Bree in Training

Dakotazeb

Dakotazeb

Well-known member
I have had my 20 month old Brittany at a trainer here in Arizona for a few weeks and she will be there another 3-4 before I head back to South Dakota. Getting her steadied up for some NSTRA trials when I get back. The trainer has also been cleaning up her retrieve. Here's a pic he sent me today of Bree on the Whoa board.

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Yes, she has been pointing her birds. Now holding the point until I can get there to flush the bird was another story. That's why she is at the trainer. I ran her in some novice braces at a NSTRA trial in January. She did a great job of finding and pointing birds but wanted to bust in flush the bird before I could get there. If that happens twice in a brace you are DQ'd. I think this dog really has what it takes to be a terrific NSTRA dog. Just going to take some time and a little extra training. She has a super high prey drive and is bird crazy.
 
My older Shorthair was trained to the Master level and early on he loved to chase and it took quite a few reps popping pigeons and a little extra ecollar work to get him to stand thru the flush. He was always staunch and I could easily walk up to him, but once the bird was airborne it was off to the races. For Pheasant hunting I let him go at the flush simply because I want him on the bird as quick as possible and I'm usually just hunting by myself or a good friend who I trust won't shoot a low flyer.

What are the requirements for NSTRA as far as the dog being steady? I know Master hunt test the dog must be steady thru wing, shot and fall.
 
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In NSTRA the dog does not have to be steady to wing, shot and fall. But once the dog goes on point it must remain steady until the handler flushes the bird. Any movement, steps taken, flagging, etc. will have points deducted from your score for the find. If you want any info on NSTRA go to their web site NSTRA.org and you can find quite a bit. Or shoot me a PM and I'll try to answer your questions. We are always looking for new members in the Mid-North Region (MN, ND & SD).
 
Glad you got her healthy. Did they ever figure out what the issue was, or did she just grow out of it? I know you spend most of your stock market gains on her.
 
mgorvi said:
Glad you got her healthy. Did they ever figure out what the issue was, or did she just grow out of it? I know you spend most of your stock market gains on her.
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We have never gotten to the bottom of her apparent allergies. She has been receiving Cytopoint injections about every two months to control itching and biting. It's been working great. Her last shot was the first week in February so I plan to see how long she can go before I have to give her another shot. Hopefully she will either grow out of it or we will find out the exact cause.
 
This is good news. Her coat looked thick and healthy so hopefully you have it handled.
 
She looks awsome George,real nice tail set and as Gatzby said,her coat looks good too.Glad to see things are getting better all around for the both of you.
 
She was lucky to draw you as her master. A lot of folks would have given up on her, considering all you’ve been through with health issues, not to mention the expense. You hung in there and didn’t give up, and now you have a really nice dog to show for it. It was fun to see her run in Dec. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog cover ground that fast. I’ll get in touch when I’m out after Thanksgiving and maybe we can meet up again.
 
Thanks guys. I sure hope it's all worth it in the end. I've spent more money on vet bills, special dog food and training for this dog than any dog I've ever owned. I really believe she has what it takes to be an awesome field trial and hunting dog, and in the house she's just a big lover. I'm really anxious to get her back and run some NSTRA trials with her the end of April and in May. But I've got to get that tail trimmed up! :)
 
I'm getting Bree back from the trainer on Wednesday and will be headed back to SD on Thursday. I was out training with them twice this week. Every time I talk to the trainer he says how well she is progressing and what a powerhouse dog she is. Now I'm really anxious to get her back and run some trials. The pic below was taken today of her honoring another dog. Not a great pic but it was all the trainer took of her today.

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I'll bet your excited. Glad to hear see is progressing nicely. However, are you sure your ready to come back just Yet?

This was eastern SD yesterday. Just a little taste. :)


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But heck... It's mid April, how long can it last.:(
 
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Good looking dog there! Maybe I'll be able to make it out and see her hunt this season.
 
Bree ran her first NSTRA trial up here in the Mid-North region last weekend. She did a good job of running the fields and was rock steady on her points. Her retrieves needed a little cleaning up and I've been working on that with her this week. She also blew a back so honoring needs some more training. But overall I was very encouraged with what I saw. She needs some more trials to figure out the game and I think she will be competitive. Below is a pic I took of her while doing some training this week. I brought some dead quail home from last weekend trial to use for training. Heading to another trial by Mobridge, SD this weekend and then to Williston, ND the following weekend.

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