Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 5:45 pm Post subject: Wylye - putting the 'FUN' back into Gundog WT's updated p1
I wanted to write something very special about my much loved and beautiful boy but I'm not sure my words would do him justice, and I'm not sure I have the strength to be faced with anything vaguely emotive etc. Then I remembered this afternoon about this Thread. Reading this just now provided me with my first happy moment/memory since he was PTS a week ago. It sums him up perfectly, and our relationship. It was how he was 95% of the time. Happiness, pure unadulterated, contagious happiness. My lovely boy, if you ever kindly think on him again, please remember him as below because this WAS Wylye (RIP), and I will leave it at that xxx. - 3rd January 2011
Well Wylye's first Puppy Test today with UGS in Sussex, and him aside I am waiting with baited breath to hear how others got on, although I know of one LF'er who did really well . Another LF'er did their very first test today and did brilliantly - but I'll let them share their stories with you
I love reading about other people's Tests and Trials and am always grateful. Because there are so many stars on LF write ups are usually glowing (bar one or two hiccups sometimes), so I am always especially grateful to read the few posts on here about the times it doesn't always go to plan too, and thought today was such a classic example of the latter that I had to share our day with you all.
Two lessons learnt from today 1) dog was clearly not ready and 2) dog really likes WT's, perhaps a little too much....
Test 3
So our first Test. A mark to shot on a lake and then shortly after a mark to shot down a track at a right angle to the lake. Dog to pick mark on lake first.
Wow, Wylye is steady to both shots. Am gobsmacked quite frankly. There, should have more confidence in my dog. However not so good was his absolute refusal to heel and turn away from the mark on the lake to look at the second shot and dummy thrown down the track. "no, no, no Mum you are clearly losing it, I have seen the dummy, in fact I can see the dummy and it's DEFINATELY in the lake". So I say a quick prayer knowing that it's now a mark on a lake and a blind down a track, and send him on his way into the water. He swims well (this is a good point and highlight of this Test). In fact he swims a little too well as I notice that he is carrying on swiming with the dummy in his mouth to the bank the other side . After a little persuasion when he has reached the bank on the other side, and I can see his brain ticking over thinking "well I could just run round this bank back to Mum, so why is she insisting I go back into the water?", he makes the right decision and swims back to me, and after holding it for all that time, promptly *spits* the dummy at my feet
With not a lot of confidence I then line him up for the now 'blind down a track'. Wow he goes out, but then halfway along loses confidence. I try to push him back with my right arm up and clearly this in Wylye World is translated to a 'Right out' and he subsequently goes right into the nearby lake and swims back to me ('because Mum obviously likes me to do a lot of swimming').
This test was an obvious 0 but a 20 in Wylye's book for enjoyment.
Test 4
A simple hunting exercise of find two dummies in cover, no shot.
I send him out, ask him to hunt and the good boy puts his nose down (another highlight of my day). He hunts well and finds a dummy, runs home but promptly decides to leave his "I woz ere" mark on a nearby tree, which I was not too happy about, enough that he decides to spit the dummy at my feet . Number two dummy proved to be a little trickier. He hunts well again but is too fast on his feet (a nice way of putting it I think) and as he has a good philosophy that life has no barriers, he goes over the railings at the boundary to check there isn't one the other side. I call him back and after passing the time of day with the Judge and some frantic searching by Wylye (he never likes to come home empty handed if he can), he finds dummy number two and finds Mum in a better mood this time and delivers to hand.
Not sure of our score, 8?, if we are VERY lucky. 17 in Wylye's book as there was no water element to this exercise and meany Mum got cross because of the very small indescretion on the tree.
Test 1
Woo Hoo an obediance one. Given that we were so super happy to be there today I had my doubts about this one. Test consisted of healing your dog down a clearing for about 10-20 yards, sitting him up facing back towards the Judge and leaving him there whilst a dummy to shot is thrown some distance away behind him. The idea is then that you send the dog from your original starting position with him facing you with a 'back'.
Wowsa, healwork was good (yet another highlight). Sit and stay excellent. No movement with the shot behind except for a slight ear rise. Good boy. "Go back" I say and he does for 10 yards and asks "really, are you sure. Just want to check". So I ask again and he does but oddly enough decides to do so via the wood running by the side of the clearing, popping back out in time to spy the dummy. Clearly this Test was too simple and needed jazzing up a bit.
Again, don't know what we scored, imagine 10? In Wylye's world a little dull because of the healwork etc, but self enforced detour through wood perked it up no end to about 15.
Test 2
A blind to shot in woodland. I'm not sure of the distance as I am carp like that. 80m?
Blimey look at the dog go! and straight to the tree beyond which the dummy sits. What good luck. Fast forwrd 30 secs or more later after doing a slight detour to check out the man with the gun ("look Mum he's got a GUN, and it's big, oh joy, oh joy, oh joy"), he finds the dummy. I think on this occasion I might give him the benefit of the doubt as I knock the dummy out of his mouth on delivery as my hands were cold and wet but technically of course this is not good.
Guessing the score again, a possible 12?. 19 from Wylye as coming face to face with a gun was very exciting.
Test 5
A lovely, simple mark to shot and blind in the same place. He goes out wonderfully speedy, picks the dummy and decides as he has done so well it is worth marking this moment with a proud pee, only Mum yells like a banshee (not a good thing to do on Tests), as she felt the need wierdly. So he slowly puts his leg back to the floor and lollops home most upset that the particularly attractive bunch of bluebells he had earmarked have not had the benefit of a watering.
I then line him up for the blind and he does not falter (good boy). Only this time he notices strange men in the woods to the side . "Should they be there Mum? Do I need to move them on for you?". I tell him all is well, they are definately OK, with a loud recall whistle and he takes the hint.
Hmmm, not a brilliant score here as Judge forewarns me that yelling verbally at a dog is less preferable to a whistle and has lost me marks as a consequence but understands my predicament (very nice Judge, infact they all were). So maybe 12, 13 even if I am VERY lucky - or am I on cloud cuckoo land? Wylye ont he otherhand would have preferred to water the bluebells and check out the strange men in the wood just to be on the safe side, so this was his least favourite test and only scores 14.
Test 6
A three dog walk up.
Now I am amazed, and truely thrilled to pieces that my really rather hard to steady up dog has managed five out of six tests WITHOUT running in. Gobsmacked even. So I am thinking now, could I make it 6 out of 6?
No, don't be daft lol. Healwork good, first shot fired, dummy thrown (clearly marked by Wylye), dog sits, first dog to our left sent and Wylye runs in but to his credit he did stop when a ----> Mum asks. We are then relegated to using our lead for the rest of the walk up. On his turn to his credit he marks it well and has no probs finding it, does a joyfull look at me, I am so very clever return and thankfully delivers it to hand.
So this one is definately a zero, as in fact may be some of the one's above that I have self marked. Wylye on the otherhand clearly enjoyed the sound effects, the longer distance, and competition, so it gets a stonking 19, marred only by meanie Mum stopping him getting the first dummy!
So there you have it, if in fact you ever got this far, Wylye's first Test. We may have *some* work to do before the next one but we can't wait
And lastly thank you to you for reading this, and a HUGE, ENORMOUS thank you to UGS, Di, Al and all the Helpers for a cracking day out and for making both me and my dog smile.
Last edited by barney2007 on Tue Jan 03, 2012 3:53 pm; edited 2 times in total
Great write up Helen, sounds like Wylye had the time of his life even if it didn`t all go according to plan, he`s still very young and has plenty of time to get to know what its all about
Yay Wylye for having such a fun day!!! However I think your mum would've had much more fun had she stayed at home and entertained us instead... I'm a sure a stroll to the pub and a big lunch would've been far preferable!!!
A terrific write up Helen, I wish I could make my write-ups half as interesting. The fact that you and Wylye enjoyed your day was the most important thing. Im sure you have learnt alot and will enjoy the next one even more!!!.
Was a fab day, just such a shame about the rain.
and to see the rain ease up and turn into sunshine at the end of the day after we were all wet through was just taking the mickey.
Glad you enjoyed the day Helen, and Wylye looked fab.
It is nice to be home in the dry,. with the kettle on though i must admit !!
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xxx. 
- 3rd January 2011 
. Another LF'er did their very first test today and did brilliantly - but I'll let them share their stories with you 
. After a little persuasion when he has reached the bank on the other side, and I can see his brain ticking over thinking "well I could just run round this bank back to Mum, so why is she insisting I go back into the water?", he makes the right decision and swims back to me, and after holding it for all that time, promptly *spits* the dummy at my feet 
I had a smile on my face all the way thru reading that 
