Following on from Jem_d’s novice test report and excellent win, here is a little bit about the NHND / Puppy tests at the Game Conservancy Bucks event.
I went along, not planning to enter, because Rowan has been a bit off, but she seemed to be responding better than a week ago so we gave it a go.
Again three tests. The first was a walk to heel with the judge, sit your dog up, next to a marker, judge threw out a dummy behind the dog. Judge and handler walked back to the start leaving the dog. Another dummy was then thrown out to the right. When instructed the handler sends the dog back for the first retrieve, sits the dog back up and retrieves the second dummy themselves. We were fine apart from Rowan stopping short of the dummy to investigate sheep poo and I was bit slow to send her back from it. Docked 3 marks so scored 17.
Second was a long retrieve for a marked dummy on a pistol shot. This was a strange one I must say, as Rowan didn’t mark it and only about 15 yards back from the dummy, in the same field, was a large flock of sheep moving from left to right. It seemed very odd sending her out towards the sheep. Luckily she ignored them, but again stopped a bit short to investigate sheep poo. She got a blast on the whistle and went back straight away and scented the dummy. Again 17 scored.
Last test was the toughest. Start position along side a lake. One dummy thrown into the lake and one blind in long grass. Walk to heel with the judge, then send for the mark in the water and then back out for the blind. The judge warned that sent from the dummy bag was pulling the dogs off to the left. We only scored 15 on this one and that was probably generous. I had to work hard at getting Rowan into the water, it’s very strange, just like last weekend, but she did go after a lot of handling but dropped the dummy to shake on the way back. She redeemed herself on the blind, was pulled off by the dummy bag scent but handled away from it for a nice quick retrieve. The judge gave me a second, straight out retrieve from the water and she went with no hesitation and no dummy dropping.
Not a wonderful result I know, but I guess we had to start somewhere.
I was highly impressed with the venue, organisation and officials, a really friendly atmosphere and very welcoming to all. A very pleasant day, a bonus was bumping into two of Acer's litter sisters who were there soaking up the atmosphere, they were 6 months old to the day.
Sounds like Rowan made a fair job of things John despite her wobble on the water.
I must admit to smiling about the sheep poo. It is one of the very first things I sort out (not only sheep poo) and I would have had my six month old pup there just to learn that "poo" is a no no right from the very start.
It has certainly paid off with my dogs this year as I have done several tests in the same field as sheep and poo!!!!!!
Problem is, there are always sheep there. They usually beat it to the far end of the park, but sound as if this lot were too friendly. That one is always a lovely little test though, with some nice ground to lay the tests out in.
Jacky, it was held at West Wycombe Park, a really beautiful place and as JohnW says, you couldn’t think of a more suitable ground for tests.
Ettinsmoor wrote:
Do you not pick up in amongst sheep then John (EJW)? I always used to when picking up in Henley.
No, we are all arable, with a field of Bison at one end, if that counts. I don’t think I’ve ever shot in amongst livestock, not counting hill farming type densities.
Well done for getting the first test under your belt. Get rid of all the nerves and hit the ground running with Acer when she's a little older!
We have done my gundog classes on sheep fields this summer. I'm sure some of the owners don't need to feed their dogs afterwards given the huge quanties of poo that some of them eat!
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Luckily she ignored them, but again stopped a bit short to investigate sheep poo. She got a blast on the whistle and went back straight away and scented the dummy. Again 17 scored.
I don’t think I’ve ever shot in amongst livestock, not counting hill farming type densities.
