Sad

[marjolein]

I am sad to see there are no updates in this section. I am really started to get worried about the breed. I keep seeing show results (which is fantastic guys, honestly), but where are the hunting test results??

I think a lot of people forget the fact that we have a dog that hunts, points and retrieves. And a dog can only be a champion when he can both compete in the showring as well as on the hunting grounds.

I see this breed changing into something it shouldn't be and I really feel very sad about it

[tasha]

I can give you a little update on what we have been doing although its not competition driven only work orientated if you like.

Our shooting season has started and we've had the first duck day, we don't usually do a duck day in its own normally its part of a driven day and a treat for the guns after lunch or at the end of the day.

Most of the ducks this year are bred but we have had a really good group of wild ducks and geese this year, all nice sizes so have obviously fed well which is nice to see. The first drive was on a small group of ponds so bonnie and I spent most of our time in the woods crawling around in the bushes so that they are not frightened but gently flown when everyone is in place. These particular birds are pushed up and then have a choice of several other ponds, river and the lake that they can fly to all covering a 5 - 10 mile distance. Bonnie did well in the water although because of our training of late has become fixated on one specific duck rather than pushing all of them forward as we would normally do in the larger lakes.

Had a great point on a pheasant that shouldn't have been there too which was nice. Only negative about the drive was that two hikers trapsed through the middle of it sending the ducks away from the guns and our guns are out of practise and didn't really shoot much (7 guns shot 3 birds we are a good preservation society).

The lake is something else on either side of it there is a good river which at the moment is pretty deep and fast flowing on the opposite side we have ground which the birds use for breeding no foxes or predators besides the odd mink so we got a chance to do a nice retrieve across the river to the other side of the bank - I do have to practise more with directions with bonnie as she sometimes gets too excited and will hunt rather than take direction which would be faster and more beneficial for the days work.

End of the day we had a pretty good bag and the opportunity to shoot goose but I declined mainly because it had been a long day. Funniest thing that she did was point a dead duck that had been left for the fox, Russell chucked it in the hedge and bonnie then went over and pointed it looking back at us as if to say 'theres one here'... guns thought it was funny but it did take me a bit of persuading to get her to leave it where it was ;D ;D

This weekend I am off to the isle of wight for a clay shoot and to have a couple of days rough shooting on some new grounds that we've just aquired, has got some good snipe beds and all the game there is wild (Pheasant English Partridge and wildfowl) so bonnie will get a chance to do soem proper hunting and I will get a chance to see where we need to do some improving. Also gives me a chance to get her out with a walking gun, at the moment she concentrates too much on the person with the gun rather than hunting so I'm hoping that a bit of walked up rough shooting will improve the situation and get her over her excitement

[Jurate]

Great story Tasha, it is good You have such a possibilities to hunt, we were in duck hunt two weeks ago, but haven't found any duck and walked many miles around a watercourse and some lakelets seen only some cranes, one fox and a about three years old deer...

It is such a poor situation here with FT, we are having our first normal CACIT this month, and only experienced dogs are allowed to enter (so would represent Lithuanian name well) it was something like that last year, but it was done so very quietly only real hunters were allowed to enter their working dogs...

And here we do not have anyone that could help to work dog for FT and would teach me how to train my self, I have only one possibility to give her to some people abroad for a few months, that I do not like at all, I can not prepare her myself, as I have no experience, and just afraid to do everything wrong, as what we were doing we were bloodtracking and she was really good at it, also by our selves, got only one short lesson from one hunter, and what I have now is my dog running in the fields with the nose down... And start tracking before field work was also our hunters advise...
So what we have here is a very deplorable situation...
And I am doing what it is possible for us, have started bikejoring (will do skyjoring in winter), will go to Obedience class and will do some other jobs to fill my dogs body and mind...
It is really sad...

[greyflyte]

Here is a tit bit from an email I had from one of my puppy owners, he bought a Rookie/Kimba daughter and is trying everything. This weekend gone he won BOB twice over a good entry and the girl hasnt been shown since last year.
I didnt see her but he describes her movement as effortless which is just great.

Also finally got out hunting at end of season -- shot a quail which landed in thick Pampas & rubbish undergrowth about 5 metres down a steep bank -- sent Leah down & she scented it found & recovered it & brought it up to me unmarked -- a lovely soft mouth -- not bad as she had never been close to a quail before let alone retrieve it!!

Im hoping for some pics eventually.
Cyd

[Jurate]

This is great Cyd!
We had similar story too, bought some pheasants for training (group of silly girls that didn't know what to do next ;D)
So let Uoga to search a field, she searched with passion and speed but, not in correct way, few times she run over my back and so on, and she found a bird, pointed for a few seconds (she have never seen a pheasant before, and it was my mistake, as also our hunters advised not to let point city birds as crows and doves so I didn't, and then she decided to point all fur animals and to do not pay too many attention to birds ) so, she found it and then bird flew a few meters, she run to it took in mouth very softly and aported it to my feet, she also hadn't been teached to aport yet...
It looked beautifully, but I know it is not aport we should start from...

[marjolein]

Great stories!!!!! Please keep them coming!

[greyflyte]

They are just so natural arnt they.
My 2 girls are really enjoying our new 2 acre property, they examine carefully all the wind break hedges and point strongly at any birds they find.

[Cheryl]

Hi Mar:)

I almost took Boris for geese (Canadian) Sunday but decided we'd better not go too large, too fast. We've been practicing w/the 4 frozen ptarmigan from last year and its now time for hunting. He does so very well, so eager, (has gotten "fast" like Dolf wanted him to, on his own as he matures, from his good breeding).

We had been out for an hour last night in the wind and rain (nothing the weather does stops him). We were soaking wet and my daughter wanted something from the store and I forgot the strawberries at work for the cranberry jam so headed to the store.

There was a white truck w/two new people and a dog head/profile in sight. I had to see if it was a weim or what? It was a year old male German shorthair pointer. He's from Sterling, Alaska up here with his humans for hunting practice for a week ;D

He comes from this kennel: www.chippewa-gsp.com/
and he's the one called Bosch:) Their camping gear didn't arrive w/them so they were trying to get the extra large crate into the truck cab, something I'd already discovered doesn't fit so I walked over and gave them a jacket for their boy, and a smaller crate to fit inside so he'd be spending a good night's sleep for his busy days;)

He jumped into (I know, I know, why is it not Boris...instead of this dog???) the back of the truck and picked up his ptarmigan, they'd got off the plane yesterday morning and he'd got his first two in very windy and wet weather so no pictures! YEs, they are ahead of Bori and I now, not only in age but his first two ptarmigan but my son and I are taking Boris out now and we are all on a mission! We will have pictures soon to show you;) This weekend we were putting up moose and muskoxen meat with bones so they will be ready for the butcher to grind on Wednesday (tomorrow) so his bird hunting is now beginning! (He is not scared of moose or muskox but walks the permitted length and comes immediately to me when I command to leave it. And, he loves the raw meat/bones, fat of both, too. Here is a pic of what we had to do during lunch today, still not done w/the meat and bones!
groups.msn.com/Weimaraners/mistyrosedexterampslade.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=5777

BTW I told my youngest son that since all my kids are leaving home soon, I'm fixing up the cabin and his house to have all my/our (Boris & I) friends bring their hunting dogs up here to stay with us and I'll be making sourdough pancakes for breakfast, carrot cake for snacks, lots of hot coffee and tea, and we'll all go hunting and come home at night to cook it up! Won't we have FUN?!?

[jai]

Hiya Ladies,
I agree Mar, it is sad about the hunting. I too have not been out doing a lot. Wolfgang has been so busy this past few weeks, that Falko and I have been going out alone and doing little things to keep his mind and body at work. I am looking forward to October, then we start rabbit season and Falko should do a good job at that. he has a lot of practice here at home with them, mostly chasing and pointing a bit. Nice stories Tasha and Cheryl, Alaska does look beautiful. Where do you live and how close are you to a main city like fairbanks. Sory that is the only one I have heard of.. and how bad does your weather get? The girls are after me to take some kind of whale watching expedition in Alaska one summer.. not sure which, but I know it is expensive to fly from here to there.
Thanks for the pics and the notes!
chat soon,
jai and falko

[tasha]

well we solved our problem of not having enough game to shoot by having bred birds but I know that is not possible for everyone. I do think though that sometimes mother nature needs a helping hand. we had such bad wet weather this year that i think alot of the birds here benefitted. Wildfowling on the coast is such a premium here so i'm lucky with the shoot on the isle of wight because its a small island with excellent bird populations.

if you only want a few birds for training I wonder if it would be possible to breed some?? You can actually use free range duck eggs and hatch them the same as you can chickens eggs. Obviously success rate is not brilliant but thats what we did for one of our projects. hatching is pretty easy especially if you can get an automatic machine that turns them for you then all you have to do is keep an eye on the temperature (use a proper thermometre rather than believe whats on the machine though) and humidity levels. We use a brinsea incubator ( www.brinsea.co.uk/ ) they are a pretty good investment but there are lots of others around. There are also some good books on the whole process from procuring the eggs to the washing process, incubation, hatching and finally to the rearing and release stage.

[anne]

Wish I could share some stories but the weather here is atrocious, summer is time to condition dogs and get them ready for hunting season. Also we're gearing up for field trials starting in October, I am secretarying 2 Weim trials as usual this fall.

I guess I'll share a small brag... Indy was awarded the Top Amateur Handled Field Dog for the Southland Weim Club for 2006 at the club's award banquet in June.

[weimaranermama]

I am so sorry, I can't tell huntingstories at the moment. Foster and Cassey are still hunting for the ducks in reedy water, but I am not hunting myself anymore.
But I like to read your stories.

Gr. Ina

[Cheryl]

Way to go Anne and Indy:) Such strong girls, who do so well after puppies! (Referring to Indy and Esra.)

Here's a story:

When we went to The Netherlands to pick up Boris, we took to the fields off and on for practice to see how Boris's dam and her daughter Amy from the first litter worked. This was during the day and since I was missing my own dogs, I almost cried while watching them. Joup said; Don't you dare! Amy is not performing well. It turns out Amy was in season and I told Dolf and Joup, wait a bit, when a "woman" of any breed, human or k9 is in her condition, she needs to warm up, we feel bloated and sluggish. She'll do better in a bit, just keep encouraging her and in a bit that day, she did warm up as I expected.

It took a few tries as we or at least I had a bit of jet lag to get up in time to go hunting after the practices. The first few mornings Dolf and Esra were up early but Boris and I weren't. We'd been up to potty train in the middle of the night while everyone slept. They worried Brita (draathar -sp?) would not allow us past her night post so warned us not to go outside but I insisted Boris insisted and Brita accepted us (especially once she got into the house and siffed through my bags to find what she was interested in; my "ruff" of animal fur that surrounds our face on the hoods of our jackets-which protects us from our weather). She was quick and quiet about it, nothing was amiss, just the ruff laying in the middle of the floor when we came back inside when Boris was done. LOL, At that point, I could pet her, and I wanted to kiss her fuzzy face but was warned not to, she wouldn't like it so I refrained.

Finally, the 3rd try, I got up and Boris and I were ready. Dolf must have given up on me or the strain of remaining quiet about me not being ready two days in a row wore him out and he was late to get up but Boris and I had fun w/Brita and Esra, as quiet as we could while others slept.
(Maybe it took more than 3 tries, I was losing track of time as their night was our day time.)

We got going, Boris stayed home, too young. It was dark, and Esra's first time out to hunt since her second litter. We walked thru the field to a ditch of water or possibly called a canal? I had eaten a lot of ice cream last winter, so by March, I was still overweight- like the moose do here, we gain for winter and shed it by spring and summer then begin all over again.

He offered to pack me across the water, we had on full gear and I refused;) Too heavy! I'm going across myself! We got to the bank and the blind, waited in the dark, the sunrise was beautiful:) Esra was very well behaved. Then the geese came, honking to land in the field.

Dolf shot once, and the goose was an arm length from landing in my lap:) Really! The second goose was a bit farther and not as sure a shot, it took off in the water and Esra was off to swim and brought it back very quickly and no nonsense, either.

It wasn't until we got back to the car and going back to the house that Dolf told me the story of how they put up the blind. He and Ada had taken turns keeping my daughter and I busy, Dolf and I training and practicing w/Boris and Ada doing things with Dana. It seems Dolf asked Dana while I was training Boris myself, to go and help put up the blind. She'd bought a pair of heeled slip on shoes from New York at Macy's she was quite proud of. She didn't dress appropriately to go, but wouldn't take off her shoes. She tiptoed thru the mud and they laughed about it, but she told me later, she didn't know if he was being like most boys or men, they put the women thru fun men things like mud and water and most women get mad and never go again or they dress correctly or just enjoy the moment;) She had decided as I taught her to enjoy the moment and they had a good laugh and it all came out in the wash!

I didn't say enough at the time, in praise for his expert shot in nearly landing the goose in my arms as I was watching and waiting on Esra and her goose but did say "Sure Shot!" And he is:) And Esra was very quiet and obedient, willing and becoming herself again, after her puppies. I really liked her and am pleased Boris is much like her.

[efica]

Great stories everyone!

Today it was Kika's first real pointing!!! My instructor brought a partridge in a little cage. Then my father carried it on the end of the meadow and hide it in the bushes and tall grass. Then we waited for 15 minutes.
I was a bit nervous and also excited, cause I didn't know how will Kika do and how "talented" she is for pointing. Kika was on a 10meters long leash and then we went near the spot where the partridge was...Kika soon found the bird...then she stood still and raised her paw. The instructor then pated her gently. It was a very special moment for me The instructor said she did well. Then we've put the bird out of the bushes and Kika was watching the partridge with great interest and was a bit scared - she was shaking a bit

This was our first little hunting experience ;D

Eva

[tasha]

brilliant well done

[Cheryl]

Eva, I think you mistake Kika's shivering from fear. I think you will find she is shivering from excitement to be doing what she is bred to do. Her heart is pounding, she is freezing in the point by instinct and it is LOVE;) if she is not trying to get away, that is...

[efica]

She was not trying to get away. Cheryl, thanks for correcting me

[tasha]

Bonnie does that she tastes the air as well which is nice to see We've got a good day tomorrow a new piece of ground to wonder around where they have partridge on the grounds its not been used in years so I am very hopeful that there will be some nice birds here. Far too many foxes though which is a pity

[sian]

Mar, it's not always that easy to start...

I've finally found somewhere where we can learn some fieldwork, but have found out that we have to have passed Obedience level B first. So I spent 45 mins on Tuesday night doing heelwork (walking up and down a straight line, back and forth, with sometimes the odd "sit") Izzy was so bored, bless her, as the instructor was showing the other "newbie" how to hold his lead, get the dog to his side, get her to sit.... (talk about back to basics!), that she was either playing up a bit, or lying down, looking bored - until she air-scented a rabbit across the field. The instructor noticed her tense, and asked why - he was quite impressed when I told him!

Still, we've found somewhere, and we'll go for it. Can't even start fieldwork for 2 months - have to pass obedience A, then wait a month before Obedience B (Sorry - not being arogant, but we're just about to start the top obedience class in our local club - the only thing that will let Izzy down is my lack of Dutch!). But we've found it, and will do the hour round-trip each week, to get where we want to be - in the fieldwork class!!

[marjolein]

I know fieldwork is a discipline which is not accessable to a lot of people. But there are other things you can do with the natural ability of your dog as well.
I'm thinking about bloodtracking but also retrieving tests.
The least I'd like a dog to have before breeding is a natural ability test fieldwork (tan in belgium). That should be possible for everyone.