A short while but a long time later

Bugler is symbolically looking over his shoulder to see what else is coming over the horizon.... in the short time since my last blog, life as we knew it has altered.
That weekend, as well as it being Mothering Sunday, the weather turned bright and sunny for the first time in weeks. People turned out in their thousands - beaches, parks, beauty spots were all inundated with humans out to make the most of it. Despite the government's urging for everyone to stay at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus - or Covid19 as we now refer to it.
That forced a sea change in the government's attitude. Stay at home please became "You will stay at home". I'm not sure we realised what "lock down" meant; at home, in the home, near the home, with the family wherever they were, with our friends but not strangers....... so much confusion and so much room for transgression.....
My training buddy and I met up on the 23rd to train our dogs as usual and wondered what the implication would be on our weekly sessions; would we still be able to go to agility l-2-1s or not? I had a hair appointment scheduled for the following day; would that still go ahead...... In the next 24 hours we learned what lock down meant. No more training even out in the middle of nowhere with no one else about; no more 1-2-1 sessions; no more taking the dogs anywhere in the car for any reason at all; no more taking ourselves in the car to anywhere for any, except urgent or necessary, reason at all. I got my hair cut only because the salon boss was awaiting deliveries which could not be un-scheduled so was there anyway - behind a locked door! Strangely furtive. A normal 'thing' become strange.
As has so much. Two weeks on we talk of the 'new normal' without a clue what that is or might be. We look for 'green shoots' in the news reports to match those springing up in the "real" world.  Our gardens are more fertile.
If the dogs wonder why we are suddenly going nowhere, they give no sign; happy to be doing anything anywhere, they continue in blissful ignorance. Would that we humans could do likewise. Today a text suddenly pings into my phone and shatters any complacency I might have felt. I am one of the million and a half  ultra vulnerable who have to remain housebound for 12 weeks.
For once I am eager to interpret the phrase "she lives outside most of the time" literally.
So far, 2 weeks - although a short while - have seemed a long time. What will 12 weeks be like?

I think, like Bugler, I will look for inspiration in the ground...... there's not likely to be much coming from further afield......

Life as we not do know it

Bugler at the Dove Valley Working Gundog Test 20-3-16

So here we are - a good 6 weeks since the end of the shooting season and well into our summer programme: Gundog training for Bugler and Skipper and Agility training for Jaunty. It's good for the dogs because they enjoy the personal attention, brainwork and exercise. Good for the human too because it gives her something 'focussed' to concentrate on. At some stage though we need to 'measure' our progress and 'test' ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings. So, normally, this is the time of year when we're gearing up for Gundog Working Tests and Agility competitions. Indeed, we have already entered one of the former and two of the latter.
But that's as far as it goes this year. Because this year is not "normal" by any definition.  At some point in the future we will look back and say : "Coronavirus (CV) - what on earth is that?" At the moment though it is the only story. We thought all the talk of brexit over the past three years was debilitating, demoralising, pretty darned boring but CV has far outstripped talk of Brexit on any and every scale. Just a few weeks "in" and everywhere we turn all we hear is CV and its effects and consequences. Hardly surprising therefore that it has impacted on our normal summer season pursuits. All Agility and Gundog events (like so many across the spectrum) are cancelled until further notice..... we will all be going nowhere.
There are upsides - no sleepless nights worrying about how we'll perform; no ghastly early morning starts to distant (and they always are from us) destinations; no getting stuck in weekend and holiday traffic (so many dog events are scheduled at these 'busy' times); no more worrying about dogs in hot cars; no more getting home late and having to do all the pastoral and household tasks that need doing every day regardless. There are always positives. Thinking about it - the only downside may be that we will all be a year older when we next get to compete!!!!
We'll keep up the training and hopefully it'll stand us in good stead..... for whatever life throws at us next..
Meanwhile, it's time now to collect eggs, feed the horse his tea and hay, take the dogs for their afternoon exercise, check on the poorly duck.......   so much of life continues as it always did.......

Field Trials are, of course, a Winter Sport!

October 2015

So there was never a thought in my head when Skipper arrived with us in 2015 that he might one day be a Field Trial dog. In fact, when we pitched up for our first formal training session I said I didn't want a field trial dog but a decent beating dog. That was it then. Train for what you want and we trained a fairly decent beating dog.
What changed? Ahhhh... a little success is a dangerous thing. He did quite well last summer in Working Tests; coming 2nd in an Open was a bit of an eye-opener. "We'll maybe enter a field trial" I casually remarked. My 'friends' held me to that. We trained accordingly. More retrieving (we'd not done much of that at all cos it's not really essential for a beating dog - finding lost birds is more their thing), more directional commands, more 'sitting to shot' and 'steadying to flush'. So, in the few short months since the end of last shooting season, when my half decent beating dog was  a pretty decent beating dog, he's learned some of the essential field trial skills. The first trial two weeks ago was a good way to allay my nerves; better dogs and handlers than us were put out on their first run; we made it to the second despite foul conditions.
Today we turned out for our second - and maybe last- trial. Conditions were beyond foul; torrential rain, freezing winds, hail, sleet, thunder and lightening...... and then you expect the freezing cold, wet, bored (after waiting in line nearly two hours) dog to hunt his little socks off, giving his all, paying attention to handler and everything else....... remain sharp on the whistle, remember his lessons, hunt, flush and retrieve sodden birds.... crikey - not much to ask.... I take my hat off to everyone who competed today..... it was horrendous. Yet there will be those for whom the weather and the conditions were immaterial; their little dog will have won a prize which will have made it all worth while. It is after all a 'winter sport' and such conditions are to be expected. They are made of sterner stuff than I....
So, how did the little dog do? Well, he hunted boldly and thoroughly through the thickest of briars; he sat to the other dog's flush and shot; he flushed his own bird and sat to shot; he retrieved his bird from the drilling in evil conditions....... clever boy. If he hadn't then put that bird, as it flapped its sodden wings, down on the ground in front of me, he would have been in with a chance. As it was, we were 'out'! So much so right - and just that one little thing not so right; ah well; he did the best he could with the education he's been given. He's had little experience of delivering just-shot wet birds to hand...... something to work on.
But do we want to?
A dog trained for bushbeating is like a horse trained for a 3 mile chase - an out and out stayer: A field trial dog, to continue the analogy, is like a 5 furlong sprinter; a fast, furious  machine.......
Should I expect my staying chaser to complete a 5 furlong sprint? 

First ever Field Trial entrant in the family

Gunner's grandson enters field trial

There are all sorts of levels of attainment in the world of working dogs. When Gunner and I pitched up for our first ever day of beating on 3rd October 2008 I thought we'd 'arrived'. Then when we did our first ever working tests I thought we were the bees knees! When Bugler earned a few  prizes I was over the moon. But the thought of entering Field Trials was too daunting to entertain. They, I thought, were the preserve of seasoned 'dog men' and professionals not mere mortals with beating dogs!
However, Skipper's been such a schoolmaster for me as a handler that I decided it was 'now or never' and took the mammoth step (for me) to enter a field trial with him. It was today. It was raining; hard. On the plus side, the Trial was being held only a few miles away from  home so it seemed less daunting! As it unfolded it became ever less daunting. Not a single bird was flushed for nearly and hour and a half. When one was flushed the guns couldn't shoot it. By the time we had our first 'run' at midday only 3 birds had been shot.Skipper hunted for over 10 minutes under the first judge without a flush and then had just 10 minutes before his second run because several dogs had been eliminated. Hunted for almost as long under the second judge without a flush and then got his nose down on a rabbit trail. Couldn't quite obey the whistle quickly enough when I called him off the trail so was put out for going self-employed. Shame. He'd done really well in all the preliminaries and sat to shot immediately he heard one.... did all he was asked and hunted exceptionally well and close so by no means disgraced. Couldn't blame him for getting attached to the rabbit scent when there were no birds about. His grandad would be proud of him.....
We've another Trial in two weeks. I wonder what will happen there? I begin to understand why people say it's a numbers game..... so much depends on luck, ground, weather, wind, scent..............

There's a lot of beet in beating!

Could do with a drink mum!

One of the things that makes bushbeating fun (yes! fun!) is the infinite variety of terrain human and hound are expected to work through - from gorgeous grassy pastures to the thickest most leg-grabbing bramble thickets and everything you can imagine - & a few things you never could - in between......
So, yesterday was Bugler's second day out this season and he spent the whole morning hunting through well grown soaking wet (lots of rain the night before) sugar beet. It's hard enough for human legs to walk (or stumble) through for hours on end but for dogs it involves endless bounding and diving through flapping wet near tropical greenery.... It exhausts them but they love the variety of smells..... the tantalising scent of the birds, rabbits, hares, deer, foxes who have passed this way before them. Imagine reading your favourite novel, the one you can't bear to put down even though you are almost too tired to take in another word. That's hunting through sugar beet........ the dogs just go on and on.... just another yard, just one more scent, OH! and another and OMG over there's another..... and finally the field and the drive comes to an end...... the soaking wet dogs emerge and hunt around in search of a much needed drink.... any old puddle, ditch or stream will do...
What makes the dog keep going? He can't be fit - it's the beginning of the season and we don't do this sort of thing between seasons.... 20 mins to an hour of exercise or training once or twice a day not 5 or 6 or 7 times.... Why does he keep going through sodden beetfields for hours even though he must be getting tired? 
Look at the face of the dog; the eyes say it all - he just loves what he is doing and will go on for as long as I ask him to..... he'll have sore feet at the end, he'll sleep like a log, he'll probably be a bit stiff first thing in the morning..... but, if I ask, he'll get up, go out and, beet or not, do it all again................. That's working dogs for you....

And so another season begis

Another year, another season....Bugler's (and my) first day. He was so obviously happy to be back doing what he loves doing best - whichever way you look at it, training and sniffing out mice are no way near as much fun as going out in a big pack for the day!
It started rainy but by late morning (after a couple of Sloe Fizz's kindly provided by our host) it dried up and the day just got even better! There were birds in abundance - more than enough to satisfy the guns that they are in for a good season ahead: far more birds flew on than hit the dust - which pleased our host greatly!!!
It's always a worry - the first day back: Will the dog behave properly? Will he listen to the whistle? Will he chase after that blinkin hare that always lurks in the stubble? Any shoot day, but particularly the first one, is so full of high charged energy, anticipation, excitement and distraction that many dogs find it all too much; small wonder if misdemeanors and shouts abound. However, today was Bugler's time to shine...... he was a real joy to be out with; worked his little paws off in a really professional way. Will he stay like this all season? It would be too much to expect: usually he starts to boil up by Christmas and we have to have a few little heart to hearts.... but maybe he's old enough now to remain stable and biddable........ time will tell...... Meanwhile, thank you Bu for making the sun shine on an otherwise grey October day !

The new Shooting season begins

Skipper at the end of his first day

Where do the months go? Those 8 long ones since February? The hours and weeks we've spent training, steadying, calming the dogs.... and here we are at the start of yet another season. It's Bugler's 4th and Skipper's first; my 10th or is it 11th? I'll have to check back....  I can't help thinking back fondly to my first season with Gunner..... It's all recorded here in this blog.... so many memories... he may not be here in 'person' any more but what could be better than continuing the story with his son and grandson?

Bugler at the start of his 4th season

Bugler was out with me on Saturday for the first day of this season and I could not have wished for a better companion; the hours invested in helping him become calmer and more focused have paid off.... It was an unseasonably warm and sunny 18 degrees - tiring for us humans but more so for the dogs. He worked tirelessly and attentively - my phone recorded that I did 23,000 steps so goodness knows how far he travelled. It's a hard life being a beating dog! Unfortunately he jarred his front leg on the hard ground and developed a limp in the afternoon. He has been on 'box' rest since and will hopefully be OK soon enough to take up his engagement next weekend.

So - Bugler's limp worked to Skipper's advantage. Ten days earlier than planned he had his first real working day - he did bits last season but mostly under very close supervision and control. Today he had to step up and really work. I think it surprised him! The first drive was a stretch of dyke he's become familiar with over the past couple of months through dogging-in.. so he probably did think it was just an ordinary day - with a bit of extra distraction. He worked really well and close, focused on me and what I asked of him.. a real joy to watch. He didn't particularly like the noise of the guns but only noticed it when he was standing still.... and by the end of the day he had learned to almost ignore it. It was interesting to watch him grow in confidence through the day, doing more difficult bits of work in heavier cover or closer to the guns. The task now is to switch him off for the next 10 days and begin his second day as if it is his first.... with the same degree of focus and attentiveness ... so that we can move forward through the rest of the season in a calm manner laying the foundation for many happy seasons ahead..... 

Or we could lose the plot completely and end up with an out-of-control nutcase! Let's hope it's the former.......