Spring pointing

A good turnout of Brittanys. 5 out of a card of 9.

only one grading was given of 'very good' to Adrian (sorry misplaced my running order with his Weim - will edit this post later)

i will leave it for others to comment on their own individual runs.

From my perspective Rory and Susie really made every effort to allow every dog to show it's colours and gain a grading.

I have to admit i came away disappointed.
Topaz had unbeknown to me packed his Biggles Helmet into his overnight bag (we stayed at my sister in laws). As soon as he was cast off he flew at top speed down the ditch we were to work and then down the wheeling of the adjacent field of rape. This completely wrong footed me as a i did not expect it and secondly i felt no trust. when he finally returned - which seemed an age - but i believe to the spectators was quite presentably i cast him off in the other direction and this time managed to turn him on the whistle, we worked a few beats before he once again flew off up a wheeling in the wheat field we were in. Ear muffs firmly down. Anyway he came back, turning of his own volition - as no amount of stop or turn seemed to be heard by him.
He ran hard and fast - and sometimes very flat, sometimes in rather large bites. The last beat of the field took him to a hedge, missing ground as he did - a partridge flew up behind him. At the hedge he went on an 'unproductive point' - i walked up to him and commanded him on knowing there was nothing. stopped him and put the lead back on and walked back to the judges. Thinking my number was up.

However - Susie asked why i had done that? and asked me to cast the dog off and work on - they were really enjoying watching him work. The bird was from unworked ground and not a missed bird.

Through the hedge we went and cast him off up hill, only to turn him as early as possible - desperately trying to - as i thought keep him in control- by my way of thinking. we did a few more quarters, another hammer off up the hill side before being told to 'lead your dog'. On his final return to me he ignored me and ran past back to the hedge - about 10 yards up from where i had turned him on our second part of the run. The day was very warm and little breeze so he was onto a pair of partridge before he could stop - they were up as he stopped but more bumped than pointed.

Lessons to learn.
1. preparation - i had not done large fields without hedges - except in France where i had trouble stopping him. I had worked him on several pieces of new ground the previous couple of days, but mainly small stretches of set aside and grass.

2. Stop whistle. Will have to go back to basics with this one. He is at teh moment - as they say in the metal polishing trade 'highly polished, deeply scratched' a condition where one has gone to final and finest grit for polishing before working through the lower grades properly.

3. I have worked enough hedgerows in my life to know my best chance for a result was there - it was a heaven sent opportunity and i blew it, and let the dog down. Another ten yards on an earlier cast and we would have had a strong point one side of a hedge, with a flush from the other I have no doubt.

Rory and Susie were very generous in their feedback. They thought he had everything going for him, style, speed and they could see he had a fantastic nose. more work was needed on getting him to listen to his handler, who in turn needed more experience.