Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Words of wisdom...

...Chris Ledford's advice to his clients:

"This test is tough and tight, and you've got to run by the water on a bird, and the wind is factor. On this test, you have to be comfortable but bold. And, you have to bear down and relax."

(Clarification--No pros have been allowed to view any tests from the line.)

Living clean--or clean living?


Here's a new statistic for you: At this moment, 21 dogs are clean--that is to say, with no handles in any marking tests--through the fifth series. There are an additional 7 dogs left to run in today's last group of dogs that have not yet handled prior to running today...any of those remaining 7 could join the ranks of the Clean 21.   

(Cutter, #112, is currently living clean.)

How do you spell RELIEF?


Answer: Doing-This-Test-Successfully.

With 58 out of 77 dogs having run at this time, 26 dogs have handled and of those 26 handles, four of them were double-handles in this test, 5 additional dogs have picked up, 1 dog froze on delivery for the last bird, 1 broke on the second flyer, and 1 is a scratch due to a lingering injury. 

In the last gunner's rotation (and we are changing guns and throwers out right now) 21% of the group of dogs have done the test without handling. 

Overall, there is barely a 44% success rate (keeping the glass half-full.)

(In the photo, Jerry Younglove waits in the holding blind with Cree.) 

Patience, my friend...


...Charlie Hines waits with Cody, #102, during the gun change.

I spoke with him about his recent handle with Ranger on this test. 

"That was my fault," he revealed. "Ranger's leg is somewhat atrophied and he kicked off a bit left and I didn't help him. He didn't really have a mark, but still he was only 10 yards off when he missed it and I think I could have done better."     

We've moved through the second gun change...

...of Test Five. In the first group of dogs, 7 dogs handled or picked up for 37% problem rate and in the second group of dogs the percentage rate of handles or pickups went up to 50%.
.  

Test Five--Drawing Rendition


...Courtesy of Pam Ingham. You go, girl! These are really beautiful drawings that complement the photos greatly. Or probably, vice versa.  

Amendment

One of the pickups listed through 19 dogs was actually instructed to do so by the judges and will receive a re-run twelve dogs later. That is #68. 

Through 22 dogs a double-handle (dog was handled on both retired birds) can be added to the mix. 

Neither rain, nor floods, nor closed roads...


...were going to keep John Skibber and his dog Tess from running their first National. Literally speaking. Skibber, a surgeon, had trouble taking time off but planned to train a week in Iowa with Tess and trainer Scott Dewey before hooking up with Scott's friend and fellow trainer, Kenny Trott, at the National. 

Just a day and a half into Iowa training, that massive storm system we've all seen on the news hit the Hawkeye State with force. Flooding chased Skibber out of Iowa while Dewey was left to deal with rising water in his parents' home. John hit the road at 3:30 a.m. that Monday, headed for Plan B (training with Wayne Curtis) and encountered detour after detour due to closed roads. Finally, he arrived in Wisconsin and was able to train with Wayne, Rick Wilke and Pete Hayes for a few days. Then, rain hounded him to Vermont where he hooked up with Kenny and trained Saturday morning.   

Skibber, #46, grew up in Pennsylvania and hunted with beagles. It wasn't until he began his medical career in Texas that he obtained a Labrador. "A retriever is the hunting dog to have around Houston," he stated. 

As is a familiar note with many of us, his first Lab was a $250 newspaper find; that dog eventually became qualified all-age. "I've paid a lot more money than that for many dogs since then that never became QAA!" He laughed dryly. 

Much help was obtained from training partners Jerry Wickliffe, Ed Fullerton, John Monroe, and W. Stupka from the Port Arthur area. 

And it was time to move on to a competitive dog as John became more addicted to field trials. He settled on a Maxx (Lean Mac) x Mx. Costalot puppy and to make the story short, traded that dog Archie (Archer's Paradox) back to Judy Aycock in exchange for a Kweezy (FC-AFC Trumarc's Lean Cuisine) puppy.

"I didn't care who she [Judy] picked as a stud to breed to Kweezy...but I knew I wanted a female puppy," John shared. "And I just wanted to stay in field trials more than anything."  

Kweezy was bred to FC-AFC Code Blue and John's puppy from that first Cody x Kweezy cross is here with him this week. 

Her name is T Street Tess. 

"Tess is a special dog to me. You know, she reacts like a dog, for example, like when you let her out with other dogs, she'll cut up for a few minutes--she does things other dogs do--but her most endearing quality is that after she runs around a bit she'll come back and just stay and walk with me. She enjoys being with me."

They've completed the fifth test this morning as they were third to run. 

I asked John to explain what this National means to him.

His response was immediate. "Think about it. It's the privilege in being here...to see these dogs and some of the best combinations of retrievers and Amateurs in the country. These dogs give us remarkable performances while they do what they were bred to do, and that is to retrieve game. That is the biggest part of this whole thing for me--to see them do what they were bred to do--and they do it so well.      

   

Mid-morning buzz...


...thus far, 19 dogs have run the fifth test. There have been four handles, two pickups and one break.

This photo is of Jim Carlisle's Zoom as he waits in the second holding blind to run...and when his turn came up he performed nicely. 

Starting right on time...


...................................................................



the first running dog hit the mat at 8:00 a.m. Here is a quick view of the test; disregard the mat in the foreground as an honor was predicted but then eliminated and the mat was used to receive each dog for delivery of the last bird.


Just a few dogs have run thus far with no handles but with varying degrees of work. More is coming up when possible....Thanks for reading.

Puttin' it on with four in the fifth...

.........................................................................................Another gorgeous Vermont morning greeted all early risers. It's quite amazing how the rains at night have consistently given up pretty mornings, even yesterday's with the ground mist and fog.

Today, a mixed bag quad has been put together nearly on the front lawn of the Simonds' property.

Here, contestants watch as the first test dog has to handle on one bird. The order of the throws was then changed and the second test dog handled on three birds.