many little things in hunt tests that make a huge difference. Things that don't necessarily make a dog a better hunter, but give his retrieve the "style" that just looks good to a hunt test judge. For example, I had taught my lab that it was ok to come back on my right side and circle behind me to heel on my left. In a hunt test, the judges want the dog to come directly to the heel side. It has taken a lot of training to undo something that I taught wrong because I didn't know any better.

[goosebruce]

Boy o boy bobby, whut a can of worms!

Maxx was pulled from the orginal gogs (year before last). The reasons where many, he wasn't used to swinging with the shotgun, he hadn't been exposed to dokkens for marks (why the hell would he?), and quite frankly, he had nothing to prove. Having the most famous dog in the country competeing in a bastardized test (not a ft, not a ht, just a bunch of crap thrown together, none of the dogs looked good) & being handled by his owner to boot, isnt a good marketing stragdy. Would maxx break from having a gun shot over him? Naw. If a dogs gonna break, hes gonna break. If the gun was the only case, then break would be a hrc word only, just like nogo is an akc word only. Dogs break without a shot.

Maxx in a duckblind... Well, you just stumbled over the BIG quandrey in field trials. First, he has hunted, in fact he hunted 2 seasons BEFORE Lardy ever got ahold of him. Remember he won an AFC pre-lardy. Lottie was rumored to go pheasant hunting with mike, and the word is tank actually broke while hunting often, but never during trials or training. But take all those tidbits away from a dog, and you haven't taken anything away from his genetics. Now Im not advocating NOT hunting dogs by any means, but merely stating a FT dog that has proven himself in his game has proven he has the genetics (and training) to do ANYTHING a dog needs for any other venue. Gentics alone wont do it, neither will training. If maxx had never stepped foot in a duck blind, he'd still be what he is. Would that make me want to take him duck hunting? Why heavens no. Excatly the reason I play the game I do, because I am proving (to myself, the world, the future, and anyone that wants to listen) my dog has what it takes in my venue. Im training for a very specialized skill myself... it aint easy training a dog to be the best hunting dog in the world!

A pup outta rowdy instead of maxx? Hmmmm. Well, theres a rub there. Lean Mac appears on the bottomside of rowdys pedigree. As well as Chena, Chavez and an odd MH or two. Topside is littered those pesky Candlewoods dogs that keep showing up & cropper. How many of those actually hunt? I don't know. But I know every one has the gentics to hunt anything on this earth. Now his actual parents can hunt, do hunt, and do it well. 1200+ odd hrc points don't lie. You see, their are only 2 hrc dogs in his pedigree, both his parents. The genetics to make them all what they where, and are, came from a game that doesn't resemble a duck hunt at all. I don't have to play it, or hang with those folks. But Im a fool if i don't reap the benfit of all their work & expense.

A brain surgeon has a flat tire. Can he change it? I dunno if he ever HAS changed one. I dunno if he even should change it. But I know good and dam well he could change if it he wanted to. But i can't do brain surgery. So if Im changing a tire, and have a short circuit in my noggin, Im sure glad someone else went to school for 12 years to fix it. Doesn't make me stupid, just not a brain surgeon. Im a fool if I resent him and don't take advantage of what he can do. travis (who can't wait for you to see rowdy this fall!)

[NOHERE]

THIS IS GETTIN GOOD....
GOOSE YOU HIT ON THE HEAD, A BUNCH OF CRAP THROWN TOGETHER.
MOST, NOT ALL, BUT QUITE A FEW FIELD TRIAL DOGS,IM TALKING ABOUT FC AND AFC TITLED,
HAVE AN "OFF SEASON", THIS IS DUCK SEASON...SOME HUNT AND SOME DONT.
THE ONES THAT DO ARE USALLY ALLOWED TO BREAK, I BEING ONE OF THOSE THAT LET MINE BREAK (TO AN EXTENT).WHY? IT LOOSENS THEM UP, ITS THEIR TIME TO RELAX AND "ENJOY" THE GAME.WE HOLD THEM UNDER SOME STRICT RULES IN F.T GAME.DUCK SEASON IS THEIR TIME OFF,YOU WOULDNT BELIVE HOW THE ATTIDUDE IS WHEN YOU START TRAINING AGAIN FOR THE SPRING TRAILS,JUST AFTER YOU GET THROUGH HUNTING WITH'EM.
THIS WILL PROBABLY SHAKE UP MOST OF THE FOLKS THAT "JUST WANT A HUNTIN DOG",BUT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 2 DIFFERENT WORLDS HERE.

BREAKING IS A VERY "FIXABLE" THING,I WOULDNT BASE MY PICK OF A PUP ON IT.