B3

[Meeka]

How about a Wildrose report? How was it?

[B3]

It was fun. Less dogs than before but I would say all in all about the same number of dogs who were capable of winning. Ihad 2 dogs there and Teal got 4th and her momma got 3rd(which surprised me). I was proud of Teal as she has always done poorly at that event before. I put the old dog in and was shocked at how she did-no real mistakes, she was rusty at age 11 but played hard.

I'll try to post up descriptions of the series when I get a few minutes.

Bill

[B3]

Series 1. Similar to a hunt test.

2 handlers and dogs in a skid type duck blind 40 yds from waters edge of oval pond. Working handler shoots a mark coming out of a winger 90 yds across dam of pond. Shoots again at a blind 50 yds to left. Dog is handled out of duck blind and sent for mark. No problem.

Lined Teal up for the blind which is a little brown feathered dokken in thick weeds on left side of pond. Can't see dog once he's in area at end of 50-60 yd blind. I lined Teal up and sent her out the dog hole on the blind and she took a dead straight line exactly where I wanted and ended up on the exact spot where my old dog had winded the bird before. She didn't wind it and kept going so I blew whistle to handle and dog locked onto some guy in the gallery in a white shirt.

I saw what was going on and waved my cap,arms to get her to see me in the blind. After several silent casts that she never saw and never moved I gave a verbal over and she of course went on the over I didn't want. I had to toot her nearly all the way in and get her to understand it was me and not the dude in white who was handling her. From there picked it up fine. We pretty much zeroed on that retrieve putting us in a big hole to climb out of. Luckily they didn't make a cut until after 4 series so we were able to gain enough points to stay in.

2nd series Walk up line in medium cover. Teal was head swinging between the 2 guns on each end of the line but did OK.

3rd seriesWalkup line in 3 foot high sage grass. Mark shot in front but had to turn around and pick a blind about 50 yds behind the line. Another dog then picked the mark. Very easy to lose dog in the grass. Had to put dog deep to blind and use a hunt back in whistle to do it clean. Blind was run down wind.

4th series. Single mark shot from a field with handheld launcher into woods with mark falling across a creek with steep banks. Dog had to drive into woods and carry across creek to get mark. Some dogs had to handle to get across creek. Teal stepped on the mark according to gunner(handler couldn't see dog) but could get her little fat booty back up the creek bank on the way back. Her straight line non cheating lining training also meant she would not move 20 feet down the creek to return in an easier spot. I don't think she was penalized for that though.

5th series was fun.

Line of 4 handlers and dogs looking up a field of 3 foot high sage grass cut in strips. Each handler with a shotgun and about a dozen shells. Electronic skeet throwers throw clays from over hill back at you for you to bust out in front of dogs. 1 dog broke. Teal gradually crept out 4 feet. After a minute of shooting you each asked to pick a blind that is described something like" about 50 yds up this strip and then about 10ds in and just over the rise there. Teal wanted to pick the clays out front and was handled off them and took a good cast up into the sage grass. I put her in down wind and she found it no problem. All but 4 were put out by this series.

6th series

Single water mark across pond. about 90 yd swim through decoys into trees at end. Fallarea about 20 yds into woods. All 4 did it well.

The 1st and 2nd place dogs ran a good consistent day and did a great job. They were steadier than my dogs and really made no mistakes that I saw.

Bill

[goosebruce]

b3 wrote... Shoots again at a blind 50 yds to left. Dog is handled out of duck blind and sent for mark. No problem. so did you run the blind first, then pick the mark up? Or pick up the bird she saw, then run the blind. or just run the blind and not pick up the mark?

When your dog couldnt get up the creek bank, what happened? Did you go to get her, or help her, and cast her back and around.

Thanks for the play by play.

Who won. And who where the judges. travis

[B3]

The first series was not what I would expect from a true british working test(from what little I know). I think its put in there more so folks who run hunt tests can have some fun.

The working handler shot twice. Mark and then fire again for the one the dog didn't see. Told to pick the mark first. Then run a blind . Should have been chump change for a finished dog. If the wind had been blowing like it was when I ran it 30 minutes earlier then we would have picked it up with no whistles.

I train a lot with a white long sleeve fishing shirt so I know my dog can see me. I feel better about collar corrections if I know my dog saw the cast. I think she saw the white shirt behind the blind and was waiting for help. When I gave silent casts nothing happened. Vocal casts and she moved-just not where I wanted. She sat quick to every whistle. Never had another issue with handling the rest of the day.

The guy that won I don't know. It was a nice dog that I had not seen before. Even if we'd been clean on the first series, he likely would have still won. As it was I was having to count on other dogs eliminating themselves in the last couple of series. Several good dogs went out on the clay shoot deal including last years winner.

One thing that was different this year was the judges anounced scores several times during the event so you knew where you stood. They used cumulative scoring. The judges were Mike Stewart and Vic Barlow as usual.

Bill

[Meeka]

Congrats, y'all did well.

What about that clay shoot deal. That blows my mind. What did you think of it. And did the dogs kinda figure out pretty quick that the targets were xploding and that they were not for the dogs? Sounds like someone was at a clay shoot and some dog went nuts and the person thought "Hey, why don't we try that at a test!"

I wish I coulda tried it.

[B3]

They've done the clay deal before. The dogs don't necessarily know to leave them and Teal was locked on one about 15 yds in line to a particular blind. Naturally I got asked to pick that blind so I had an inline poison bird. Kinda hard to no the dog off of it so I let her go to it and cast her off it. If left to her own desire she'd have brought back the clay

Bill

[DavidR]

The clay shoot simulates an english driven. THe test was set up with two sclay throwers and 3 bumper boys. The blinds were not really blinds but were marks that the handlers usually did not see because they were busy shooting. It is an excellent transition excercise for the dogs and handlers that the Wildrose guys setup regularily for our Sunday afternoon training group. A lot of fun, and an excellent steadying excercise.

[chip laughton]

Bill and David it was great seeing you guys again.

I have only ran in one hunt test and then I ran in the Wildrose event Saturday. That was a blast. I know where the weak spots are now. So the number ten dog will be a contender next year.

Some of you guys who have not run in it before should come out next year and give it a try. It was fun...