[AmiableLabs]

I spend almost all my "dog-related time" around other people serious about dog-training, in particular for HTs and FTs. Sometimes I lose sight of just how good we have it.

I went to my DU committee's annual fundraising banquet last night, and everyone knows I am "into Labs." So I got to endure all their neat stories about their dogs winding birds from tens of yards away, and finding ducks that would have been lost without their help. These people were proud of their dogs, and rightfully so! God bless 'em, without any formal training these dogs are still able to eek out a place in the blind, and food in a bowl.

But the stories were also replete with lack of steadiness, lack of control, misbehavior, disobedience, and even the dreaded lack of desire.

I am going to our club's second FT of the year next weekend. I am going to watch well over a hundred dogs handle multiple concepts, over complicated terrain, on multiple marks at distances generally unseen on the average day of hunting. Additionally, these dogs will demonstrate super-high degrees of control, obedience, self-discipline, sophistication, and education.

And I am used to that. Not just from my peer's dogs, but my own dogs. And I have apparently become jaded. I have begun to take it for granted.

Sometimes we need to step out of our bubble to really know what we have. And maybe that is the only way we can ever appreciate it for what it is really worth.

God love these dogs.

 

[Bruce MacPherson]

This FT/HT game, comparatively, is a fairly small club. I live in a place that has very few competitive dogs but lots of huntin dawgs. I am training a few dogs for friends and have noticed that over time we are getting a few more of the good ole boys showing up a couple of evenings a week, first just to watch and of course make the usual obligatory comments about wasting time delivering to hand, why actually running the bank makes more sense and the ever popular " why would you have to force your dog to fetch," but now actually starting to participate. Now most of these guys will never compete but they are starting to appreciate the fun of training and certainly the difference in their dogs. I think that makes it worthwhile.

 

[Frenchy]

This FT/HT game, comparatively, is a fairly small club. I live in a place that has very few competitive dogs but lots of huntin dawgs. I am training a few dogs for friends and have noticed that over time we are getting a few more of the good ole boys showing up a couple of evenings a week, first just to watch and of course make the usual obligatory comments about wasting time delivering to hand, why actually running the bank makes more sense and the ever popular " why would you have to force your dog to fetch," but now actually starting to participate. Now most of these guys will never compete but they are starting to appreciate the fun of training and certainly the difference in their dogs. I think that makes it worthwhile.

Boy ain't that the truth! I hear similar comments all the time. :lol: I'm just simply amazed at what some of these dogs can do. I'm barely getting my feet wet, and have been able to get my old dog to do some pretty neat tricks, but he still isn't anywhere near what a QAA dog can do. But tarining with the hopes of getting there, has giving me a dog I truly enjoy HUNTING with. I've seen the light!

 

[SloppyMouth]

Enjoyed your post Kevin. As you've said, there's a big difference between your average huntin' dawg and your field trial dog; a lot of that is due to the trainer/owner and lack of training/time/ignorance/etc. The more time you spend around folks that train dogs and the more you get into it, the greater the discrepency and the more you do begin to take good dog work for granted and notice poor/untrained dogs.

I do believe this is where many of the points of contention arise here on RTF. Not everyone is looking to train the next FC or MH, some just want a dog that's slightly better trained than your average "huntin' dawg" and able to bring the birds back to the blind while learning more about the dog, training and the game. The goals are completely different. IMO, sometimes the folks on here with the most knowledge (or perhaps that should be the ones that act as if they have the most knowledge) forget the newbie audience and what their goals might be.

 

[Patti Benton]

Kevin,
Great post.

I remember when we got Magnum. All Dave wanted was a good hunting dog. He joined WISILL for a "Good" hunting dog. That was in 1995. Magnum became a HRCH UH MH and WC with 500 points There's nothing like hunting overing a HRCH MH dog. I guess it's something we take for granted.

We used to hunt with friend who had 2 Labs that didn't know one command. Once this friend found out what it was like to hunt over a dog that was calm and took commands he never brought his dogs to the blind again. He liked hunting over Finished dogs. I don't blame him for his dogs behavior. He didn't know what was out there. He does now.

 

[TimMTP]

Great thought!

I went to a continental pheasant shoot as a handler awhile back so my boy could get a workout. I, of course, could see little flaws that would drive most owner/trainers nuts. But it was nothing to the shooters in attendance. My boy received numerous compliments such as "now that's a hunting dog..."

I know I probably had more fun that pretty much every shooter out there.

Thanks for reminding us!

Tim