This thread is about dog's

[Jack Johnson]

Being an avid dog person I always enjoy the posts that include the posters hunting partner in the story. I read with interest and loved the pics in the previous thread of the new puppies. I like seeing the varied bird dogs which this forum tends to lean toward. I have seen Setters, Spaniels , Boykins , Short Haired pointers, etc. I am a Lab person and have hunted upland birds in Sd , Neb and Kansas . I have waterfowled with my dogs from Reel foot to Stuttgart . If you interested show some pics of your hunting partners . Here are a few of mine.

[Bruce Day]

Jack, good pictures. I used a Lab and pointer together until my Lab died a couple years back. The Lab was good at hunting dead and trailing and would wait until she saw that the pointer had birds.

I have a CHE 16ga from 1904 that was originally damascus and was also sent back in the late 1930's to Remington for fluid steel barrels. Of course I wish I had the original damascus barrels but there are stories of Remington destroying lots of damascus barrels. Sounds to be the same situation with your Parker.

I see you are in Fayetteville. My uncle retired from the chemistry dept at the U. of Arkansas. He lived in a Fay Jones designed house on a hilltop just outside Fayetteville for many years until moving in a nursing home.

[John D.]

Awesome thread, Jack! Thanks for posting it up! As well - great puppies and terrific pictures....! Ok to introduce another breed - the first set is a French Brittany. It's an interesting story behind her. I'm part of the National Brittany Rescue (NBRAN) and help out with fostering, home visits, transports, etc. Last winter I got a call that a "Springer Spaniel" in a kill shelter was going to be put down after being brought in by a good Samaritan who fed the dog as she was loose in their neighborhood in sub-freezing weather for they guessed "about a week or two" ... As well - they sent a picture...

Well - obviously - she is a French Brit - high on energy and was evaluated by the shelter as "ditzy", aggressive, and untrained. So - I figured I'd take her in to evaluate her and see if she could be brought around - and then find her a good home... Hmmm - and they were right about one thing - she was totally untrained at what we guess was about 8-9 months of age - and was wildly underweight - as she was then about 18 pounds (and today, she is 29 pounds).

So - after about 4 months of "fostering" and training 3 times a day 7 days a week on the "basics" - on a "hunch" -tried to begin field training on birds....

Well - I found her a permanent home.. With Jen, myself, my American Brit, one cat and three Conures. I named her Briahna when I picked her up - and after the past many months of field training - is on birds like "stink in a cow barn in mid-summer"..

First two are on-point (tall grass and the 2nd is pointing a quail under the pine she is in front of.)...

[Dave Miles]

I'll post a couple.

[Bruce Day]

John, several years ago out in central Kansas I ran into a fellow from Indiana who was a big French Brittany breeder. He had five of them with him and hunted all at once. It was something to see with all those high energy dogs bouncing up and down to see over the tall grass. They were small and you could not see them in the grass until they jumped up to see where they were. So you would see nothing except heads bouncing up and down all around in front of him.

[Rod N. Gunn]

Here's the look I get if I miss...

[John D.]

Originally Posted by Dave Fuller

Here's the look I get if I miss...

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Outstanding!!

As well, Bruce - it's funny you say that.. I had someone from NH ask if I could help field train their Brittany - and asked for a short video of what it's like. Since they aren't hunters - I sent them a 30 second clip from my iPhone of Briahna working in tall grass... Of course - all they saw was her head bob-up once above the grass... So - she called me to thank me for my video but asked - "why does your dog only lie in the field - and she only got up once"?? I had to explain it - after a few chuckles

And here is my other Brit. Had him since 8 weeks and he's wonderful in the field as well. But - he's a traitor - I think he likes Jen more nowadays...

[Jack Johnson]

Bruce's story of the " Bouncing French Brittney's" reminded me of a story . I am involved in HRC and AKC retriever hunt tests and compete as well as judge. Not too long ago a handler brought a Boykin to the line at a test I was judging. Now to paint a picture of a hunt test there are common tasks in the three levels , started , seasoned and finished . That commonality is retrieving a sighted mark on land and water. Well the distance from the line to were the bird was thrown was about 60 yards in knee high cover. This would not be any problem for a Lab or a Chessie , but for a 25 to 30 lb Boykin. Well let me tell you , these little brown firecrackers may be small in stature but don't tell them. That little Boykin would run about ten steps bounce in the air to get her bearing and run some more until it got to where the bird was . She then established a hunt by smell and retrieved the bird . As I said I am a Lab guy but after that day I have a soft spot for Boykins .

[Rod N. Gunn]

Spaniels are great duck dogs if its not too cold. My 35 pound springer will water retrieve all day long.

[Dave Miles]

John,
You need to bring those Fancy French Brittany dogs to Michigan, and try them out on the elusive Grouse. :-)