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Retrievers – Loss of Vision
Going Blind Imagine your retriever beginning to lose his eye sight at the age of 4 yrs old. At first he seems to miss marks thrown in the morning or evening twilight. Your concern grows and you schedule an eye exam at the vet’s office. Up until now you’ve spend countless hours training him. Taught…
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Bryan-College Station Retriever Club Hunt Test videos
A big thank you to the Bryan-College Station retriever club members and judges for another great hunt test! BCS holds some special memories for us: Angel’s first junior pass, her senior title, qualifying for the MN for the 2nd time, and now our first MH pass toward the MARC invitational. None of those memories would…
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Rose Country RC – “Back in the Saddle Again”
Sure felt great to be back running hunt test (HT) again after a six month absence. Rose Country Retriever Club held their Spring 2016 HT on a horse riding ranch near Tyler, Texas. The scenery was beautiful, temperatures mild, and the sky overcast. As usual the club did a great job putting on the HT…
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Season Transitions
Chasing Duck Season Coming to an End Actually, looking forward to the end of duck season this weekend. The ducks are now weary and scattered among thousands of water holes created by record rain falls in North Texas. Forecast for the last weekend in January calls for bluebird days, calm, sunny and high of 75…
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A Dog’s Prayer
Difficult Decisions Putting a dog to sleep forever is never easy and often heartbreaking. It’s often referred to as the pet “going over the rainbow” vs “putting a dog down” in today’s world. Sounds nicer but it doesn’t make it any easier at all. I ran across this poem 30 years ago and always keep…
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2015 Master National – Chesapeake Bay Retrievers Qualifiers
(xx) = number of Lifetime MH passes at MN as of the Fall 2015 FLIGHT A A-142 Northern Flights Double Decks MH (43) “Decks” (M) Age 8.6 John Bogert Missouri MN Handler: Paul Lance MN Record: 2015-Ran; 2014-Ran; 2013-Ran; 2012-Ran; 2010-Passed FLIGHT B B-11 Bear Kreek Grand Oaks 12 Guage MH (11) “Gauge” (M) Age…
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Handler Confessions
Good dogs and handlers make mistakes. Nowhere is this more obvious than at a retriever Field Trial. Small errors committed by either dog or handler separate the top four finishers earning place ribbons from the balance of the field who go home empty-handed. Same rule can apply to hunt tests. It’s not unusual to see…
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Master HT Pass #13 Feeling Lucky
After months of hot summer time training it was time to take the stage again in the Master B flight of the Sooner Retriever hunt test. Note: Click on images to enlarge. The first series setup included several environmental factors and training concepts typical of a master national level hunt test. A perfect test to…
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Diving In
Everyone loves a big splash when a retriever dives into the water. The leap and extension, the momentary hover above the water, and the water spray blast as they pound the surf with their chest. It’s not always the big dogs leaving the biggest wake. Quite often it’s the retriever with the biggest heart. Naturally,…