Pheasants, Parkers and Poodles

[10ga Hammer]

A Parker PH, two Poodles and an old fart hit the Pheasant fields Friday afternoon.
This was six month old Desmonds first real hunt. Considering he is at the bottom of the learning curve I was well pleased with his effort.
In all fairness he did need an assist from 14 year old Riley in finding this first bird of the day after it hid in the straw before it died.
Looking forward to many more seasons afield with him.

[Kevin McCormack]

Its great to actually see some in the field - they are tough dogs when properly fed, conditioned, and clipped appropriately (hair left on for warmth and protection vs. the normally seen "boutique" clip). They are also great water dogs - I have never seen one duck hunting but have seen several at working field trials over the years. Very cool to watch them work a blind retrieve.

[10ga Hammer]

Thanks Kevin.
We never hunted waterfowl with Riley or Remy, But we have already inquired about water retrieval training for Desmond in June at a local game preserve.
At six months old Des is up to 42 lbs. We expect close to 60 lbs. when full grown. He should be able to handle ducks and geese.
It's been sad losing an older dog, but the future looks promising to mold a young dog into a well rounded hunter.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Well done Robert!! Isn't it fun seeing the switch turn on in a young bird dog?

[10ga Hammer]

Sure is Mike!
Made all the preseason yard work pay off.

[birddogdoc]

I have a few clients with really nice hunting poodles. Great retrievers for sure