Field Training Day 2010

May 22nd 2010 saw us again join with Tarndair HWV's for a Field Training Day in North Norfolk. Nineteen Wires and twenty eight owners/handlers were blessed with the most glorious weather in which they could have a go at hunting on caged game, retrieving over hurdles, pointing practice with a wing and rod, dummy launching and hunting with shot.

Refreshments and shade were available throughout the day The Group and their dogs

Field Training Day May 2010

The sun had blistered through the May clouds already that morning when we both nervously congregated not knowing how ‘serious’ or ‘formal’ the second Leiborschy/Tarndair field training day would be. We strolled down a lane to David and Jane’s beautiful family home to meet the fellow Wire owners and trainers for a introduction and outline to the day, on which a more fun ‘have a go’ format was offered to us handlers all of varying stages of working our dogs. We placed our already warm picnics in the outside fridge and wandered over to the paddock allowing our HWV’s Margo and Mabel to dunk their heads into a trough of cool water in preparation for the initial training exercises.

We started with a simple (well for some, at least) walking to heal lesson, where we learnt that varying your pace combined with a quick ‘about turn’ was effective in preventing your dog from rushing ahead of you. We were both armed with pockets full of sausage pieces as treats which came in handy when we had to take it in turns to weave in and out of the other 15 handlers without our dogs getting distracted. Our two appeared to go slightly off course in an attempt to avoid the prickly sow-thistle underfoot, almost tip-toeing their way around.

We then split into two groups for some recall and retrieval practise. A suggested change in tone of voice soon rectified any problems with a dog’s willingness to return to their handler’s recall.

Our enthusiastic Wires have opposite retrieval issues; when delivering a dummy Mabel spits it out, sits in eager anticipation of a treat whilst the older of the two, Margo, holds onto her retrieve, not relinquishing it for anything, not even a sausage!

Diane was there to save us from further embarrassment, and told me that to remedy Margo’s problem, I need to get her to take an item on the command of ‘hold’ and then make her drop it by commanding ‘Dead’. If we practiced this every day for 5 minutes and with non-doggy-play items like a bunch of keys she should soon get the message – either that or I won’t be driving my car again!

We were then offered to join in ‘hunting’ practice with David, to partake in Wing and rod instruction with Kev or to practise some longer retrieves and simple memory retrieves with Diane. We didn’t ‘have a go’ at the wing and rod, but watched a quick demo by Pip and Pearl: the wing was attached to the rod and hidden under some grass. The idea behind this exercise is to improve a dog’s steadiness to flush game, gently stroking the dog’s neck and back which helped to intensify the point and to hold it until told to ‘flush’. When I first saw the fishing rods I thought we were in for spot of fishing!

Margo and I went hunting with David who offered some excellent beginners tips. He said that it is important for your dog to know when it is ‘working/training’ and when it is just being ‘exercised’ so training dummies have now been banned from our normal relaxed dog walks.

It wasn’t great scenting conditions, but it was lovely to see Margo’s instinct kick in straight away as David talked me through the importance to the dog of the wind direction and we cast Margo off left as she switched onto the scent of the game. David remarked that she needed the confidence to hunt away from me, but she did hunt the caged game and the dead rabbit.

Meanwhile Howard and little Mabel joined Diane. Mabel enthusiastically delivered several seen and blind retrieves incorporating jumps over straw bales; her confidence about coming back over a jump with an object in her mouth grew. Diane gradually introduced her to fur and feather resulting in Mabel greeting me clutching a Woodcock wing in her mouth!

Mabel had impressed one of the trainers so much we were invited across the road to an arable field to join in with the advanced handlers and their HPR’s. It was a delight to see how the smell of game stimulated them to hunt. After watching Rachel and her dog Maize hunting it was Howard’s turn with Mabel and she actually hunted and half-pointed at the cage of quail, but her inexperience(and Howard’s!) lead her to stay too close to Howard, the idea of course is that you eventually walk in a straight line and let your dog do all the work, but she is still a pup.

We broke for lunch in the shade where we recharged our batteries and chatted to fellow like-minded people only to discover how far some owners had travelled, some from as far as Milton Keynes, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire and just for the day.

Back into the sunshine we had the chance to divide into groups for dummy launching or a shoot over. As neither of our Wires had been introduced to gun shot before and it was such a good opportunity to experience it we were advised to remain in the paddock playing with them while David shot. We didn’t react to the fire, and didn’t make a fuss, neither dog was spooked so we took ourselves off to join the line. Mabel remained on the lead. Every time the gun was fired the aim was that the dogs would ‘sit to shot’ APART from Margo who kept running in to retrieve a dummy.

A break for tea and time to devour some luscious locally made cakes. Dolly was suddenly parked at my feet waiting for crumbs to drop – I think she likes her food as the following day at the beach I witnessed her stealing a pork pie still in its wrapper from someone’s packed lunch!

The day ended with a timed scurry which was a giggle to watch. With the heat still in the high twenties the dogs were dragging their paws and taking their time. I’m sure they did this on purpose just so us owners had to humiliate ourselves by running alongside and jumping over the bales in an attempt to increase their dogs’ speed. A couple of Wires completely went off track and jumped over the fence, some boy dogs ignored the dummy favouring a quick wee on the course instead! Nine month-old Dexter won with an impressive time of 13 seconds, whilst the rest of the participators were nearer the 2 minute mark. His prize was a doggy cook book.

After an enjoyable day we just need to put all that we learnt and the contents of a helpful booklet of Gun Dog training tips into regular practise, in time for the next shooting season.

Jo, Howard, Margo and Mabel