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Jesse's Hunting > A Gun Dog's Life > Articles > Making the Best of Lead Time Before the Match
Making the Best of Lead Time Before the Match
Bryce Mann - JHO ProStaff
- Sierra Foothills, CA
August 02, 2007
Well by now you may have figured out that all of this traveling is only part of our gun dogs life. We are now about to test the training of the dogs and our abilities to compete together as a team(s). One way to get a practical in field test is to compete in organized gun dog competition. I have formed a tournament hunting team for just such occasions.
Because we are involved with many different dogs each at separate levels of training and abilities. We must incorporate a handler with each dog. Twelve events to run with only three handlers make for a very busy day to fill all of our classes. This competition with sanctioning clubs like the North American Gun Dog Association is a great test not just of the dogs training or of the handler’s abilities but rather a test of how they work together as a team in the field.
There are many different classes and levels of competition which can involve everyone in your family. There are events for the ladies, juniors, doubles and senior handlers. What a way to promote the sport of upland hunting, involve your family and friends and carry on the hunting heritage.
I consider myself very lucky to be able to combine my passion of training and hunting with dogs into a sporting activity. When it comes to the life of a gun dog, days in the field combined with what some call pampered dogs all boils down to just plain fun.
We arrived three days before the NAGDA Nationals in Seibert, Co. went out to the ECHO Hunt Club in the town of Stratton, Colorado to say hello and check in.
So, back to the topic at hand…
What do you do with the three days before the event starts? In our case having traveled 1430 miles in two days makes for long days in the seat and even longer days for the restless dogs in their kennels.
First order of business is to exercise the dogs. Let them run. Practice shooting a few rounds of clays and catch up on a few hours of missed sleep. Next day’s work is to exercise the dogs some more, get them caught up on missed meals and out to the field for a few birds. Day three is a little more of the same and on to the NAGDA fundraiser banquet. Our gun dogs are in the field more than most, involved with these competitions, seminars and demos combined with almost daily work outs on live birds.
Some say these dogs are pampered. Personally I do not think you can do too much for a good gun dog. A good friend of mine always ended his TV shows with “Never spoil your bird dog,” which was a good laugh at owners of gun dogs in general.
Above all remember “the difference between a good bird dog and a great bird dog is, birds and shoe leather”.
Until next time… Happy tails to you.
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