Lets hear your Learned mistakes -- Red Setter Message Board

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: [1] ]

Subject: Lets hear your Learned mistakes

Author:
steven witz

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 21:00:53 01/23/10 Sat
Author Host/IP: 65-103-136-150.spkn.qwest.net/65.103.136.150

While out running my oldest dog today. I started thinking back to when I got him and first started field trials.
He has slowed way down now and doesnt make the same mistakes he use to make out hunting. He is older and wiser and cant run as fast or as far so he cant afford to make mistakes anymore.
Watching him run or plod along at a walking pace (finally) I thought he was suppose to be a walking hunting dog. It only took nine and a half years for that part to come about.
While out watching him hunt I remember my first trial. I remember he found about 3 or 4 birds. One bird that flushed I shot it but didnt kill it and it flew about 200 yards into a stand of timber. The field trial is being held in a wheat stubble field. The trees are out of bounds. Because I did hit the bird I gave the dog a hard FETCH and after it he went. I stood there in my little 3 foot cirlce. You cant move more then that or else the retrive doesnt count. I gave the dog enough time I thought to find the bird. So I whistled to him to come to me. He stepped out of the woods but it was so far away, and I coundnt see just right, so I gave him a hard fetch here. Well he didnt like that at all. I saw him drop something and go off hunting. I had the judge go ride over to that spot and sure enough there lay a bird.
If I had only just called him to come to me instead of giving such a forced command he would have brought that bird to me. I dont think since that day he has ever failed to bring me all the birds right to my hand.
So that was one lesson learned. Know when to give a command that a dog does and does not like to do happily while in a field trial.
Here is a good one I learned the hard way. In a trial in Washington my dog had found and retrived 2 birds. When my dog pointed a third bird I was getting pretty happy. I went in to flush the bird but it only flew 10 feet away and only 5 or 6 feet high. It was so quick I didnt do anthing and neither did the dog. So since no harm or foul I went in to flush the bird again. This time I was thinking as soon as the bird flushes I shooting the gun in the air and sending the dog on a crippled bird retrieve.
Well the bird flushed I shot and I'll be dang if that bird didnt come to life and fly its little heart out and go way deep in the woods out of bounds. I just stood there. Doumbfounded. Well the dog didnt find the bird and that ended that field trial. Another lesson learned.
Lets hear some of yours.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]