Trixie was so excited to come along for the ride to our weekly field training. Unfortunately, there just hasn't been an available crate for her to join us with all of the visiting dogs. She enjoyed running in the field with her kids and hanging out with me and my friends.
From l-r, Savi, Trixie and Monty, with Jam in the foreground. They just love munching on the sweet grass at the farm.
Goofy posed picture of my girls, Trixie, Jam and Savi...Monty preferred to stay out of this shot. It was another hot and humid day as evidenced by the tongues.
Jam, looking good on an intense point
Jam ran, similar to a hunt test, with a bracemate, our friend Esther's dog, Stevie. They took turns backing each other and both did really well today.
Monty on point! This boy is steady on quail and he had his first back today and was a natural. We are thrilled with his progress as it is not always easy training a dog that doesn't live with you but Monty loves the bird work and is very biddable. He also has a wonderful temperament and just hops in my van ready to go train.
Savi has moved onto the next level and is no longer allowed to catch the birds...hence, the checkcord. We use it for a number of things including teaching her to quarter the field, hunt speak for zigzagging across the field, and gives us control so she cannot catch the bird. We are working on getting her to hold a solid point.
She found the birds easily under difficult scenting conditions but has so much drive and just wants to chase and catch the bird. She's still a baby and it will take time to learn.
Dang it got away! You may have noticed Savi's new accessory, the ecollar. We are incorporating it into our obedience and field training. It seemed literally the day Savi turned six months old, aka the teenage phase, she decided that the recall was an optional command...we seem to differ on that and as a matter of safety and control, we are using a combination of leash and ecollar corrections to reinforce the recall and reward with lots of praise and treats. She's a smart cookie and within days, she's learned that we mean business.
