First OGR NAVHDA Training meet

[zoli 16ga.]

Went to my first navhda/pointer training session. Well, well, well.....did learn a lot!!!!!!

Firstly, just because my mutt performed well in person WITH his trainer, meant nothing 4000 kms away with an utter novice (and I say that to be kind to myself) like me at the helm.

Secondly, I need to go to as many of these as I can!!

Luckily there were a few senior members there, and particularly one, who was quite out spoken....for which I am most grateful for!

Apparently I did a whack of rookie mistakes that did nothing but confuse my little guy, and I later apologized to Chase for that.

I was definitely expecting too much out of Chase, and should let him be puppy, and have fun running around and looking for birds. Geese, that's what he's bred to do!

First I watched a bunch of the more experienced guys and their dogs, and asked a hole lot of questions. I was surprised how hands off they were. Then came the youngsters. There were four of us ranging from a guy without a pup yet, a guy with a young pup, a lady with a young pup, and me....with my seemingly all star. They all did better then me....even the guy without a pup!!! A bit funny now, but very humbling at the time.

It was amazing to see a new handler, that did not even want to take their dog off the lead, have the senior guy take the dog off the lead, let the pup run around call him over close to the birds and watch the little guy point/play with the bird.

It is quite nerve racking to see your pup run off 80 or so yards.....hoping he'll turn around and come back! Reminds me of the dog on the movie Funny Farm....where the dog runs of into the distance....and just keeps going!

We were all like new parents letting their toddlers run around.

Got to take the pup out....be back with some tales!

D.

[welsh]

Awesome! Nothing beats training with a group.

[B525]

Seems like sometimes the handlers need more training than the dogs! (lol) B525

[Sharon]

That is a great post Zoli.

[terrym]

You have a well bred dog and now you have the support and expertise of a well organized group. Relax, it will fall into place your dog is young and has the "bones" to learn. It takes more than one dog trained to gain experience and expertise.

[zoli 16ga.]

'We were all like new parents letting their toddlers run around.' .....So it is tough, for me anyway, to just let your pup take off into an empty field and hope he comes back. I was reassured that him taking off and searching 80 yards away was a good thing, and showed his confidence as a pup. They explained how tough it is to get a pup to 'roam out', and that getting them in close is way easier.

On another note, when I picked him up from Boise he was hesitant to self enter the water, although he did when coaxed with a pigeon or feathered dummy. Luckily someone was throwing dummies (not me) into the pond for an older dog, and eventually Chase went in with him to get the dummy (even took it away from him once I think) after that, Chase would eagerly retrieve any dummy I threw into the pond. So a huge bonus there. He loves to retrieve.

I was also offered to join a senior member in his private training sessions, so I'm definitely going to jump all over that, and the other OGR training sessions before bird season.

When we got home, the wife and I were in the back yard with Chase, and I was explaining to her what a dummy I was that day. A robin flew into the grass about 30ft. away from Chase. He went into a beautiful point. I told the wife that if this was yesterday I would be walking over to him saying the whoa, stroking him etc, probably scare the robin off.....but I just let him be. He held a steady point for as long as it took me to take a photo, video, another couple photos. Seemed like a minute or two, until the robin took a few steps and flew off, at which time Chase....took chase, doing what he was born to do.

He is WAY better at this game me!

Don.