Off to the Pyrenees

Tresallier have split into 'boy team and 'girl team' - The boy team have gone off to the Pyreneean foothills for a three week jolly to build a 19th century copy of a French staircase (as you do). The girl team stayed in the UK and are doing things like attend the BCGB weekend.


Last weekend we actually made it to the Pyrenees for real.


Lunch was by a stream - where the water gets in your ears!



Evenings are spent doing water retrieves as the days are so hot Laughing




Whilst back at the workshop there are rather too many chickens that roost in the wisteria -

relief keeper

mixed emotions today.

My little tricolour friend ate the back out of my best shoes, mind they are / were still just wearable. However I come home this evening and all I have is the sole - cannot be pesky fresky as he had been with me.

Went to the pens this evening and guided Mark around - he is going to relief keeper for me for the next few weeks as I swan off to work in France. In one pen Fresco come trotting along with a pheasant in his mouth. As the deed was done I was more worried i did not pressure him and make him hold it too hard. When it came to hand it was cold and stiff and very emaciated - so a casualty of something. A quick inspection of it's larynx did not reveal any worm infestation but it was very thin and would I think have died of starvation. Odd and not something in an ideal world I would have liked to have left for another to sort out.

Took them all out mid afternoon for a small run. Catja was on the button, Topaz had his self hunting head on and although he came back everytime on the whistle it was by a slightly scenic route. Ellie was Ellie and Fresco ran like a loon. I don't know what got into him - it just looked as if he was running for the sheer joy of running and doing everything in an approximate manner. Sat late, wandered off line badly, didn't turn when asked -stuff like that. Maybe he was suffering from cabinitus and just needed to let his hair down. Hmm.

HGS working test

HGS working test - went well. The weather held for me with only one shower mid afternoon, when most competitors were in the shelter of the woods.
A bit of a prickly start - a few errors in my transcriptions of dogs' names into the running order and an earlier computer crash that had misplaced a couple of entrants - so they did not appear on the lists. Crying or Very sad As the whole of the event was managed out of a database this proved a bit of a problem - the lists were alphabetical by handler so any new one changed the numbering system and many numbers had already been issued. - I will have to revise that for next time also a better method of handling competitors living at the same address. The up side of using technology - and a village hall as the venue - was the ability to crunch the results in ten minutes and give ordered results sheets to all.

So what of the day? We had 39 runners in three classes in the end. A very pleasing turn out allowing a good test of the ground without the pressure of numbers. Much appreciated was the availability of fresh ground for each dog and also the chance to run in open fields.

The open dogs had a split retrieve of a seen and blind near one of the release pens to add interest followed by a blind retrieve of a cold pigeon. The novice dogs a split on a woodland ride requiring the dog to be stopped and directed and a seen down into a dell and over/under a fallen tree. Whilst the puppies had a seen and a memory placed by the handler. All dogs had a water retrieve. The pond was quite thick with elodea so the tests reflected this added difficulty. However as the pond is a flight pond for duck no one could really complain that their gundog shouldn't use it.

Julia provided catering all day - hot home made soup, sandwiches, tea coffee and cakes (60 plus cupcakes of many varieties). The sponsors provided over £150 worth of prize vouchers for the competitors and judges and the club gave certificates and rosettes to sixth place. I will be able to report back to the committee with a profit that will pay for all my field trial licenses this winter.

cool weather

I keep checking the weather forecast - willing it to be dry tomorrow for Hampshire Gundog Society's Gundog Working Test. The best forecast still tells me there will be half a millimeter of rain in the afternoon. I am now at the stage where I think I have done all in preparation; safe in the knowledge I don't know what I don't know!

The birds seem to have put on a spurt of growing, they certainly are consuming more, about 1/3 of a bag a day more. Had to refill one of the water tanks as a small and I mean small leak - no more than a dripping tap - had drained it to nigh on empty.

As the weather is starting to cool the dogs seem to revving up; their toilet trip in the morning is now done in 'super hyper drive' there seems a desire to get as much ground under their paws as possible - or is it that they have a series of 'haunts' that they wish to check. ? I have started to use this time to refresh the idea of 'stop' particularly with Fresco as his running I think he is getting into a bit of a habit - he is running to his next objective oblivious to the world around him. I don't want this to become the thin end of a wedge so to speak.

birds

The birds are growing very nicely and the severe weather the other night did not affect them. What was interesting however was both radios had lost tune with their stations and were silent - so silent I thought the batteries had died. I think it must have just been the vibration from the wind that had moved the tuning dial a bit (these are only after all cheap £6 analogue radios)

The electric fence survived but both needed much debris removed to make them in any way effective again.

My car has gone to the repairers after being run into by a youth driving too fast. The replacement 'thing' is not meant to have dogs in it 'in case a future client has an allergy' - this has proved very inconvenient on one hand and on the other it has highlighted just how much I rely on the dogs to do my job. I tried dogging in a boundary hedge tonight by myself and just watched the birds trot away in front of me and not go in the direction they would when the dogs were behind them. I have gone from the dogs doing it for 'training' to the dogs having to do it because the job won't get done properly if they don't !

has he started pointing ?

A most interesting spell for Tresallier dogs. Our time at the drier has finished, but before it did I had a great opportunity to run Fresco at a cock pheasant. I had spotted it strutting its stuff across the short grass and took him down wind of it, by this time the bird had tucked itself down and out of sight. He was intent on having a pee and generally bimbling about when all of a sudden he spun into a point with his mouth working to stimulate his vomeronasal gland. A great breakthrough.

The birds have settled in well. We now have a good supply of grower pellets, something of a saga getting them here!. They have an aniseed additive as well as medication so with luck we should have a relatively easy time. the real problem at the moment is the number of people who walk their dogs and when it is pointed out to them their dog is in the wrong place only reply they will 'try' to keep it under control. Have these people never hear of a lead?

We have volunteered to 'dog in' for the Longwood keeper and have been given a stretch of boundary to cover. Our first outing there were clouds of partridge an pheasant on this boundary - so a very necessary job. Catja slipped into her old ways and chased a bird across the field - see our exploits at Vimpelles earlier in the year. We had another trip out in the evening when on going home the road was littered with partridge sitting on the hot tarmac. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when taking her around my pens this evening she worked diligently and flushed birds out of the shrubbery in small batches sitting and not chasing Laughing . Maybe there is hope for her yet. Fresco also had a small run and went on point to some poults that I had seen running into the hedge. The other day I had left him sitting at the pen gate, but he had decided to get up and explore got 'hit' by the electric fence, this sent him back to the car and also made him wary of being near the fence. I had to take time to take him back to near the wire and make him sit a while. He was not happy and I hope this does not affect his attitude to birds in the future.

Entries for the HGS working test have trickled in steadily and we have quite a good card a good result considering a test has been cancelled this weekend for lack of entrants. Disappointing that there is not one Brittany. (I do not feel it right to enter under judges I have chosen and on my own ground)

French Nationale 2011 Clairmarais

Back from France - to a day of torrential rain; whilst Julia stayed behind and is in the sun. Laughing

TAN and REP day.

The site for the TAN and REP were at some distance from the venue for the show and therefore some distance from our campsite. For some reason we never get sent 'joining instructions' or even simple information like a postcode or an address. In the days of GPS this would be handy and the old standby that has proved its worth for many years - a map would also solve the problem. The problem being many fold - firstly our satnav did not recognise the name of the village given to us and we had to refer to a map to help it out. The second was it in it's infinite wisdom decided to take us across country along roads that ran into gravel pit lakes. We were not alone in this.

Arrival at the venue and we along with all others tried to register, not a particular problem - but life would have been easier if the secretary's table had not been close to the door as was the coffee bar and anyone and everyone who wished to talk with each other.

We were entered in the TAN and the REP the natural aptitude test and the water retrieve). participants for the REP were asked to go to this venue first; and to leave the hall last. We did, even making sure we had some idea the colour of car being driven by the judge - so we had something to follow. Off went the cavalcade one quarter of an hour earlier than advertised - something that put pressure on those struggling with their navigation systems and relying on the almost historic late start of events. Off went the confident cavalcade turning this way and that coming to a stop in a small cul de sac, the wrong cul de sac requiring much reversing and turning to get out of. Half the party then turned one way and half the other. We turned wrongly and again had to do a U turn.

The REP pond was approached across an open field with a small horse and pony, a very friendly and inquisitive horse and pony - I am sure in teh UK we would have at least put up an electric fence to keep people and dogs at a safe distance. The pond had several duck swimming on it - well until the judge fired his pistol - which made them start and most of the onlookers as well. This was no namby pamby .22 but at least a 9mm loaded I suspect with black powder such was the cannon like effect - or maybe it was just that the judge to spare the dog's ears pointed it behind himself.

We were second to go, the duck were still circling with a view to landing again and those birds on the far bank were being most 'attractive'. The test was for the dog to be 'offlead' and to retrieve as the bird was thrown, which was after the cannon had spoken. Fresco was minded to get in teh water as soon as his lead was removed - but I think this was as much my body language - trying to get him to look forward as it was his innate desire to get wet. Straight in on command and a nice swim out. Nosed the duck and turned back. REcalled him to my side and sent him again, picked teh duck up by teh neck swam a few strokes and let go. REcalled and resent. Refused. Eliminated. Now i thought this was going to be a given. But on consideration whilst he has had various feathered game on land he has had nothing but canvas in the water; so I suspect a lack of training was the culprit in this case.

We watched quite a few of the others. A surprising number did not like the ducks. Some were eliminated for not swimming out, some for refusing. Some for throwing their dog in - in desperation I think. Congratulations to all those who did achieve the test, particular mention perhaps to Berry (Topaz's brother who is not known for his retrieving who swam out well beyond his obvious comfort zone to get the duck - only the second time in his life he has ever retrieved from water.

Returning to the village and off to the TAN fields. A single track approach road with cars parked on one side and locals wishing to use it in the other direction at the same time. We arrived and watched. To stop the dogs barking we had the boot open - much to the amazement of the onlookers.

We watched several runs - dogs with much speed and vigour, but no apparent sense of wind direction or any interest in their owner's wishes, they just wanted to get on with the job. The job in this case was to find a grey partridge loose in a stubble field. Whilst some TAN fields were dizzying their birds ours had the feathers on one wing clipped, making them fly short and weakly, several were pegged as we watched. One dog managed to work its way out of our field across another and across the next competitors ground, who in turn ran back across to ours to check ours out.

Fresco - when his go came worked really well for me, was very attentive and turned on his whistle like a dream, he found the bird and worked up along the foot scent straight to the flush, his performance was such that we were give the opportunity of another go, with immediately or after a break. I chose the break. His second run was not so nice to watch ( I thought) as he bore straight into the wind to where he had found the bird previously, which quite sensibly was not there so he had to hunt a bit. Again he winded it, worked up to it and flushed it, sat to flush and whistle nicely despite having a mouth full of feathers Rolling Eyes However we were eliminated for not pointing.

We were by then the last to run - I am disappointed I did not think of getting Topaz out so that Fiona his breeder who was standing with us could have seen how he works.

Saturday night is Gala Dinner night. A nice reception and a good chance to catch up with many and meet a few more. Dinner was a protracted affair, starting at about 9 with pudding served after midnight; I thought I was at a wedding reception. The meal spoiled for me by having a bread based component in every course and to add insult to injury the mineral water bottles were at the end of the evening just refilled with tap water that tasted of chlorine and polythene in about equal portions.

The advantage of having a tent nearby was manifest as we only had to stroll - or was that stagger a fw hundred yards to bed.

A long night - the raindrops that fell incessantly sounding just like the grain in the drier back home; so much so that in the morning I woke with a start, sat up in bed and shouted 'the drier's stopped' - much to my wifes amusement.

We had Catja entered in open Orange and White Female - a large class where we were graded 'excellent'. I thought we were in with a chance of a place but I think after two hours her interest and patience had worn thin. I noticed she was walking carefully over the grass - seemingly avoiding bits with little hops, something not conducive to a nice gait. Whilst waiting she strained at her lead to go and sit on the stone path rather than stay on the damp grass. The bitch that one went on to win CACS and then best bitch in show.

Fresco - was entered in 'jeunes' a class not competing for a title. Moved very nicely and was measured at 50, I was asked if I was happy with that, which I wasn't and when he was remeasured on a flatter bit of ground he was the 49 he usually comes out at. A nice enough critique but as he lack 'substance' at the moment meant he only received a Tres Bon. Whilst it is nice to get excellent I think this one will be a slow cooker, his father was.

Catja was part of the 'lot d'elevage' and the kennel 'vom Junkenhof' came a very creditable fourth beating some very renowned names - Kerenlouan amongst them. (meaning that the dogs displayed were of a much more homogeneous nature)


Waiting for judging to start


Fresco


Team'vom Junkenhof'