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-   -   Gun Dogs from the Past (https://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=35885)

Alfred Houde 03-15-2022 01:26 PM

Gun Dogs from the Past
 
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This was my Brittany Tess circa 1990. I got her as a pup when we lived in Maine. I had never trained a pointing dog and I made a lot of mistakes with her. She was real birdy and I ended up just letting her flush birds. She was a real enthusiastic retriever too and caused all sorts of mayhem around the house when she was a pup. One was when we were pretty convinced that she was house-broken. We left her out in the house as we took a quick trip to Shaw's as a test. My wife had one of those L.L. Bean goose down vests and it was draped over a chair. When we came home there were feathers all over the living room and Tess was running around with the nylon shell. But at least she held and didn't pee until I took her outside.

She was a great companion to our kids when they were small. I was thinking about her today and really miss her.

Garry L Gordon 03-15-2022 05:03 PM

Great photo, even greater story. First bird dogs are extra-special (okay, all bird dogs are extra-special).

Gary Laudermilch 03-17-2022 10:44 AM

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Alfred, thanks for the story. It got me to reminiscing about some past friends. I thought I would share one.

Trapper was born in January and came home with me in March. We worked hard on training through the summer and he came up lame in August. The vet x-ray did not look good and the vet proclaimed he would never be a field dog. We continued on and by that fall the lameness was gone and we set about our first grouse season together. My diary indicates he had 86 grouse points that first season and many woodcock as well but I did not record them. Somebody forgot to tell the dog he would never be a field dog. He lived to be 15 and hunted 14 of them and was one of the hardest running setters I have ever owned. He has been gone for quite a while now but I still miss him - oh the memories.

Garry L Gordon 03-17-2022 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Laudermilch (Post 358830)
Alfred, thanks for the story. It got me to reminiscing about some past friends. I thought I would share one.

Trapper was born in January and came home with me in March. We worked hard on training through the summer and he came up lame in August. The vet x-ray did not look good and the vet proclaimed he would never be a field dog. We continued on and by that fall the lameness was gone and we set about our first grouse season together. My diary indicates he had 86 grouse points that first season and many woodcock as well but I did not record them. Somebody forgot to tell the dog he would never be a field dog. He lived to be 15 and hunted 14 of them and was one of the hardest running setters I have ever owned. He has been gone for quite a while now but I still miss him - oh the memories.

What a beautiful dog, Gary. I really like a multi-colored head on a finely bred setter. Nice to have those old memories of hunting companions past.

Dean Romig 03-17-2022 12:22 PM

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My first real bird dog was Rusty, an American Brittany that we adopted when he was 2 y/o.
I never had the time nor the wherewithal to properly train him. I know he would have been a very good bird dog but first I would have needed to have him neutered. He was aggressive to other male dogs but as sweet as could be.
This is Rusty with me in late summer of 79 while I was still recuperating from my Feb 6th car crash. He would point woodcock and grouse the previous fall hunting season but would never hold points. My fault I know - wish I could do it over again differently.


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John Dallas 03-17-2022 12:44 PM

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Tartan - "Tar" was a Scottish import whose Grandma was the British National Field Trial Champ in 1994.

Before we lost her, she had over 1200 retrieves (mostly from tower shoots), but more importantly, had over 80 trips to Detroit's Children's Hospital, many in the pediatric oncology ward where my daughter had worked

Garry L Gordon 03-17-2022 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Dallas (Post 358838)
Tartan - "Tar" was a Scottish import whose Grandma was the British National Field Trial Champ in 1994.

Before we lost her, she had over 1200 retrieves (mostly from tower shoots), but more importantly, had over 80 trips to Detroit's Children's Hospital, many in the pediatric oncology ward where my daughter had worked

Now that's a service dog!!

Dave Noreen 03-18-2022 09:08 PM

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I've always thought I should get an Irish or American Water Spaniel, as my parents had them in Minnesota in the 30s --

Attachment 105299

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Dean Romig 03-18-2022 11:21 PM

I grew up with a water spaniel Dave. George was his name and he was a very loving companion for a boy.





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Alfred Houde 03-19-2022 06:42 AM

My wife and I cared for an Irish Water Spaniel pup while the owner recovered from unexpected surgery. Without a doubt he was one of the smartest pups I have ever been around. At 10 weeks I had him doing play retrieves on both land and water. At 12 weeks I had him sitting on the whistle and looking out over the pond. Just play stuff, nothing real formal. He loved it.

It was really hard to return him to his owner when the time came. My wife got real attached to him as well. The owner didn't hunt, but she did turn him into a show and dock diving champion.

They are a great breed with a lot of waterfowling history. The biggest challenge is finding one from real field stock. Even the breeders in the UK import dogs from here periodically.

Mike Koneski 03-20-2022 04:11 PM

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Our first bird dog was Deacon Blue (yes, named after the Steely Dan tune). He taught us about hunting birds. Pheasant, chukar, grouse, mudbat, he would find them all. He never retrieved until we hunted him with Ghillie the first time. First bird went out and a buddy dropped it. Ghillie picked it up and began his retrieve. Deacon took the bird from him and brought it to hand! From that bird on, if he got to the bird first he retrieved it. He didn't take birds from other dog's retrieves either. Got him as an eight or nine week old pup. Ken Alexander picked him him out from one of his Decoverly litters. Ken also did the training sessions with us. Deacon was our longest lived dog making it to 10 1/2 years. I miss him terribly. He'll always be my boy.

Jack Cronkhite 03-20-2022 07:43 PM

https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=13809
TAZ has been gone for about 15 years. 90 pound male GSP. A great hunting partner and home guard dog. Wife insisted we install security system after he departed.

Garry L Gordon 03-21-2022 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Koneski (Post 359057)
Our first bird dog was Deacon Blue (yes, named after the Steely Dan tune). He taught us about hunting birds. Pheasant, chukar, grouse, mudbat, he would find them all. He never retrieved until we hunted him with Ghillie the first time. First bird went out and a buddy dropped it. Ghillie picked it up and began his retrieve. Deacon took the bird from him and brought it to hand! From that bird on, if he got to the bird first he retrieved it. He didn't take birds from other dog's retrieves either. Got him as an eight or nine week old pup. Ken Alexander picked him him out from one of his Decoverly litters. Ken also did the training sessions with us. Deacon was our longest lived dog making it to 10 1/2 years. I miss him terribly. He'll always be my boy.

Gosh what a pretty head...on the dog, not the guy.:rotf:

Mike, you definitely have had a string of beautiful setters.

Ken Hill 03-21-2022 02:21 PM

An interesting thread. This is my first dog. Her name was Brenna and we found her at the pound. I knew nothing about upland hunting at the time. The pound called her a doberman mix, but my wife insisted it was a Gordon Setter. She was probably 4 months old when we got her. We had no training and just hunted together. She was ok as a bird dog, but was great as a family dog. She traveled with us from CO to CA to Ok to VA. She hunted in CO, KS, OK, ND, and PA. This pic is one of our better days in the OK panhandle when birds were easy to find. Hunted Pheasant, Bobs, Blue (scaled), Valley and Mountain quail with her.

https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=13813

Ken

Jack Cronkhite 04-09-2022 05:32 PM

https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=13834
Dug around a bit for some old pics. Here’s TAZ on the hunt. Always fun to watch. Not too many GSPs with tail intact. He was a rescue. Folks who had him could not manage the boundless energy. Took me a while but eventually we were a team.

Another pic foundhttps://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=13833

Garry L Gordon 04-09-2022 07:21 PM

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My first bird dog, Prairie Sage, was a fireball. She was from horseback trial breeding and was a covey dog extraordinaire. She was a willful dog, and would nip me after a retrieve just to say, "I'm doing this on my terms." She hated to back another dog and would hide behind a bush when her bracemate went on point. She could find birds and placed in field trials against white dogs, much to the chagrin of their handlers. She was a great bird dog and found lots of birds in her day, especially quail. I could keep up with her back then. Oh, to be young again.

Dan Steingraber 04-09-2022 09:37 PM

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My first Springer Belle. She was an incredibly classy bitch and a stone cold killer in the field. Our family hunted rabbits with beagles when I was growing because the pheasant population in NW OHIO had largely disappeared by mid 60’s when I started hunting. Belle and I made about 10-12 trips to South Dakota from about 2000 to 2010. She was an amazing pheasant dog and we won many tournament hunting trials over the years. This picture was after a big group had a great day near Plankington, SD. I’ve had great dogs since, and still do but I sure miss that old girl. [/ATTACH]

John Dallas 04-09-2022 09:53 PM

Did you get into AKC Field trials? I gunned a number of trials in Ohio. If so, I may have shot over your dog. Hope I did her proud

Dan Steingraber 04-09-2022 10:15 PM

We never ran any AKC trials. We started by running judged trials called "Hunter Trials" with an organization of clubs predominantly SW of Cleveland then moved on to the larger organizations like the BDC and UFTA. I got my Springers from a fellow named Karlovek near Columbia Station, OH. I think he's still breeding and running dogs in the AKC.

Dan Steingraber 04-09-2022 10:22 PM

Wow, That's a LOT of grouse.

Alfred Houde 04-10-2022 07:17 AM

Since someone brought up AKC trials, I have to tell this story...

Years ago when my American Water Spaniel was a pup I entered him into an AKC Junior Hunter Spaniel Hunt Test. He had already passed I think two NAHRA Started Retriever Hunt Tests. If I remember, the first part of the test required the dog to search a field, find and flush two birds, and retrieve both within "close proximity to the handler."

He passed the first part. Next was the water test, which was a single retrieve of a shot bird. It literally looked like a golf course pond, no cover at all. I thought "this will be an easy ribbon both days." It was early summer, and most if not all of the other entries were Cockers. Mine was the only AWS. I brought him to the line. Bird goes in the water and the Judge gives me the okay to send him. Off he goes. He swam out, grabbed the bird and started in, when he suddenly changed course and headed left towards the gallery off the bank. He exits the pond, starts toward me and then turns straight for the gallery. He decides to parade with the bird, showing all in the gallery "look what I have." He heads back to me, when he turns again towards the gallery and parades some more.

They had one of those blue plastic kiddie pools off to the side behind the gallery where handlers were dunking their Cockers after the tests to cool them down. Drake climbed in the pool still holding the bird, lifted his leg and p***ed in it.

The Judge finally thanked me and told me to leash him. Needless to say, no pass or ribbon that day.

I ended up titling him as a Hunting Retriever in NAHRA and retired him from Hunt Tests. Best duck and pheasant dog I ever owned, but he just didn't fit in with the Hunt Tests.

Sometimes they just do what they want.

Alfred Houde 04-10-2022 10:59 AM

Part of the NAHRA Hunter Test is a trailing test. I was surprised how many dogs fail this part. They drag a dead duck in a varying pattern in cover for a distance. No less than 30 but no more than 50 yards. You bring the dog to the line and he or she is judged on how they follow the trail and must make the recovery/retrieve to hand.

During this particular test day, a number of dogs failed. They would drag a fresh duck on the trail location and then set it on the pile of previous birds that the failed dogs didn't locate.

Up comes my guy (same AWS). He starts to trail and easily locates the pile of birds. He fiddles around and I'm wondering what the heck he is doing. Here he comes with the retrieve and he somehow managed to get three of those ducks in his mouth which he delivered right to me. He even sat perfectly.

Like I said earlier, you never know what the heck they are going to do. I guess that's part of the fun of it all.

Dan Steingraber 04-10-2022 11:09 AM

The hunt test stories are so funny. The more hunt tests you attend the more funny stuff you see. It’s amazing how many times you hear a handler say “he’s (she’s) never done that before.” Funny stuff.

Marty Kohler 04-11-2022 03:36 PM

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Just thought I'd share this pic.
Allie is my current gun dog.

Had many other labs... This one is a thinker.......sometimes a stinker..

Dan Steingraber 04-11-2022 03:40 PM

Handsome pup. Nice "British" head.

allen newell 04-13-2022 10:55 AM

My dad with Skyrocket's Ruff Grouse circa early 1950's
 
http://C:\USERS\Allen Newell\Pictures\DSCN1022.JPG

One of these days I'll figure out how to post pictures on this site

Allen Peterson 04-17-2022 11:11 PM

https://i.postimg.cc/TYbjZbkH/CAVILIER.jpg. https://i.postimg.cc/ZYdJ3Ysh/1973-Al-and-Jocko.jpg. from73 and a couple of years ago. still enjoy them

John Dunkle 05-05-2022 10:01 PM

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I've been watching this thread since it was posted, and, well...

Taken February 21st 2008, the day I rescued her from a kill shelter who diagnosed her condition as "a ditzy and crazy some sort of Spaniel" after she was found on the streets in Bangor Maine. She was twenty-seven pounds of "hot mess and bundled up energy" of rescued full bred French Brittany puppy needing for a foster home....

But instead of passing her on, she stayed with us until her final day, which was February 25, 2020. Jen and I loved her every single day of those 12 wonderful years. She out-hunted many dogs three times her size and 100 times her training - and without a lick of training, retrieved to hand - and had a rock solid point until I flushed the bird.

Dean Romig 05-06-2022 12:00 AM

Very special.





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Garry L Gordon 05-06-2022 08:04 AM

What a beautiful dog, John, and an even more beautiful story.

Alfred Houde 05-06-2022 08:35 AM

Many times they make the best.

Christopher Cefalu 06-21-2022 05:14 PM

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Great stories and photos of our passed best friends.

Gus- I lost this handsome boy too soon at the age of 12.5 (cancer sucks).
Gus never meet a person or dog treat he didn't like. He was the easiest dog to train that I have ever had and he sure did love to hunt. Gus would have been the worlds worst trials dog. Not because he didn't hunt well, he hunted his way. I called it Gus time, he would pick up doubles and triples if the situation was right. But again he didn't his way, he didn't come back each time and re-mark the bird, he went out once and collected them from furthest to shortest stuffing each duck in his mount. He once brought back 3 drake mallards at one time. His nickname was "push harder" he never went around anything always through it even if it was a ball stuck under a sofa (which caused mayhem in the house at times). He loved life and all the adventures that came his way. It is still difficult to write or talk about him, but I'm guessing you all understand that as well.

Garry L Gordon 06-21-2022 05:49 PM

Christopher, Gus sounds like a great dog, and that's a great photo of him. I think a retriever that picks 'em all up and brings them in is just right(!) I'm sure he'll be doing "Gus time" in your memory for years to come.

Jack Cronkhite 07-08-2022 10:24 AM

Ashes to ashes
 
I’m getting on in years. No family within thousands of miles. Gets one to thinking. I cremated my bird dogs over the years and have four small urns that are kept in the gun room. Possibly a kid might want them but then what? Decided to give them a group send off. Years ago I received a couple guns that were packaged in 6” PVC pipe. I kept those pipes and have put them to different uses. I took about three feet from one and glued a cap on the end. Then each urn was placed inside with bubble wrap to protect from breakage. I had Charlie’s leash and collar so placed that on top. Then the other cap was glued on. The pipe is to be buried in pheasant country. Got to thinking their names should be on the pipe so gouged them out with a dremel. Didn’t stand out so I added paint. That worked. Then I got thinking maybe some pictures should be added so went through some old images and got collector card size prints made. A bit of glue and a wrap of Velcro tape held them in place until the glue dried. Added some pheasant pics and an old abandoned house where several roosters were turned into Sunday dinners. Got thinking the pics might come loose between now and burial or even in transport so got a sheet of shrink wrap plastic used for window insulation and covered the whole “coffin”. All set now. Three hunting buddies and I will dig the hole and place the “coffin” on a farm where wild pheasants are plentiful. We’ll share some tall tales and then adjourn to a nearby saloon. At a later date a boulder will be placed on top and a bronze plaque added. A fitting final farewell to four canines who made hunting a pleasure. Cheers Jack
Will try to add pics in a second post

Jack Cronkhite 07-08-2022 10:49 AM

https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14037 https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14041 https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14034 https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14035 https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14040 https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14042 https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14032 https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14030 https://parkerguns.org/forums/pictur...ictureid=14031

Garry L Gordon 07-08-2022 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Cronkhite (Post 367360)
I’m getting on in years. No family within thousands of miles. Gets one to thinking. I cremated my bird dogs over the years and have four small urns that are kept in the gun room. Possibly a kid might want them but then what? Decided to give them a group send off. Years ago I received a couple guns that were packaged in 6” PVC pipe. I kept those pipes and have put them to different uses. I took about three feet from one and glued a cap on the end. Then each urn was placed inside with bubble wrap to protect from breakage. I had Charlie’s leash and collar so placed that on top. Then the other cap was glued on. The pipe is to be buried in pheasant country. Got to thinking their names should be on the pipe so gouged them out with a dremel. Didn’t stand out so I added paint. That worked. Then I got thinking maybe some pictures should be added so went through some old images and got collector card size prints made. A bit of glue and a wrap of Velcro tape held them in place until the glue dried. Added some pheasant pics and an old abandoned house where several roosters were turned into Sunday dinners. Got thinking the pics might come loose between now and burial or even in transport so got a sheet of shrink wrap plastic used for window insulation and covered the whole “coffin”. All set now. Three hunting buddies and I will dig the hole and place the “coffin” on a farm where wild pheasants are plentiful. We’ll share some tall tales and then adjourn to a nearby saloon. At a later date a boulder will be placed on top and a bronze plaque added. A fitting final farewell to four canines who made hunting a pleasure. Cheers Jack
Will try to add pics in a second post

May they all rest in birdy coverts awaiting our arrival.

Garry L Gordon 07-08-2022 09:59 PM

I have eight canisters of ashes in my library. They will go to our farm when the time is right.

Dylan Rhodes 07-09-2022 08:46 PM

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I had this painting commissioned of a picture I took of my first two dogs. The dog on the right - Stryker - is about 3 years old in this picture and just recently passed at 15 years and a month. The dog on the left - Max - was 12 years old and no longer lifted his paw when he pointed.


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