Gun Dog Forum

I only road from one side of my K-Mule, but use the front and back, so I can do 6 dogs at a time, but usually just do 4, it seems whichever ends up in the middle of a 3 dog pull is always being squeezzed out.

The key is to never let them get out of condition. It takes 6 to 8 weeks to get one ready to run an hour plus. Start increasing whatever roading you are doing now until you are at an hour and 10 minutes, of varying the speed from very slow to a fast trot to a lope every few minutes, to get a full ra...

Most All-Age pointers are closer to 3 than 5 on the chart, but with more muscle. Go to this Ames site and click on the photos, this is the heaviest the dogs will be, for they need some fat to run three hours in the mud and cold, http://www.amesplantation.org/field-trial/2009%20national/synopsis.asp ...

I quickly went through all your avatars. Nearly every dog I could actually see is over-weight and out of shape. I don't think you guys know what a fit dog should look like. There was one GSP that looked pretty good. A well conditioned dog should have a pronounced waist, even on a long haired dog you...

I agree he is too thin for a Brittany, but most field trial pointer guys would think he is about right on weight, just needs more muscle. I see way more over-weight dogs, dogs being killed by kindness than I do those being starved. Both are abuse, but expecting a fat dog to hunt may be worse, yet fe...

Work on calling her off the chase. Shoot some training birds for her. Let some fly. Show her there is a difference. Ones you shoot she gets, the rest fly away. I would add that you need to be disciplined during hunting season. If she handles the wild birds exactly right...shoot them for her. If she...

It was not my intention to offend, and I am sorry I did so. I am admitting it is me, my age, and my fault. But I did not have a clue what you were asking beyond you might want a French Brittany. I just could not understand the question well enough to give an opinion. The fact that others answered pr...

I want them to self-relocate, it is the creeping that I find hard to keep out of them. They must learn when they do not have or lose contact with the bird to go to it fast and hard. That will more likely freeze the bird. In a trial, if they road a bird and are unlucky enough for the bird to pop whil...

Off topic, and I wish the soon to be minted vet good fortune. Am I the only one that finds the lack of capitalization and the new short hand off putting? You know he is smart, articulate, well educated and can type, yet he writes like a 10 year old. I blame texting. "u" is a letter, "you" is the pro...

I spend two weeks on the South Dakota prairies after Huns, sharptail, and phesant every year with two types of dogs: Group 1 are big going, hard charging, field trial pointing dogs, that range far and wide, hit the birds hard well in front of the hunters, and most often pin them, if not, they self-r...

The voting has completed for the Hall of Fame and the Top Ten have been sent to the Election Committee:

http://www.americanfield.com/Pages/FTHOF.pdf

I have been told that you can use an O-ring as a collar follower/tab to prevent fraying of the end on the Garmin DC 30 collar.

Some are doubling the end back over the buckle and tucking it in, others are using a larger O-ring over the transmitter. Either should help.

Neil

$420.00 is below the wholesale price, I would be careful. Some are selling the old DC 20 as DC 30's.

Neil

As Craig identified in the most recent issue of "Field Trial Magazine" some people are having problems with the collar strap for the Garmin DC 30 fraying after just a few weeks. The replacement collar strap is $60.00, I think because the GPS receiver (the little black box on the top) is included. If...

Folks,

I know Bernie Mathys well, he is an honorable person. I believe he would have done everything within his power before he would have pulled the Championship status.

I don't know and don't care about the other players in the mess,

Neil

Jeff, You are asking for several books full of information. First subscribe to American Field and Field Trial Magazine, then buy some of the books advertised there. But more importantly than getting your information from the net or books, attend as many trials as you can, watch and learn, I know of ...

Mr. Heaton's comments in the "Sumer Camp" thread got me to thinking. Years ago, HoF member Doc Nitchman told me after a training run in which my dog had covered more ground and pointed more birds, "Son, training ain't a field trial. Train them as practice to win". It wiped the smug look off my face....

They sure can't win if they spend much time that far out. And you will let things slide with the Garmin. I was running a dog on some ground familiar to us both, riding along singing to him when I realized I had not seen him in over 30 minutes, he knew where I was (and where I was going), I had the G...

Larue,

You need to look into to a long range antenna, TBI has both.

Not many dogs ever exceed a mile and still handle,

Neil

I will let John answer, but I read it to mean that there was not much free running until the spear grass headed and fell off.
And I wouldn't know fox tail from spear grass from hemp, but I do know enough to stay out of the fields that have grass with heads/awns.

Spear grass is one form of a grass awn that can be inhaled or impaled into the dog that is prone to infection. Nacarida is an infection of the lungs that is often fatal. Grass awns are bad stuff, and are around in most states, we are just not out when it heads. They are the little seed looking tops ...

OK

But it kinda hard to talk about off-aged pups and not get into ethics when 80+% of the field trial pointers are whelped in Jan on paper.

I was commending you on your honesty, it a sport where it is sadly rare.

Neil

Chris, You are not talking to the right "real trialers". A Derby Championship is worth $10,000+ in the price of a dog when Lester and Joe Don sell them. They brag a lot about Derby wins. And lying, even one day on the whelping date (changing Dec 31 to Jan 1) is still lying and cheating. A crook is a...

No.

Better to skip this heat cycle and hope she comes in again in 7 months.

You are to commended for your honesty, most would have the litter and wait until next year to sell them, at the least.

Neil

Kevin, I had no idea it would cost so much. I try not to look too closely at what it costs me to haul and feed horses to attend the NC, but I sure don't think it is $2K. I agree about having better places to spend the money, plus I should not try to tell you your business. Most be the temps, but in ...

Kevin, You need to reconsider, not many goldens make the Master National. Don't misunderstand, hunting is important, I have missed the Brittany GD NC since they moved it to the fall because I won't give up my hunting trip to SD, but I not sure it is the right thing to do. And sometimes I regret not ...