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Kids Scream & Dogs Beg for Ice Cream
After a sunny, summer day of boating and playing in the sand dunes at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, our family and dog would stop at a small ice cream shop in Miller Beach. Jack Spratt had the best selection of exotic favors not commonly found elsewhere fifty years ago. Holly our black lab…
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Hot Under the Collar – Legislative Movement to Criminalize Retriever Training
Walk into any pet store across in America today, and you will find an abundance of dog collars to choose. Collars remain a popular sales item because they carry the traditional dog tag and make it easier to grab hold of and lead Fido around. In recent years, there has been a significant migration from…
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Chesapeake Bay Retrievers qualified for the 2017 Master Amateur Invitational
A dozen Chessies all handled by amateurs have qualified for the inaugural Master Amateur Invitational to be held near Cairo, Georgia. To my knowledge all the dogs have been trained by amateurs. This is an accomplishment given the complexity of today’s AKC Master Hunt test. Good luck to all in Georgia!!! Females Owners/Handler RIPPLING WATERS SHORE…
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New Year’s Resolution of a Dog Trainer
As the New Year rolls around…… …….millions of Americans participate in the annual of game of drawing a line in the sand and erasing a weeks later. Some make a commitment to stop eating cookies or a more aggressive plan to start exercising. Meanwhile, others go way overboard by planning to cut back on dog…
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2016 Chesapeake Bay Retrievers Master Hunt Test Titles Awarded
Congrats to all the Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and owner/handlers who earned an AKC Master Hunt test title in 2016. Males Bo Diddley Johnson MH CH Pond Hollow Going Great Guns MH CH Sugarcreek’s Thundering Shellcracker MH Cold Creek Amarillo By Morning MH Cur-san’s Big Country MH Delaware Rivers Storm Surge MH Fox Island Ray Of…
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Go Take a Hike!
There’s nothing quite as relaxing like an old-fashioned hike in the woods, local park or nearby water hole with your dog. “Relaxing?” you scoff kicking your feet up on the couch. “It’s just too cold and windy outside right now,” you grumble to your dog lying patiently by your side. At some point your dog…
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The Curse of “My Dog Never”
Gallery talk can be quite entertaining at a retriever field event. Not surprisingly most of the gallery, participants and observers, are fans of pro sport teams too. Presumably, many are baseball fans. How so you ask? Well, baseball is known for its superstitions. Watch baseball fans turn their hats inside out and backward to “rally”…
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The Master National or ACC Field Trial Specialty?
This question was posed on a forum inquiring which event was better to run in the fall of 2016. Here is my edited response to the question: “I assume your question is hypothetical because your dog has not qualified to run the 2016 Master National, MN. Perhaps you are trying to set a goal of…
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Our Bumpy Road to Qualifying for the 2016 Master National
Passing six Master Hunt, (MH) tests to qualify for the Master National, (MN) is not an easy endeavor. Handler/dog teams must spend countless hours of advanced retriever training to keep their skills sharp. Dogs with big hearts, drive and trainability inspire you to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to qualify for the MN. Angel is…
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Chessie Master Hunter Titles Awarded – 2014 thru 2010
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are one of America’s original hunting dogs. Born and bred to retrieve waterfowl then and now. The goal of today’s hunt test program is to test a dog’s ability to retrieve and trainability. Master Hunters (MH) must pass six hunt tests at advanced training levels in a variety of complex hunting scenarios. …