Winnie and Friends

What bird?

2011-01-31T07:03:00.000-08:00

Oops. Well, he is a bird dog. I haven't had time to go over which birds and what to do with them.

The Odd Couple

2011-01-30T04:54:00.000-08:00

Who knows what goes on in Winnie's head. Sometimes I think she is unimaginably thoughtful. And sometimes, not so much. Here she is sitting in the snow, staring at the house from about sixty feet away. Finn, at the door, is taking a much more practical approach.

Canine Good Citizen!

2011-01-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

Finn was a good citizen and passed his test last night. Everyone there fell in love with his sweet and gentle disposition, he will be a good ambassador for his breed!

Chip off the old block...

2010-12-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

I sent this picture of Finn to his breeder, Carolyn at Vidor. She returned the favor by sending me this picture (below) of Finn's mom, Lenke. Two great looking dogs, don't you think??

Happy Holidays from Winnie and Finn!

2010-12-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

Big couple of days for Finn...

2010-12-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

Finn and I spent a couple of days at Rose River Farm with my friend Douglas and his Spinone, Enzo. It was a great time all around, but the highlight would certainly have to be Finn's first bird! He had never been introduced to birds before today, and he did great. I'm so proud of him!

But the hunting wasn't the only great thing about our visit. This was the first time I truly let him, with confidence, off leash to run great distances. Enzo showed him the ropes and they had a blast together!

Yesterday was so bitterly cold and windy, if it was like that today there was no chance we were hunting. But we went out at dawn to check things out and it was pretty pleasant out, compared to yesterday.

Douglas is at the other end of the check cord - I didn't want Finn to run over the bird before he even smelled it. He eased into it nicely though, and froze over it. I took a shot with my camera, then flushed the bird and shot it again - this time with my 16 gauge!

What a happy sight. I'm so proud of my boy!

A little off leash play

2010-11-28T14:09:00.001-08:00

Tonight I was putting stuff away in the garage and I let Winnie and Finn into the garage to 'help.' The door was open and I let them wander out to the driveway and continually called them back in. Finn stayed nice and close, so then I let him follow me around the back of the house while I rode the ATV back there to put it away. Again, nice and close, then we found a couple tennis balls that had rolled off the deck above so I picked them up and started playing fetch, each time calling him excitedly back to me. It all went really well so instead of pushing my luck I ended on a positive note and just went back to the garage and then put them into the yard. So it was a nice off leash exercise, although I think he never even realized he was off leash!

Not the most earth shattering blog post I know, but we have a lot of space here and I'm excited at the prospect of having both the dogs out with me while I'm working in the yard or just walking around.

Bath Time

2010-11-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

Managing multiple dogs, especially larger ones, can be a challenge at times (like when they're so excited to go for a walk they can't even sit still to get leashed!). But I'm really lucky with these two that they stay calm and still for grooming. It's chilly here so the smelly dogs got bathed in the barn where there is hot water but also horses, cats, and all sorts of new smells. But they both behaved great, and now they smell great!

The Grass is Always Greener...

2010-11-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

If I open the door in this situation, Monkey goes outside, Finn and Winnie come in, I close the door and they all go back to staring at each other through the glass wondering what happened.

The Adventures of Winnie and Friends!

2010-10-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

Fall Dogs

2010-10-26T05:42:00.000-07:00

The autumn colors haven't been great so far around our place, maybe it's too early or maybe the summer was too dry. But I wanted to get a few shots of the dogs, I didn't have any of both of them without Finn being on a leash. But he stayed put nicely for this one!

It looks like one is pointing and the other is honoring, but trust me, one's probably staring at a horse and the other at a cat. I got lucky to get their heads pointing in the same direction.

Off Leash

2010-10-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

Making great progress with Finn off leash! He's a good boy!

Finnegan West!

2010-10-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

This handsome Zoldmali boy named Finnegan lives in Sacramento, CA. His proud owner Angela contacted me a while back asking about the breed and now they have their very own! Finn, welcome to the U.S. And Angela, welcome to the wacky, wonderful world of Wirehaired Vizslas!!

One shoe, two tongues.

2010-10-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

Appalachian Trail Hike

2010-10-02T11:44:00.001-07:00

On this strikingly beautiful October morning I wanted to take Winnie and Finn on a little hike to someplace they've never been before. So we headed up the road to nearby Gathland State Park in Maryland. The Appalachian Trail runs through there, and it's a beautiful stretch of trail. I definitely want to head back there once the leaves turn color, but we had a lovely hike today. Didn't start to see people until our way back, so next time I'll go earlier in the morning.

The dogs are really getting very good at walking together on two 6-foot leads. They never cross, don't pull (much) and they each wait for the other if one wants to sniff or pee or whatever. They are very polite.

3rd Annual Oktoberfest!

2010-09-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Finn got to join Winnie this afternoon as she attended her third annual Oktoberfest celebration at our town! Having both of them there was really fun, and they got SO much attention! I loved it, of course, despite the common guesses of Labradoodle and Otterhound and Wolfhound. They were extremely well behaved with everyone - dogs, kids, whatever. We listened to some live music and they each got to sample just a taste of Dominion Oktoberfest! (As did I, of course!)

Alpha Dork

2010-09-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

Even Winnie - Queen of the Dorks - thought this move was pretty dorky.

Catching up...

2010-09-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Montana, and got the warmest canine reception I've ever gotten in my life. Winnie especially was just SO glad to see me!! That's why we do it, isn't it? Wow.

If you're interested in seeing photos from my Montana trip, here's a link to a slideshow.

Since I've been away for almost a week, I took the dogs on a nice four mile walk along the C&O Canal path near our house. They did great, though they both needed near constant reminders not to pull on the leash. And when a jogger or bicycle came by I put them both into a heel (Winnie on the right) and they did great!

This is from this afternoon's training session and is noteworthy. Finn isn't big on 'Stay.' So we worked on this a while and got to the point where I could get pretty far back and wait a good while before either returning to him or calling him in. It's clear I think that, for now at least, his training sessions need to be pretty short. I could tell he was losing focus even after a few minutes, making it increasingly difficult to 'end on a good note,' as they say.

I was emailing with Peg, Winnie's breeder, about Finn's hunting potential (which is unknown). But he really looks like he's made for the field! Anyway, I happen to have a chukar wing in a plastic baggie and decided to hide it in a patch of tall grass I haven't mowed this year, and see if Finn could find it.

Sorry about the camera, I'm trying to walk and watch him, and couldn't see the screen on the camera anyway because of the glare. But I'll say this, he found that wing immediately!

And then he peed on it.

But then he grabbed it and brought it straight to me!

But then he tried to eat it along the way.

So I think at least he's tuned in to birdlike things. Not sure what my next step would be, but this is a promising start. Better than not noticing or caring there's a bird there.

Side by Side

2010-09-10T05:06:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of Winnie, she's being such a good girl in accepting her new brother. They are really getting along extremely well. Here they are on our pre-dawn walk this morning, side by side, loose leads, no tangles, no problem. A simple, yet joyous way for all three of us to start our day!

Finn Explores his Home Water

2010-09-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

We knew Finn liked the water, and had seen him swim in the Shenandoah the day after he arrived. But tonight he took his first trip down the steep hill to his home water, the Potomac River where we all call home.

He of course took to it right away. I err on the side of caution before I let a dog off lead, so he stayed connected to a check cord while he romped. And he's too tall and the river's too low for him to swim, but he enjoyed running around with Winnie.

I couldn't be happier with how Winnie is accepting him, they are really getting along well. And while I know I tend to project more complex thoughts to my dogs than are likely taking place, it looks to me like she's getting just a bit of enjoyment out of showing young Finn the ropes. This is where we walk. That sound means he's home. This way means we're going to swim. Those are deer and trust me, he won't let you chase them. I asked.

Meet Finn!

2010-09-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

Big news this week as we welcome our new boy Finn, who we are thrilled and lucky to be able to adopt. He handled two solid days in the car to get here without a peep, and he's adjusting well to his new home. Winnie and Finn have shown tolerance and respect to each other, and I am confident that friendship will soon follow.

Thank you to friend and photographer Denise for the cool photo above and the one in the new banner at the top of the page. More of her wonderful photos can be seen on her site.

I will soon have many fun photos and stories, but am very busy this week trying to get him settled and me ready to head to Montana for a greatly anticipated vacation starting Saturday! Stay tuned...

Kayak Trip with Winnie

2010-08-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Conditions were right so I took Winnie on her first kayak trip today! Up till now we've only practiced right around the house but I thought she was ready.

And sure enough she hopped right in and was ready to go!

She settled right down and just observed the hundreds of geese and ducks we passed along the way. We even got a nice patriotic fly-over from a bald eagle!

She really seemed to be having fun! We went about 3/4 of a mile upstream to that bridge, then turned around and came back.

Every now and then she'd look like she was going in after something but she never did.

Most of the time she'd lie down, facing the back, and just watch. This is also what she does in the car, face the back and watch where we've been. She is odd.

When we got back to the house she didn't want to get out!

So we played fetch for a while.

She STILL didn't want to get out! While I was getting the kayak and gear out of the water and changing my shoes, she sat down in the water this far away and just waited. What a dork.

Tulsi Tubtime

2010-08-17T05:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Gayle for sending me this impossibly cute video of young Tulsi who, evidently, really wants to take a bath! I love this.

Seat Upgrade

2010-08-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Here's Winnie asking for permission to get on the couch, a regular occurrence once Sandy and Gromit go to bed.

Sunday Hike

2010-08-02T08:32:00.001-07:00

Chewbacca says "I want to go for a hike!"

"Um, okay, next time do we have to go up such a long, steep hill? Yeah the view is great but I'm tired!"

Cooling off down at the river, much better!

Social Butterfly

2010-07-27T04:59:00.001-07:00

My neighbor has three labs - four this week as he's babysitting another - and we visited the other day. When we first moved in next to the labs, Winnie was not happy when they were around. They would all rush her and she'd freak out. Over time she learned to accept them without much, if any, anxiety.

So we're sitting on the porch having a beer and all the dogs are milling around really close to us. Then Winnie just decided she's had enough, and walked away. She just laid down in the grass about fifty feet away. Content, certainly, just not into the whole crowd thing. At one point she got up and looked in the direction of our house. I almost called Sandy to tell her to open the gate because one of us was coming home. But Winnie decided to stick it out.

She sure is one odd dog.

What an excellent bird dog.

2010-07-27T04:56:00.001-07:00

Smells like a camera.

2010-07-22T07:52:00.001-07:00

Guess who turns 2 tomorrow!

2010-07-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

2010-07-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Kayaking on the River

2010-06-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

The river was low and slow today, so I decided to put Winnie's life vest on and try kayaking with her in the main part of the river right at our house. She did really great!

We didn't go too far, this shot shows the distance from shore but it was still pretty shallow.

Once we got back to shore, she didn't want to get out! But this picture reveals why - she hated the idea of stepping into the muck. Such an outdoorsy dog, huh?

Cooling off on a very, very hot day!

2010-06-24T03:01:00.000-07:00

Quiz...

2010-06-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

I made my poor, abused dog sit in the back the other day. Do you think she likes it back there? Or prefers the front seat??

Dog Paddling

2010-05-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to see if I can get Winnie on the kayak with me. You might remember the exercise on the lawn using the clicker that went pretty well. I did a float trip on my own today, and Sandy picked me up at the take out point. I thought it'd be a perfect opportunity to try Winnie on the kayak!

We used the boat ramp at Brunswick because it's on the C&O Canal, nice and shallow, no mud and very little current. First step: see if she'll get in at the ramp. So far, so good!

Nice and easy...atta girl...

Sandy and I were both surprised to get this far, but she was doing great!

Well, pushing her around on a kayak is no fun. Time to see if we can both try it!

Winnie: "You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?"

Winnie planning her escape route.

Hey, look at us! QUICKTAKEAPICTURE!!!

Ed: "I can't believe this is working."
Sandy: "I can't believe this is working."

Winnie: "What's that??"

"I think I can reach it!"

(There is a scene missing here, when Winnie went overboard. Head first, because her ass end was still in the boat. I watched her go under, then when she came up I grabbed her collar and helped her back onto the boat. A few important things here - when she was in the water, her reaction was to come back to the boat, rather than to shore. I wondered if this would be the case. Secondly, by putting my left leg off the left side of the boat, I was able to drag her while she climbed onto the right side of the boat without tipping. I wondered about this too, and was very pleased to get her in the boat without getting a bath.)

Back in business! Note only one of us is wet here.

Well this little test run just could not have gone better! What a good girl!!!

Two's Company

2010-05-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend some time contemplating whether to get one of the awesome chocolate lab pups my friend next door to us has. I even got the green light from Sandy, who keeps adding animals, I believe in an effort to find out where the line actually is for me (it is at Pigs).

But as far as dogs go, I've had two, Sandy's had two, for a time together we had four. We have had three for maybe the longest time. But our current stable of two just seems too good to mess with. They're both about 2 years old, and they just couldn't get along any better. They help each other exercise, which is nice, but there are just never, ever, any conflicts between them.

So for the time being, we'll stick with this winning combination. We're lucky to have them!

More of Zsofi in Alaska!

2010-05-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

Vickie sent me more pics of the beautiful Zsofi (Zöldmáli Ancsa), who is living large in Alaska. Thank you Vickie, amazing photos!

Rainbow...

2010-05-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, by now we all know Winnie is a bit odd.

2010-05-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

She sits on the couch backwards and stares at the reflection in the glass behind her.
She sits in the back of the car and faces backwards, watching where we’ve been.
She will stand out in the rain, or lie down in the snow until I make her come inside.
She will not drink water out of a bowl that’s been touched by dog slobber, even if it’s hers.
Yet she will drink water from the bird bath, or from the toilet.
Even if it has that blue water in it.

But this is weird even for her. Sandy was in the closet getting ready for work and Winnie came in to join her. This is unusual and not part of the morning routine. She’s probably only been in that closet once or twice in the year we’ve lived here. Then Sandy and Gromit left the closet but Winnie remained. Just sitting there. Looking around. Long enough for Sandy to go get her phone and take a picture.

I am right square on the fence as to whether this dog has a lot going on in her head, or absolutely nothing going on in her head.

(Sandy: No comment, please.)

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

Accidental Art

2010-05-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

Sandy unknowingly captured this odd image of Gromit with her iPhone camera. I think it's cool!

11,000 Visits.

2010-05-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

I happened to notice this morning that Winnie's blog has had a total of 11,000 visits since its inception! So a big thank you to everyone who stops by here to read about what Winnie and I are up to, or see the latest of an infinite stream of silly photos of my very special dog.

THANK YOU!

Low Lows. High Highs.

2010-04-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Dragging your dog to the vet can be a traumatic experience! (Okay in Winnie's case it was less traumatic than it looks - I caught her here in a yawn.) But make no mistake, she does NOT like it. Never had a bad experience at the vet either, I think she just hates the smell of the place.

Anyway, she usually rides in the back. But after putting her through the poking and prodding at the vet I thought she'd enjoy riding shotgun.

We can never know for certain what a dog is thinking, of course. But I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I'm forgiven.

Just Because.

2010-04-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Would you mind just mowing around me?

2010-04-17T08:07:00.001-07:00

Being wrong isn't so bad sometimes

2010-04-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I was out at a friend's house and I got the following text from Sandy, who was at home:

Winnie's a good dog

Now sometimes communicating with a text is difficult, you have to develop your own personal shorthand. I know Sandy really well, so I know that message can mean a lot of things. It can mean "Winnie's a good dog. I just bought a $3,800 saddle." or "'Winnie's a good dog,' is something I might say if she hadn't eaten Gromit poop and then vomited it onto the couch."

The one thing I was sure of, is that "Winnie's a good dog" most certainly does not mean, "Winnie's a good dog."

But as it turns out, that's exactly what it meant! I'll have to figure out how to save that text forever, I get the feeling there will be a point in the future where Sandy might need a reminder.

Spring is Here!

2010-03-31T20:00:00.001-07:00

Sure, spring means it's time to start mowing again, and keep mowing until August or September. It means raking all the gravel you plowed with the snow off the grass and back onto the driveway. And yeah it means time to get off your ass and exercise a little. But what good is any of that if you can't pause at the end of the day and soak in a little sun on the deck?

A Matter of Etiquette

2010-03-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

She does this all the time, leaves three kernels of food in her bowl. Sandy, of course, thinks she is odd. But I've found plenty of etiquette guides like this one that say "it is polite to leave some food on your plate." So, I'm going with that.

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of warm, early spring days have confirmed that Winnie has a low tolerance for heat. She's got a lot of hair, that's for sure, so I thought it would be a good time to work on her coat a little bit. She'll look better and hopefully be a little cooler.

I didn't take a 'before' picture but trust me: this is a drastic improvement! The birds will have more than enough nesting material this spring from the pound of hair I stripped off her!

Kayaking with Winnie (Part 1)

2010-03-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have set the lofty goal of teaching Winnie to ride on the kayak with me.

"But Ed, what ever happened to Fetching a Beer, Part 1 and Fetching a Beer, Part 2?"

Okay, I deserved that. You're right. I have set lofty goals for Winnie in the past that have fizzled out along the way. Hunting birds comes to mind, in fact. But the beer thing probably had less to do with Winnie not being capable of the trick and more to do with her trainer consuming the test subjects until he lost interest in the game.

But riding along in the kayak is - if you can even imagine - even more useful to me than fetching a beer.

Okay, let's go with as useful.

I decided to break it down into small steps and use clicker training and lots of praise. I think if I keep doing this, she will be excited around the kayak. Then hopefully it will translate to the water. At first I had her approach the kayak and touch it with her nose. Click/treat. I started with that really basic step because you never know with her or any dog, really. She could have been afraid of a big piece of plastic in the yard that wasn't there yesterday. But she was fine with it.

Next was to put her in a sit on one side of the kayak while I went to the other. Then I'd call her and when she walked over it, click/treat.

After a few of those it was time to show Winnie her seat. Note the special custom 'W' just for her!

One paw, click/treat. Then two paws, click/treat. This was honestly about as far as I expected to get in this first session, but we had only spent about four minutes to this point, so we kept going.

It was surprisingly easy to get her to climb all the way up and sit there. My friend and fellow HWV owner Chris emailed me today and we were chatting about how great the clicker is for stuff like this, and how the dog seems to really have fun trying to figure out which behavior you want, what will make you click that clicker!

Finally I sat in the kayak and had her repeat the exercise a few times!

I know there is a lot of work ahead of us, but this first session just couldn't have gone any better. And I have to admit, after some frustrations over the past few months, it warms my heart to be reminded that this special dog does whatever I ask her to.

Crest

2010-03-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

I took this yesterday evening. The river didn't crest until this morning so the entire shelter ended up totally underwater. Crazy.

I'm wondering how big the brains are that can predict - with thousands of tributaries feeding a river with a watershed of tens of thousands of square miles - at what time and at what level a flood will crest. Mind boggling to me.

Well in another week or so we can go down there and collect our treasure. This typically consists of coolers, deflated basketballs, plastic barrels and lots and lots of mud.

Good Riddance!

2010-03-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well the snow is just about all gone, thanks to warm, rainy days. But it has to go somewhere!

Remember this flood? Well it's a good thing I retrieved that kayak a couple weeks ago because this one's even higher and it hasn't crested yet.

I will say this about Winnie. Even though she doesn't look particularly thrilled here, she has shown to be pretty resilient when it comes to weather. Rain, snow, cold, she really doesn't mind it.

The Blizzards of '10

2010-02-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

Wirehaired Vizsla on the Last Frontier!

2010-02-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Vickie, owner of the lucky and beautiful Zsofi (Zöldmáli Ancsa) for sharing these really cool photos! Life in Alaska for a Wirehaired Vizsla is quite a bit different than it is here in Virginia, despite the snow cover here!

I sure do love those Zöldmáli dogs!

Aftermath

2010-02-17T05:48:00.001-08:00

Conditions are perfect for slowly getting rid of all this snow without floods and mudpits till summer. Sunny and cool days, cold nights. A lot of the snow is evaporating, and we hope to get the horses out for a trail ride this weekend. And the dogs are really in need of a good run on some grass. Not sure what to tell them there, it's going to be a while.

This photo doesn't really do this justice, but on rt. 340 just north of us, this stretch of road drifted so badly that people were trapped on the highway overnight in their cars. Sandy snapped this picture as we passed through a couple days afterwards, and some of these banks were over 10 feet high.

The Cavalry Drives a Bobcat.

2010-02-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

We. Are. OUT!! Thanks to a bobcat on tracks. This guy saved us probably fifty man hours in fifty minutes. I don't yet know what he's charging us, but I know what I'll write in the memo line of the check: Worth Every Penny.

We are going out to dinner with our neighbors tonight and I am SO excited to get out of the house. Even driving a car is weird, having driven nothing but the ATV and tractor for 8 to 12 hours a day for a week.

Here's the ATV on diesel duty...

And here's how we do some indoor bird dog training...

Diesel and Beer.

2010-02-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

What if you and your neighbors spent five days plowing a mile of private road to finally get to the main roads, and then woke up to find a quarter mile of five foot drifts between you and freedom?

That's what we're dealing with here. Tomorrow another long, hard day of moving snow begins, and I'm not sure we won't need at least one more day after that to break through.

Before the latest wave of snow my next door neighbor and I left trucks at the end of our road. Today I hand shoveled a path wide enough for an ATV to get from our road to the adjacent road, so now at least we can access our truck to restock on food and the two things we've been going through most quickly - diesel and beer.

Make it stop.

2010-02-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

Last night, a full four days of digging after the first storm hit, we finally got our neighborhood's roads cleared to the main road and got vehicles out. Yesterday was 12 hours of neighbors moving snow with the front end loaders on two tractors. Digging ATVs out by hand, pulling tractors out with other tractors, and pulling those tractors out with trucks. We even managed to get a bobcat stuck for a while!

When the next wave of snow hit, we went out last night one more time to clear the roads. So much hard work went into it, we hated to see them get covered again. This morning we were out early, trying to keep them open. But this one quickly escalated to whiteout conditions with dangerous drifts and we were forced to move vehicles to the end of the road and wait this one out. In an emergency we could get a vehicle out, but with less than 6 hours of snowfall left, it'd have to be a pretty big emergency to get me on the road right now. I went with my neighbor to a nearby gas station to fill up the diesel cans, and there were uncomfortable spans where blowing snow reduced visibility to, literally, nothing.

The 20" snow we got in December was a curiosity. It's interesting how different my mindset is for these latest back-to-back blizzards. I'm taking a couple pictures but nothing like in December. And I have no interest whatsoever in measuring snowfall. All future winter storms will be compared to this week. And, with any luck, none will come close.

Still Digging

2010-02-09T04:16:00.000-08:00

Still digging out from last weekend's snow, and we're expecting another 10 to 20 inches in the next 36 hours. Our road is not yet passable and there's nowhere to put any new snow!

Uncle.

2010-02-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

We worked hard to prepare for this latest snowstorm. This included buying a pair (set?) of mukluks for Gromit, who is a baby. If you want to see what made Sandy laugh harder than she ever has in her life, watch this video now.

It has taken me longer than usual to post photos because this storm flat out overwhelmed me. I tried to keep up with it by plowing regularly as the snow was falling (thirty inches was the total tally), but our little tractor was no match for the ferocity of this storm.

Even now after three days of digging, the road is not passable. It's going to be a long week, with another 6 to 10 inches of snow expected Tuesday night. I cry uncle.

I was on the tractor Saturday afternoon when the sun appeared. I honestly can't recall a time I've been happier to see it.

When I got back to the house, Winnie was standing up to her ears in snow, pointing a blue jay from an inch and a half away. I called off my awesome bird dog and checked on the bird, who was either not well or not normal. But we hung out with him for a bit and he eventually flew away. Weird.

This is our great little workhorse of a tractor.

I'll probably take more pictures tomorrow. As things evolve from 'Emergency' to 'Inconvenience,' I'll have time to take more.

Another Weekend Snow

2010-01-30T11:55:00.000-08:00

We're getting a really beautiful snow here today, even though it was predicted to go farther south.

I'm sure the regular readers of this blog (thank you, by the way!) are tired of snow pictures, but I had to snap a few more today.

Truthfully, I figured I'd be tired of snow by now myself, but once it starts falling, both Winnie and I are glad to see it.

She will play in it till she's shivering and her coat is crusted with ice, and I still have to make her come inside!

Asking the Internet for advice? Am I nuts?

2010-01-29T05:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I was, not surprisingly, watching TV and snacking. Upon dropping a pistachio nut on the floor, Winnie very helpfully got up and ate it, shell and all. Not alarming, certainly. Doubtful it would appear in a list of the top 30 concerning things our dogs have eaten. But I thought I had remembered hearing something about nuts being toxic and since I had my laptop on my laptop, I did a quick Google: "my dog ate a pistachio."

While some of the search results were responses to inquiries by people whose dogs ate large amounts of pistachios, it's comical to me how directly contradicting the results are. Below is a sampling of the opinions found on just the first two pages of search results:

“Pistachios contain high amounts of phosphorus which can cause bladder stones in dogs.”

“He should be fine.”

“extremely poisonous.”

“Dogs can just about eat anything.”

“my dog ate one and almost died.”

“Pistachio nuts naturally contain aflatoxin, a fungal Aspergillus strain.”

“they contain an unknown kind of toxin.”

“causes liver degeneration/failure/cancer and possibly liver necrosis.”

“my dog eats them, and she is fine.”

“Call a vet.”

“he will be just fine.”

“They have been known to cause symptoms as severe as seizuring and hind end paralysis.”

“Pistachio nuts have never been shown to cause neurologic signs.”

“I would get him to your vet ASAP.”

“Pistachio nuts are not toxic to dogs.”

“Pistachios can be highly toxic to dogs.”

And FINALLY, one voice of reason slipped through the web of opinions:

“Call the animal poison control instead of asking strangers on the internet. Their phone number is 1-888-426-4435.”

Well by this time both Winnie and I had lost interest in the exercise. She is of course fine, no signs of paralysis or liver necrosis. But that is a good phone number to have on hand.

Great idea from Regal Dog Food!

2010-01-27T18:34:00.000-08:00

We've been feeding both Winnie and Gromit the same Regal dog food for several months and are very happy with it. The price is a lot lower than we're used to (we switched from Eagle Pack when that became difficult to find around here), plus the store I get it from has a card where you buy 12 bags and your 13th is free.

Anyway today I got a bag and was given this complimentary Travel Bite bar. I had never seen them before but I think it's just an awesome idea! It is a pack of two bars that are made from the same formula as the dog food. Each bar is equivalent to a cup of dry food. The guy next to me in line gets a different Regal formula and the bars are color coded the same as the bags.

But for an overnight trip or short road trip, I just love the concept! I'll be picking up some more just to have on hand.

Flood Photos

2010-01-26T16:20:00.000-08:00

I got some pictures of the high water this evening, and tried to find some 'before' pictures for comparison...

These two match up nicely.

Here's a view of our house from across the river. In the bottom left of this picture you can see the shelter.

Here is a closeup of those luxurious accommodations at the riverbank.

And here is that shelter today! (I know I should have brought the kayak up, but I had no idea it would get this high!)

Another view of the shelter from farther away. Those stairs in the lower right, there are I think four steps underwater.

I put this in there because this is about as low as the river ever gets. You can see the bottom of the shelter on the left part of the photo. The river today is about eighteen feet higher than it is in this picture!

Flood.

2010-01-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

The river is rising fast! Massive rain on top of saturated ground is sending a stunning volume of water down the Potomac.

This chart shows that with data collected over 113 years, on January 26th the highest volume recorded at Point of Rocks (just downstream of us) is 72,500 cubic feet per second. At 9:30 this morning it was at 95,600 cfs and rising fast! It's already above flood stage and not expected to crest until tonight.

I will head down there tonight and take some pictures. (Don't worry, I am NOT bringing Winnie down there!)

Warm Winter Days

2010-01-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm getting old, but this winter I've had a hard time with the cold.

I'm usually not like that. Maybe it was the 20" of snow in December, I don't know. But it feels like it's been cold and windy a lot this year.

So when we get an unseasonably warm day and it falls on a weekend, it's a real treat. I was very productive, splitting firewood and doing other chores. I did some work on my chainsaw sculpture of Winnie, which you can see in the background here. It definitely looks best from a distance!

Anyway, after working hard all day, we did what we often do - sat on the platform out back and watched the river roll by. And, of course, celebrated the hard work with a couple beers.

Photography of Tosh Brown

2010-01-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

As long as I'm on the topic of writing I wish I had written, I should mention these photos I wish I had taken. I found Mouthful of Feathers through Tosh Brown's web site. Needless to say, I'm a big and instant fan of the talent showcased in both of these sites. Thanks to Tosh for allowing me to post a couple of his great images here, but go to his site for more!

Mouthful of Feathers

2010-01-20T06:18:00.000-08:00

PHOTO BY BRUCE SMITHHAMMER

I came across the wonderful blog Mouthful of Feathers yesterday and I haven't been able to stop reading it. A few examples of the superb writing that got my attention...

We hunt the fringes, the transitions, the anomalies. We gravitate to this without much conscious thought; pulled to these points at the extremity of an amorphous compass by the lodestone of experience. You could say we’re merely following the dog, but there is more to it than that. The dog is pulled to these places as the birds are pulled as we are pulled – the collision of impulse and instinct between three separate species.

* * * *

I had seen him hunt and I knew it was there and that he’d burn hot and long and get it done. And so it was and then all four dogs were out on the ground–a huge canvas of grays and browns and four white setters dancing across it like notes on sheet music. Glory.

* * * *

A decade gone by and a bird dog buried at the base of a chukar cliff in another state, a place where chukar walk across his grave and his name is carved in soft yellow sandstone above. Now his grandson at my heel, then cast out into the thick of it–the old cold lava, the junipers, the sage, the cheatgrass greening in December sunlight and a fresh-dead partridge in that same frayed-by-years bird vest. Dead and warm against the small of my back and a honed-hard, bones-and-balls white setter out in it, after them.

* * * *

I didn’t care about the bird – I just didn’t want this moment to end. I wanted us both to go on standing there, motionless, till darkness descended or the storm cut loose overhead. These are the things that will nurse me through the months of waiting. Waiting for it to all start again – these all too rare perfect moments, the many less than perfect ones, the sore feet, the hours and days with an empty game bag. All of it.

* * * *

He was three years old when I bought him and he came with that name. He never found many birds, but one day (before lunch) he killed a baby goat, got sprayed by a skunk, and ate two bobwhites that he neither pointed or retrieved. He ran off the first six times I let him out of the box. On one of those jaunts he was gone overnight. The next morning I found him snoozing in a hog trap where he had eaten and rolled in a vile mixture of rotten feed corn, molasses, and catfish guts. I eventually traded him for a cast iron smoker pit on wheels.

Grooming Table

2010-01-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Winnie got a bath today. She needed some additional trimming and clipping too, so I found this convenient grooming table in the garage! Thought it made for a funny picture.

A Very Special HWV in the Czech Republic

2010-01-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

I love this story (and the great photos!) of a truly magnificent Wirehaired Vizsla from the Czech Republic. Thanks to Zsofia at Zöldmáli Kennel for this write up and for producing some of the finest Wirehaired Vizslas in the world.

Zöldmáli Kalász and his owner, Karel Kolar, are doing a great job building the reputation of the Wirehaired Vizslas in the Czech Republic! Kalász was not only awarded Vizsla of the year in 2008 in show and work, but went on to become the first Czech HWV participating in the MKP (Memorial Karl Podhajsky).

MKP is the annual main international all-around competition in the Czech Republic, and is considered the biggest and most prestigous competition in Europe. A dog can only particpate once in a lifetime in this competition, and only 10 foreign and 10 Czech dogs can participate. Nomination, particularly for the Czech entries, is extremely difficult and most Czech dog trainers aspire for a lifetime to have their dogs nominated. Kalász was the only HWV there and possibly the only ever HWV from the Czech Republic in the competition.

Despite very bad luck in the second day's last task, the forest track of a fox - Kalász made a mistake coming out of the forest with the fox a bit further from the owner Karel where the crowd was standing, and Karel had to give two oral commands to help the dog find him - Kalász still finished in 6th place.

Only 9 dogs finished the competitions, the others failed and Kalász was the highest placed non-GSP (the first 5 places were won by GSPs, and the 8th by a pointer). Two Smooth Haired vizslas participated as well, but both failed. In the Czech Republic, GSPs are still the most popular pointing dogs, so about 70-80% of the participants on such competitions are GSPs.

Congratulations to Karel Kolar and Kalász for such a great accomplishment!

Please vote for Winnie!!

2010-01-02T16:48:00.001-08:00

I've entered Winnie in the Field and Stream Gun Dog Photo Contest, and would greatly appreciate if some of Winnie's friends could GO HERE AND VOTE FOR WINNIE'S PICTURE! I actually entered three photos, but this one is my favorite, so I'm asking friends to vote for the photo you see below. It's on page 11, third column from the left and toward the bottom of the page.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to vote for Winnie!

More Snow!

2009-12-31T09:22:00.000-08:00

The forecast said something about maybe a little snow I think, but I'll be honest, I haven't been paying much attention to the weather. Hard to get worked up about an inch and a half of snow so soon after the Storm Of The Century or whatever they're calling it.

But Winnie was still very excited to see the lawn covered again! At one point I was on the phone and forgot I had let her out. She was just sitting in the snow in the middle of the yard by herself, watching the door. So I joined her and we went for a long walk. On our way back I had to smile at the tracks we left.

Down by the River

2009-12-27T08:26:00.000-08:00

I made my way down to the river for the first time since the Big Snow. We got a TON of rain and temps in the 40s, making for a huge snow melt. The river is very high as a result, and it may still be rising.

Here's Winnie looking rugged.

Those small trees above Winnie's head are usually on dry ground.

Rabbit, I presume. Lots of deer tracks down there too.

Things sure do look different down there with some snow cover. It looks bigger and more open.

Bonfire

2009-12-24T17:28:00.001-08:00

I wish I could say this evening went as planned - a roaring fire in the snow, man and dog warmed by the fire, watching the stars of the winter sky while enjoying an adult beverage.

But I suck at making fire.

So once the diesel fuel and cardboard box I stuffed into the burn pile burned off, it fizzled pretty quickly. And as I sat on an overturned five gallon bucket that used to hold a few Winter Lagers, I noticed that Winnie - normally content to be wherever I am - was starting to give me the, "Hey, nice try, what do you say we head inside where it's warm? I smell meatloaf!" look.

So warm, indoor meatloaf it was. The fire will wait for another day. At least I got a cool photo out of the ordeal.

Just like Daddy!

2009-12-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Sandy bought Winnie her own personal couch because she wanted her to be comfortable. And by "wanted her to be comfortable," I mean, "wanted her off the people couch."

But it's really quite a nice gift and a cool dog couch! She got it here and already Winnie seems to like it!

Quality Time

2009-12-22T05:46:00.001-08:00

After about eight hours on the tractor yesterday clearing our road, I decided to make the most of the last hour of daylight. I put the equipment away, and took a couple Sam Adams Winter Lagers and my dog for a walk in the snow.

I think everybody feels this way about their dog, but I've never known - let alone had the privilege to own - a dog that is so easy to spend time around. She SO wants to come with me whenever I leave the house, just waiting for the nod in her direction or the lingering open door or gate to get the signal that she's going with. But then once we're out, she's equally content going for a walk, riding quietly in the car for hours or sitting in a deer stand in the snow sharing a beer after a long day.

I finally found some time to put a little video together of some of the blizzard footage. Enjoy!

Blizzard Aftermath

2009-12-21T04:28:00.000-08:00

I don't know what the official total is for this area, but after a few hours of melting in the sun and settling overnight under its own weight, I would think it's safe to say we got over 20 inches of snow here.

Winnie leads the Still Excited About The Snow category, followed closely by me - despite wrestling with cars and tractors and plow blades and snow shovels all day. Gromit wants the snow to go away right now, and Sandy wants winter to be over with before it officially begins today.

I've got some video footage too, but I am going to add to that before I post it here. Meanwhile, some more photos from the day after...

A Long Day Comes to an End

2009-12-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

This is one tired dog.

The Blizzard of '09, as it will certainly be remembered, is pushing its way northeast. The last of the snow stopped falling in the past hour, and we're finally in for the night. Some of us napping by the fire, some of us sipping bourbon and watching football. More fun and work digging out tomorrow, along with more pictures too!

Well, I said I wanted a big snow!

2009-12-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

This falls firmly in the Be Careful What You Wish For category. Before wishing for such a thing, I should have remembered that our driveway now is about a half mile long and I'm the one that has to clear it. I think we have at least 16" right now, and it's not close to over yet.

So here's a little photo essay of the day. Winnie really does still love it, I thought once it reached a foot deep or so she'd change her mind, but she's like a little kid who just got out of school for the day! (Come to think of it, so am I.)

I'll add to these tonight and tomorrow...

Emmett Update

2009-12-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

Well it didn't take Emmett long to figure out the proper bird dog pose, did it?? Thanks to Jena for sending this great photo, it's gonna be fun to watch this little guy grow up!

Let it Snow!

2009-12-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

What a nice snow we got today! Winnie just can't WAIT to get out in it. She absolutely loves the snow.

As much as she HATES the heat of summer, it's no surprise that she is comfortable and at home in the snow.

At one point she decided to just lay down in the snow and chew a toy like she was lying on the grass on a warm, sunny day.

I don't know how long this will last, but even if it melts tomorrow it's been a great early December treat!

I got a little video footage too, here is one clip that captures how happy she is when she's running around in the snow!

Birds aren't the only things dogs hunt

2009-11-28T05:02:00.000-08:00

ob⋅sess v.: to think about something unceasingly or persistently; dwell obsessively upon something.

Squirrels have discovered our bird feeders. And Gromit has discovered the squirrels.

Fishing with Winnie...

2009-11-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

Winnie and I went for a little overnight trip to my friend's farm to do a little fly fishing for trout.

Wednesday evening the weather was beautiful and crisp, and we just walked along the Rose River, spotting trout that I'd try to catch the next morning.

This was a new experience, bringing her along while I waded and fished. In the morning, I put her cowbell on so I could know at all times that she was nearby. But that wasn't an issue - as it turns out, she found fly fishing to be fascinating and watched intently from shore, following the fly's movement with each cast.

In fact, it was so interesting, at the first spot I fished, in about three feet of cold water (the air temperature was probably about 40 degrees first thing in the morning), I was surprised to feel a nose bump into my leg. Winnie was swimming in place alongside me in the current. I led her back to shore and made her stay, and luckily the sun came out and she warmed up quickly.

The fishing was slow, however, and eventually I started getting accusatory looks from Winnie. "Really? A Caddis? In November??"

But she patiently watched and waited and went for a couple more swims. It was good to see her so willing to get in that cold water!

Finally I got into a couple fish, and Winnie found the splashing and jumping of the trout very amusing!

"Making me hang out with a plastic heron for an hour? Is this part of your bird dog training??"

It was a really fun time with Winnie, as always. She's turned into a great little roadtrip partner.

Bad Hair Day

2009-11-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

A rainy week here really has Winnie looking her best, don't you think??

Working Dog!

2009-11-19T07:42:00.001-08:00

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Emmett and his sister, Evie, and bringing Emmett to my office, where Jena's husband Dan was picking him up. He was not initially pleased to be separated from Evie, but after 15 minutes or so in the car he settled down just fine.

Well I figured the little guy has left the litter now, time to dive into the real world! Since he was at my office, I thought I'd put him to work...

Folding laundry.

Answering phones.

Working on the computer.

Delivering packages.

And the very important aspect of the workplace: taking a break.

YAY! My ride's here!! (Emmett and Dan meeting for the very first time!)

More Cowbell!

2009-11-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

Slow news day, so just some random thoughts...

Deer rifle season currently, so I haven't taken my deer-colored dog for any romps through the woods lately. I did, however, take her on a nice ATV run the other day that went very well. It's weird, I've not done this more than a couple times, but if she's outside in the driveway and I start the ATV, she starts jogging. I follow her up to the end of the drive, blow the whistle and she turns around and jogs back while I follow her. About 15 m.p.h. for roughly a mile. That's a nice chunk of exercise that can be fit in during the tiny block of daylight between when I get home from work and it gets dark. I should do it more often. It's like she knows that's what she has to do. Hell, I might just have to start the thing, maybe she'll jog out to the end of the road and come back on her own. Maybe I should get her an ipod.

I'm really looking forward to meeting Jena's new pup Emmett! Looks like that might happen Thursday morning. If the current plan holds, he'll even spend an hour or so with me at my office, where Jena's husband will come up from Charlottesville to get him. Everyone there is excited to see him too!

Not sure when I'll get out again to do bird work. This coming weekend we have guests, so maybe over Thanksgiving. In the meantime, I have indoor work we can be doing. We got distracted and haven't finished up our beer retrieval exercise, and with the holidays coming up, that will be increasingly valuable!

Stay tuned for pictures of Emmett!

Virginia Welcomes Emmett!

2009-11-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

This handsome devil is Emmett. He will soon be making the trip from Vidor Vizslas in Michigan to the great state of Virginia!

I met Emmett's new owner, Jena, when she came to one of Winnie's shows. She has waited a long time for her puppy and I just couldn't be more happy for her and her family! It will be neat to have another HWV near enough to visit and train with. Additionally, there is another wire from the same litter going to Andy in nearby Maryland. I met Andy in Winnie's conformation class. I know these will be great homes for these special pups, and rest assured, I will be pestering these new owners for plenty of photos to post here!

So, safe travels for these new pups. Congratulations to the families who will be enriched by them, and to Carolyn of Vidor Vizslas for producing this beautiful litter!

Chainsaw Sculpture

2009-11-07T11:50:00.001-08:00

I've never tried to carve with a chainsaw before, but we had this stump in our front field that's about 3 feet high and it just kept calling to me. What the hell, if it doesn't work, I just cut it down, so I figured it was worth a shot!

It's not done, I've worked on it in two different sessions so far. The sessions come after I've been chainsawing stuff that actually needs to be cut, so although I did more today than the last time, I still can't do very much before I just get tired.

Another disclaimer, because I'm sawing, Winnie is not present when I'm working on it. And trying to recall the shape of a dog from memory is not as easy as you might think! But when I went down today to snap a picture and brought her with me, I started to think I might just be able to pull this off.

Anyway, I will post progress as it happens, or maybe I'll screw it up and cut it down and you'll never hear another word about it. I think that's why I wanted to get a picture now. It might be as good as it's going to get.

Great dog video from Hungary (featuring a really cute HWV!)

2009-11-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

Fire Alarms

2009-10-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

NA, N/A

2009-10-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

Our last field outing produced some positives, but also raised a couple of concerns. I feel like I'm at an important point in our training right now and I really want to keep things light and fun for her. So I've decided to pull out of the NAVHDA NA test in a couple weeks. I think instead of training for tracking and swimming and stuff in the coming weeks, and then driving 2+ hours to the test where I will be nervous and unable to hide that from her, we're just going to keep things light.

Her next field day will be just one gun, a few chukar, finally some EASY cover, and we'll go at our own pace.

The Good, the Bad and the Smelly

2009-10-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

When we arrived at Gunpowder Game Farm for Winnie's very first preserve hunt, I didn't know what to expect from her. So I was very pleased when she started off hunting pretty well - albeit without a lot of structure to her search. We were given a general idea of where our three chukar were planted, and as we worked our way up to the first bird she criss-crossed the path ahead of me and burned a lot of energy tackling some really heavy cover.

She got the scent and pointed (this is the point in the video), and waited for me to flush the bird. Kinda. My first attempt didn't get the bird out but did bring Winnie in. I decided it was close enough to what I wanted from her, and I took the shot.

Then I took another.

By then the healthy chukar was long gone, carrying my opportunity to get Winnie's first bird of the day with it. But hey, it was early, with more birds out there and more ground to cover.

But the next two birds were a little harder to find, and both of them flushed before she got a bead on them. They flew to a nearby treeline, and by the time we fought the tough cover to try and find them, Winnie was showing signs of fatigue. So we worked our way back to the car for a break.

At this point, when I was trying to just get Winnie rested, the four hunters in the next field were really enjoying their day. They had added 20 quail to their chukar and pheasant hunt, and every couple of minutes there were huge volleys of nearby shots. While Winnie honestly didn't seem to mind my single (or double) shots, these sets of 6 or more shots from the next field, combined with the physical fatigue from muscling through the heavy cover, left her a bit unsettled.

When the guy who brought us to the field (and who had earlier planted our birds) returned to check on us, we were trying to decide if it would be better to try again to end on a positive note, or to call it a day and risk her going home unexcited about the whole hunting thing. He offered to bring one of the preserve dogs out and let Winnie hunt with her. He said that a second dog often increases the excitement of the first, and when he brought the Brittany out and Winnie got along well with her, we decided to give it a try.

The first thing I noticed about Winnie's new hunting partner and mentor was the smell. I wondered two things: Can a dog effectively pick up the scent of a bird when her own scent is enough to make the hunter's eyes water, and is there a way I could return her to the preserve office at the end of the hunt without getting her inside the car? The idea occurred to me I could roll down the window and hold the leash outside the car as she ran alongside. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

She was a nice dog and a great hunter, and Winnie - notoriously iffy about other dogs - liked her. Three pheasant were planted (as I watched) and this time I took both dogs out. Cammie the Brittany's presence did indeed spark some enthusiasm in Winnie, but she really was done hunting by that point. She'd follow along, but we really couldn't get her interested even when Cammie was on point. I shot the first pheasant, though not particularly well, and it went down close to a hundred yards away in thick cover. I was about to abandon it, but Cammie insisted, and after a brief struggle with the bird she prevailed and brought it to me.

It was a cool thing, a dog I've never met responding to my commands and hunting and returning birds to me. And once I had the bird in hand I threw it for Winnie who excitedly retrieved it. Sandy and I both praised her and she was thrilled to repeat the retrieve for us. But when it came time to hunt the next bird, she was really done with that heavy, prickly cover and, I suspect, hunting in general for the day. But she hung in there as Cammie found the two remaining pheasant. My shooting improved and we brought the three birds back to the office to get them cleaned.

Even though Winnie didn't point these birds, I wanted to get a picture of her and Cammie and the pheasants. When I opened the back to let Winnie and Stinky out, Winnie locked up on her staunchest point yet - at the pen behind the parking area where a couple hundred pheasant were hanging out. Maybe that's the kind of cover she prefers, a gravel lot, neatly mowed lawn and then a big rectangle filled with captive game birds.

So while it wasn't a perfect day, there were some positives. The first bird was handled very well by her, and I am still kicking myself for not being able to put that chukar down for her. The excitement of that bird may have been enough to hold her interest longer. Another huge positive is Winnie's increasing tolerance and even enjoyment of other dogs. And finally the retrieving of the thrown birds was a positive too, she quite enjoyed that.

We stopped for lunch at an awesome Irish Pub on the way back. (I must admit a couple pints soothed the disappointment of that early missed bird!). Winnie patiently waited, sound asleep in the back of the car. She slept the whole drive back, endured a bath with tick shampoo (I've never seen so many ticks, I probably picked fifty off her), and dreams on the couch next to me now. It was a big day for all of us, and I'll be sorting out what I learned from it all for a while. But for now I'm content to just reflect on the basics: an enjoyable, memorable day afield with my dog.

Be Careful What You Wish For

2009-10-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

There aren't many NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association) test days in this part of the country, so when I found one in Virginia, a couple hours south of here, I did what you'd expect. I waited until it was far too late to get a spot and, once my sabotage efforts were successful I sent in my entry form and got on the waiting list.

NAVHDA's Natural Ability Test, according to their web site, is designed to evaluate the inherent natural abilities of young dogs and gain insight into their possible usefulness as versatile gun dogs. It rates seven important inherited abilities: nose, search, tracking, pointing, water, desire and cooperation.

I have never attended or seen such a test. I have no idea how she will measure up in such a test. But while I was sitting on the waiting list, I was fond of telling people, 'Hey, pass or fail, it'll be a good experience for us. IF we even get in.'

Well, bigmouth, we're in. A spot opened up on Sunday, November 8th, just two weeks before Winnie turns 16 months old, the cutoff age for the test. Her one and only chance.

I told the organizer that I wanted to see how she did this Sunday, only her second time experiencing full shotgun fire, and if she was okay with that we would head down and attempt the test.

There are four phases: Field Phase, Tracking Phase, Water Phase and Judgement of Physical Characteristics. Lots of details within those phases, but you get the idea. She has to locate and point birds, track a running bird (never done this before), show willingness to swim (she does show a moderate willingness to wade) and not be gunshy.

I'm really nervous!

Taking the Girls Hunting

2009-10-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

When it comes to this whole dog thing, I'm not sure if my wife thinks I'm crazy. But I know she thinks I'm obsessed. I know this because she hints at it with statements like, "You are obsessed."

So when Sandy agreed to come with me this coming Sunday to a preserve to hunt a few birds, I was thrilled. (She doesn't want to shoot this time, just watch and take pictures.) Certainly it's always nice to spend weekend time together, but I'm especially thrilled that she'll finally get to see Winnie work. She reads the blog, and of course lives with Winnie day in and day out. But the only benefits of all that training we've been doing that she really sees around the house are what I would consider general good manners. Beyond that, the level of interaction between us when it comes to the training has consisted of conversations like "are you done out there with the whistle? It's driving Gromit crazy," and "Do you know anything about this $89 charge for Ugly Dog Hunting Supplies?" and "Are you done out there with the blank pistol? It's driving Gromit crazy."

But, back to the preserve hunt. In my typical overthinking fashion, I have pestered the woman at the preserve going back and forth about what birds to get. She was worried that the cover was too thick for chukar to fly out of easily, but Winnie is used to chukar. And besides, she should hold the point long enough for me to get a foot under that chukar to assist in its final flight if need be. Bottom line is, I want to set Winnie up with the best opportunity for success, but also want it to be a meaningful training opportunity. So the final decision was to start with three chukar, and then toward the back of the field, if all goes well, there will be two pheasant - one each hen and cockbird.

I thought I would share the ensuing conversation with Sandy regarding these birds and the day surrounding them...

Me: So I went with three chukar, then two pheasant toward the back. One each, a boy and a girl.

Sandy: A boy and a girl? I don't like the sound of that. Too personal. 'Male and female' sounds better.

Okay. I think once you get out there you'll really be fine with it all. By the time you even see a bird, it will either be flying happily to freedom or will be shot.

You better be a good shot.

I will try.

I guess if you don't kill it, the guide will finish it off.

What guide?

I thought we were getting a guide.

For what?

I don't know.

For working the dog?

I guess.

It's MY dog!

P A U S E

What is worrying you?

Do you know what you're doing?

Of course not. Is that what you're worried about??

I thought we were getting a guide.

What are you afraid of?

I don't know, there's just gonna be guns and shooting and stuff.

Yeah that's common with hunting.

I'm not sure you know what you're doing.

It'll be fine.

Okay. You're right.

You'll have fun.

Are you sure you know what you're doing?

What Whistle??

2009-10-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

re⋅gress
v. ri-gres; to revert to an earlier or less advanced state or form.

Six days from now we're supposed to hunt on a preserve. A few chukar, and if all goes well, maybe a couple pheasant. In an effort to not overthink the hunting aspect (I know, I know. Too late.), I thought I'd spend some time this week on control. Primarily recall, but with some directional stuff too.

But this evening, Winnie decided to throw a wrench in the plan by completely ignoring abut two out of every three recalls. Whistle, voice, both, she just ignored me.

When we go for walks we're sometimes simulating hunt situations. Well it is in these open field hunt situations where the recall is breaking down. I feel like I need to be a little careful here, because I DO want her to range out far enough to find birds. So while I was frustrated today, I tried to refrain from repeatedly testing the recall in the field while she was 'hunting' just to see if it'd work. She picks up on things very, very quickly, and I'd hate for her to make the connection that when she's in the field, I'm going to call her to me whenever she ranges out 30 yards or so.

Not sure if any of that made sense.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm going to use the long check cord and go back to some basics. And if I don't trust her completely, I have no problem hunting her with the check cord at the preserve. Might slow her down a bit but I'll be glad to have that 'handle' if the recall isn't where I want it to be.

Things look a little different...

2009-10-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

I don't want to overstate the significance of the latest milestone in my pursuit of birddogness. But since that first shot bird and our day of hunting with Enzo in the fields on my friend's farm, things have started to feel a little different here at home.

We always do a little training on our walks, but instead of putting her on a leash and practicing heel, this week the walks have included the whistle, more off-leash time and simulated field work. For instance, the other night I let her get almost fifty yards away and instead of calling her all the way back, I blew the whistle and told her to whoa. She stood and waited till I got there. When I do recall her all the way to me, she zooms to my feet and sits, facing out in front of me. I have not taught her this, it's just what she does. We walk to an open field where I have started working on, I think this is the right term, Casting. I'm trying to get her to respond to hand signals and my body language to work a field in the direction I send her. I'm still learning this myself, but as is the case most of the time, Winnie's about a half step ahead of me.

And she genuinely enjoys these changes. Yeah, she'll get excited if I grab the leash. But if I put that whistle around my neck, she KNOWS she's going to get to run around off lead and explore. And when we get to that open field near the house, she can't WAIT to put her nose down and hunt!

So, I know we have a long way to go. Hell, we've only shot one bird, and that one carpooled to the field with us that morning. But I like where we're at and I'm excited about what lies ahead. And as I write this, even though she's lying on the couch chewing a Nylabone, she looks a little bit more like a bird dog every day.

First Shot Bird!

2009-10-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

Today was Huge.

My friend Douglas invited me down to his farm today to work our dogs on some birds (he has a Spinone). I've been working with Winnie little by little on exposing her to gunfire, and we've also been doing some limited bird work. But it felt like the right time to start putting the pieces together, and so I decided to bring her in hopes of introducing a shotgun and a bird at the same time.

But two things bothered me: 1) Although I've done a little gun exposure, the leap to a full shotgun blast at a relatively close distance would be a significant one, and 2) Having done all my training to this point on my own, and having little hunting experience and even less gundog training experience going in, I was not confident that what we've done so far would translate to a real world (albeit staged) hunting environment in the company of an experienced hunter.

And so, with four chukar stinking up the car, I made the trip south to the farm and we formulated a plan: On the first two birds, I would hold Winnie on a short leash and let her watch Enzo as he did the hunting. Then we would give Winnie a shot. But after the first shot, if Winnie reacted negatively to the sound, we would of course revisit everything and recalibrate our goals for the day.

Enzo found the first bird quickly and Winnie and I got into position about twenty yards away. Douglas flushed the bird and took two shots to bring the chukar down. Winnie didn't flinch! Winnie watched excitedly as Enzo retrieve the downed bird and we repeated the exercise for the second bird. Same results, Winnie was not bothered by the shotgun. (Douglas and I were both shooting 16 gauges.)

Winnie plowed through her first bird and flushed and chased it - no shot. But for the next bird she was much more methodical in her search, and when she found the bird she held the point nicely until I could get there to flush it. I took the shot and downed the bird and Winnie was right there to go after it. She found it in some thick brambles and kind of lost interest in fetching it for me, so I grabbed it and threw it for her into some short grass. She ran after it and brought it right to my hand.

We sat on the porch and had a cold beer as we removed 490 burrs from our dogs and talked about the morning. And when Douglas complimented me on how well Winnie had done in the field, and how well behaved she was generally, I realized just how big this day was for us. We have a long way to go, but we're really enjoying the journey. And after today I feel like we're heading in the right direction.

Training with Beers (Part 2)

2009-10-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the crappy video. I couldn't tell where it was pointing, and I guess I had it set up for her to pick the can up off the ground as in Part 1, but most of the time she was taking it out of my hand. Also, the scenic backdrop here is the garage. Because not everyone in the house thinks this is a really excellent way to spend time when some others would rather be going to sleep.

Okay, so here we needed to raise the criteria for her to get the click/reward. At first she picked up right where she left off - assumed pushing her nose onto the can would get the reward. Just as planned, she grew frustrated by the lack of treats and tried other behaviors like batting the can around the garage and trying to skip the behavior and sneak the treats herself.

Turns out her biggest aversion was, I think, was picking up the can with her mouth. So I put a huggie, or whatever you want to call them, on the can and she picked it up right away. Once she did that a few times, I removed it and she picked the can up!

So, two days in, I know we have a long way to go but I think she's doing great!

Training with Beers (Part 1)

2009-10-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

I've decided to practice my clicker training and try to teach Winnie to fetch me a beer.

Hey, they're cheaper than birds! Plus, I'll be honest, I'm hardly ever mowing the lawn and sweating, wishing someone could run inside and grab me a cool, refreshing chukar.

A quick search on YouTube confirms that many dogs are taught this trick. Though I couldn't find any instructional advice. That's okay though, even though I'm very new to clicker training, I understand the basic principles. I think we can do it. (Disclaimer: I tried this years ago with my German Shorthaired Pointer. It didn't go well, and after consuming several of the retrieval subjects we both lost interest. But that was before I knew about clicker training!)

In Part 1 above you can see it really click (pardon the far too obvious pun) and when she realizes that touching the top of the can with her nose is the behavior that gets a click and reward, I can hardly reward her fast enough! Two sessions of about five minutes each got us to this point. Next I'll try and see if I can get her to pick up the can. Stay tuned!

Training with Birds (Part 2)

2009-10-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening I returned to the field we used earlier that morning to see the neighbor who owns it. While passing the field I spotted one of the chukar in the field. So I went back home and got Winnie and brought her back. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to let her run around free without the check cord and try to find a bird without me knowing where it was. I also brought the .22 blank pistol along, in case I got the chance to flush a bird I wanted to try firing the pistol while she chased it.

Well she worked the entire 2-3 acres pretty thoroughly - though without any sort of structure or pattern to her search - and came up empty. She could have missed it, or maybe it returned to the treeline, who knows.

But as we walked back home I reflected on the day and what I learned. Here's what I came up with:

What I Know.

When I returned to the field that evening and let her run free, I got the sense that she absolutely thought there were birds in there, and wanted to find them. BUT, what I noticed was that in this situation, our whistle recall is not nearly what I want it to be. So we need to work on that in more varied and more tempting environments to make sure we're working toward a reliable recall.
Her nose seems to work. She picks up the scent and heads straight toward the bird. But she waits till she is very close to the bird before she points.
She learns VERY quickly. This makes me nervous because I feel like she'll learn from any mistake I make before I realize I've made it. By holding the check cord on one bird when she chased, she stopped chasing the very next bird on her own!

What I Don't Know.

I'm not sure if I want her to chase the bird or not. I may need that frenzied enthusiasm when it comes time to tie in the gunshot with the bird. On the other hand, down the road it'd be nice to keep her there in a Whoa until I send her to retrieve a shot bird. I am impeded not only by my lack of gundog training experience here, but by my limited actual hunting experience as well.
I continue to be nervous about properly introducing gunfire, and think it's time to get some assistance.

What's Next?

I think it's clear that I got lazy with the recall, getting good results in the comfort of the yards and paddocks at our house. Much more work needs to be done here.
Soon it will be time to build in a little structure to her bird searching. Not sure how to go about that but it will include whistle commands to change directions. That will come AFTER I make some progress on the whistle recall.
I'll be looking for a trainer or preserve with lots of room where I can have a gunner shoot from a distance as she's chasing a flushed bird. If that goes well, we might be ready to shoot a bird over her and really start tying all of this together. But to me that all still seems a long way off.

In Other News

My earlier post about using ShowSheen to get burrs out of her coat got further testing Saturday. It works GREAT! I do need to get a better comb, maybe a flea comb, to use to remove the burrs once I spray the area.

Training with Birds

2009-10-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today we did some fun training with birds. I bought four chukar and brought them to a neighbor's field that has longer grass than ours. When we first arrived, morning fog was just lifting and I was lucky enough to capture this great image of Winnie in her 'work clothes.' (She wears the vest this time of year as she is deer-colored!)

The main purpose of today's training was to use the 'Whoa' work we've been doing to see if, once she found and pointed a bird, she could hold that point until I could walk around and get in front of her, then flush the bird myself.

This was the setup. I left Winnie in the car as I planted the first bird. I walked along the road on the left and then circled around and placed the bird so as we went through the field she wouldn't be picking up my track.

I had seen 'kick baskets' or 'step baskets' online before and decided to make one myself. This was made from a basket found at Home Depot's shelving department, and a simple bracket attached to the side with cable ties. Put the bird down, the basket over the bird, some grass on top of the basket and then if the dog runs right up on the bird, you don't watch fifteen bucks fly away before you get to train with it.

So I tried this with the first bird. Winnie got the scent of the bird and started working toward it, but then she saw the basket and just went right up to it. I gave her the Whoa command but she was literally already on top of the basket so there wasn't much point. I flushed the bird and she took off after it, thirty feet of check cord behind her. She got to the treeline and stopped, and I called her back. So, while the basket was a good theory on paper, I didn't like the results. I brought Winnie back to the car and decided to dizzy and plant two more birds in the grass without the basket.

So with three birds in the cage, I planted one, then about fifty yards away I planted the other. At this point, the fourth and last bird escaped. The escapee, combined with a less than productive first bird, put a little pressure on the thirty bucks of bird currently in the grass.

For all the overthinking and planning and preparation I do for something as simple as a Saturday morning training session, you'd think that I would charge the batteries in my camera. But, no. So on this next bird, when Winnie pointed and I gave her the Whoa command, she held the point long enough for me to curse my exhausted camera batteries and take out my cell phone to capture these very poor images.

I grabbed the end of the check cord this time and flushed the bird. She chased it for approximately 30.00 feet. (I credit my overplanning in this case for remembering to wear gloves when attempting this step!)

The point? Well, less than stylish, I admit. But I was very pleased with how long she was holding them. In fact, when she found and pointed the last bird we were about fifteen feet from the gravel drive as a pickup drove by. She maintained focus on the point until I walked around to get the bird between Winnie and I. (She was only about two feet away from the bird.)

I picked up the end of the check cord and flushed the bird. This time, Winnie took about three steps after it and stopped! Very impressive, productive and fun morning in the field.

This post is already too long, so I'm going to make some conclusions and lay out the next training steps in another entry.