NATURAL ABILITY TEST PRIZE 1 AND 2 !!!

CONGRATULATION TO KOTA AND OAKLEY!  Prize 1 and prize 2 award winners at the NAVHDA  (http://www.navhda.org/) natural ability test.  I want to thank Barry for being willing to take the time to not only show up and pay for the testing yesterday but for all the time he has spent with his dog Kota.  Kota earned 110 out of a possible 112 points and claimed a prize 1.  Oakley earned a 108 out of a possible 112 and claimed a prize 2.  Barry and I are not dog trainers but dog owners who like to hunt.  I think we both felt a little out of our comfort zone as we mingled with all the other dog owners.  When you go to events like these you find all sorts of dogs and owners, some whose lives revolve around their dogs and these events and some who are just the weekend warrior who enjoys a good dog and a good hunt.  

 A few words about NAVHDA The test we participated in yesterday shows the weakness and strengths of each dog.  It is a test against a standard that NAVHDA has put together to show if your puppy has what it takes to become a good hunting dog.  You are not graded against each other but against the standards that NAVHDA has put together.  It is not meant to show that you necessarily have a polished hunting dog but that you have a dog that has the necessary skills(natural ability) to become a great hunting dog. The local NAVHDA sponsors the event.  For our test they flew in 3 NAVHDA judges from other states who did the judging.  Both Kota and Oakley had perfect scores in everything except tracking.  Kota received a 3 out of 4 and Oakley a 2 out of 4.  In this event a flightless rooster pheasant is placed in some tall grass and released.  After the bird is released we bring in our dogs and show them some feathers the judges have pulled out of the birds. We then show the feathers to the dog and give it a command to find the bird. The dogs are then expected to put their nose to the ground and track where the bird went.  It should be an extended track showing the dog has this skill.  Both dogs showed such great desire to find the birds that they left the track a little sooner than the judges like.  Kota was impressive in the fact that he went far enough away that he found two other tracks of previous birds.  Sage left the track early also came back to the track went over the top of the hill and returned with the rooster in mouth but because they did not witness enough of the track scored her a 2 out of the 4.  Oneof the other things the dogs are scored on are use of nose.  They release live birds into a field and then see if the dog can find them and preferably point them.  They are scored on intensity of point and nose work.  They are scored on how well they work with the handler.  They are scored on water work, this is a versatile bread that should be confident in water.  Many of the dogs in our lines are not only used as upland hunting dogs but also water fowl hunting dogs.  I must say that our two dogs were the best dogs in the water during the testing.  The dogs were complimented on their coats and over all I must say I thought it was a great day for two dogs.

  

One fun  part of the day is that the dogs"grandfather" Kelly Craghead surprised me and showed up to see how his granddogs looked and how they would do.  He took the dogs around and showed them to his NAVHDA friends.  He did some good bragging as all grandparents should do.  Kelly is the one who sold me the pups mom Sage.  He is a very accomplished dog trainer.  He owned both of my dog Sage's parents and received the coveted Versatile Champion  title from NAVHDA for both mom and dad.  Thanks for spending the day with us Kelly.

I'm convinced this line of breeding will result in great dogs and pets if given the right time and training that these dogs require.  So far all my reports are positive and show that we have great hunters, great house pets and great outdoor companions.

10 month old puppy updates

Moki, what a handsome hound

I've received news back from some of the puppy owners that I wanted to share with all of you.  I've been amazed at the stories and versatility of these dogs.  When we found the new owners I was surprised at the varied interest of all and have been anxious to see how they all do.  I always assumed that I would get owners that only wanted hunting dogs but have been very pleased to find that these dogs are suited for much more than just hunting.

 Without question I've had positive feed back.  I can see that the more time and effort that is spent with the dogs the better the dog.  Here are some of the stories and reports

.Hi Shawn,

I'm so glad you're updating your blog, I can't wait to see how all of the puppies are doing. 

Now a little bit about Moki.

We are so happy with Moki, he is everything that we were looking for. I would describe him as confident and social- always happy to meet other dogs and people, very stable and steady- doesn't get nervous or scared easily, very active and energetic but also well behaved indoors, biddable, high desire to please, very trainable, affectionate, and always wants to hang out with me. In other words: he really is just what we were looking for. He goes out trail running with me almost every day and the people that we meet out on the trails are always amazed that he is such a young puppy because he is so well behaved. He is always off leash, and when I call for him to come, he turns on a dime and comes running at me full speed and then sits next to me till I tell him he can get up. He's also turning into a really good looking dog, I get compliments on him all the time. I took him into the vet 2 weeks ago and he weighed in at 59 pounds. 

Moki has been a natural swimmer from the time we brought him home. When he was 9 weeks old we took him to a lake in the Uintahs. Joshua, Xena, and I were all wading just off the shore. Moki followed us right in, walked out to where the water was deep enough that he had to swim, and then he just started swimming- no splashing or flailing like puppies usually do- he just started to swim. When he was 11 weeks old, we took him canoe camping in the Wind River Mountains. We intended to be really careful with our precious new puppy, but as we were portaging up a river, we capsized. During the entire trip, up until about an hour before we capsized, I had had him sitting at my feet so that I could watch him closely and grab him if anything happened, but Moki was really tired and kept trying to get behind me to lay on top of our gear and sleep. I finally gave in and he curled up behind me on top of our gear. An hour later when  we capsized, things happened way to fast for me to get ahold of the puppy before we all went under. As soon as Joshua and I came up out of the water, our first concern was, of course, getting the puppy out of the river (we weren't worried 't about Xena as she is a strong and experienced swimmer and was wearing a life jacket). Moki was actually underneath the overturned canoe, but we got him out within a few seconds. Joshua was recovering from a broken foot, so after depositing the puppy and the husband on shore, it was up to me to fish out all of our gear that was spread out and floating down the river. I jumped back into the river and started swimming out to our gear, but when I looked behind me, Moki had jumped in after me and was bravely trying (and failing against the current) to swim out to me. I felt terrible about endangering my puppy, but what impressed me about that situation was that even after having what should have been a traumatic experience in the water, he was still determined to follow his person no matter where she went. What a good dog! 

Another water story, about a month ago I was out running with Moki when he spotted a duck across the river from us. The river was half frozen and had chunks of ice floating down it. Moki leaped into the river, went completely under the water, and when he popped back up, swam all the way across the river to where the duck had been. Of course by that time the duck was long gone but Moki climbed up onto the bank where the duck had been and gave the area a thorough inspection. I was curious to see how he was going to try to get back across the river because I was sure he wouldn't want to swim through the cold water again, especially after being completely submerged, but he just jumped back in like it was no big deal and swam back across to me. 

Moki is excelling at his search and rescue training. He starts whining and trembling when we're getting ready to do an exercise. The people that I train with are all impressed with how quickly he's picking it up. 

He also loves to point! The other day he found a fresh antler shed and he held his point for about 30 seconds before finally breaking to go inspect it. 

As I'm typing this, Moki is laying next to me with his head resting in my lap. He'll stay here with me until I get up, and then he'll follow me into the kitchen and curl up on his favorite rug while I fix dinner. I'm so grateful to have ended up with such a great dog, I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for us next!

Shawn,

Ya, you nailed it.  Kota is definitely acting like a teenager now but it is fun.  We have been doing a lot of hunting with Kota.  He has been pheasant and duck hunting in Wyoming, goose hunting in Idaho and pheasant, grouse and chukar hunting in Utah.  He loves it and can’t get enough.  It has been so fun to watch him develop and learn.  We are signed up for the NAVHDA NA in April so that should be fun.  Here are some pics:

Shawn
 
Bella took her first long trip (13 hrs), & did well.  She was a big hit in Calif, & everyone stated how pretty she is.  She now weighs 57 lbs. There is one habit she’s still enjoying.  She dove under the bed, & when Rich tried to get her out, she scooted way back & tucked in her front paws close to her chest & her back legs behind her. She’s figured out Rich gets her out by pulling on her legs & no way, was she exposing them. Rich laughed so hard, his eyes were tearing.  She’s one smart chick.  She has a toy that’s supposed to be a challenge.  You insert an empty water bottle & it makes crinkly noises.  It took less than10 minutes for her to figure out how to take the bottle out.  Looking for a more challenging toy (Help)!!  Training on come, kennel, heel, stay & fetch is going well.  She’s hard-headed and tries to do things in her own time.  But she has improved quite a bit. We finally got her paper work back from both AKC & NAVHDA.  Are you getting any updates from any of the others?  It would be nice to hear how they are getting along.  I’m attaching some pictures for you and Amy’s enjoyment.
 
Rich & Elizabeth

Hey Shawn,

Just wanted to send more pictures, Chief is still excelling with upland game.  He is amazing. He is still doing great and impresses everyone who I hunt with.

Thanks for keeping us connected.  A few pictures attached.

Stella has been doing well and I would definitely echo your good and bad day thought. Generally good, but does like to chew things. She is staying very skinny. We keep feeding her and not concerned as know GSPs always stay skinny. 

We are working on all the basic obedience.  Of course, 'come' has been tough when any other possible distraction.  Retrieve all the way to hand is spotty.  I just introduced the electronic collar and that has helped.  

I don't know if the rest of the litter is similar, but Stella has amazing eyes.  She can see ducks, other birds, etc. from hundreds of yards away. And she reacts to images on the TV; especially dogs.  I don't remember other dogs being able to do that.  

Anyway, things are pretty good and look forward to seeing the others on your blog.

10 month old puppies

If you guys are like me you can't believe that the puppies are nearly 10 months old. Like all youngsters you have your good days and you have your bad days but for me the journey is all worth it.  My hunting season has come to an end and now is the time to get serious about training my puppy.
Oakley has turned into a beautiful young dog.  She has a great coat that suits her well for all the hunting seasons.  Her feet have been tough as nails, she has not had a single issue even while hunting the elusive chukar. For those of you that hunt chukar you know how rugged the terrain is and how some dogs feet just can't take the wear and tear.  Its so nice when you don't have to worry about booting up your dogs feet.
Oakley is a very sweet dog.  She wants to please and and does not have a mean bone in her body.  She takes to the little training that I have done with ease and craves any and all attention she gets.  At this early age in her life I am amazed at how well she has picked up retrieving.  She will do it over and over again and it seems that I tire of it before she does.  She is so good at it that I'm now training her to catch a Frisbee.

We've been hunting quite a few times the past few months but not nearly as much as we would have liked to have gone.  I think my favorite hunt the past two years has been the youth pheasant hunt.  This is a time I get to take out my boys and spend one on one time with them, I don't carry a gun, its all about them and teaching them gun safety and technique, where to stand when the dogs go on point, how to hold the gun, how to be aware of the surroundings whats a safe shot and what is not.  This is one of the best things that the DWR does.  It helps give young hunters success without having to compete with adults.

Brandon carrying out the birds

Parker walking out with his bird

Oakley's first wild chukar, it was an awesome retrieve!