May 26, 2010

Well, my little story of Wyeth continues ...

I really had no intentions of hunting.   Really.  Honestly.  Zip.

But, we are.  Here's how it happened:

During my January visit to Wisconsin to bring Wyeth home, Jan casually

asked if she could see if my puppy had any inkling to retrieve.  "Sure," I said

not ever thinking it would really pique my interest.   She knotted a sock. 

Ready with her arsenal, she enthusiastically called my little girl over to her.  Positioned in front of a long, narrow hallway in her home , she knelt down

beside her.   She tossed the sock down the hall. "Fetch it up", she said. 

Without hesitation, Wyeth bounded down the carpeted "path" to retrieve her sock.  With a calm, but firm

"Wyeth, come" she obeyed.   With the sock still in her mouth, Jan - once again, ever so calmly - said "out" & her mouth opened & Jan had the retrieve. 

We praised her galore & heeding one of Jan's firm beliefs (always end on a

good note), she stopped.  

An hour later.    We were sitting in her living room, Wyeth on my lap & just talking about dogs.  Nonchalantly she posed another question:  "Should we

see   if she'll point?"  "Sure," I said.  (My interest was a little piqued now.)

She brought out a bird wing tethered to a little bamboo fishing pole.  A few

flips of rod & wing & Wyeth immediately went on point.  My mouth dropped open in amazement.  Okay, I have to admit that I was a bit in awe.  I was so excited that Wyeth performed so well.    I knew that Jan had never "worked"

with Wyeth before so all this was even more impressive to me.  Jan noticed

my uncurbed enthusiasm & simply said: "I breed hunting dogs, Mandy."  

I was hooked.  As I hugged her good-bye at the Milwaukee airport, little

Wyeth in my shoulder bag, I said:  "See you in April for training."  

Wyeth's and My First 18-Hour Road Trip to Wisconsin (April)

(click on photos to enlarge)

Amazing Jan worked with my little girl, Wyeth, for 6 days.   All this accomplished at the sweet young age of 6 months!  Jan's proven

training method is a "silent" one - no whistles, no whoas ... very gentle!

Bird Introduction                                           Teaching Sight Point

Sight Point Result                                         Water Introduction

Water Introduction - Swimming           Checkcording into Birds

Checkcording into Birds                           Scent Pointing Bird in Launcher

Scent pointing; Jan walks into flush     Scent Pointing; Jan  launches bird

Creating Style                                                 Creating Style

Introduction to Gun                                     On Point ... Ready for the Flush & Shot

... and The Retrieve!

            Click here for video #1

     (Wyeth Locks Up on Point)

          Click here for video #2

            (Shooting over Wyeth)

                                                                                        Click here for video #3

                                                                                    (Jan trains Wyeth in the field)                               

What a busy week I was treated to out there in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

A thrill of a lifetime, for sure.   As I drove home with my little pup next to me,

I felt very content.   I was taking Wyeth back home to Vermont where her vibrant life will even be more fuller with hunting.  One of the many lessons I learned out there in the midwest was that this new sport of ours is really about teamwork, trusting one another.  She hunts & points the bird.  I flush & shoot.  She retrieves.  She's my little buddy that I can't disappoint. 

So I guess it was only fitting that besides returning with a big smile on  my

face & a happy little dog ... I was also bringing home a 20 gauge shotgun. 

Who would've thought?

Our story doesn't stop here ... more to come.

- Mandy

August 7, 2010

Jan will be visiting me soon.

I'm actually flying her to Burlington in mid-September so that I can spend

a week with her training Wyeth on "our turf".   I can't wait.  I've got the birds

all lined up from a nice man down the road.  400 acres of  perfect terrain,

thanks to my friend, Leslie.   Plenty of shotgun shells and all the necessary training paraphernalia .   An encouraging business partner who supports my enthusiasm.  And, most importantly, an 9 month-old pup who is biting at

the bit to get going ...

If all goes well, Jan, Wyeth and I will then drive down to Dover Plains,

New York for our first hunt test.  I've registered Wyeth in two licensed

AKC Junior tests - back to back, Saturday and Sunday.  

But first, as Jan reminds me, I need to get my little girl on birds.  

I think I'll be making a call to that nice man down the road ...

September 2, 2010

"AirWyeth"

I can't recall why I thought Wyeth would enjoy jumping into water,

I just did for some reason ...

I am fortunate to live right on Lake Champlain in Grand Isle, Vermont.

Literally, we look at the broad lake - as it is called by Vermonters - from our front window.    The water beckons us every day.

It was during the period of time between the end of spring and the start of summer's warmth that I began to get itchy about what activity to share with my dog over the next few months to come.   I knew that I could plant birds for her on my friend Leslie's 400 acres but I also knew that Jan was adamant about not "working" in the very hot weather.    Not good for the dog. 

So, I nudged my friends, Dave and Colleen, about their dock.  Were they putting it in the water this year?  "Of course", they assured me.  Come to find out they had sad "yes" not for themselves (as I suspected) but for Wyeth's and my pleasure.    I waited patiently over the next couple of weeks.

I'll never forget the afternoon Wyeth and I drove home to shower and change before dinner service.  There it was - 50 plus feet of aluminum jutting out into the water, shining and sparkling from the sun's rays, waves lapping against it's metal structure.  It was if it was almost human.  Beckoning us to come play with it and share in its own love of the water.  We sat in the truck.  I swear Wyeth was eyeing it, as well ... as if she knew that she had just met a new friend, Mr. Dock.   We were on a tight time schedule but I promised we'd be back in the morning to try him out.

16 hours later.

We walk down to the dock.  I have Wyeth's favorite retrieving aid - her bumper - in hand.  We were both on a mission.  I step onto the dock and proceed down it's narrow path, my little dog following close behind.  We get to the end.   Without hesitation (I didn't want her to think too much), I tossed the bumper out about 10 feet.  With a quick wag of the tail, in she jumped.

And, the rest is history.   My next t-shirt:  "Born to Jump!" 

That's my girl ...

- Mandy

P.S.  I have to give Phoebe credit for helping me with Wyeth's jumping practice.  Phoebe was instrumental in training her to "stay" on the dock while we set up for the all-important throw of the bumper.   Please click here to see Phoebe and Wyeth's video!

Much credit is due to my good friend, Jan, who first suggested that

I check out the Dock Dog competition.  Thank you ever so much!

If you want to see more photos of Wyeth's Dock Dog experience, click here.

Oh, and if you want to know how I'm doing throwing the bumper for her, check out my newest blog:  "Wyeth has Patience".   (My real name, by the way.)

My newest photo of Wyeth taken by photographer Andrew Wellman. 

 Andrew was at The Paddle photographing new food portraits for our

web site;  after the shoot, I asked him if we could pose.  (7/12/10)