Black Mountain
15.5c. Sunny. S 2> The air felt much warmer than what it said on the thermometer. Events bore that out.
Nelly and I took Judy, Basso & Coco to the hill.
This was Coco’s first real run on the hill. I cast him off on his own at first and he shaped up quite well but he got bored after about five minutes so I picked him up and cast off the other two. Later on I ran him with Judy who was the slower of the other two and he ran with her for a time. What was interesting was that this was heavy going and Coco never even looked like giving tongue which was good. Later on when they were free running he also ran around quite well doing his own thing and he was at least two hundred yards away at times, quite happy to be on his own. He is looking very big and very powerful.
There is no doubt that Coco’s attitude to hunting has changed since he had those few finds. He realises that there is fun in them thar hills.
Basso and Judy ran hard for ten minutes and for a good while after they had a wallow in a bog hole. They covered a heap of ground and both handled beautifully. Basso was head and shoulders better than Judy. He covered more ground, was faster and if anything handled sharper than the Old Girl.
The Signal Centre.
Took Coco for a point at the Signal Centre. Did everything right and still got no satisfaction. Two woodies conspired to wreck the outing. They were foraging for seeds just down wind of the launcher and when Coco flushed them he wasn’t going to do any more running in case he made a mistake. Then to really snatch defeat from the jaws of victory the launcher wouldn’t release. I was however greatly relieved when Coco lept about four feet in the air when I flushed it manually. I was , paradoxically, pleased to see him have a greater desire to catch the pigeon. (Apologies to Muttley.)
Going to The Wildfowler for tea so Tam can have a swim in Strangford Lough.
Blackwood.
Researched a walk I used to use years ago and now remember why I stopped using it. Ok for spaniels but would be no good for pointers. Tam needed the run but he didn’t really need a run in the conditions today which would have been bright sun had we not been below the canopy. Thankfully there were several pools of water for him to wallow/swim in as it was very humid. Make you think of thunder. The one positive note was that I found in several clearings the most amazing clumps of brambles and well in flower so if we get a kilo or two later on we mau have some of Granny O’Neile’s World Famous Blackberry Ice Cream.
Lucky’s toe still looks swollen although he isn’t favouring it and the launcher’s transmitter needs a new battery so neither of the pups will get anything other than a walk for Coco, and that only if the rain holds off.
Beechfield.
When I rang the vet yesterday to book Lucky an appointment they were unable to take us until 16:50 today. (We had a double bank holiday Monday and Tuesday) I was concerned at the delay so gave Lucky 125 mg amoxcillan and by the time we got there this afternoon the swollen toe was starting to decrease in size. Surprise surprise it was a wound and not a nail bed infection so Ross had been correct when he thought he saw Coco bite Lucky on Sunday morning. (They were only playing) I have known nail bed infections inflate very quickly but until now this sort of swelling on a wound was unknown to me. I have to say I am very pleased that it was a wound and not an infected nail bed as pups that have this sort of problem seem to carry them into adulthood. I’ll have to work hard to make up lost time over the weekend.
Black Mountain.
10:30.
14.5c. SSW 2>. Threatening rain. Bright but not sunny.
Took Judy, Jalad and Basso as they seem to need the mos work. I decided to run Judy and Basso together but Judy decided to eat grass and look for a hole to wallow in. I then cast off Jalad and he and Basso ran on till Basso had done twenty minutes and Jalad fifteen. For all that Basso is a speed deamon I really never considered that Jalad’s sheer power could be bested by a speed freak but Jalad looked decidedly second best beside Basso. They both would have looked for water had there been any but I was pleased with their application.
I took a big decision this morning. Judy is retired from competition. It isn’t that she has lost her desire but she has lost her pace and as a top performer I see no merit in entering her in events where she won’t do herself any credit.
13:00
On the way back from Antrim I stopped at the mountain again but only took out Basso and Jalad and I can tell you Judy wasn’t impressed. I was able to run the pair straight into the wind across our ground and they both gave me the full fifteen minutes. It started to rain on the down wind back to the car but both the dogs seemed to relish the cooler conditions and if anything ran better than than they had from fresh earlier this morning.
If any of you want a dog to do a bit of counting and rule you and your kennel with a rod of iron I have a candidate.
Black Mountain.
17c. SW 2> Started off very dry, bright and sunny.
I got the weather I wanted I just got it in the wrong order. It started off so dry and warm it was unbelievable. I made a few calls from the heather and it was beautiful but I got mugged by a very heavy squall on the way back down to the car. It would have been better for the dogs if it had rained while they were running.
Chris and Jalad.
I hadn’t really seen the competitive streak that was evident in Chris this morning. There was no way he was going to let Jalad take the wind and the only thing that stopped him from taking the forward cast every time was that he was easy to handle and I could keep him on the correct line. I have never handled a dog that understands the turn whistle like Chris. My own dogs get all confused if I blow the turn when they are in the middle of the beat but not Chris. That he understands the turn in these conditions doesn’t mean he is delighted to comply but at least he does comply and it only takes a finger pointed in the right direction and he’s off, which is just as well as I’m flying with a wing down at the moment. Jalad was more like himself this morning as well and both dogs deserve credit for effort, guts, if not exactly blistering pace. Fifteen minutes into the wind.
Roxy and Basso.
This pair made the running look easier than the first pair even though they had better ground. Roxy pleased me and was more or less perfect but for the first time in ages she went off the radar on a hare line, (I saw where Puss went). The scent knocked her up a gear and although she was good before the hare she was even better after. Basso is easily the fastest dog in the kennel at the moment and he could reel Roxy in when he put his mind to it but he got pulled about by larks.
The second pair got about twenty minutes and when we reached water it seemed like a natural place to stop. I decided to let them free run back to the car but when I got to a natural vantage point I sat down to make a call to Shaun but before I dialed Roy rang. When I finished that call I called Shaun so I was sitting in the heather in the sun for a half an hour with the dogs having a good gallop. It took several severe wiggings from Roxy to disabuse Chris of the notion that she was available for sex but all four charged about for all of these thirty minutes.
I cut my call to Shaun short in an effort to avoid a squall I saw coming and I did avoid it but another I wasn’t aware of mugged me at the back of the quarry and I got soaked.
So the dogs had a good blow out and at this stage Chris and Roxy could compete with Jalad not far away and needing a few more runs and Basso not far away and needing birds which he should get in Yorkshire next week.
17:00
The Wee Res.
I suppose there are reasons why it is obvious that I should draw comparisons between Coco and Roi, Prince of Darkness. Colour for one. Although Roi was black and Coco is brown they both have the unusual self coloured pattern. Then there’s size. Both big dogs. When Coco sits beside me he looks me straight in the eye. Then there’s their brains. Coco is still the most intelligent dog I have worked with but Roi was intelligent as well and just about trained himself. Coco isn’t a self trainer but he has picked up everything asked of him on the first occasion and usually with the minimum of fuss. So it proved today with turning and dropping. It so happens that there was a stiff breeze that we were able to walk into and I just peeped Coco when he was towards either side and he turned. He is a bit skittish out on his own so at first I just asked him to sit, something he already does well. After we sat and watched the ducks and gulls for a while I walked him back to the car and because he was more confident he went further away. Again each time I peeped him he turned and came back at pace. This time when he was close I blew the stop whistle and he threw himself to the ground. He did this a few more times successfully and then it was back home in the car.
With Judy not now going to Yorkshire in theory there is a space in the car but I can’t think of a combination of dogs left at home that would allow the big dog to go. If I take a fifth dog it is more likely to be Lucky and he’s too young to take maximum benefit from such a trip.
The Practice.
No time spent with a young dog is ever wasted but just now not a lot seems to be happening with Lucky. It is usually a still summer’s evening when he is out and he seems distracted by nearly any noise and dogs barking in the distance seem particularly distracting. That said he’s happy to be out with me and he will approach strangers even if he is a bit diffident if they make, even a friendly, move towards him. He chased a few swallows showing a turn of pace and a neat whip round. The most pleasing thing at this time is that he does everything with a nice naturally high head carriage.
This has been a badly disrupted week but hopefully now the trailer’s lights are sorted out and that means that I am just about ready for the season. I only have a one man tent at the moment so unless the four man that I have ordered arrives sharpish Jay won’t be able to go with me the first weekend but we have just about everything we need for camping.
Jay, Nelly and I are heading for Yorkshire on Friday night for a few days training and counting. The plan is to take Chris, Basso, Jalad and Roxy for training and Lucky just for the trip. If I left Lucky behind he would have to go in a run with Coco and that would mean playing/barking dogs 24/7. Ideally I should take Coco and leave Lucky but I’m not sure that Tam or Judy would put up with a pup for five days. I just can’t wait to get at the grouse and we might put in a day at the CLA.
Bess is now with the family of the electrician who was fixing the lights. She is looking a trifle thin at the moment due no doubt to her exploratory operation but on the other hand her coat is so glossy she looks like a slug on a dewy morning. She is still a bit tender too as I found out when I went to lift her to check if she is in season. In all other respects she looks well and is in good form. I can’t help thinking she has landed on her feet ending up where she is.
Maybe Ross and I will get to the hill tomorrow but we’ll see. He’s that knackered he just wants to sleep on his days off. I suppose if you work sixteen hours a day you deserve to be knackered.
Black Mountain.
Sunny to start off but starting to rain at end. Humid.
Ross took Jalad and Chris to the hill. The wind was coming straight down the hill so Ross was able to use the ground to best effect. He ran straight up the hill to the shoulder. The dogs made good use of the ground Chris being very neat but whereas Jalad was a bit wilder he took in a lot more ground. Getting to the top of the shoulder, Jalad, who was under a bit of pressure, had a good wallow. He lay on his back and allowed Ross to pour the water all over him. Even when a dog knows and trusts his handler he is under a bit of pressure to want this.
They ran on across the middle bog but Ross was a bit knackered so he turned back and they had free running most of the way back to the car. By that time they had both had a good gallop.
The Triangle, Cow Hill & Barn Side.
Basso and Chris had first crack on The Triangle. Chris ran quite nicely for a time and then came on point. The cock had run off the covey but Chris stuck to his task and produced his birds in fine style. Basso had had a good sniff of where Chris had pointed and sometimes this isn’t a good thing as it makes him very careful. When set off he worked quite hard and was hunting intensely but he hadn’t the chance of a bird.
Jalad had a run on Cow Hill and a fair synopsis would be Jalad one, cock grouse one. Jalad declined the opportunity to be drawn off the covey by the first cock and went on to produce his birds, dropping of his own accord and staying on when Jay fired the shot. The second cock lead him a bit of a dance. This cock ran away downwind from the covey and drew Jalad away with the result that the covey erupted behind and up wind of him. On the way back down wind to the car we ended up in a conglomeration of maybe three coveys all of different ages. When I realised this both dogs were released. I didn’t see what Flake did but Jalad walked about producing bird after bird and showing no inclination to chase.
Roxy had an absolutely amazing find on a covey of seven but then went on a ten minute riot wilfully ignoring any and all commands.
I watched intently as Sean ran Flake. I thought at first that she was a bit deep but I particularly liked the way she always turned forward, even when confronted by a wall at a funny angle. In addition she eye wiped Jalad. He had pointed on the lead and when released he pointed another single before casting on. In came Flake to pin another bird that was there for Jalad.
Belvoir Castle.
The CLA.
So that was the CLA 2009. Bright but threatening rain and actually drizzling for a long time but you never really got wet. After the quagmire of the NI Game Fair at Ballywalter Park it was lovely to be on firm dry ground but it would have been even better if I had had the right footwear. By the end of the day I was footsore. I always wonder about people taking dogs to fairs and there was at least one announcement about dogs in a car but it does give me an opportunity to see dogs in the flesh that I haven’t seen before. Disappointing that not one of the owners I spoke to worked their dogs. They were all show dogs.
There were a lot of very nice stands to visit but one stood out to me and for one small reason. Welded polymer hawk boxes and dog boxes have been around for a few years now but “Gamehawker” has taken the finish of these boxes to another level. High quality fittings are evident on both types of box but they now use an in house designed closing system on the dog boxes. This locks the door both top and bottom and to my mind is ingenious. Take a close look if you get the chance.
A very enjoyable day in good company.
Black Brook.
07:00. 14c. Dull but high cloud. Awkward wind meaning we had to work across the beat and generally up hill.
Roxy.
There was a bit of everything in Roxy’s work. She had some excellent finds and most of hers were singles and pairs. No coveys for her. She started off running and handling well but by the end she was doing it all to please herself.
Chris.
The big dog pleased me no end and he handled when I asked but most of the time he turned himself just when needed. He continues to find birds for fun and works the birds out in a very proficient manner. He had all sorts of finds. Singles, Pairs and a number of coveys numbering between eight and twelve. Chris’ training for retrieving means he is very interested in flushed birds, I presume he’s thinking one of them will offer a retrieve. While he didn’t break I have the impression he would if given half a chance so I try to be standing on his head when he finds. His biggest attribute is that he really knows his distance.
Basso.
He showed the greatest improvement of any of the touring party. He had a tendency to be OK up to the first flush or find but then be disinclined to open up thereafter, probably not wanting to make any mistakes. I was really pleased with his bird work. He had several finds and at least one of them was a large covey. The most important thing, however, was that after a flush he was up for the run thereafter. In addition he had a really severe tumble and it didn’t reduce his drive.
Jalad.
Jalad is my flawed genius and today was no different. He seemed to find it easier to find and pin the singles but when it came to the larger coveys it seemed that he didn’t know his distance and he bumped a couple, one of them fifteen. I now know that when Jalad breaks his cast and draws forward he has birds. When he does get it wrong he drops of his own volition, even though that’s not good enough for competition, but he really is worth a watch. I reckon that several times he drew birds from in excess of one hundred yards and even though he bumped them once or twice I was really pleased with his work. At one time I was standing with Basso on the lead and I called Jalad up so that I could watch Flake work out. Jalad came within three yards of me and pointed. I didn’t twig at first but then realised and when I took a step towards him about nine birds, not much more than half grown erupted from the heather around us and he pushed at least five of them and watched them away.
Buckstones.
Took Roxy and Basso. Roxy to get a run well under control and Basso also a run hopefully without the interference of birds. Roxy made about three cuts under control and then disappeared in the high bog cotton. I next saw her about ten minutes later running up and down a fence line looking to get through. To get further away! Roxy hasn’t been like this in some time. She was due to break about two months ago and she was kept out of season with Duratestron. I’ve used it before without any effect. Hopefully I can get he under control at home where there won’t be the birds to blow her mind. I ran Basso down wind back to the car and as hoped we didn’t encounter birds. He ran well.
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