Patricia, I'm not talking about trial people - they were always very nice, but the non-trialling, working people who went on shoots up there were only interested in bagging as many animals (birds or rabbits) as possible with only spaniels and labs. Not at all interested in people outwith their own immediate circle nor any other breeds. They would look down on us because we were neither farmworkers(beaters and pickers up) nor landowners(shooters) We were invited to one farm shoot when we first arrived but it appeared we didn't fit in either category(we worked in town and we only had 21 acres) so weren't invited back. Those are swanks at both ends of the scale.
Hopefully, this area will be better, with help from some of the FT people down here.
It is really interesting how your definitions are subtly different from ours here, down-under (in NZ anyway).
For what it is worth, these are my personal interpretations:
A WORKING gundog is one which is able to perform to the best ability of what the breed was bred for in all roughshooting situations.
Here in NZ, the Brittany is used as a hunting companion for deer (and other big game such as chamois and thar)as well as small fur game (rabbits and hares) and bird game (pheasants, quail,chukkor). They are rapidly gaining a reputation for being smart as well as fast, biddable and able to cope in all conditions.
Because we all have access to the great outdoors all year around, no one in NZ is excluded or made unwelcome. It is commonly known that to gain access to large properties one only needs to seek permission from the owner to enter.
An example of this was just this weekend gone, my son Blair went on an organised 4WD trip into the High Country (at the foot of the Southern alps). He was on a 10,000 hectare station in the middle of nowhere, when his group came across a couple of hunters who had been in the area shooting wallabies. They had a gundog with them (a springer spaniel - but we will forgive them that..) and had bagged three wallabies and were on their way home. They all stopped for a cuppa and a yarn about their respective exploits in the area.
GUNDOG TRAINING to me has two branches - there is a significant difference between simply training a dog to hunt and training a dog to hunt FOR you. The dog will do a much better job if it is "in tune" with its handler and is looking for game to please its master - rather than one that is just turned loose in the hope that it will use its natural talents to stumble over a game scent.
I agree that self hunters are doing their own thing - because they can.
In my experience male dogs are more guilty of this and it is very frustrating to deal with. In the end, basic obedience is the answer because a dominant personality is often at the root of it all.
It is interesting that Guy mentions a dog "hunting where and when it is directed;retrieving where and when it is directed and not doing anything when so instructed" because this is exactly what our pointer and setter trials are all about - that is why we like them so much. They are simulated hunting and when competence at the trials is achieved, the dogs performance out in a hunting situation is greatly enhanced. _________________ Home of the canine "Spice Girls" - Spice, Sophie & Kip - and Lou the sheepdog.
I may be absent in mind and body but always addicted to man's best friend.
A dog doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care.
Thats put very nicely Chris, so we can all relate to it. Thank You. Time we came out for another fix at your trials _________________ Jan
Merlin, hips 9/9=18 and Ghillie, hips 8/9=17
Pull [n or v] An equal and opposite force perpetrated on both ends of a lead that results in the inevitable tripping and falling of the human involved!!
Not near those caves _________________ Jan
Merlin, hips 9/9=18 and Ghillie, hips 8/9=17
Pull [n or v] An equal and opposite force perpetrated on both ends of a lead that results in the inevitable tripping and falling of the human involved!!
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