I'zz got me a dog

[BadCaller]

After spending countless hours on the phone, quick flight out to MN. Mike Lardy pionted me in the right direction. I had to make a choice between a Chris Akin dog or a Candlewood. I just got off the phone a Candlewood Joe Black started dog is mine. I'll fly back out MN in 2 weeks with my friend and we'll drive her home for a week. Then off to the trainer for 4 months.

I'll give it another 9 months and do the same with another pup never again will I be a 1 lab guy. The second one I will train and mirror the finished dog. Not saying I don't miss my Mitzy, but everywhere I go I look for my old girl. I don't even have the balls to take her feed bowl off the floor, put her beds away. Walking my property in the AM is no fun with terriers and 2 coon hounds. But the biggest heart breaker is her not looking over my shoulder in the sneakbox.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/boxbirder/Mitzy/CIMG2278.jpg

[spaightlabs]

Right on Mark - Mary Howley is an icon - glad to see you got back in the game - may the pup be half as good as Mitzy.

Congrats.

[illinoisduckboy15]

cant go wrong with a candlewood....

[Just Hunt]

Glad to see your back in the saddle again....You'll always cherrish her memery...Good Luck

[BadCaller]

Well how does she look.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/boxbirder/Stormy.jpg

[dirtycletus81]

Looks good man. Congrats on the new dog. Glad to see you are doing well.

[Just Hunt]

Well how does she look.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/boxbirder/Stormy.jpgShe looks Verrry FOCUSED!!!

[freefall319]

How old is the pup? I was expecting a young'n.

[hemery13]

Thats a nice dog. Im trying 2 talk my parents into buying me a white lab

[BadCaller]

It's Junior Hunt pass was at 12 months right now she is 14 months. Yep she is a wash but a 52 pound gem. FF319 I know you are working with your dog but just take time and patience.

[illinoisduckboy15]

creepy, she looks just like my 14 month old candlewood.. whats her pedigree

[freefall319]

FF319 I know you are working with your dog but just take time and patience.

For sure. We train every day, most time's twice a day if the heat is'nt too bad. She's done great with simple singles,doubles on land and water, forced fetch and collar conditioning. We just started on 2 legged pattern blinds and she smoked them today at 100 yard legs. The only issue we've run into is her marking ability in cover. All of our water training has been over open water where it is easy to mark. Now that we've been able to add grass due to new area's to train she's having a hard time with it. I've also got a partner now and she's been sucking into the gunner bad too. Hopefully with more exposure to it she will pull through and get it down. Just gotta keep working those mark's in the cover & build her confidence.

[BadCaller]

Is your gunner hidden?

[BadCaller]

She has some Ramblin Man, Handjem...... I secured the dog via a finder. The woman I worked with has a Kennel and is in the in. This is the trainers personal dog that lived in his house. She just isn't going to make it to a national level. I had to go through rings of fire to get this dog. Personal interview, living conditions, sign a legal note that the dog will not live outside, I took videos of my day to day life. For me it was a rare opertunety and it all worked out in the end. There was a day where he was not going to sell her, maybe it was the inground pool that did it, taking the dog to work everyday with me, I don't think I will ever know.

I know this when I walked into the house and she ran over to me I picked her up and then noticed this house was just filled from one end to the other of trophies. She might be the best hunting dog I might ever own, but Mitzy will always be my top girl. I never told them that ;)

[freefall319]

Is your gunner hidden?


No, the gunner is visable. The people I am training with do FT's. So they are in the open with white coats on. Which is distracting the hell out of her. I may try the hidden gunner, gundog style. Have her heel next to me, signal the gunner with a duck call, bumper goes up, I shoot and send the dog. I am more interested in how she does with that than anything else.

[BadCaller]

Then you have to train your dog for your style of hunting. There is a big difference between Field trials and a gundog. I haven't hunted in a white coat unless there is snow. Seeing your in Cali are you in a snow area. If not bag the coat and hide them, have your buddy just throw the bumber say 35 yards out having it land striaght in front of your dog. Then back em up and start your angles. If you hit a problem slow down and go back to where you started and pick it up.

It can be very trying at times and your trianing your first gundog pup not a FT dog. I feel they push there dogs to hard and burn em way more than the average gundog needs to be burned. If she wants that buck then you have 75% of the battle won, all your doing is tuning her up. If you have a farm that you can shoot some barn yard pigeons take her out and just you work her while another person does the shooting. You'll get her marking in short order with a real bird than a bumber.

[freefall319]

I agree. We are going to try some hidden gunner throw's tomarrow and see how that works. The only issue we've run into is her ability to mark in heavy cover at a distance. She get's side tracked and hunts out of the area sometimes. If the bumper falls in an area that she can see it, she will nail it every time out to 200+ yards on land and 75 yards on water. I wont swim her more than that yet, but I know she could go farther. So that is what we are going to work on tomarrow and we'll see how it goes.

[spaightlabs]

Great lookin' gal Mark!

[BadCaller]

Do you have any ducks or pigeons. She might just need a little stink out there.

[freefall319]

Do you have any ducks or pigeons. She might just need a little stink out there.

I do have some frozen ducks. I am thinking about adding them but the Wardens tend to frown on that in our area.