Calshot and the Queen

Friday - Took Ellie to Calshot - she succeeded where the others had failed - she got up onto ans stayed on the sofa alongside the client. She wanted to play with the next door cocker but it was far to hot so she spent her day mostly in the shade under the table. Her biggest worry was the kite surfers - I think the canopies look like large birds at which she woofed and then ran inside and up the very steep staircase to sit next to me! As we left she was allowed some free running on the sand exposed by low tide.

This is Fudge - he is a Maesydderwen


Ellie shade worshipper


Seagull hunter.


Today took Fresco when I went ot help at HGS 'Retriever Water Picnic' a day of water tests. I managed to have a couple of goes at the novice tests with him - in the first a seen with shot down a bank, across a ditch and up the other side. Nice run out, pick, and return all without any more than a release - but he stopped to give the dummy a bit of a 'seeing to' just the wrong side of the line. He also started to run for the retrieve before it had even been thrown. On the return another was thrown into the same place as a blind. Exemplary retrieve this time, release on name and return to hand at high speed. The judge admitteed he was one of the best performers she had see so far and was astounded at the speed he could change direction.

The next test was a seen thrown into water; handler to then walk away and call the dog in for a blind after which the seen was asked for. He ran in on the first placing of the seen. Came to the recall perfectly but on sending on the blind shot off around the corner I suspect intent on returning to the seen. Stopped and recalled and sent again to the blind. That to hand he went with speed for the first dummy and by the sound of the water entry was quite a dramatic one.

Certainly a lot more drive than any of the dogs I saw operating. I was pleased with his performance. I think more than a few were surprised that a HPR could do it like that and then such a young dog. There are still a lot of preconceived ideas about