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  1. #1
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    The Dark Side - Part II

    Aye Mates,
    So we ran TRAD'S first go toward and AKC Master Hunter Title today and it grieves me to tell ye that TEAM TRAD was disqualified in the land series o' the test. T'was 08:OO Hours whence we ran the test dog and the judges had the customary meeting with the handlers and I could feel the heat and humidity indexes climbing by the minute. All that aside, the test was a triple mark with a "walk up" and a "live flyer" in the center o' two marks thrown from wingers. So Team TRAD gets called into action and we are doing the "walk up" - all is fine with the first mark launched and TRAD was rock steady by me side and is steady to wing, shot, and fall of the first mark. Next the "live flyer" is launched and shot but just "winged" and manages to containue it's flight landing all of twenty yards or less away from TRAD as he sits by me side and is nearly shaking out of his skin with desire to take care o' business with the cripple bird as it is running about and flapping as if to tease the poor lad along. The judges declared a "NO BIRD" and asked me to take TRAD off of the field an to re-run him again three birds back from our already lengthy wait as we were # 25 in the running order. Both TRAD and meself took all in stride in the name o' good sportsmanship and Murphy's Law.

    So, we finally make it back and called to the line and start the process all o'er again and we did quite well with the "walk up", the right and left marks. Curse the live flyer which this time made it way out o' the area o' fall where t'was designed to fall, meself mis-marking visually where it had landed and that required that I handle the lad to where I thought the bird may have landed. We did recover all three marks but TRAD did make the error o' ignoring two o' me whistle stops and being in full agreement o' the judges, t'was clear he should not have been called back for the water series and in fact was not. The judges said "ye have a really nice dog, ye just had a bad set of circumstances befall ye run, we are very sorry". Ah, the luck o' the Irish. I thanked them respectfully for their work and what I considered a really nice and well designed test, told them this was TRAD'S first run in the Master Stakes, and that we would keep at it.

    I think a number o' the other handlers may have been a wee bit surprised at how calmly I handled the DQ. I just chalked it up to an expensive day o' training and a reason to work with me retriever. TRAD on the other hand slipped into a we bit o' despair and decided to drown his sorrows in "THE DARKER SIDE".

    "TRAD, TRAD, TRAD, get a grip o' yeself Mate, t'was just a bloody hunt test". There will be other days lad. We'll give it another go.

    TEAM TRAD would like to thank ye all collectively that sent well wishes for our success as that certainly is appreciated. No worries, we'll plod onward and get there whilst having good fun along the journey.

    Slainte' to ye all,
    Mikey and TRAD
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails -p1030805resized-jpg  
    Last edited by IRISHWISTLER; 05-19-2017 at 11:16 PM.
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  3. #2
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    Something tells me this was a great learning experience for all concerned and was just a bump in the road. Quite frankly, if it was as hot here as it was here today, I give you both credit for what you accomplished.

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  5. #3
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    No way you team TRAD lost. You both proved what true sportsman and sports dog you are. Plus you two had one-on-one time together and new experiences. I congratulate you!
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  7. #4
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    Boy, that Mr. Murphy can be a real b@stard, I tell ya.

    Good boy, TRAD. He knew what you wanted and would normally tell him to do with that cripple, but he was going to wait until sent. That is not trivial and you have reason to be proud. I have found (sadly), if you can't have control on the line... the best marking handling dog in the world is little use.

    Apart from the lack of a bit of orange ribbon, I'd say you had some significant success.

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  9. #5
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TuMicks View Post
    Boy, that Mr. Murphy can be a real b@stard, I tell ya.

    Good boy, TRAD. He knew what you wanted and would normally tell him to do with that cripple, but he was going to wait until sent. That is not trivial and you have reason to be proud. I have found (sadly), if you can't have control on the line... the best marking handling dog in the world is little use.

    Apart from the lack of a bit of orange ribbon, I'd say you had some significant success.
    TuMicks,
    Ye know the game better than most on this site as per me own opinion and we both know it can often go either way literally with the sudden shifting o' the wind. T'is all part o' the game and some days ye qualify, others ye do not. If one can't have fun with it ye may as well never participate in the dog games. For meself, t'is all about the dogs and doing some work to keep them well honed and mentally engaged. I love the dogs I work with and watching them whilst afield applying the training we work so hard to develop. I find "success" on some level in each minute I spend with them. Yesterday was no different.

    Cheers,
    THE DOG WHISTLER
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  11. #6
    Senior Dog JackK's Avatar
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    That stinks but glad to see you took it in stride. Better luck next time. Not that I have a method but I would like to see a cleaner way of handling the NO BIRD situations. Trying to calm a dog after he's been to the line and seen the flyer and then do it again a half hour or more later isn't really fair.

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  13. #7
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JackK View Post
    That stinks but glad to see you took it in stride. Better luck next time. Not that I have a method but I would like to see a cleaner way of handling the NO BIRD situations. Trying to calm a dog after he's been to the line and seen the flyer and then do it again a half hour or more later isn't really fair.
    T'is what T'is Jack. An IM injection of Thorazine might help. LMIAO.

    Mikey
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  14. #8
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    Yep, three dogs back after a no bird. Pretty sure it's in the AKC rule book. If there are not enough dogs to run two in between, the marshals may not be able to arrange it. One time my old dog watched the live gunners fail 3 times to hit the flier.

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  16. #9
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    Sorry it didn’t go quite as planned, but the title wouldn’t be an accomplishment if it was easy. You’ll get ‘em next time!
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  18. #10
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    Sorry it didn’t go quite as planned, but the title wouldn’t be an accomplishment if it was easy. You’ll get ‘em next time!
    True words Annette.👍

    Mike☘️
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    Joanie Madden, Mary Bergin, Adrea Coor, and Nuala Kennedy, each an Irish whistle goddess in her own right.

 



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