Well, I thought I'd seen most every thing by now....

[Alec Sparks]

.....but Friday a huge [95lb.] young dog on a brutal 20 yard mark, sucked to the BB and when he couldn't locate the bumper brought back the white feed sack with about 8 bumpers in it that was at the BB feet. He delivered it to hand and I threatened the BB with being fired for not standing on the bag.

Back to 10 yard marks for him......

[Lady Duck Hunter]

LOL, that reminds me of the time we had a new set of neighbors move in next door to us. We were out in the front yard between the two houses getting introduced to them when Nugget our first lab (who loved tennis balls) disappeared around the corner of their house down their driveway. We didn't think too much of it because she would often get bored with us standina round talking to neighbors and go find a shady spot to take a nap. First thing you know she comes trotting back head and tail held high carrying a wire basket by the handle. It was full of practice tennis balls. There was so much pride in her face as she delivered the whole basket to us and such disappointment when we gave it back to the neighbors!

[Ken Bora]

..... a brutal 20 yard mark..

huh? did you forget a zero?? joking... hey I'll come down and stand on the bag for you. No way a little 95 lbs. dog will get a bag from under me! I haven't trained on Jersey St. for a while. How is the trash/glass at Ferrell Access these days?
Ken Bora

[Alec Sparks]

First rule of retriever training: Never train where the public can access in a car. Every year during the LCRC HT in Addison I cring when I see people training/airing places I know to be loaded with glass/mono/hooks and human do do.

Holy hell, come air at our place but stay the heck out of the public areas.

[Jerry]

It can be sickening sometimes. I remember a time when me and a buddy went to the Spillway to run our dogs in the Derby. Handlers had to form a line and walk to each mark, picking up glass!!

At third series, buddies dog jumped out of the truck on the way to the line, landed on a piece of glass, cut a tendon an never ran another trial.

Jerry

[Dan&Guinness]

A few years ago a flat-coat in training ran a long land mark (maybe 150 yards) and decided to make it a loooooong land mark into the water / marsh and kept on going. No amount of whistle / recall would work so we started to run after to make sure we could keep an eye on her ...

Sure enough she came back proud as ever with SOMETHING in her mouth. I guess she figured after all those nicks and whistles she better not come back empty handed...

In her mouth? A 40 oz glass Budweiser bottle she dug out of the marsh ...

LOL ... Flatcoat! Not my choice of beer or dog.

[jimandkristine]

The worst story I have heard was from our trainer about one of our pups who is in training with him. He is THE most driven birdiest dogs I have ever seen besides his father who we own. Natural talent to spare.

He brought back a porcupine to hand with quils in the back of his throat and all over his face and mouth. The trainer wasnt using birds guess he wanted something more live??? The trainer was telling him NO as he was trying to heal and deliver. He took over 100 quils out before he got to the vet office. Poor pupper! LOL You could beat that dog with a 4x4 and he will heal up and wait for the next mark. Theres no stopping his drive. I put money on that.

Or this golden who was running juniors brought back a bird from the masters test! LOL she saw the bird just come over the other side of the hill and fall. That was the master test. Then the junior one. She went after that master bird and brought it all the way back! LOL!


Dogs are amazing arent they?

[FetchExpress]

I can not resist telling this story. A buddy of mine who has a HUGE yellow male named Gunner. This is a AA dog with a MH to boot. We went duck hunting on a river that is known to move, particularly when the dam is open. There were 3 of us total out hunting. One of the guys decided that he needed to go to the bathroom so he takes his gun and goes for a walk. We keep hunting when a loner comes ripping over us and we dump it. The dog is sent but gets a bit confused, so the dog is handled. Try and try we try to get this dog to the bird. The dog gets caught in the current and goes maybe 40 yards downstream to where there is a bend and then bails out and starts looking for the bird. Can't find the bird....so he finds a gun leaning up against the tree. The gun belongs to the guy who went downstream to go to the bathroom. Thank God the guy who needed to go to the bathroom practices good gun safety ! This big dog grabs gun by the butt..tips head back and runs for his owner....proud as punch! The guy who was going to the bathroom is running after dog screaming HEY HEY GIVE ME MY GUN BACK!. I was laughing so hard tears were rolling down my face. After things calm down...I holler to the dogs owner""" HEY that is a neat FF trick....do you think we can teach him about Berrettas only...we could hit all the local clubs...they would never figure it out!!

I have seen dogs do all sorts of goofy things but this one took the cake for me!