tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238156081683426842024-03-13T02:57:59.717-07:00Pointing Dog BlogCraig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.comBlogger236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-8160790358100962262020-01-30T17:57:00.001-08:002020-01-30T17:57:07.088-08:00NEW ADDRESS!<h2>
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The Pointing Dog Blog now has <a href="http://dogwilling.ca/pointing-dog-blog">a new home</a>! </div>
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<a href="http://dogwilling.ca/pointing-dog-blog">Please visit http://dogwilling.ca/pointing-dog-blog</a></div>
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See you there!</div>
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-861611575111631602018-02-08T14:07:00.000-08:002018-02-08T17:54:12.158-08:00Details<b>In a <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/point-now-what.html">previous post</a>, I wrote about the different ways hunters </b><b>in different parts of the world </b><b>behave AFTER a dog goes on point. </b>Today, I'd like to look at the finer details of the way many Europeans work with their dogs after the point has been established, but before the flush.<br />
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In France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere in southern Europe the hunter and the dog will usually move forward to flush the game together. In French, this is known as <i>coulé</i>, in Italian it is <i>guidata</i> and in Spanish <i>guia</i>. And it is reflective of the most ancient way of using pointing dogs. Even in the UK for some kinds of 'walked up' shooting like grouse on the Moors of Scotland, the dog and handler also move together until the birds flush. Derry Argue, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Pointers-Setters-Derry-Argue/dp/1853102393">Pointers and Setters</a>, writes about witnessing the huge difference between North American and English traditions when guiding several hunters from 'overseas' on the grouse moors of Scotland:<br />
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<i>The partnership between handler and dog is no more apparent than when walking in to a point.... In the USA, the dog is trained to stand while the handler goes forward to flush the birds... But on the British scene, the dog hands responsibility to the handler and both of them proceed to put up birds together but with the handler dictating the pace. <br /><br />I well remember some overseas clients I had out with me one day when this characteristic was demonstrated in rather and amusing way. At every point, the Guns raced forward and ran ahead of the dog and fired wildly as the birds rose. I remonstrated with them to go slowly as there was no need to run. The bird were lying well and there was no danger of the dog, an old experienced Pointer, flushing he birds prematurely. But it was no good. So I bided my time and in due course my chance came. <br /><br />By the dog’s demeanour I knew she was pointing a big covey of grouse a long way off and I knew she would not move until I told her to no matter what anyone else may say or do. So I sat down on a rock and watched the fun. As usual, my clients ran up to the dog, ran ahead of her and charged around the heather trying to find the grouse. I just sat there with a broad grin on my face indicating, every time they glanced in my direction, that if they wanted to do it their way perhaps they ought to put a bit more energy into their scampering about. It was a hilarious situation and it took all of twenty minutes to convince them that I might actually know best when, to their credit, they shared in the joke. <br /><br />After that, I had no more trouble. I believe we walked forward fifty yards from where the dog had pointed, way ahead of where they had assumed the birds to be, before a very good covey rose in front. Later that day…I walked in beside the dog for all of two hundred yards before a large covey that had been running ahead of us decided to take to their wings. Argue, Pointers and Setters p. 15-16</i></div>
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Here is a video showing a UK handler and his pointer walking forward in unison on the grouse moors of Scotland.<br />
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In the English version of the <a href="http://www.fci.be/medias/ACO-REG-en-566.pdf">FCI field trial rules</a> the term used is "approaching". The rules specify that it must be a 'commanded' approach. In other words, the dog should only approach if it is somehow signaled to do so by the handler.</div>
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<i>A point begins when a dog winds game and points standing and rigid. Next, the dog exercises a commanded approach...If a commanded approach is required the dog should do so unhesitatingly and easily, moving ahead of the handler exclusively at the latter’s command and without losing touch with the game. A long approach is acceptable on condition that the approach is energetic, purposeful and effective. Refusal to execute a commanded approach leads to elimination.</i></div>
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Another term for approaching is "drawing on". In Australian field trials, drawing on is defined as follows: <i>When a dog points and the game moves on the dog, to retain contact may at times also move on. This may be to the order or sign of the handler, and is generally a series of quick, careful, stealthy steps. A dog shall not be penalised for drawing on of its own accord, providing that it will remain firm on point and that it does not flush the game</i>.</div>
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Normally, the 'command' to approach or to draw on is more or less silent, the handler just takes a step forward and the dog should move with him. In some cases the dog is a bit 'sticky' and the handler has to use some subtle signals to get it to move. So handlers snap their fingers or make clicking sounds with their mouth or tap the dog on the back of the head or brush the leash across the dog's shoulders etc. Watch the handler starting at the 55 second mark to see if you can spot his (not so) subtle signals to the dog.</div>
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In a trial, as the dog and handler perform the commanded approach, judges are very careful to evaluate the dog for its breed-specific style. Here is what the French working standard for the English setter says:<br />
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<i>The coulé (approach) is one of the breed's characteristics. When game is on the move (or after a point is established, <u>upon command</u>), the English setter follows (or approaches the game) with an exceptionally lithe, cat-like movement, with great concentration until it freezes the game or forces it to flush. </i><br />
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The Italian working standard for the English Setter is even more specific and sounds like someone directing a scene from an opera:<br />
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<i>When game tries to get away from the hunter by running, the English setter follows without losing contact, one moment like a snake, the next, like a panther, with amazing dexterity it strikes dramatic, voluptuous, almost orgasmic poses with its lithe and flexible body. Its feline movements are close to the ground and slithering, as if it were afraid to startle the game in open ground. If however, there is good wind and the vegetation is higher, then it may remain more upright, and further with the limbs only slightly flexed. </i></div>
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The Italian <a href="http://www.pointerclubitaliano.com/IlPointer/StandarddiLavoro.aspx">working standard for the Pointer</a> is over 7,000 words long and says that the Pointer should move forward in a series of quick, sharp 'sword thrusts' while performing the <i>guidata</i>. But then adds <i>it might be better to say 'sabre slashes' : the sword is used to stab, the sabre to slice, and the movement of a Pointer should evoke images of thrusting and slashing.</i> </div>
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Here is a video showing two magnificent black pointers (I'm sure William Arkwright would love them!) doing the <i>guidata. </i>Clearly the birds they scent are on the move and the dogs are doing their best to keep close without flushing them. Note how the forward movements of the Pointers are much more 'thrusting/slashing' than those of the setter in the video below this one. When the birds eventually do flush, the dogs give chase, something that would result in them being eliminated in a field trial. Nevertheless, they show the kind of style during the <i>guidata </i>that trial judges look for.<br />
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And here is a video of a young setter in training. Notice how feline the dog is and how the handler makes the noise of birds flushing...<i>brrrrr</i> or encourages the dog to move forward by saying (in Italian) "go on" and "where's the bird?". Clearly this dog is being trained for the commanded approach that is required in trials. In actually hunting situations pointing dogs in Europe are generally allowed to move on their own accord if it is to keep contact with a moving bird or to get as close as possible without flushing it. And they do it without any word or signal from the hunter. This, to may European hunters is the epitome of cooperation between the dog and hunter. And I have to say, I agree with them!</div>
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-54289193256781887232018-01-19T14:04:00.000-08:002018-01-19T14:08:28.869-08:00Window Into the Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Manufrance (<i>Manufacture Francaise d'Armes et Cycles de St. Etienne)</i> was a French mail order company located in St. Etienne France. It opened in 1885 and specialized in shotguns and bicycles but also sold a vast array of other products, ranging from fishing rods to clocks. </div>
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The company closed in 1985, but was <a href="https://www.manufrance.fr/">revived</a> under new ownership in 2010. Old Manufrance catalogues and books are fascinating. The company spared no expense in printing and distributing them far and wide. Long considered collectors items, many of them are now available to <a href="http://gallica.bnf.fr/services/engine/search/sru?operation=searchRetrieve&version=1.2&startRecord=0&maximumRecords=15&page=1&collapsing=disabled&query=dc.relation%20all%20%22cb33924294f%22#resultat-id-12">view online</a> for free!</div>
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Manufrance catalogues not only listed the products the company offered but they contained illustrated guides to gundog breeds, hunting rules, regulations and tips and even descriptions of how field trials were run in France. </div>
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The Illustrated guide to field trials I've posted below was made up of 4 pages, each with three panels explaining the various steps of a field trial in chronological order. </div>
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Here are the individual panels, you can click them to see a larger version. I've also translated the captions and posted them below the corresponding panel.<br />
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<b>The set-up of a field trial (heading out to the field): </b>This illustration shows the very start of a trial, when everyone is heading out to the field: A: Handlers with their dogs on leash. B: Three judges, one of which is on horseback so that he may move in quickly to evaluate questionable points. C: Members of the sporting press who have been allowed to follow the proceedings. D: The gallery (club members and their guests who have written invitations) getting ready to watch the trial. E: Law enforcement officials (gendarmes) in charge of making sure all game laws are followed.</div>
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<b>Posting the names of the dogs: </b>The dogs' names are posted in the following way: A man sets up a board equipped with grooves that allow for slips of cardboard that can be switched out as the trial goes on. Each piece of cardboard has the name of a dog written on it. When two dogs enter the field, the placards with their names on them are taken from the leather carrying case containing all the placards and are then slipped into the groves on the board when the judges declare that those dogs are to run. This way, it is clear to everyone in attendance which dogs are running.</div>
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<b>Casting off the dogs: </b>When two dogs are designated to run, they are given different coloured collars, one wears red, the other blue so that they may be distinguished from each other. The judges have two flags at their disposition (one is white, the other is red), and at the end of each brace, they are to raise a flag in the air corresponding to the colour of the collar worn by the dog they feel had the better performance. If both dogs worked equally well, both flags are raised at the same time. In order to avoid having their dogs take of willy nilly at the cast off, handlers take care to 'drop' their dogs (have them lay down) just before the start so that they will not cast off until told to do so.</div>
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<b>The Grande Quête Trial:</b> (in French the term is 'Grande Quête' literally, "large search" i.e. for wide ranging dogs) In a 'grand quête' trial handlers cast their dogs off in opposite directions so that the dogs' casts will cross each other in the middle. The two handlers then arrive at the edge of the terrain at about the same time, one at extreme left end of the field, the other at the extreme right. They then turn their dogs towards the other direction and cast the dog so that it's search crosses that of the other dog in the middle. Grand quête trials are naturally full of excitement and therefore quite interesting for spectators.</div>
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<b>The Point: </b>As soon as a dog goes on point, his brace mate, upon seeing the other dog, must stop and remain still. This is called 'backing'. The handler must slowly make his way towards his dog giving it ample time to demonstrate the solidity of its point. Seeing a dog hold its point magnificently long is without doubt the most pleasing thing that a true sportsman can experience, and the same thing applies to a field trial for everyone in attendance.</div>
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<b>The Flush: </b>While the dog holds its point, the handler goes towards the dog and then walks slowly out in front, the dog must remain motionless. The handler then flushes the birds and as soon as they take off, the dog that was pointing and its brace mate that was backing must drop (lay down) and not move. Nothing is more thrilling for the followers of St. Hubert than to witness a lovely flush of birds and then seeing dogs immediately, automatically drop and remain absolutely still as they watch the birds with only their eyes.</div>
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<b>A dog stealing point from its brace mate: </b>A dog sees its brace mate establish a point but then doesn't back and moves ahead of it has committed a serious error even if he then points or drops at the flush. Stealing point not only reveals poor training, but also a very bad habit that is hard to break. In the same way that skittishness and bolting is a fault for horses, stealing point is a fault for dogs.</div>
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<b>The dog that chases a bolting hare: </b>Chasing game has always been a terrible fault, to the point at which, in the old rules, it was cause for the immediate elimination of a dog from competition. In the rules that are in force this year, chasing a running hare, while still noted as a serious infraction, does not preclude a dog from continuing its turn as long as it doesn't chase for more than 50 meters and that it drops immediately upon command from its handler. No effort should be spared to prevent a dog from chasing.</div>
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<b>Steady to shot: </b>From a fair distance, and on a signal from the judge, an assigned gunner will let off a shot. The dogs that are running must then immediately drop. Even dogs that are on leash, if there training leaves nothing to be desired, must do the same. Dropping immediately to shot, without any hesitation and staying completely motionless is a quality that will always been greatly appreciated in a dog, so much so that dogs that do well in this phase of the trial will be richly rewarded.</div>
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<b>The end of a turn: </b>After one brace runs, the handlers exit the field bringing with them the dogs that were under judgment. Meanwhile, the judges get together to share and discuss their views while the field marshal announces the names of the two dogs that are to next to run and whose qualities will publicly demonstrated. Then the names on the two dogs are posted to the board by switching them out with the names of the previous brace.</div>
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<b>The retrieve: </b>Retrieving is only obligatory for dogs running in 'petite quête' trials (literally 'small quest' i.e.: trials for close working dogs). A marshal carries a dead rabbit in his game bag and after a while tosses it out a fair distance. The dog is sent for the retrieve and must pick it up smartly and return promptly to his handler, sit and release the rabbit when told to do so. The dog is also given the command "drop!" just before he is about the pick up the rabbit. He is only allowed to pick it up when told to "take it!" and then told to "bring it!" when he is closer to the handler who then tells the dog to sit and then takes the rabbit when he says "give".</div>
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<b>A few types of field trial dogs in France. </b>A) Pointer B) English Setter C) Gordon Setter D) Braque de l'Ariège E) Épagneul Français (French Spaniel) F) Wirehaired Pointing Griffon G) Boulet Griffon</div>
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<span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book<i style="background-color: white; color: #7a7575; font-family: "droid sans", arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </i></span><a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/books/pointingdogsvolumeone">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a><br />
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<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-84662370639497431042018-01-08T16:28:00.000-08:002018-01-19T14:08:47.967-08:00Interview with a Master<div style="text-align: center;">
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In my book I wrote about seeing a sparkle in the eye of renowned Cesky Fousek breeder Jaromir Dostal.<br />
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<i>It was a look we had seen before; a certain fiery sparkle, a radiant glow on the faces of a handful of men we had met in our travels. They were men with decades of experience who had spent countless hours in the fields with their dogs. They had each dedicated much of their lives to a breed of gun dog that, without their help, may have fallen into the abyss. We saw the years of ups and downs etched into their faces, and would sometimes hear notes of sadness as they spoke to us about the struggles they’d endured. But, when the light was just right, and the conversation turned to the great dogs they had known, they became young men again, their eyes transformed by an inner glow, their faces beaming.</i></blockquote>
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Among that handful of men mentioned above is Cesare Bonasegale, one of the most important figures in the history of the Bracco Italiano. I first met Cesare in 2006 near Milan when I travelled there to interview him and photograph his dogs. I'd spoken to him on the phone before my trip, so I knew he had a lot to say about the Bracco, but when I met him in person and saw that "<i>fiery sparkle"</i> I knew I was in the presence of a true master. His knowledge of the breed, based on a near-photographic memory of 60+ years of Bracco history was astounding. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Cesare and Lisa at a field trial near Pian di Spino (Emilia-Romagna, Italy).<br />
Pro tip: if you really want to bring out the sparkle in their eye, ask them about their dogs<br />
and have them pose for a photo next to a pretty woman!</td></tr>
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Much of the information I gathered from Cesare during my visit ended up in the Bracco Italiano chapter in my book and over the last few years, Cesare and I kept in touch, occasionally exchanging information on dog-related topics or helping one another connect with other dog enthusiasts in various parts of the world. Then, last January Cesare asked me if I would be interested in translating a book he'd recently written. How could I refuse? Sure, it would take a lot of time and effort (my Italian is not that great), but I would get to read a great book before anyone else in the world! </div>
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So page by page, chapter by chapter, Cesare sent me his manuscript by email. And day by day, month by month, I would do my best to render his monumental work into English while maintaining a sense of Cesare's unique writing style and razor-sharp wit.</div>
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Finally, in late May, with the help of friends and proof readers Jude Gerstein, Concepta Cassar, and Jo Laurens, I was ready to press the "send" button on an email containing the final version of the translation. By August the book had been printed and on September 9th at a massive international breed show and field trial held in Italy, it was launched. </div>
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Here is a brief introduction of the event (in Italian).</div>
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And here are highlights from the field trial.<br />
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And from the breed show.<br />
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I was unable to attend the event — the hunting fields of Manitoba beckoned me! — so I received my copy of the book by mail late last fall and last week I received a limited number of copies that I've now made <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/books/noblebracco">available for sale on my website</a>. For fans of the Bracco Italiano this book is a 'must have' and for fans of any breed of pointing dog, this book should be at the top of your wish list since it is such a valuable resource for all things related to breeding and training any breed of pointing dog. <br />
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Finally, I wrote to Cesare to ask him a few questions about the book. Here are his answers:<br />
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<b>Why did you decide to write this book?</b><br />
In a way, I had no choice. I had so many requests from the readers of my <a href="http://www.continentalidaferma.it/">blog</a> I finally had to say "yes"! </div>
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<b>Now that it is finished, and available in English, what are your hopes for the book?</b><br />
That breeders of all breeds will read it and learn how they can base their breeding efforts on concrete data and not just continue to rely on the luck of the draw.<br />
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<b>This is not your first book, in fact you are a very prolific writer and oversee an online journal called </b><b><a href="http://www.continentalidaferma.it/">Continentali da Ferma</a></b><b>. When did you start writing and what motivates you to write?</b><br />
I started writing about 20 years ago and my goal has always been the same: improved communication (and therefore education) about a subject that sorely needs it. I want to shed light on the challenges and difficulties faced by anyone who wants to breed good pointing dogs.<br />
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<b>Why did you decide to start breeding Bracchi? </b><br />
When I first started breeding Bracchi Italiani, the breed was in a pitiful state. But I was lucky enough to come across a few very good individuals that really caught my attention. So I decided to devote myself to developing that blood line.<br />
<b><br />What aspect of breeding dogs gives you the most satisfaction?</b><br />
Successfully fixing the traits I seek in my dogs through selective breeding. It is also very rewarding to gain an understanding of the genetic mechanisms by which those traits are transmitted.<br />
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<b>What has been your greatest challenge as a breeder of Bracchi Italiani?</b></div>
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To make my dogs field trial champions in a minimum number of trials. Considering that a male has to win three CAC awards and females two CACs to become a champion, my greatest success was with Bocia del Boscaccio who earned his championship in just three trials and his sister Murusa in only two! After that I retired from competition. I find it rather absurd that some dogs continue collecting useless CACs even after they've become a champion, instead of "leaving some room" for the youngsters.<br />
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<b>You mention in your book that you keep your Bracco puppies until they are 6 months old, or even older so that you could observe their development and start their early conditioning. Can you tell me more about why you would keep them for so long and the benefits to you and the pups for doing so?</b></div>
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My kennel was never set up to make money. Its main goal was to evaluate the results of the breedings I undertook. And that could only be achieved if I kept all the pups until they were 6-8 months old or even older. It also enabled me to offer a guarantee to the people who got pups from me. After all, I could personally vouch for each pups' strengths and weaknesses since I had observed and evaluated them over a longer period of time.<br />
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<b>Your del Boscaccio kennel is famous throughout the Bracco world, and dogs from your line are found in the pedigrees of almost all the great working Bracchi of today. How would you describe your dogs? What makes them unique or different from other lines of Bracchi? </b></div>
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In the beginning, the principle difference between my dogs and those from other lines was their very stylish gate and much greater range. Today, fortunately, those traits are much more widespread in the breed (but then again, they are all distant descendants of dogs from the del Boscaccio line).<br />
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<b>Looking back on your many decades of work with the Bracco, what do you think is your greatest contribution to the breed? What more do you wish you could have done? </b><br />
I wish I could have achieved a greater genetic fixation of the "flying trot" across the breed. And it would have been nice to see a faster, wider distribution of the unique working qualities and style of the breed. But it is hard to achieve quality and quantity at the same time. (Note: for more information about the 'flying trot' see my article on the Bracco Italiano <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/07/breed-of-week-bracco-italiano_13.html">here</a>).</div>
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<b>Your book is more than just an excellent source of information on the genetics of pointing dog behaviour and how to train pointing dogs of any breed, it offers a fascinating look into the culture of hunting with pointing dogs in Europe. My favourite parts of the book are your personal anecdotes about hunting with your own dogs. Can you tell me more about the 'good old days' of hunting when a young man could take his dog and a gun on the tram to go hunting snipe in the countryside? </b><br />
Those are such lovely memories, but it's all in the past. The hunting conditions have changed so much since then. Even outside of Italy, the hunting conditions we enjoyed twenty or thirty years ago no longer exist. I could relive other great adventures, but they would still be nothing more than just memories.<br />
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<b>In your book, you also wrote that some Italian hunters would even ride their bicycles to the field. Do you know the man and dog in the photo above?</b><br />
That is Avvocato <a href="http://www.cacciando.com/lettere-e-foto/letteratura/cinofilia-c/item/1425-avv-giacomo-griziotti.html">Giacomo Griziotti</a> from Pavia. I wrote about him in the book. The photo is from the cover of Griziotti's book and, if I remember well, the dog is Atala. In my book there is another photo of Griziotti with Banco del Vergante. He also used to ride in the basket of the bike.<br />
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<b>If you could speak to your 'younger self', the young Cesare Bonasegale that was just starting with Bracchi many years ago, what advice would you give him?</b><br />
I would tell him to ignore the naysayers and people who are motivated only by their ego. I would tell him to focus on the improvement of the breed. Unfortunately so many people in the dog world are in it for their own personal glorification. It's always been that way and I fear that it will always be that way in the future. It is disheartening to see so much hatred and divisiveness in a world that should be about friendship and solidarity. But it's always been that way. </div>
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<b>Your historical overview of the development of the Bracco is one of the best I've ever read. If you could go back in time and meet a famous Bracco person from the past, who would it be? </b><br />
It would be Rino Vigo, the pro trainer from Pavia who bred some of the best Bracchi of the 60s and 70s. He was responsible for some of the most significant innovations in the understanding and training of the Bracco Italiano. </div>
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<b><br />Finally, your dogs and your writings are very well known in Italy but this is the first time one of your books is available in English and it will undoubtedly be widely read in Europe, the UK and in North America. What would you like to say specifically to the English readers of your book that may not be very familiar with the Italian hunting culture and history of the quintessential Italian pointing dog?</b><br />
In many foreign countries the Bracco Italiano is seen as nothing more than a pet. But the source of all the Bracco's best qualities as a pet are its qualities as a pointing dog. So if you want to produce the best pet Bracchi select them from among the best Bracco Italiano hunting dogs! The day the Bracco Italiano is no longer a pointing dog and selectively bred as such is the day it ceases to exist. If they are only bred for the show ring they will lose the qualities that make them such a magnificent pointing dog and that will soon lead to them losing all the qualities that make them such an affectionate companion animal as well. So breeders in the English speaking world need to understand that selectively breeding Bracchi to be excellent gun dogs is the best way to ensure that they end up with excellent companion animals and the best friends they could ever have. </div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/books/noblebracco">Click here</a> to order your copy of Noble Bracco by Cesare Bonasegale. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">$30 in North America, $40 everywhere else. Shipping included!</span></h3>
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<span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book<i style="background-color: white; color: #7a7575; font-family: "droid sans", arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </i></span><a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/books/pointingdogsvolumeone">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a><br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-29986259047771948822018-01-06T08:43:00.001-08:002018-01-19T14:09:06.295-08:00Picardy Spaniels in North America. The Year in ReviewIn 2016 there were fewer than a half dozen Picardy Spaniels in North America. By the end of 2017, the number had risen to nearly 30 and for the first time ever, a litter of Picardy Spaniels was whelped in Quebec. Over the last 12 months North American hunters and breed enthusiasts have imported pups from the UK, France and Germany and three Picardy Spaniel kennels are now officially registered with NAVHDA, including one in the UK, a first for the association.<br />
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Here in Manitoba, despite below average bird numbers, our Picardy Léo had an awesome 2017 hunting season. Here is question/answer format video I cobbled together of clips of Léo in the field, forest and water during the season.<br />
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One of the highlights of the season was Lisa's shooting. She was on fire! With her trusty side-by-side and <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2017/01/kent-bismuth-ammo-delivers.html">Kent Bismuth</a> ammo, she out shot me and her nephew CJ.<br />
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Another thing I really enjoyed in 2017 was helping folks connect with Picardy breeders overseas and helping them get good pups. When Lisa and I flew to Europe last spring we stopped over in the UK to bring back two pups for hunters in Saskatchewan. Seeing the smiles on the fellows' faces as their new pups jumped into their arms at the airport made our year! Thanks to social media, I was also able to help other folks have pups shipped in from overseas or even to fly to France to pick up a pup. Jamie Simmons for example, not only got a great pup, he hunted for a week in France and made several new French hunting buddies.<br />
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Once Jamie returned from France and the jet-lag had worn off, I asked him a few questions about how and why he ended up flying half way across the world to pick up a pup. Here's what he said:<br />
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<b>How did you 'discover' the Picardy?</b><br />
I discovered the Picardy in a random Google search for “Spaniel” which produced the names and pictures of the different breeds. The Picardy and Blue Picardy caught my eye as I had never heard of them before. I was instantly intrigued and wanted to learn more about them. I found the North American Picardy Alliance <a href="https://www.picardyspaniel.org/">web site</a> and inquired where they could be found via the contact link on the site and soon received your initial email. I had also searched Facebook and found several breeder pages as well. <br />
<b>How did you "meet" Quentin online? </b><br />
I had viewed Quentin’s ad on a Facebook page and then you mentioned it as well and offered to call him to check references, etc. That meant a lot to me as a vote of confidence.<br />
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<b>How did you and Quentin communicate on line?</b><br />
All of our communication was through Messenger on Facebook. I spoke no French and he spoke almost no English so most of the communication I translated through Google Translate. I attempted to learn some French before I left but there just wasn’t enough time between when I made the decision to go (late September) and when the pups would be available (early December). Quentin had worked on his English some during that time, but we found that Google translate on my phone was easier for normal conversation. It was a hurdle but it worked well enough to communicate with him and his friends/family.</div>
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<b>Why did you decide to go get the pups instead of having them shipped?</b><br />
Honestly, cost was a big factor. With 3 kids and modest income, I wasn’t real keen on spending a lot of money on a breed of dog that I knew very little about and had never seen before (besides meeting yours once). When Quentin offered to take me hunting if I went over there, well that sealed the deal! Not only would I be getting a new pup, but also the experience of a lifetime! <br />
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<b>Was it your first time there? What did you learn about France and the French people?</b><br />
My time spent in France was mainly spent hunting and hanging out with his friends. It was not a tourist trip! We spent 3 days in the “Duck Hut,” although the migration was very slow while I was there. Most complained that this was their worst year ever for ducks, but the experience was still unbelievable! I would equate it to hanging out at deer camp, but with the ability to run out in the dark and shoot ducks on the water with a scoped shot gun! We also spent a morning chasing Bécasse (European woodcock) and I managed to bag my first! We spent another morning/evening chasing pheasants, rabbit and duck. We took one day and went to Blankaart Castle in Belgium where there is a large waterfowl preserve surrounding it. Very neat place! On the final day we did a large pheasant with 25-30 other hunters. <br />
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This was my first trip outside North America, but definitely won’t be the last! I learned that the French spend a lot of time hanging out and conversing with each other over meals and drinks. It seemed at times that we were eating non-stop! I also learned that Johnny Hallyday (their version of Elvis) passed away while I was there and was the topic of a lot of discussion among his friends and family. I also learned that most do not speak English (at least where I was), but the people were very accommodating and very nice! </div>
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What surprised me was many of Quentin’s friends and family offered for me to stay with them in their homes on my next trip to France. I thought that was very generous and I look forward to seeing them all again. </div>
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<b>What was it like seeing your pup for the first time and hunting with their mother?</b></div>
It was very neat to see Gyda (Nyda) for the first time. Out of the same little, both he and his parents were keeping pups, so there were 4 of them running around when I arrived. It was fun to see how the interacted (fought) with each other and vied for attention. Hunting with their mother, Ilka, was reassuring that I had a made a good decision. She ranged well, seemed to have a good nose on her and had a very strong desire to hunt!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgznQulmPTfYwHRw_UbnywL1NOBVq5pTO1SFOZH7UOycrPYQGkO8R7UEKAgn6CIxUJpG1CQ4rpAWrZsjF4ww7Dym1sIsytFAni41ICoAf_gILBwgXWrP3fZrlNAfi1OwzcGJV87MjjGAt/s1600/26175683_1749854985045614_1555759402_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgznQulmPTfYwHRw_UbnywL1NOBVq5pTO1SFOZH7UOycrPYQGkO8R7UEKAgn6CIxUJpG1CQ4rpAWrZsjF4ww7Dym1sIsytFAni41ICoAf_gILBwgXWrP3fZrlNAfi1OwzcGJV87MjjGAt/s200/26175683_1749854985045614_1555759402_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><b>How was the homecoming for your pup? Kids must have been thrilled!</b><br />
Homecoming was great! It was fun to see the kids reaction after being gone a week and bringing home a new member of the family. They were happy to see me, but I think they were more excited to meet their pup! Travel was a bit stressful, but everything ended up where it should be. I would do it again now that I know the ropes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCp_KZEWKtBpASf9oFqLQJgqNDrZbpa_vFjy9DfrNoXv06aHfIVzeY4qBCVutKIIThezEOkOlUZa8zj7ox-13GteO36lhEmJ4DJB0G33HE0VQUWX49dTrXFkCQJtHF53avemuP8bbO2d6/s1600/25360844_1735438446487268_39533573_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCp_KZEWKtBpASf9oFqLQJgqNDrZbpa_vFjy9DfrNoXv06aHfIVzeY4qBCVutKIIThezEOkOlUZa8zj7ox-13GteO36lhEmJ4DJB0G33HE0VQUWX49dTrXFkCQJtHF53avemuP8bbO2d6/s1600/25360844_1735438446487268_39533573_n.jpg" /></a><b>Since she's been home, how has your pup adapted? What is her personality like?</b><br />
Pup has adapted very well! It took her about a week to adjust to our time (7 hours different than France), but once we got over that she sleeps all night (most nights). She has her puppy moments, but I still cannot get over how calm she is. She loves to cuddle, but isn’t over the top with having to pet all the time. After a bit, she just finds her pillow and lies down. For 4 months that is crazy! She is also very gentle with my kids (ages 4,8,11). Her personality seems laid back with a kind of whatever attitude. She doesn’t get worked up about anything besides a little whimpering in her kennel. Vacuum, loud noises, kids yelling have no effect on her. I can’t wait to get her in the field!<br />
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<b><i>I'd love to hear from other members of the growing Picardy family in North America, so post your 2017 stories in the comments below!</i></b><br />
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<span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book<i style="background-color: white; color: #7a7575; font-family: "droid sans", arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </i></span><a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/books/pointingdogsvolumeone">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a><br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-35649741464279511652017-10-05T07:21:00.001-07:002017-10-05T07:21:37.600-07:00Once you go French....One day, I will write the story of how an Icelandic-Ukrainian prairie boy grew up to become a wine-sipping, snipe hunting, stark raving francophile. In the meantime, let me share just one aspect of the French life I've adopted; my love of French cooking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Léo's first Canada..it weighed 13lbs!</td></tr>
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Here is a recipe that changed my entire outlook on hunting geese. I used to ignore them. Now I can't wait to put some in the game bag. So when you have a good goose shoot, <i>for the love of dog</i>, keep the legs, and gizzards! You can make confit and rillettes from them that will rock your world.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Léo's first Snow goose made awesome confit!</td></tr>
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
Goose legs<br />Gizzards (cleaned and halved)<br />Onions or Shallots<br />Garlic<br />Salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary (other spices can also be added. Try cardamon, cinnamon or nutmeg. If you like a bit of a kick, try some cayenne pepper).<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
<b>Step one: Cure the meat. </b><br />
Clean legs and gizzards, then wash and pat them dry<br />Place them in a glass bowl with chopped onions/shallots, garlic, salt and spices. Be generous here, don't skimp. You are basically doing a very short "cure" and will wash most of the salt and spices off the meat before it's cooked.<br />Put bowl in fridge overnight.<br />
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<b>Step Two: Confit the meat.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can even use woodcock legs!</td></tr>
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Turn your oven on to 220 degrees<br />Rinse the goose legs and gizzards and pat them dry. You want to get most of the salt off of them, but if some of the spices stick, that's ok.<br />Place the goose legs and gizzards into a dutch oven or oven safe bowl that you can cover with aluminum foil.<br />Cover all the meat with fat or oil.* Duck fat is the very best in terms of flavour, but is can be hard to find and is always expensive. Olive oil (even a relatively inexpensive brand) is a near perfect substitute. Just make sure to keep the heat under 225 degrees (I used olive oil for the legs in the photo above, it works great).<br />Put the dutch oven with the legs, gizzards and oil or fat in the oven and then take the dog for a grouse or woodcock hunt.<br />
Depending on the kind of goose (Snow geese cook faster than old Canada honkers) the meat will be done in as little as 4 hours. Generally, the geese we shoot take 6- 8 hours. To check if the meat is done, grab a bone with a pair of tongs. If the meat falls off as you lift it, the meat is done <span style="font-size: x-small;">*Confit is to deep fat frying what barbecue is to grilling. Low and slow versus fast and furious. And don't worry, the method doesn't really add any extra fat to the dish. The oil or fat only sticks to the surface of the meat and does not really penetrate it. And since there is no breading to soak it up, a confit leg of goose has far less fat than a deep fried piece of chicken. For more information on the method see the <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/01/ask-the-food-lab-what-the-heck-is-confit.html">Food Lab's article on confit</a>.</span><br />
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<b>Step three: Enjoy!</b> <br />
Slice the gizzards and serve them on toasted French bread with a bit of garlic aioli. Put the legs under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp/brown the surface and serve on just about anything.<br />
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<b>OR:</b><br />
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Take the legs and pull all the meat off with a fork. Using tongs or your fingers if it is not too hot, shred the meat like pulled pork into a mixing bowl. Add cut up chunks of gizzards. Stir in some cognac, or brandy, or port wine and add some wild blueberries. Stir it all together and put it in mason jars. You've now made "Rillettes" and they will keep in the fridge for up to a week or so. Serve rillettes at room temperature. Eat is like a nice paté, spread it on bread or crackers and enjoy with a nice Petite Sirah or Pinot Noir.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rabbit legs are GREAT for confit too!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<i>Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences</i>.<br />
— Julia Child<br />
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Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a><br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-4461875852422203742017-09-24T15:05:00.000-07:002017-09-25T06:38:12.423-07:00Interview with a Connoisseur Part 2<a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2015/07/interview-with-connoisseur.html">In Part 1</a> I asked professional trainer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thibaulteducation/">Xavier Thibault</a> about the various French pointing breeds and the French breeding system. Today I asked him about his approach to training those breeds.<br />
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<b>When it comes to training a dog from one of the French pointing breeds should a trainer take a slower, softer approach or one in which more pressure is applied?</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier in the field with a Braque Français</td></tr>
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In general, a lighter touch is best, but you can’t apply one method to all dogs, they are all different. So you have to adapt your approach to each individual. When I was a child, before learning to read and write, I learned to use a pen and pencil by coloring pictures in coloring books, and then I learned to draw letters and so on. For a young dog, it is the same sort of progression. The dog has to discover things, learn from its mistakes and successes. The trainer’s job is to guide a dog along the path he has chosen for it. And it takes about three years to fully train a dog, so don’t rush. Stay calm and carry on!<br />
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No matter what approach you take, it always comes down to being patient and giving dogs enough time to reach their full potential. Every dog, every person and every type of hunting terrain is different, and our French breeds clearly reflect that. Each was developed in its own region and each has its own character, style and look. So there is no single way to train a dog, there are as many ways to train as there are dogs, breeds and types of hunting terrains. You train a dog with your brain, not a training manual.<br />
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<b>In general, English pointing breeds seem to mature earlier than many of the German pointing breeds. But what about the French pointing breeds? Are they slow to develop or are they more on the precocious side?</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Xavier with a Braque Saint Germain</td></tr>
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Pointing can come seen quite early in some dogs from the French breeds but in general, that has nothing to do with how well the dog will eventually turn out. Some dogs point early and some point a bit later on, but what’s the use of pointing if the dog doesn’t know how to find game to point? Let's not forget that there are only two kinds of dogs: those that just seek and those that seek..and find!<br />
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A puppy is a puppy and will be that way until it matures. Trying to rush things along is useless. The most common mistake I see among amateur trainers is trying to do too much, too soon. If the dog is good, it will always be good. There is no need to hurry. I only start taking my dogs out to expose them to real game and actual hunting situations when they are about 6 or 7 months old. In the first few months, I don’t worry about how early they starting pointing or how far they range out. Developing a pointing dog is not a race.<br />
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<b>What French breed would you recommend to the following kinds of hunters:</b><br />
<b>1. One that hunts mostly in the marsh, duck, teal, goose, but a little woodcock in the forest?<br />2. One that hunts, partridge, snipe, grouse, and from time to time, waterfowl in the marsh?</b><br />
<b> 3. One that hunts a bit of everything, but in a hot dry conditions?</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier and a Braque de l'Ariège</td></tr>
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Each breed will adapt to the terrain it hunts, but it is usually best to choose a breed that has been developed for specific local conditions. In general, for wetlands and forest work, I would consider a dog from one of the <i>épagneul</i> breeds from Northern France like the the <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/07/breed-of-week-picardy-spaniel_12.html">Picardy Spaniel</a>, <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/05/the-pont-audemer-spaniel.html">Pont-Audemer Spaniel</a>, <a href="http://www.epagneuldesaintusuge.org/">Saint Usuge Spaniel</a>, <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/12/breed-of-week-french-spaniel.html">French Spaniel</a> etc. or a <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/06/breed-of-week-wirehaired-pointing.html">Kortahls Griffon</a>. For dryer, hotter conditions, I would consider one of the French braques like the <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/01/breed-of-week-braque-francais-part-one_11.html">Braque Français</a>, <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/01/breed-of-week-braque-saint-germain_29.html">Braque Saint Germain</a>, <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/breed-of-week-braque-de-l.html">Braque de l'Ariège</a> etc.. That said, I sold a Braque Saint Germain to a guy in Canada and it did really well there. But that is because our dogs are like us: they are at home wherever they end up hunting!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xavier and two Braques Saint Germain, a Springer Spaniel and a Korthal's Griffon</td></tr>
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Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a><br />
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<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-84142792704003233202017-08-19T10:00:00.003-07:002017-08-20T08:22:14.754-07:00Here and There Part 4<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<b>“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.” ― <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16667.Isaac_Asimov">Isaac Asimov</a></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Painting by Paul de Vos (1595-1678) </td></tr>
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In parts <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2015/03/here-and-there-part-one.html">one</a>, <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2015/04/here-and-there-part-two.html">two</a> and <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2015/04/here-and-there-part-three-homelands.html">three</a> of this series, I examined some interesting differences in bird dog culture, populations and registration numbers in North America, the UK and Europe. In part four, I will share my observations on European and North American field trials and do my best to explain the different approaches each system takes when it comes to using them as a selection tool for producing gundogs for hunters.<br />
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Since most of this post is based on what I've discovered over the last 20 years or so, I've structured it almost like an interview. The questions are based on comments/questions I've received over the years from various people in private messages and public forums, and bulletin boards. My answers are based on the ones I provided at the time but have been edited here for clarity.<br />
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<b><i>How do North American and European trials differ? In what ways are they the same?</i> </b><br />
Both Euro trials and NA trials are the domain of dedicated pros and amateurs doing their best to breed the highest performance animals they can. European and North American judges evaluate the style, class, brains, range, steadiness, use of nose of the dogs under judgment, but the main differences are in how they actually interpret those concepts. I will list some of the more important differences below.<br />
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<b>Breed specific styles:</b> On both sides of the ocean, all breeds have conformation standards. But in Europe, each breed has an official 'working standard'. European judges therefore pay more attention to breed-specific styles as they evaluate a dog's performance in the field. Setters, for example, should run very close to the ground and have a feline way of moving and crouch or even 'set' on the ground while pointing. Pointers run with a more upright style and must point standing up. Both have to perform the 'commanded approach' in a breed-specific way. Once a point is established and the handler gets up next to the dog both dog and handler move slowly towards the bird until the flush, that is called a "coulée" in French and "guidata" in Italian. A setter should do it with an extremely feline style, almost slithering along the ground, while a Pointer should do it standing tall with forceful, thrusting movements. I explain a bit more about the coulée <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/point-now-what.html">here. </a> Working standards are different for each breed. Some, like the <a href="http://www.epagneul-francais.org/standards-de-travail.html">working standard for the French Spaniel</a> are just a few paragraphs that describe the ideal speed, range and pointing posture for the breed. Others like this <i>seven thousand word</i> <a href="http://www.pointerclubitaliano.com/IlPointer/StandarddiLavoro.aspx">working standard for the Pointer published by the Pointer club of Italy</a> could fill an entire book. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diagram showing the ideal pattern for spring field trials</td></tr>
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<b>Ground Coverage:</b> The biggest difference may be the fact that in Europe, for many types of field trials, they want to see the dogs hunt in a windshield wiper pattern. For example, in Spring trials for British and Irish pointing breeds, as soon as they are released, the dogs make a huge cast out to 400-500 yards to the left, then turns into the wind, and runs past the handler out to another 400-500 yards to the right. Each time it passes in front of the handler it should be no more than about 50 to 60 yards in front. Michel Comte provides a good explanation of this kind of search pattern on his <a href="http://www.braquedubourbonnais.info/en/search.htm">Braque du Bourbonnais</a> site (the distances he provides are for the Bourbonnais. Distances for setters and Pointers are far greater).<br />
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<i><b>The field coverage looks to be very inefficient, the dog just runs back and forth on what seems to be the same line. </b></i><br />
Actually, it is a bit of an illusion in the videos due to zooming the lens in from a long way away. Optically, this creates a sort of compressed look to the frame and the dogs seems to pass only a few feet in front of the handler. In reality, the distance at which dogs pass in front of their handlers is basically shotgun range, about 40-60 yards. More than that is too big of a bite and they risk missing birds, less than that is too tight and they won't cover enough ground in the allotted time.<br />
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So the dog runs out to one side, passes in front of the handler at the appropriate distance then heads o the other side. And at the end of each cast it MUST turn into the wind...if it turns the other way, downwind, it risks being eliminated.<br />
<b><br /><i>The Diagrams imply that the dogs are always working into the wind otherwise these patterns would be inefficient. Is this always the case in practice?</i> </b><br />
Yes. The dogs are always worked into the wind. Trials run from one field to the next, each dog or brace working a new area. Judges, gallery, dogs and handlers move from one field to the next and always start into the wind. Sometimes this just means walking from one field to the next, often it means getting into the cars/vans/trucks and driving to the best place to start.<br />
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Following the trials around is sometimes kinda tricky. Everyone meets at a central location, usually a town hall in the nearest hamlet and then are divided up into groups led by a judge. Each group is then given an assigned area that consists of enough room and fields to run all the dogs. Sometimes those areas are miles from the village and even if they start off close by, they end up miles away. So if you are not there at the start, finding any particular group is kinda tough since they could be anywhere within a given zone of many square miles.<br />
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After a couple of seasons though, I got pretty good at finding groups. I would just drive around the general area and look for the long line of vans and cars out in the middle of nowhere...often on pretty rough two-tracks between fields. Here is a video (in French) about spring field trials. It has some decent footage of dogs running and pointing (I suspect that some of the scenes are set-ups with planted birds, but some are authentic). At about the 3:20 mark, there are scenes of what the gallery of people, cars and trucks looks like at a typical field trial in France.<br />
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<i><b>Also it seems they want their pointing breeds to work more of an enlarged spaniel pattern. Fair?</b></i><br />
Yes, in spring trials run in fields covered with winter wheat, they expect the dogs to have a side to side windshield wiper pattern. The reason is that the fields are basically green carpets of sprouts...no real objectives or lines per se. In fact, they even run them across plowed fields because they actually hold birds. When I first started watching trials there I thought there was no way that any birds would be out in those fields. But there can be surprisingly large numbers of birds in some areas (others have fewer...some have next to none...it depends on the year, the weather and other factors).<br />
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<b>Different </b><b>Speeds:</b> I've had the pleasure of watching <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/prairie-dogs">Pointers and setters run in North American field trials</a> and have hunted over some on my own hunting grounds. And I've always marveled at just how fast they run. But nothing prepared me for the first time I saw Pointers and setters run in spring time field trials in France. They looked like greyhounds on a race track!<br />
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But the difference is not how fast they are <i>capable </i>of running. If American-bred and European-bred setters and Pointers were run on a greyhound track, I think they'd be fairly evenly matched. It is just that American bred dogs are selected, conditioned and trained to run for longer periods of time. Some North American field trials are three hours long! European bred dogs are selected, conditioned and trained to run as fast as they are physically capable of running for 15-20 minutes at a time. </div>
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The easiest way to understand the difference is to imagine a typical North American-bred Pointer or setter running in a field trial hitting objectives and really laying down a fast race. Now imagine that a rabbit pops up in front of him and he gives in to the temptation. He decides to be a baaaad boy and he takes off in hot pursuit of that rabbit. You see that extra gear he just switched into? Notice that no matter how fast he was running before that rabbit popped up, there was still one more gear of turbo speed he could kick it up to?<br />
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Ya, well THAT is the speed that the Euro dogs are expected (and bred and trained and pushed) to have for their entire run. Basically, they run like they are chasing something or are being chased by something. And that is why I say it is more like Top Fuel Drag Racing...the dogs don't run for a long time but they run really, really fast. Here is a video of a young European-bred setter in a trial. It is a good indication of the kind of speed they want to see.</div>
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<i><b>Watching a few of the videos seems like the dogs are just hitting the after burners. Is the dog's nose able to keep up with the speed? </b></i><br />
It depends. When I first started attending trials I could not believe any dog could actually run that fast and nail a point...especially considering that they were looking for wild huns in ankle deep winter wheat! And a lot of dogs do in fact crash and burn. They run too fast for their noses and the conditions, they bump a bird...and they are eliminated. But, amazingly, some do manage to slam points as they are running full blast. And I think that is what everyone is looking for. Like the big league trialers over here, or car racing or other thrilling sports, they want to see contestants that are just on the edge of fabulous glory...or the agony of defeat.<br />
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Here is another video that shows the kind of speeds dogs run at in some of these trials. The entire video is worth watching, but if you want to see a young Pointer run across the field like his ass is on fire <b>skip to the 12:50 mark.</b><br />
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<b>Different Tails:</b> Have a look at the videos above one more time but this time, pay attention to the dogs' tails as they run. You will notice that it is held below the level of the back and doesn't really move much. The reason is speed. Euro handlers and breeders prefer a so-called dead tail (in North America a cracking, slashing, animated tail is preferred). The idea is that any energy going to the tail is wasted and should go to the legs. And remember the example I provided above of a North American dog chasing a rabbit? Chances are, no matter how animated a dog's tail is when it is hunting, if it switches into turbo sprint mode, it's tail will drop and be far less active as it sprints to the horizon chasing a deer or jack rabbit (look at the tail on this S<a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2006/12/doing-it-very-very-old-school_24.html">aluki chasing a big jack rabbit</a>). On point, the tail is more or less level with the back or slightly lower. To many Americans, a low tail is an abomination, just like a high tail is to many Europeans. <i>À chacun, son goût!</i></div>
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<b><i>I would like to see how many finds they have compared to how many birds are bumped or ran over.</i> </b><br />
If they bump a bird they are out. If the handler or judge puts up a bird they are out. That is why they go back and forth, they have to cover the entire area to make sure they get to the bird before the handler or judge. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.<br />
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<b>Different Trial Formats and Standards:</b> European judges follow the FCI working standards. Their version of all-age is called <i>Grande Quête</i> in French (literally big quest or big search) and those trials are considered the highest level of performance. Most <i>Grande Quête</i> trials take place in the spring on wild huns. <i>Grande Quête</i> dogs are considered the top of the top and have a similar reputation to our all-age dogs (ie: some folks love em, others think they are too much dog).<br />
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Their cover dog trials are called Autumn Trials or Woods trials and are run on stocked pheasants and/or wild woodcock and other game (they also have trials on snipe for example). They usually take place in the fall. One of the most popular spots is in south western France near Bordeaux. Cover dogs are said to have a <i>quête de chasse</i> (hunting search, equivalent to our gundog stakes) so that, I think, would be the closest thing to what we call a cover dog (or in some ways like a <a href="http://nstra/">NSTRA</a> dog too I guess).<br />
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What a lot of North Americans don't realize is just how massive the European field trial scene really is. Some trials can have over 500 dogs entered! There are professional trainers and handlers all over the place and they even have their own union of sorts. National teams of dogs run in a sort of field trial Olympics for the European cup and there are huge numbers of breeders and followers all across Europe.<br />
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Have a look at this video from the 2017 <i>Campo Felice </i>trial in Italy. It is a huge annual two-day event where Pointers and setters are run on released European quail (coturnix coturnix). Not all trials are this big of course, but it gives you an idea of just how organized the system really is over there.<br />
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<i><b>When you speak of Euro trials, what area of Europe are you talking about? When my bride was in Norway/Sweden for some FT's it sounds different from what describe.</b></i><br />
The center of the European field trial world is Italy/France/Spain. That is where most of the pros are and most of the top dogs are bred (Italian dogs dominate). But there are lots of trials elsewhere in places like Holland, Denmark, Portugal, even Greece, Croatia, Russia and elsewhere.<br />
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There is a fair sized trial system in Sweden and Norway. But the Scandinavian system is a bit different. A lot of their trials are held in the mountains on ptarmigan and other wild birds. They also use pointing dogs more like the British do...ie: after the point, the dog is expected to rush in and flush the birds and then stay steady to wing and shot. From what I understand, Scandinavian trials are supposed to be more like a day out hunting with far less emphasis on the sort of super fast and wide windshield wiper casting that is the rule in trials in France/Italy/Spain.<br />
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<i><b>In the spring the birds are singles, and in coveys in the fall? </b></i><br />
In the spring the birds are usually pairs of huns that are courting and preparing to mate, but may be singles or in small coveys. The whole spring season starts in the south of Spain in January and works north all the way to northern France until mid April. The trial dates are set to coincide with when the wheat is just high enough and the birds are paired up but not sitting on eggs. Most years it works out just right but sometimes the wheat is too high or too low, or the birds are not yet paired up.<br />
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In the fall, trials are run on woodcock (wild, almost always singles), snipe (ditto) but the biggest events of the fall season are shoot-to-retrieve trials run on released pheasants. They take place in wooded areas where birds are set out the night before. Here is a video of an autumn field trial held in southwestern France near Bordeaux.<br />
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Different Durations: </b>In a typical field trial in Europe, dogs run from 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes longer, but almost never more than 30 minutes. In North America, dogs run from 30 minutes to 3 hours!<br />
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<b><i>What's the point of having a dog that runs like hell for 20-30 minutes and then goes back to the truck? Who hunts for only that long</i>?</b><br />
In the same way that all-age field trials over here do not really reflect an average day hunting -- most North Americans do not hunt quail from horseback -- top level springtime trials are not really designed to reflect the average day out hunting in Europe.<br />
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Both trial formats exist to develop the extreme ends of the canine spectrum. In North America, those extremes include things like speed, endurance, high tails, bird finding ability and other qualities. In Europe they want to see even greater speed, a different kind of ground pattern and a very breed-specific style of running/pointing/roading in. And let's not forget that a lot of trial formats over here (NSTRA, AKC, NAVHDA field components) are in the 30 minute range as well. They don't have as much of an endurance component either but they still manage to identify high performance hunting dogs.<br />
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When I first started attending European trials, I asked a judge why the stakes are only 20 minutes or so. He replied: "If I can't identify the traits I want to see and the style I am looking for in a dog in 20 minutes, it is not there...it will not suddenly appear after an hour or so".<br />
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<i><b>I am of the opinion that short braces for adult dogs is conceptually flawed. For starters, and we have this happening in the US, selecting animals that run full blast is not IMO good for any breed. I want a nice hard pace but this trend is producing dogs that run frantically is not to the benefit to hunters or the breed. </b> </i><br />
I would agree, and I am sure that most hard-core European field trial breeders would agree with you...if their main goal was to produce dogs that were a benefit to hunters. It is not. Their primary goal is to win competitions. The fact that many of the winning dogs can offer some benefits to hunters and hunting dog lines is a fantastic secondary side effect and something that all hunting dog breeders should appreciate...but it is not the main focus of people trying to breed the perfect trial dog.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Field trial near <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/everybody-knows-where-broomhill-at.html">Broomhill Manitoba</a></td></tr>
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And that, in essence, is the upshot and downside of competitive events. They are highly effective at distilling whatever specific traits you seek. But they eventually become a world unto themselves and the envelope they push does not necessarily match the performance envelope of the hunting field.<br />
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For the Europeans, one of the main traits seems to be speed. Having a fast dog is good...having a faster dog is better, having the fastest dog on the day is usually best and, if a dog does everything else right, speed will go a long way to getting you in the winner's circle. And breeders over there go to great lengths to get that speed. Accusations of doping are sometimes made and it is fairly clear that Greyhounds and even Salukis may have been bred into some lines (to the detriment of the nose and point) all in an effort to get faster and wider running dogs.<br />
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So what we see is that the dogs over there now are way, way faster than there were 30 years ago. And the trend can be seen across almost all the pointing breeds. Some Braques and Epagneuls, GSPs and Wirehairs are now approaching the speed and range of some setters and Pointers. And it is competition that is driving the quest for better trial dogs.<br />
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We can see it in other traits as well and on both sides of the ocean. At some point in time in US field trials a high tail became a good thing. Then an even higher tail became better, and eventually a 12 o'clock tail became best. In Europe, a certain setter style was good, more setterish movement became better and a really exaggerated feline panther-stalking-its-prey kind of movement is now seen as best...and is in fact required if you want to win a trial. Yet it could be argued that both of these highly desired traits, the 12 O'clock tail in the US and the cat-like movement and "setting" in Europe are of very limited value to hunters.<br />
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The bottom line is that competition is all about pushing the envelope. I can't ever imagine a day when Euro breeds will say "OK, that is all the speed we will ever need". The fact is, they will always be seeking that extra bit of speed even if they are close to the structural limits of canine physiognomy right now. And I can't imagine a day when US breeders will declare, "OK, that is all the drive or endurance we will ever need". They will continue to seek that extra <i>umph</i> they want to see in a dog. Heck we have 1 hour stakes, 2 hour stakes, even 3+ hour endurance stakes for pointing dogs, and all of them seem like a cake-walk compared to the <a href="http://iditarod.com/about/">Iditarod</a> for sled dogs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English Setter at full speed in a cover crop field in France</td></tr>
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Competition is about pushing the envelope. That field trial envelope and the hunting dog envelope overlap in many areas is great, but they don't completely overlap and breeders who are full bore into field trials are all about pushing the envelope that gets them in the winner's circle.<br />
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<b><i>In comparison to NA trials where there is an endurance component to it, how would they evaluate endurance for breeding purposes since trials are supposed to do such things?</i> </b><br />
Their argument goes like this: "any dog that is capable of running at a top fuel pace for 20 minutes is far above the average in terms of athletic abilities. They have more than enough heart and lung and leg and with the proper conditioning all the endurance you need in a hunting dog".<br />
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Until I actually hunted with some of those field trial dogs, I was skeptical. But I saw it with my own eyes. I hunted all day, every day for 8 days straight with a pair of English Setters from French field trial lines. And they kept up with all the other dogs. Now, they did NOT run like they do in trials...they ran fast but certainly not at the ass-on-fire pace they run in trials. They kept up a nice hunt-all-day speed the entire time.<br />
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Upon reflection, I realized that even if marathon runners have the best endurance of all, 800 meter runners and even 100 meter sprinters are still superb athletes. Hussein Bolt would never take gold in a marathon, but I am damn sure he could train to run a marathon fairly easily and I would bet my bottom dollar that he could run a marathon faster than every couch potatoes on the planet.<br />
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But let me add one other thing. Whenever a system is created to select for extremes, and you add money and competition, you get positive and negative results. The knock on Euro dogs running in the big trials is that they are too much dog, that they are hyper run offs, that they burn out early and die before they are 6 years old etc. And there is probably a grain of truth in there. The Italians produce nearly 20 thousand setters every year. Some of the dogs probably are nuts, some probably die early, some probably do run off. But in reality, men and women are pretty good at developing high performance animals. It is not really rocket science. Breeders have been doing it on both sides of the ocean for 150 years now and they have produced animals that are light years ahead of where they used to be.<br />
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<i><b>Are the hunting spots or coverts over there so small that you go through them quickly and move on to another spot further away so the dog gets a rest between them? Do people have more dogs?</b></i><br />
Some spots are smaller, some are huge. Some guys have only one dog and hunt it for hours on end, others have more than one dog. It really depends on the country and the game they are hunting. I've been to spots in northern France (Beauce, Picardy) that looked like Kansas wheat country. And I've been to places in Italy that looked like Idaho. One thing that is different though is that there are more paved roads and a lot more traffic so more dogs get killed while hunting, and there are way, way more hares, which pointing dog guys hate! Check this video out. I think it is northern Italy somewhere:<br />
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Usually, when I talk dogs with dog men and women on either side of the ocean, I am met with genuine curiosity about 'the other side' and I do my best to explain the differences and similarities between the two worlds. However, I have occasionally run into people on both sides of the Atlantic that are not only uninterested in what's happening on the other side, but openly hostile to the idea that high caliber field trial and hunting dogs could come from any other country or system of format. Here are some typical sorts of exchanges.<br />
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<i><b>As far as style and hunt is concerned I don't see anything worthwhile in those European dogs. They have no class and seem no better than show dogs in the field. </b></i></div>
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Well, I should point you towards thread I started on a French field trial forum. I posted photos of North American all-age Pointers and setters that I consider to be awesome dogs. But the comments I got from the French field trialers are almost identical to yours...except the other way around of course. They simply could not get their head around what they see as a complete lack of style in our dogs and some did not even believe me that the dogs in the photos were purebred Pointers or setters. One smart ass even said that we must be breeding Pitbull into our Pointer lines and Cocker Spaniels into our setter lines and another accused me of photo-shopping the dogs' tails to make the stick straight up. They did not believe the dogs did that naturally. </div>
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Look, the bottom line is this: there is simply no way to say which system is better or which one produces better dogs. Is NASCAR better than Formula One? Are cricketers better than baseball players, rugby players better than football players? About the only thing we can say is that they are all freakin awesome performers and athletes.<br />
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And that is why I have concluded, after seeing a good number of dogs over here and over there, that any Pointer or setter that has reached the top level of competition in North American or European field trials can run circles around 99% of all the other dogs out there, just as any pro rugby or football player can run circles around all of us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pointer at the break-away of a field trial near <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/everybody-knows-where-broomhill-at.html">Broomhill, Manitoba</a></td></tr>
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<i><b>No one over here gives a damn about those dogs over there and you couldn't give me one of them. </b></i><br />
I've actually heard this line from people in a half-dozen countries and I must say that despite my best efforts, I've made very little progress convincing them that there are good dogs in other regions of the world. But the most important thing to remember in all this North America vs Euro dog thing is that no one in Europe expects anyone in North America to value their dogs, and vice versa. If you don't give a damn about the dogs over there it really doesn't matter. No one running dogs in the European championship is trying to market their dogs to quail hunters in Texas and no one running dogs at Ames does it in order to crack the Pointer and setter market in Italy.<br />
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Fortunately, folks that look down on anything that isn't from their own neck of the woods are in the minority. The vast majority of field trialers and hunters I have met on both sides of the ocean are interested in hearing about good dogs, no matter where they are from. They know that a good dog is a good dog, and that is all that matters.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleepy Pointer at training camp.</td></tr>
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<i><b>But our breeders have done more to improve Pointers and setters than anyone else in the world.</b></i><br />
Based on all the research I have done I would say the Europeans have improved their dogs just as much as we have ours. Both sides have made huge strides in their dogs over the last 100 years.<br />
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There are detailed descriptions of the dogs themselves as well as their hunting styles (not to mention photos) of Pointers and setters from England in the mid to late 1800s and many of them are closer matches to modern NA dogs than they are modern European dogs. The Euros tend to keep more of a breed-specific look in even their highest level setters and Pointers. So their dogs tend to have far more typical heads and coats because breeders have to have their dogs confirmed by a judge (ie; they must look like a setter or pointer and be within the breed standard for form) before they can get a field champion title.</div>
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That said, because of the enormous amount of competition and because of the nature of judging a dogs looks, Euro dogs now have exaggerated looks compared to North American dogs (well except for the tail), I mean, just look at this bad boy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Hastro des <a href="http://www.emmanuelbourgeois-dresseur.com/">Buveurs d'Air</a></td></tr>
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One of my favorite photos that I ever took is of FDSB hall of famer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/daviskennels/">Colvin Davis</a> with my Pont-Audemer Spaniel pup in his arms. I told him that Uma was one of only three hundred Pont-Audemers in the world and that her mother was a kick-ass field trial champion in France. Colvin just smiled, held her for the camera and said "Well I'll be!"<br />
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And THAT really told me a lot about guys like Colvin who have dedicated their lives to their pursuit. They are secure enough in the knowledge that what they have achieved is true greatness in their field, and they are able to understand and accept the fact that others can achieve true greatness too, even if they took a different road to get there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/daviskennels/">Colvin Davis</a> with <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/happy-birthday-uma">Uma</a></td></tr>
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Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a><br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-91643497282098105792017-05-31T19:43:00.003-07:002017-05-31T20:26:46.727-07:00Plus ça change....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>France is full of treasures.</b> From ancient castles to the best wines, cheeses, guns and gun dogs on the planet, the French really have a knack for combining art and science to come up with something greater than the sum of its parts. Take French libraries for example. <a href="http://www.blog.welcome2france.com/10-of-the-most-beautiful-libraries-in-paris/">Some of them</a> are more than just repositories of written works, they are works of art in and of themselves. And when it comes to the cutting edge of technology, French libraries lead the way in terms of online access to incredible treasure troves of information.</div>
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<b>The Bibliothèque nationale de France's digital library <a href="http://gallica.bnf.fr/accueil/?mode=desktop">Gallica</a> is second to none.</b> It was established in 1997 and was made available on the Web in 2012. Anyone with access to the net can consult the over 2 million documents in the collection and I must admit that I visit the site at least once a day and sometimes squeal like a kid in a candy shop when I find something really interesting...like THIS:<br />
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It's an article published in 1933 in a magazine called "<i>L'Éleveur : journal hebdomadaire illustré de zoologie appliquée, de chasse, d'acclimatation et de la médecine comparée des animaux utiles.</i>" It is description of the Picardy Spaniel's situation at the time and a detailed version of the breed's (then) standard. Here is the original (click to view full size). I will include an English translation below:<br />
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<b>THE ÉPAGNEUL PICARD (Picardy Spaniel)</b><br />
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We recall having written, in one of our recent articles about field trials, that we should pay more attention to the field trials results of our outstanding native breeds of pointing dogs, bred by and for our own hunters to work in our conditions. <br />
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And we mentioned that there were excellent dogs just about everywhere in the hands of intelligent breeders, but that those breeders were, unfortunately, reluctant to promote them to the public. Alas! If the Tower of Ivory is a palace of delight for a thinker, it is hardly conducive to the sharing of the ideas that are formed there. Nowadays, especially, where mass marketing is King, in order to get the word out, you have to shout from every rooftop. When you present your dogs in competition it doesn't matter if they are mediocre, at least people will talk about them. But if you avoid showing your breed in public for a few years people will completely forget about it, as if it had never existed.<br />
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The Picardy Spaniel is a good example. Where would a hunter who is just starting out get the idea of buying a Picard spaniel? He's only ever heard of Pointers, setters and Brittanies because that is all he sees everywhere. And yet many of our old French races are full of excellent hunting partners. <br />
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So today, we will give you and example: the Picardy Spaniel. But before we get to our subject, we must thank M. Flandre, the amiable president of the Club de l'Epagneul Picard, whose precious documentation helped us write this article. For thirty years Mr. Flandre has been as the relentless supporter of the Picardy Spaniel, and ever since his entry into the dog world in 1903, he has remained faithful to the true and pure breed type, always rejecting any infusion of blood English.<br />
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Although it has only been officially recognized recently, it is likely that the Picardy spaniel's origins go back a long ways since all the classic hunting authors, even ancient ones, mention not only white and brown épagneuls but also one with speckled gray coats, ones that are self-colored and some that are completely brown. Mr. A. de la Rue even claims that the latter variety reproduces better than the preceding ones.<br />
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The Picard is a large and beautiful dog. Its silky, wavy, speckled gray robe is dotted with dark brown patches, more of the time. It differs from the French Spaniel not only in terms of coat colour but by certain characteristics that confirm the decision to separate the two different varieties was correct. The Picardy has, more often than not, tan markings on its head and feet, which for the French Spaniel that is a fault. Other distinctive markings, even though they are quite small exist in the nose, eyes, back, kidney and tail set.<br />
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Developed to work in a region where hunting is extremely varied, the qualities of the Picardy spaniel should be great docility, a careful way of working and and the ability to quickly adapt to any kind of game. These qualities, which are the strong points for many of our continental breeds, the Picardy Spaniel has in abundance. It loves to hunt snipe, grouse, rabbit, as well as woodcock or pheasant. It does not fear the deep water and will easily retrieve waterfowl from the water, even in winter.<br />
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Its robust constitution and protective fur make it one of the best breeds for hunting the marsh and forest on the same day. It has a very docile nature, lively intelligence, excellent nose. It is devoted to its master, and that is a characteristic of racial purity since many of our spaniels have had excessive infusions of English blood and have lost that fundamental character trait. That is why the Picardy breed club has always proscribed infusions of English blood, so most of the crosses done in the Picardy where with French spaniels.<br />
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Statistics for the numbers of dogs shown in exhibitions, faithfully submitted by M. Flandre, give us some idea of the evolution of the Picardy.<br />
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The first appearance was in 1899 at an exhibition in Amiens, where there are 6 dogs, all of them males were shown. In 1903, at Montdidier, eight; In 1904, at the Paris exhibition, 6 picardies among 13 spaniels, and two M. Raltel subjects made the first and second prizes in C. 0. In 1906, Mr. Amiens harbored 15 spaniels from Picardy and Paris, the following year, 7. From there, we jump to 1908, who lives 4 subjects at Dieppe and 1909, who lives 5 subjects in Paris. In 1910, it was, in a way, the apogee of the race: Paris had only 1 subjects, but all of quality, because two Champions came out; Amiens received 17 subjects with class opening of youth, field-trialers and Champion; Other Picards, among them Champion Toin, pBy the inscriptions in the exhibitions, which have been faithfully pointed out by M. Flandre, we shall have some idea of the evolution of the Picard spaniel. <br />
He made his appearance in 1899 at the exhibition in Amiens, where there were 6 dogs, all of them males. In 1903, at Montdidier, eight dogs; In 1904, at the Paris exhibition, 6 picards on 13 spaniels, and two M. Raltel subjects made the first and second prize in C. 0. In 1906, 15 spaniels from Picardy Spaniels at Amiens and Paris, the following year, 7. </div>
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From there, we jump to 1908, 4 dogs at Dieppe and 1909, 5 dogs in Paris. In 1910, it was, in a way, the breed's apogee : Paris had only 3 dogs, but all of high quality, two Champions were made; Amiens, 17 dogs classes for youth, field-trialers and Champion; Other Picardies, among them Champion Tom, appeared at Bordeaux and Niort, who attended the first prizes and C. A. C. <br />
1911 had eight entries in Paris; 1912, 6 in Paris and 11 in Amiens; 1913, 3 in Rouen and 4 in Paris; 1919, 4 in Paris and 2 in Rouen. </div>
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1920 marked an event. : 25 dogs were presented at Amiens, all dogs of high class, of which a lot of 10 dogs owned by M. Flandre, obtained the prize of honor of the President of the Republic, against a superb lot of Irish setters; Five very good dogs, including a male with C. A. C., were also in Rouen that same year. </div>
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1921 saw the first special exhibition of the club, which brought together at Amiens 27 dog including a class of first-rate females: 3 subjects in Lille; 5 in Paris and 2 in Rouen, that same year. </div>
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1922 had 26 dogs at Amiens; 13 in Paris, 1 in Brussels, the famous Sapphire, 11 in Arras. </div>
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1923 had 28 dogs at Amiens, including Saphir and Diane; 9 in Saint-Quentin, 9 in Boulogne, 2 in Rouen; 1921, 23 in Amiens; 1925, 11 in Arras: 192G, 4 in Reims, 5 in Paris and 10 in Amiens; 1927, 12 in Amiens, 3 in Paris. 1 in Béthune; 1929, 18 in Amiens. This is one of the club's last special exhibitions. </div>
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1930 saw 10 engagements at Grandvilliers, 6 at Amiens, 2 at VilIe-d'Eu. 1 in Paris; 1931, 2 in Aumale, 10 in Beauvais, 6 in Amiens and 1932, 1 in Poix, 1 in Senlis, 5 in Amiens and 3 in Dieppe.<br />
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Since then, numbers have continued to decline year after year, but the quality has remained good. Although this survey does not pretend to be thoroughly complete, it nevertheless gives an exact idea of the fluctuations of the Picard spaniel, and there seems to be at present a noticeable decrease in the breeding of this breed . With regard to field trials, we do not have the records. The most brilliant period was also that of 1902, 1903 and 1901, when the famous Champion Tom, to M. Ralttel, was presented by Cotterousse, notably at Nantes and at Sully-sur-Loire.<br />
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Beside him, Bellotte, Pyrrhus of Picardy, and others, made mention of them at the time. They would then compete with all the spaniels and sometimes even with the English dogs and yet managed to rank honorably.<br />
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<b>BREED STANDARD</b><br />
In terms of conformation, here are the points which were fixed in 1908 by MM. Flanders, Yves, Parel, Mégnin and some other supporters of the Picardy spaniel, under the presidency of M. de Coninck:<br />
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<b>Nose</b> - Qualities: Brown, medium, fairly round. Faults: Black, sharp, tight or double nose. <br />
<b>Lips</b> - Qualities: Average thickness, somewhat lowered, not too pendent. Faults: too thick and too high. <br />
<b>Muzzle</b> - Qualities: long, fairly broad, diminishing from the attachment of the head to the muzzle and very slight prominence in the middle. Faults: too short, too abrupt, head pear shaped or too thin. <br />
<b>Skull </b>- Qualities: Round and broad, flat sides, oblique and not at right angles. Faults: square or too straight, narrow and short. <br />
<b>Eyes</b> - Qualities: dark amber color, very open, frank and very expressive. Faults: Too light, wicked look, too sunken or or slanted. <br />
<b>Ears </b>Qualities: well feathered, nicely framing the head. Beautiful wavy hairs. Faults: narrow, short, attached too high, too curly or lacking feathering. <br />
<b>Neck</b>. - Qualities: well attached, well muscled. Faults: too long, too small or too short <br />
<b>Shoulders b</b>- Qualities: fairly long, fairly muscular. Faults: Short, too straight, too oblique or too wide. <br />
<b>Limbs</b> - Qualities: well muscled. Faults: too fine. <br />
<b>Chest </b>-<b> </b>Qualities: deep, fairly broad, straight down to the elbow. Faults: too narrow not well down <br />
<b>Back </b>- Qualities: medium length, slight depression after the withers, hips slightly lower than the withers. Faults: too long and roached. <br />
<b>Loin</b> - Qualities: straight, not too long, broad and thick. Faults: too long, too narrow and weak. <br />
<b>Hips</b> - Qualities: Prominent, arriving in the middle of the back and the loin. Faults: too low, too high or too narrow. <br />
<b>Croup</b> - Qualities: very slightly oblique and rounded: the tail not attached too high. Faults: too oblique. <br />
<b>Flanks </b>- Qualities: flat but deep, though fairly high. Faults: round, too high, too low. <br />
<b>Tail</b> - Qualities: forming two slight curves, convex and concave, not too long, adorned with beautiful feathering. Faults: sabre too long or curly, attached too high or too low. <br />
<b>Front legs</b> -. Qualities: straight, well muscled, elbows well let down, decorated with feathering. Faults: without feathering, fine, elbows in or out. <br />
<b>Back legs</b> - Qualities: straight thighs, well let down, broad, well muscled, well fringed to the hocks, straight stifles, hocks slightly bent. Faults: narrow thighs, no fringes, bent or tight hocks. <br />
Feet - Qualities: round, wide, tight, with a little hair between the toes. Faults: straight or flat or too open. <br />
<b>Skin </b>- Qualities: fairly fine and supple. Fault: too thick. <br />
<b>Hair</b> - Qualities: thick and not very silky, fine on the head, slightly wavy on the body. Faults: fine, silky, curly or too short. <br />
<b>Coat</b> - Qualities: gray speckled, with brown patches on the various parts of the body and at the root of the tail, most often marked with tan points on the head and feet. Faults: too brown or white spots, or black. <br />
<b>Overall</b> Powerfully built dog, from 55 to 60 cm at the withers, strong and lithe limbs, soft, expressive countenance, head carriage: lively and strong, strong well-developed front. <br />
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This wonderful breed, which is becoming more and more rare in exhibitions and which is no longer seen in field trials, must not be left to disappear. Let us wish for a triumphant awakening, like that of his first cousin, the French spaniel. </div>
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<b>So how has the breed fared since 1933? </b></div>
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<b>Throughout the 40s, 50s, 60s and well into the 70s, the number of Picardy Spaniel pups born in France was very low.</b> Only 9 Picardy pups were registered with the French Kennel club in 1970 for example. Fortunately, since the 80s, numbers have risen and the breed has found the support of hunters in other countries. The chart below shows that average number of Picardy pups registered annually over the last 45 years is about100 pups, a tenfold increase from 1970, but still dangerously low. </div>
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<b>Outside of France, stats are harder to come by, but my guess is that an additional 20 to 40 Picardy Spaniel pups are whelped in places like Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and Austria each year.</b> So if the average life span of a Picardy is 9 years and there are say, 125 pups whelped per year, that means the entire world-wide population of Picardy Spaniels is only about 1000 individuals right now.<br />
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<b>The numbers are better than they were in1933, but in a way, we are still waiting for the "triumphant awakening" the author of the article called for 85 years ago</b>. And to be fair, we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. It looks like the number of pups being produced in France and elsewhere in Europe is on the rise and a few more hunters in North America are now getting into the breed. But there is still a lot of work to do so that "This wonderful breed... not be left to disappear."</div>
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-70819449763780906392017-05-25T19:25:00.000-07:002017-05-25T19:25:17.466-07:00Léo's First Rooster<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="4ok20-0-0"><span data-text="true">What to do for the next 99 days waiting until the hunting season opens? How about writing about our adventures from seasons past? Here is a story written </span></span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="4ok20-1-0" spellcheck="false"><span data-offset-key="4ok20-1-0"><span data-text="true">by my beautiful wife Lisa Trottier</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="4ok20-2-0"><span data-text="true"> about our pup Léo's first pheasant hunt: </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccR9ZhsY8Nwv2NXSR3ObBAvRMt_VcSew78cQtxZox-47onNXI_Dh6Kr9ErVViQIx4lI-KYWq_rAQaIgY-87zv27qkVEhBdumT7UlWYlQNaWC0PMVvOXVueU9jHH7K1ywpAKerkHny1mVv/s1600/IMG_0908-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccR9ZhsY8Nwv2NXSR3ObBAvRMt_VcSew78cQtxZox-47onNXI_Dh6Kr9ErVViQIx4lI-KYWq_rAQaIgY-87zv27qkVEhBdumT7UlWYlQNaWC0PMVvOXVueU9jHH7K1ywpAKerkHny1mVv/s1600/IMG_0908-Edit.jpg" /></a><span data-offset-key="43kce-0-0"><span data-text="true">As we do every year, we go to North Dakota to hunt pheasants. Last year we took Uma, our 13-year-old Pont-Audemer spaniel who still loves to hunt, and Leo, our 10-month-old Picardy spaniel. And I should mention that just seeing a Ponto and a Picardy on the same hunting grounds in North America is already a feat in itself!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ak7l7-0-0"><span data-text="true">Since Uma is now getting on in years and it was Léo's first hunting season, we weren't really expecting much. The main goal was to have fun with Uma and get Léo into some birds. Where we hunt, all the pheasants are wild. The are usually found in or near cat tails that surround the many ponds scattered across the huge fields of harvested grain.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2ql9r-0-0"><span data-text="true">We arrived in North Dakota in late afternoon after a 600 km road trip. We decided to let the dogs out to stretch their legs in a field that looked like it would be easy enough for a pup to run and hunt in. After twenty minutes of zooming around the field Leo caught scent of something and headed towards the reeds. I hear: "Point" so I rush to get into position. </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="c5s7j-0-0"><span data-text="true">Then Craig says: "Leo is on an awesome point, but I think the pheasant is running. I will see if he will do the 'coulé' (a technique that we had not yet taught Léo to do. In English is it called 'drawing on' and means getting a dog to cautiously follow a running bird after the bird has been pointed, but then tries to run off. The goal is to stay close enough so the bird doesn't sneak away yet far enough so that the bird hunkers down again for a point instead of flushing.) </span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="46ire-0-0">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yH_dnIwhFCx1nG5lCqX7VIUoV3iBapFZ3KUzWWhyphenhyphenMXXPGtja7rABtRoAmenV-DhUgnSWeGWUcYQrqBvU2A9AA_VsSZuklXkyMhlxBmIHGD2DcsEgKBDWIqrlf_CuMxYY2WlAbarm-i4J/s1600/Hunting11-111027-1023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yH_dnIwhFCx1nG5lCqX7VIUoV3iBapFZ3KUzWWhyphenhyphenMXXPGtja7rABtRoAmenV-DhUgnSWeGWUcYQrqBvU2A9AA_VsSZuklXkyMhlxBmIHGD2DcsEgKBDWIqrlf_CuMxYY2WlAbarm-i4J/s200/Hunting11-111027-1023.jpg" width="200" /></a><span data-offset-key="46ire-0-0"><span data-text="true">I hear Craig say "coule.... coule..." (in English we'd say easy... easy..) but I can't see anything except his head and shoulders above the cat tails, about thirty yards away. </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="c89h6-0-0">
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="2dkuv-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2dkuv-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2dkuv-0-0"><span data-text="true">I keep watching and get into a better position. Once again I hear "Point!" and a few seconds later a big rooster comes cackling out from cover. </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="99a5m-0-0">
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="aefsn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="aefsn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="aefsn-0-0"><span data-text="true">I shoulder my side-by-side and using my best Quebecois slang say "tu vas nulle part mon maudit!" (You ain't going nowhere bad boy!). I pull the trigger and the rooster crumples ... into the water!</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="8s07b-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8s07b-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8s07b-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="sotp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="sotp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="sotp-0-0"><span data-text="true">Leo had never seen a pheasant, never pointed a pheasant or ever done the 'coulé' on a pheasant. Would he fetch one from water ...? </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIYP8WmeNYCeWeV1t8w3UHBoR85gIXM_PoaS389Rl0n3G8mLGKeOTYlPnATtzwbw99Jv1Ahpdae7JarMk62gu2uVjcxy518_pQoo9vLPtjL1VI9r4spJpssBmYy3kttX5K065NgF4W4SN/s1600/20160809Craig+Koshyk-0090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIYP8WmeNYCeWeV1t8w3UHBoR85gIXM_PoaS389Rl0n3G8mLGKeOTYlPnATtzwbw99Jv1Ahpdae7JarMk62gu2uVjcxy518_pQoo9vLPtjL1VI9r4spJpssBmYy3kttX5K065NgF4W4SN/s200/20160809Craig+Koshyk-0090.jpg" width="200" /></a><span data-offset-key="11io8-0-0"><span data-text="true">I could see the bird in the middle of the pond, but I couldn't see Leo since he was still in the reeds. But I heard Craig say "apporte!" (fetch!) and then "splash!" Leo leaped into the pond and was swimming like an otter. He rushed to the bird, grabbed it in his mouth, turned back and delivered it to hand. With huge smiles on our faces, we stood there, completely amazed and proud of our puppy!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bgbvm-0-0"><span data-text="true">We decided to finished the day on that note and headed back toward the truck. On our way, I said to Craig, "I'm so happy that I was able to make a good shot on Leo's first pheasant." </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="1rj3e-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1rj3e-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1rj3e-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="dnfsg-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dnfsg-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="dnfsg-0-0"><span data-text="true">Surprised, Craig asked, "You shot?" </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="559uj-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="559uj-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="559uj-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="8o3j7-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8o3j7-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8o3j7-0-0"><span data-text="true">Me: "Well, yes!" </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="664bp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="664bp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="664bp-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="a4r7b-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a4r7b-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="a4r7b-0-0"><span data-text="true">Craig: "I shot too, didn't you hear me?" </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="dkisa-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dkisa-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="9m2mp-0-0"><span data-text="true">Me: "Not at all"</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="2743c-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="2743c-0-0"><span data-text="true">Craig: "Well I guess we shot at the exact same time." </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZTW4f1yFRdbeKyFsDqG7hbYIfFsim7lk7d8ZrEDncQtC9-V3xUIPkBxt-PBhWQgZ-FCnfeLyKD4X2MmCydGel6UWsgGaRaHAnFagOVCn_QCP6t_T5SacsMv9Jv4_xW9bWTggj3sHaeRL/s1600/20160806Craig+Koshyk-0015-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZTW4f1yFRdbeKyFsDqG7hbYIfFsim7lk7d8ZrEDncQtC9-V3xUIPkBxt-PBhWQgZ-FCnfeLyKD4X2MmCydGel6UWsgGaRaHAnFagOVCn_QCP6t_T5SacsMv9Jv4_xW9bWTggj3sHaeRL/s320/20160806Craig+Koshyk-0015-2.jpg" width="213" /></a><span data-offset-key="9rkjp-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="uan3-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="uan3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="uan3-0-0"><span data-text="true">We both thought that we were the one to hit the bird. But how could we find out for sure? </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="cj3dr-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cj3dr-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="34oih-0-0"><span data-text="true">It turns out that it was pretty easy. You see, I was shooting copper-plated shot and Craig was shooting bismuth shot that has no copper-plating. So all we had to do was clean the bird and take a look at what kind of shot was in it. </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="djdo7-0-0">
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="86ols-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="86ols-0-0"><span data-text="true">Back at the hotel, we carefully inspected the big fat rooster. The verdict was a slam-dunk. Every single pellet we found was copper-plated. There wasn't a bit of bismuth in the bird at all. </span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="fi2nl-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="1uk32-0-0"><span data-text="true">So the honour of shooting Leo's first pheasant was all mine! Of course it took a lot of great teamwork, so it goes without saying that we were both absolutely delighted with the happy ending of Leo's first ever pheasant hunt. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="www.dogwilling.ca" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZB8p830zYKR6buSKM9soX6ooyrUKt3YqMDCNYE6awtxwGcKzk7jhVjbYQOAuok9xwK8imef8UzqZiL2vDYktn3HhLeTLmXv8fyNtsiWIxFb5g6aJHcj1PwW6bhE0F3VtZTArgQjv-lkY/s200/cover72.jpg" title="" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="457ma-0-0"><b>Version française</b></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SH9ggy1rfakUMCfce9VUOvnY9EfyEbTQaImxa2e-jVbfxzqoaGg4pqU71bFOG9B2u5bCNtFaah9OtxZsqKA-Ial6zRo-vHu47cw2R3n2QUkzAbfzaHu2WiXg1TrPUu5meSjyVcnUul3v/s1600/130105RC-0054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SH9ggy1rfakUMCfce9VUOvnY9EfyEbTQaImxa2e-jVbfxzqoaGg4pqU71bFOG9B2u5bCNtFaah9OtxZsqKA-Ial6zRo-vHu47cw2R3n2QUkzAbfzaHu2WiXg1TrPUu5meSjyVcnUul3v/s200/130105RC-0054.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a743t-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="a743t-0-0"><span data-text="true">Voici une petite histoire qui remonte à l'automne dernier alors que nous chassions, comme chaque année, le faisan au Dakota du Nord. Nous avions avec nous Uma, notre épagneule de Pont-Audemer de 13 ans qui aime toujours autant chasser, et Léo, notre épagneul picard de 10 mois. Il faut dire que trouver un Ponto et un Picard sur un même terrain de chasse en Amérique du Nord est déjà un exploit en soi!</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="bdo95-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bdo95-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bdo95-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="1o2tk-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1o2tk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1o2tk-0-0"><span data-text="true">Comme Uma est d'un âge vénérable et que Léo, le petit dernier, en était à sa première saison de chasse, nous avions des attentes raisonnables. L'important était surtout de mettre notre chiot en présence de gibier, en l'occurrence, cette fois-ci, de faisans. Là où nous chassons, les faisans sont naturels. Ils se tiennent normalement dans les roseaux autour des étangs épars dans d'immenses champs de blés ou autre moissonnés.</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="21bsb-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="5bf3m-0-0"><span data-text="true">C'était la fin de l'après-midi et nous venions tout juste d'arriver après avoir fait 600 km de route et, pour dégourdir les pattes de nos chiens, nous avons choisi un champ ouvert qui nous paraissait assez facile pour un chiot. Après une vingtaine de minutes de quête vive et passionnée, Léo en levant la tête se dirige vers les roseaux. J'entends : «arrêt!» Je me mets alors en position en attendant la suite.</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="7redb-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7redb-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7redb-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8h9u4" data-offset-key="19bj6-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="19bj6-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="19bj6-0-0"><span data-text="true">Craig annonce : «Léo fait un arrêt superbe, mais je crois que le faisan piète. Je vais essayer de le faire couler» (ce que Léo ne connaît pas encore…). J'entends : «Coule, coule». Je ne vois rien sauf les épaules et la tête de Craig qui avance d'une trentaine de mètres. Je suis aux aguets. Là encore : «arrêt!» Et après quelques secondes, un beau faisan glapit en émergeant des roseaux. J'épaule mon juxta en me disant : «toi, mon gros faisan, tu vas nulle part!» Et je tire un coup. L'oiseau tombe comme une roche… dans l'eau!</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="813q9-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="813q9-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLGHqtdJfhLzrrt7QChwZ9b2Xuvv0TcGwjZmEUwBOZFNFVsbv7DZH9RpKm6BxucDPVCr4s3D3xUEK9DlEucQ3HRWXGow9S-TpZ0SjZkbbWBEW03VCF5Yqer4WNpd_P59t-SLDWziAJZz4/s1600/lili3.tiff" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLGHqtdJfhLzrrt7QChwZ9b2Xuvv0TcGwjZmEUwBOZFNFVsbv7DZH9RpKm6BxucDPVCr4s3D3xUEK9DlEucQ3HRWXGow9S-TpZ0SjZkbbWBEW03VCF5Yqer4WNpd_P59t-SLDWziAJZz4/s400/lili3.tiff" width="290" /></a><span data-offset-key="5q92l-0-0"><span data-text="true">Jusque-là, Léo n'avait jamais chassé le faisan. Il n'avait donc jamais fait d'arrêt sur faisan. Il n'avait jamais fait la coulée non plus. Et maintenant, un rapport à l'eau…? Je voyais le faisan au beau milieu de l'étang, mais je ne pouvais pas voir Léo. J'ai entendu : «apporte», puis «plouf»! Léo nageait comme une loutre. Il s'est précipité vers l'oiseau, l'a pris dans sa gueule et l'a rapporté comme un pro. Avec un immense sourire accroché aux lèvres, nous étions totalement éblouis et fiers de notre chiot!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4ie2i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Nous avons terminé la journée sur cette bonne note et en allant vers la camionnette, j'ai dit à Craig : «Je suis tellement heureuse d'avoir pu tirer, et juste, sur le premier faisan de Léo». Craig me dit : «tu as tiré?» J'ai répondu : «ben oui!» Il me dit : «moi aussi j'ai tiré, tu ne m'as pas entendu?» J'ai répondu : « ben non! on a dû tirer en même temps». Craig était persuadé que c'était lui qui avait eu le faisan, et moi j'étais convaincue que c'était moi. Alors, comment le savoir?</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9g6kd-0-0"><span data-text="true">Or, contrairement à Craig, je tire des grenailles couvertes d'une couche de cuivre. En préparant l'oiseau, nous n'avons trouvé que de la grenaille couverte de cuivre et pas une seule bille non couverte. C'est donc moi qui ai eu l'honneur de tirer le premier faisan de Léo! Mais en fait, quel beau travail d'équipe! Il va sans dire que nous étions tous les deux ravis.</span></span></div>
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<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-54235867711568547402017-01-14T11:25:00.002-08:002017-01-14T20:50:21.189-08:00More Shades of Grey for the Weimaraner<div>
When I check the stats on hits to this blog, my posts about Weimaraners consistently rank at the top of the list, especially if they deal with the breed's coat colour. This morning I received a comment on one of the <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/06/cross-bred-or-pure.html">posts</a> that posed a couple of questions that I felt deserved more than just a few lines to answer. So I decided to write an entire article in reply. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX2tVQ2w0k20wtbKVQKjiE8QjsItetF9n2eEn1k1ULD5Ez2MnOsRT5Gadqu_UmCeA2hpC71eIG0lvJB7i61Mdv4lCdUq9Ual5Pm2g8GRzE1i6tLUzFmrWR1SdStlF-Gc22GvLpDONKg0s/s1600/Weim_20091022_0051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX2tVQ2w0k20wtbKVQKjiE8QjsItetF9n2eEn1k1ULD5Ez2MnOsRT5Gadqu_UmCeA2hpC71eIG0lvJB7i61Mdv4lCdUq9Ual5Pm2g8GRzE1i6tLUzFmrWR1SdStlF-Gc22GvLpDONKg0s/s400/Weim_20091022_0051.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/souris-manon">Souris-Manon. The Grandest of the Grand Old Ladies!</a></td></tr>
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<div>
Here is the comment:</div>
<br />
<i></i>
<i>
I just got a Weimaraner that is all white/blonde in color. He came from a litter of nine in which 4 were his color, 4 were silver and 1 was blue. The Sire was silver and the dam was blue. I performed a DNA test to confirm that he is indeed a purebred weim and the results came back as 100%! However, despite having scientific evidence backing my boys purebred status, I have all sorts of weim breeders on Facebook getting very nasty with me when I post a pic on the weim site of my boy...they claim that I have been duped and am naive to think that he is purebred and that DNA tests aren't always right. Could you please tell me exactly what occurred scientifically for my boy to be born the color he is...is it the same occurrence genetically as the piebald weims? Thanks.</i><br />
<div>
<br />
And here is my long-winded reply:<br />
<br />
<b>Congratulations on the new pup!</b> I am sure he is a sweet-heart and that you'll have a ton of fun with him. And welcome to the world of the Weimaraner where, as you are finding out, things tend to get a bit heated when non-standard colours are discussed.<br />
<br />
I am not a geneticist so I cannot tell you with any degree of scientific accuracy how your boy's coat colour came to be. And I am sure that even a canine geneticist would not be able to help you without doing some pretty extensive testing of your pup and a whole bunch of its relatives. So the only option for us here is to look at the possibilities and then place odds on how likely they are to be true.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOoQt8AVfqnSwCkh1eIPpKJXro9HjAssqCW7Ij3PVjWIsQsan0oqDRElpMyfNYZK7qhKGUzw0LSAWhHSHu-vu2um21XS8JH_3oaj7MKUWolennc2C3BNwrg_PBIHiz80TRTyb5Vejdroz/s1600/Weimaraner200710163014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOoQt8AVfqnSwCkh1eIPpKJXro9HjAssqCW7Ij3PVjWIsQsan0oqDRElpMyfNYZK7qhKGUzw0LSAWhHSHu-vu2um21XS8JH_3oaj7MKUWolennc2C3BNwrg_PBIHiz80TRTyb5Vejdroz/s400/Weimaraner200710163014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Souris-Manon and Quell each pointing a woodcock (and I missed both birds!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Could it be a gene mutation like the one that </b><a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/06/cross-bred-or-pure.html" style="font-weight: bold;">I wrote about here?</a><b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Maybe. </b><br />
<br />
Genes mutate all the time and clearly, Dr. Epplen's research showed that in at least one case, a <i>de novo </i>(new) mutation in a Weim pup did indeed result in a purebred Weimaraner with a grey and white (piebald) coat. So could it happen again? Sure, there is a one in a million (or billion or something) chance of it occurring again...in a single pup. But in 4 pups? Well that would make the odds one in a million (or billion or something) <i>to the fourth power. </i>In other words, about the same odds as me landing a hot date with Beyonce. So I don't think that the coat on your pup and its three siblings is related to the same kind of genetic mutation event that caused the piebald coat in Dr. Epplen's study.<br />
<br />
<b>Could it be due to a throwback to the old days? Does the (real) history of the Weim offer any clues about how your dog's coat colour could occur? </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Maybe.</b><br />
<br />
Today, we all know that there is only one officially accepted Weimaraner colour (silver-grey) but it was not really standardized until later on. Reading the literature from the first phase of the Weim's development, from about 1880 to just before the first world war (1914), we can see that there was actually quite a bit of discussion about what the 'correct' colour for the breed should be. In the early years the most common non-standard colours discussed were white, yellow and yellow-red. For example, here is what the breed standard in 1884 said:<br />
<br />
<i>White markings are common in most dogs, on the chest and toes. It is however, desirable to eliminate these in breeding. Yellow burned (tan markings) dogs are to be discarded completely. </i><br />
<br />
By 1935 however, it seems that those markings were still there.<br />
<br />
<i>...the reddish-yellow shade on the head or legs, which nowadays occurs seldom, to be regarded as a fault; however a Weimaraner with reddish-yellow coloring should not receive more than 'good' when tested...if outstanding for hunting purposes, he should not be excluded from breeding</i><br />
<br />
Clearly, genes for yellow or yellow-red where part of the genetic make-up of the Weim's coat, at least in the early days. So could your pup's coat colour be due to a one-in-a-billion chance of old, rare yellow genes suddenly aligning in it's DNA? Maybe. But I doubt it.<br />
<br />
You see, the yellow and yellow red shades discussed in the old literature involved <i>markings</i> in the coat, specifically on the head and legs. Those markings are in fact still with us today. Although very, very rare, they are called "dobe" markings (as in Doberman) and they look like this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AoX7bD78yy0KGtTtnm3n_r7cVQDCrrDRI9h_z9m7gMdt3bxuQP13SpL7Kq6hS1IzcbRx1bZz-KkWE3eOVFnDULOq_a6PGOBpdwSS5Yv1dYSZPjPp_DZQGHzWZ470wb8OWbWKyxp7bvzD/s1600/Troy3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AoX7bD78yy0KGtTtnm3n_r7cVQDCrrDRI9h_z9m7gMdt3bxuQP13SpL7Kq6hS1IzcbRx1bZz-KkWE3eOVFnDULOq_a6PGOBpdwSS5Yv1dYSZPjPp_DZQGHzWZ470wb8OWbWKyxp7bvzD/s320/Troy3.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my photo. This could actually<br />
be a Doberman x Weim mix. <br />
Used for illustration purposes only.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Your dog seems to be self-coloured (ie: the entire coat is all one colour, not 'marked' with a different colours on the head, legs and chest). So if the yellow or yellow red genes that were in the background of the Weim are responsible for your pup's coat colour, then they would have had to not only lay dormant for over a century and then, by pure luck, happen to find the right combination to appear, but they would also have to mutate in some way and go from just 'markings' to affecting the entire coat....of four pups! Is it possible? Maybe (I am not a geneticist) but I would put the odds at around a gajillion-gajillion to one.<br />
<br />
<b>So, if we eliminate the possibility of a mutation and of a throwback to the early days (and I think we can in both cases), what else could result in such a coat?</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor">Occam's razor</a> would lead us to the very real possibility that the genes responsible for your pup's coat were introduced by an external source at some point in the past. In other words, somewhere in your dog's ancestry, there is at least one non-Weim ancestor that brought in the genes for the white/blond coat your pup has.<br />
<br />
Where, when and how could this happen? I have no idea. What I do know is there is no such thing as a 'pure' breed. All breeds have a bit of this and a bit of that in them. That is how they were created and every now and then, by accident or on purpose under the light of the moon, a bit more of this or bit more of that gets added into the mix.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqrpYan1-ZJ712iDmzHgq8CNXFCfKv3e4XPeIcNsGhU0v1OEcWtEVTQBYkbAF-gabqWcP50lPfZYBH9DcPm7Wd-h8IQN-539Do7slqErmkVriGK2Zz6i1YFf9lCU-YyUXHZABpEuT0b-u/s1600/Hunting08_376_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqrpYan1-ZJ712iDmzHgq8CNXFCfKv3e4XPeIcNsGhU0v1OEcWtEVTQBYkbAF-gabqWcP50lPfZYBH9DcPm7Wd-h8IQN-539Do7slqErmkVriGK2Zz6i1YFf9lCU-YyUXHZABpEuT0b-u/s320/Hunting08_376_2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AAAOOOOO!!!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
You said that one of the parents is a blue Weim. They are handsome dogs, I've written about them <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2010/01/winter-blues_7.html">here</a>. And it is pretty well accepted nowadays that the blue coat is the result of a bit of this or that getting into the breed in the US (the most common theory is that is was from a Doberman). So we know that there is at least one source of 'outside' genetic material in your pup. As an aside, it has been estimated by the owner of the Weimaraner pedigree data base that 99.9% of Weims in the world today have the original 'blue' weim somewhere in their pedigree as well.<br />
<br />
But could there be another source of outside genes, ones that could lead to a white/blond coat? Of course. In fact, I believe that the vast majority of all the Weims out there with non-standard colors (and even some with the standard color) are the result of something happening behind the woodshed in the past. Gene mutations like the one described by Dr. Epplen are extremely rare. Cross breeding (accidental or otherwise) is not. <br />
<br />
<b>But what about the pedigrees of our dogs? What about the records that show they are pure?</b><br />
<br />
Dr. Epplen, the same fellow who did the DNA article on the piebald weim published another study on Weims that (among other things) looked into the accuracy of the Weimaraner pedigree information stored in Germany. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21214646">results </a>indicated that:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Tracing patri- and matrilineages, several entries in the Weimaraner stud book cannot be reconciled with the male-only, Y chromosomal neither the female-only, mt inheritance patterns, respectively.</i></blockquote>
In other words, the pedigree record in the homeland of the breed, where there is a system with the most rigorous checks and balances and the most tightly controlled stud book on the planet is not 100% accurate. So how accurate is the pedigree information outside of Germany, in free-wheeling North America were there are far fewer rules, no breed wardens and a much stronger tradition of 'anything goes'? Pedigrees are not perfect. Some are accurate, some less so, and some are pure fiction.<br />
<br />
<b>But what about the DNA breed testing results that say he is a purebred Weim? </b><br />
<br />
I am not sure what breed DNA testing service you used, but I assume it was one of the many such services that are now being sold online and through vet clinics. I don't want to go into all the details here, and it really is quite a rabbit hole to go down if you google it, so I will just <a href="http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.ca/2009/02/how-accurate-are-dog-breed-dna-tests.html">link to an article </a>written by a guy who does not pull his punches when it comes to such things, Terrierman, in which he says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Breed DNA tests are not too different from Gypsy Fortune telling, Fortune Cookies, the I-Ching, Numerology and Tarot Card reading. </i></blockquote>
Unfortunately, unlike DNA parentage tests which can tell you with near 100% accuracy who your pup's mother and father are, tests for breed-specific DNA markers are generally not nearly as reliable and are not really designed to determine if a dog is purebred or not. They are mainly designed to narrow down the ancestry of mixed-breed dogs and in almost all cases where purebred samples are sent in, the result are the same: yup! your dog is what you say it is.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZVbIWUcwQ0ZzZiVF2uFzx9309lCfWpgBEsRgtMNNrDU1P4Jz-25IrdH5ga0wArSE2fixO7rFLiZ1oFutbTRwtGPU4oiV-c3bIH29V06nhMtL-cbfSluGUCsttHLowJQTfc1p8S6WVRVV/s1600/FelixBW_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZVbIWUcwQ0ZzZiVF2uFzx9309lCfWpgBEsRgtMNNrDU1P4Jz-25IrdH5ga0wArSE2fixO7rFLiZ1oFutbTRwtGPU4oiV-c3bIH29V06nhMtL-cbfSluGUCsttHLowJQTfc1p8S6WVRVV/s400/FelixBW_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix in neoprene at the Libau marsh on opening day, 1999.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Bottom line: As a guy on the sidelines who just wants everyone to have a dog that puts a smile on their his or her face, here is what I think is going on.</b><b><br /></b>
1. You have a very cute pup that deserves 100% of your love and devotion. <br />
2. Anyone who says nasty things about you or your pup is not worth your time or attention.<br />
3. The most likely explanation for your pup's white/blond coat is that genes from outside the breed were introduced into its lineage at some point in the relatively recent past. Your pup is therefore probably not a 'purebred' Weimaraner <i>and only you can decide how much that actually matters.</i><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJ4yHdk2pkeVVgFQs78CGAx8TiEiJzgVWcdXyz4lDw6SIIn_nbu51GQFPpA4zpTtiRadGcxYmqu4ZK5XSO5KIVV3kuIZzhSUGipaTiW5uY7M-Yw3uE1AAUfLpu-rrSjLocXGOyWOmO4Et/s1600/IMG_1859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJ4yHdk2pkeVVgFQs78CGAx8TiEiJzgVWcdXyz4lDw6SIIn_nbu51GQFPpA4zpTtiRadGcxYmqu4ZK5XSO5KIVV3kuIZzhSUGipaTiW5uY7M-Yw3uE1AAUfLpu-rrSjLocXGOyWOmO4Et/s200/IMG_1859.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and the <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/09/amazing-maisey_26.html">Amazing Maisey</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Personally, I don't think it matters at all and I get the feeling that it will not really change the way you feel about your pup. He deserves, and I am sure he will receive, 100% of your love and devotion.<br />
<br />
The only issue you may have in regards to his lack of 'purity' is if you feel that you were defrauded by the breeder. I have no idea where you got the pup or under what circumstances, but if you were specifically told in no uncertain terms that your pup is 100% purebred and guaranteed to be from purebred parents and grandparents etc., well then you may have grounds for a complaint. But remember, the breeder may believe that the parents are purebred because that is what the person they got them from told them...and so on down the line.<br />
<br />
In reality, without video evidence or a written confession, it would be impossible to determine exactly how and where the outside gene event happened and who knew about it at the time. So tread very carefully in that regard. It might not be worth picking a fight with anyone at this point. The most important thing is that you now have a pup that deserves 100% of your love and devotion.<br />
<br />
Where I <i>would </i>speak out and where I would have deep concerns is if you see any effort by anyone out there to launch some sort of super duper, rare, cool new white/blond colour of Weimaraner. It is not because the colour is unattractive - your pup is super cute and will be a stunning adult. And it is not because the white/blond dogs themselves are bad or undeserving of loving homes - your pup should be the light of your life. But as you are finding out, the Weim world (and the entire purebred dog world) can be an unforgiving place, and you can go insane by tilting at its windmills. So any effort to launch a new designer colour of Weim is guaranteed to end in misery for everyone involved.<br />
<br />
<b>Here is my advice: </b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Love your pup. </b></li>
<li><b>Take care of your pup. </b></li>
<li><b>Give him the fantastic life he deserves and forget about what nasty people have to say. </b><b>Your pup doesn't give a rat's ass about them, why should you?</b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-18037640176041187452017-01-07T10:02:00.002-08:002017-01-09T09:44:18.378-08:00Kent Bismuth Ammo Delivers!<div class="tr_bq">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccyiJ4gZ798qFNkkDevghE23OUEmOb2M60EbwlQRd7_QO8o7nDKkbKfi5xR8X_tTkmY5r0Y7bCniuJtdP75JFaiduF7N4PWoGYSODO9xVAtz0IWRdgEcqmqejyrQVlfupESyqht8KMwYn/s1600/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_8781161025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccyiJ4gZ798qFNkkDevghE23OUEmOb2M60EbwlQRd7_QO8o7nDKkbKfi5xR8X_tTkmY5r0Y7bCniuJtdP75JFaiduF7N4PWoGYSODO9xVAtz0IWRdgEcqmqejyrQVlfupESyqht8KMwYn/s400/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_8781161025.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bismuth ammo and Darne shotguns, a match made in heaven!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Full disclosure:</b> I am NOT an expert when it comes to shotguns, shotgun ammo, ballistics and the art of wing shooting. I shoot a few rounds of clays every summer and pattern my guns and chokes once in a blue moon. Beyond that, I just take the same guns to the field every year and feed them the best ammo I can afford. So the following review of Kent's new Bismuth cartridges is the opinion of a hunter who just wants his gun to go <i>boom!</i> when he pulls the trigger so that some delicious game will end up on his dinner plate... nothing more, nothing less.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeh0dZbiv4g_x0ZmILmnxXIsPUCyYh6up9RF4gli9iJnQfbbd8IFycGJwk8TI4jd9aeBk4binBRc7wvdpupgObYLOinrQeWDihkVD1XnRBYYkLOaThab3pvU5_3bYCEm9TOsTjBHbgiOdX/s1600/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_8266161010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeh0dZbiv4g_x0ZmILmnxXIsPUCyYh6up9RF4gli9iJnQfbbd8IFycGJwk8TI4jd9aeBk4binBRc7wvdpupgObYLOinrQeWDihkVD1XnRBYYkLOaThab3pvU5_3bYCEm9TOsTjBHbgiOdX/s400/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_8266161010.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa and her Pont-Audemer Spaniel "Uma" <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">with </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">three </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Manitoba woodcock </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">taken with 20 gauge Kent Bismuth #6s</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br />A while ago I <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2015/05/after-lead.html">wrote</a> about my desire to go completely lead free for all my hunting and my journey down the rabbit hole of trying to find lead-free, non-steel ammo for my beloved Darne shotguns. </b>I updated one of the posts with the following great news:</div>
<blockquote>
Owners of vintage guns rejoice! ... <a href="http://kentgamebore.com/">Kent Cartridge</a> recently announced "the rebirth of an old favorite" by introducing their new <a href="http://kentgamebore.com/products/bismuth-premium-shotshells.html">Bismuth Premium Shotshells</a>. </blockquote>
<br />
<b>Just before the season opened, I managed to get my hands on a good supply of the new Kent ammo in 12 and 20 gauge loads.</b> Since then, my wife and I have been using it exclusively. We've taken snipe, woodcock, ruffed grouse, sharptailed grouse and a few ducks and geese. My wife even shot a scotch double* ON GEESE with her 20 gauge loaded with #5s! I wrote about that amazing shot and posted some photos <a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/autumn-2016">here</a>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(*two birds with one shot) </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0YF-55DeBMippVR6lkEPSA-KR_4Oz7UcqKZeJjxrKyNS75sdnr8Mrdv5rldT4nrtDRWbO9aWAfLHRmz6xaj-dWaCy4EbLP5eDydzaVPvEkodxdkfBp1D14vvYKC11nR1G8_qkL7C0McT/s1600/bismuth.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0YF-55DeBMippVR6lkEPSA-KR_4Oz7UcqKZeJjxrKyNS75sdnr8Mrdv5rldT4nrtDRWbO9aWAfLHRmz6xaj-dWaCy4EbLP5eDydzaVPvEkodxdkfBp1D14vvYKC11nR1G8_qkL7C0McT/s200/bismuth.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b>In terms of performance, I could not tell the difference between Bismuth loads and lead loads. </b>Now before you get your bloomers in a bunch and start rattling off newtonian physics equations let me qualify my statement by saying it applies to <i>me</i>, to <i>my </i>guns, in the areas<i> I </i>hunt, on the game <i>I </i>pursue. As with all things related to shotguns and shotgun ammo, your mileage, as they say, may vary.<br />
<br />
<b>My hit/miss/crumple/wound ratio was nearly identical this year compared to last. </b>For example, on a trip to North Dakota in 2015, I shot 14 pheasants with 16 shots (lead #5s). All but two dropped stone dead. This year, in the same general area under the same basic conditions and with the same gun I shot 15 roosters with 17 shots (bismuth). All but one crumpled, and that one did not go far.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>(note: the above stats make me seem like some kind of superhero wing shooter. I am not. I am a terrible trap shooter, useless at skeet and barely on the scoreboard at 5-stand. The reason I bag a decent number of roosters with so few shots is because</i><i> I am a very patient pheasant hunter with decent dogs.</i><i> I pass up all birds that are not pointed, all birds beyond about 35 yards and only pull the trigger on birds I am pretty confident I will kill outright.)</i><b><br /></b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqoG1a2Yj4KIfwksk34otc38m9UNyletg7yq6Ucww7UbmcdyURTQsX7O3Xvz4ftzTHuzIA0iC9jIKQYD6A2dsHOzRtA8ckqBOcdzzHXif4PbqNaxBM2ZwktaYBT_fo27a0NmpdADP1Mpj/s1600/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_7721-Edit160917-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqoG1a2Yj4KIfwksk34otc38m9UNyletg7yq6Ucww7UbmcdyURTQsX7O3Xvz4ftzTHuzIA0iC9jIKQYD6A2dsHOzRtA8ckqBOcdzzHXif4PbqNaxBM2ZwktaYBT_fo27a0NmpdADP1Mpj/s640/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_7721-Edit160917-2.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Léo with his first ever Mallard. <br />
Bird was taken with 20 gauge Kent Bismuth #5s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>In terms of actual ballistics</b>, as mentioned above, I can only confirm that the shells did indeed go <i>boom!</i> when I pulled the trigger and that birds did indeed crumple when my aim was true. If you want an expert opinion on the witchcraft of shotgun ballistics as they apply to Kent Bismuth loads look no further than gun guru Randy Wakeman to see what he has to say about them:<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As a practical matter, assume that you want a minimum of 1.75 inches of ballistic gelatin penetration for pheasant. This cannot be exact, for gel penetration does not consider feathers, much less breaking bones. It is a comparative simulant for soft tissue only. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>If you are using #2 steel shot at 1400 fps, you are out of gas at 35 yards. With the lower recoil 1350 fps Kent Bismuth #4 load, you are good past 41 yards. #4 bismuth has better penetration at all ranges than #2 steel. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>In addition, a 1-1/4 ounce load of #4 bismuth has 24.5% more pellets than 1-1/4 ounces of #2 steel. If you are sick of the poor ballistic performance of steel (why wouldn't you be?) and can afford to pay twice the price for your shotgun shells, the new Kent Bismuth loads just made steel shot obsolete. </i>(full article <a href="http://www.chuckhawks.com/kent_bismuth_shot.html">here</a>)</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mBJN_5YLa6aJeTFAZjhpxlYuNncUNxwkftcMzP1GuTU4sxUUZXw8zDftVpzn5W84JOwjVaSU8o1hjtpbFLcmwBA03hr4OFExK1EFq663QmsLKtyX3kBjvaqypvYOTOGRFjR5OtLjJxA2/s1600/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+KoshykDWP_8117160905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mBJN_5YLa6aJeTFAZjhpxlYuNncUNxwkftcMzP1GuTU4sxUUZXw8zDftVpzn5W84JOwjVaSU8o1hjtpbFLcmwBA03hr4OFExK1EFq663QmsLKtyX3kBjvaqypvYOTOGRFjR5OtLjJxA2/s400/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+KoshykDWP_8117160905.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa and Léo with Léo's first Teal<br />
taken with 20 gauge Kent Bismuth #6s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The shells come in boxes of 10.</b> I don't know who invented the classic 25-cartridge box, but I've always found that size to be a pain in the ass. The boxes are too big for a jacket pocket and if you want to put unused shells back into a 25-cartridge box it's like playing Jenga, with cold, wet fingers. Yes, it is a very minor point and yes, I know bismuth shells are sold in boxes of 10 to lessen the sticker shock, but it is nice to be able to just grab a box of shells, put it in your vest pocket and head to the woods.<br />
<b><br />The shot sizes are true American sizing and not one size smaller like some other loads from Europe</b>. Kent Bismuth #4s are the same size as any other American #4s. The other maker of bismuth ammo, Rio, apparently uses European shot sizes. So Rio's #4 shot is actually closer to American (and Kent's) #5 shot. Kent shells are clearly marked and seem to be made of high quality materials. Word on the web is that the hulls are Cheddites.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtug5r8GZwA-AmHubBPNCr5G3GeX33tEb3pMdRCxgGzB5ibpeHBy9LiZ8hL9sotEX7rHsVaycZD5YyXnftEygoCcKtVNPpzImeP2SxJqLrn-i9CJksEcT7WUynsPDD_OpeenbphjozKfo/s1600/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_8513161016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtug5r8GZwA-AmHubBPNCr5G3GeX33tEb3pMdRCxgGzB5ibpeHBy9LiZ8hL9sotEX7rHsVaycZD5YyXnftEygoCcKtVNPpzImeP2SxJqLrn-i9CJksEcT7WUynsPDD_OpeenbphjozKfo/s400/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_8513161016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Léo with his first ever Canada goose. <br />
This bird (nearly 15 lbs!!) was taken with one shot of 12 gauge Kent Bismuth #5s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b><br />
<b>Bottom line: I will go one further than Randy Wakeman and say that for me, the new Kent Bismuth loads have made steel <i>AND LEAD</i> shot obsolete. </b>Furthermore, shooting bismuth shells allows me to focus more on the actual hunt. With a few boxes of #5s and #6s, I can use any gun I own to shoot any gamebird I pursue on private or public land no matter what the regulations are. No more swapping out ammo when going from lead-allowed to non-tox areas, no more sorting through different brands, sizes, and loads trying to get the perfect combination for geese in the morning, snipe in the afternoon and ducks at dusk. I am now lead-free in the field and thanks to Kent, when it comes to ammo, I am also worry-free.<br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></i></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/"><img alt="www.dogwilling.ca" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZB8p830zYKR6buSKM9soX6ooyrUKt3YqMDCNYE6awtxwGcKzk7jhVjbYQOAuok9xwK8imef8UzqZiL2vDYktn3HhLeTLmXv8fyNtsiWIxFb5g6aJHcj1PwW6bhE0F3VtZTArgQjv-lkY/s1600/cover72.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-70199517808859167352017-01-02T10:07:00.000-08:002017-01-07T11:29:03.504-08:00Sticking a Fork in 2016If nothing else, 2016 was an <i>interesting</i> year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMc1fPI91icxtg8yxMithWjtTIncAYdVGsCxlp4HpIDo0_EPsLoEXQvMiu4vVBpGwbNScapFOeGh3Nrt12FqassFuo4npcvGia7hYd86VDY2LiewUjz6vcdXK519WWcsRf0LiGSglhaG-/s1600/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_8921161028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMc1fPI91icxtg8yxMithWjtTIncAYdVGsCxlp4HpIDo0_EPsLoEXQvMiu4vVBpGwbNScapFOeGh3Nrt12FqassFuo4npcvGia7hYd86VDY2LiewUjz6vcdXK519WWcsRf0LiGSglhaG-/s400/+%25C2%25A9+Craig+Koshyk_WP_8921161028.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lesson learned: <br />
1. Never look at puppy photos on Facebook too long or too often. <a href="https://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2016/01/a-new-pup.html">Your will to resist WILL wilt.</a><br />
2. <a href="http://kentgamebore.com/products/bismuth-premium-shotshells.html">Kent's new bismuth ammo</a> ROCKS!<br />
3. <a href="https://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2016/08/less-is-more.html">Less is more. </a><br />
<br />
Progress made: <br />
1. <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/">My website got a new look.</a><br />
2. I actually wrote a few pages for my next book (still about 300 to go...)<br />
3. The Picardy Spaniel population of North America went from 1 to 7!<br />
<br />
Setbacks and loses:<br />
1. <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/souris-manon">Souris-Manon passed over the rainbow bridge.</a><br />
2. The snipe flight was non-existant.<br />
3. We didn't get a deer.<br />
<br />
Goals for next year:<br />
1. Travel more (France here we come!)<br />
2. Hunt more<br />
3. Write more (and take more photos and more video)<br />
<br />
Below are links to all the photo narratives I posted in 2016. Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/autumn-2016/embed/cover?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 600px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/autumn-2016">AUTUMN 2016</a> by <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/">Dog Willing Publications</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/leo-at-one/embed/cover?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 600px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/leo-at-one">Léo at One</a> by <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/">Dog Willing Publications</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/souris-manon/embed/cover?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 600px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/souris-manon">Souris-Manon</a> by <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/">Dog Willing Publications</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/red-river-run/embed/cover?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 600px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/red-river-run">Red River Run</a> by <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/">Dog Willing Publications</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/soon/embed/cover?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 600px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/soon">SOON!</a> by <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/">Dog Willing Publications</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/the-eagle-has-landed/embed/cover?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 600px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/the-eagle-has-landed">The Eagle Has Landed</a> by <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/">Dog Willing Publications</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/leo/embed/cover?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 600px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/leo">Léo!</a> by <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/">Dog Willing Publications</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/winter/embed/cover?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 600px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/winter">WINTER</a> by <a href="http://photos.dogwilling.ca/">Dog Willing Publications</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-52921226839782806432016-08-22T06:56:00.003-07:002016-08-30T19:00:52.624-07:00Less is More.<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;">UPDATE: Leo earned a perfect score of 112/112!</span></h2>
<br />
This weekend I will be running <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2016/01/a-new-pup.html">my new pup Léo</a> in a NAVHDA Natural Ability test hosted by the Red River Chapter near Fargo. Born last December,
he will be too old to run next summer – the age limit is 16 months – so I
am running him at 8 months of age before he's ever really hunted and without any formal training by me.
But that's OK, in keeping with his French heritage, I'm following the take it easy and 'less is more' philosophy of bringing a bird dog along. So on test day, my goal is to just have fun, cross my fingers
and hope for the best.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdejOJ2JgRhq4DOsMQ6YBt3ddrkTWLUP6m0h1_Sb3OBew6UwUo7fMBai-N9EW6LtVykgBboc9UDGoGUuyt6oFIUf3Pnv0VFldgWj6_jRLT0C0n7s6Fbv1bEVQKtEv7FK0LNoIgc6ilOfw/s1600/20160809Craig+Koshyk-0097-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdejOJ2JgRhq4DOsMQ6YBt3ddrkTWLUP6m0h1_Sb3OBew6UwUo7fMBai-N9EW6LtVykgBboc9UDGoGUuyt6oFIUf3Pnv0VFldgWj6_jRLT0C0n7s6Fbv1bEVQKtEv7FK0LNoIgc6ilOfw/s400/20160809Craig+Koshyk-0097-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For those unfamiliar with the test, here is what's involved. (From the <a href="http://www.navhda.org/testing/natural-ability-test">NAVHDA website</a>, with my notes added):<br />
<br />
<div class="content">
<b><i>The Natural Ability Test is organized into four main segments:</i></b><br />
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
<b><i>
</i></b>
<br />
<div>
<b><i>1) Field Phase - Each dog is hunted for a minimum of 20 minutes and is evaluated on:</i></b></div>
<b><i>
</i></b>
<br />
<ul><b>
</b>
<li><b><i>
Use of Nose</i></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li><b><i>
Search</i></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li><b><i>
Pointing</i></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li><b><i>
Desire</i></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li><b><i>
Cooperation</i></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li><b><i>
Gun Shyness</i></b></li>
</ul>
During this phase you walk through a field in more or less the
same way you would if you were out hunting (or rough shooting as my UK
friends call it). While you 'hunt' with your dog, one judge walks with
you while two others (and one or two apprentices) follow further behind.<br />
<br />
A
few minutes into the run, a gunner further back fires a blank from a
shotgun, twice. The judges want to see if the shot affects the dog in a
negative way. So far Leo has shown no reaction to gunfire other than to
look over towards the sound, if that. So I think he will be fine in that
regard, but it will be interesting to see how he reacts to 'hunting' in
a field with a half dozen people around. I've only ever run him by
myself, but I'm pretty sure he will just ignore the others and have fun
searching for game.<br />
<br />
Prior to each dog's turn pen-raised birds, usually <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chukar_partridge">Chukar partridge</a>,
are placed in the field. If all goes well, the dog finds some birds and
points them. Unlike the higher levels of NAVHDA testing, in NA tests,
the dog does not have to wait until the handler flushes the bird. As
long as it points for a few seconds, it should get a decent pointing
score. <br />
<br />
Léo seems to have a strong natural point. I've
seen him point rabbits in the city and the occasional song bird in the
field. I worked him on planted pigeons a couple of times and he pointed
them well. He has even shown a tendency to back (honour) other dogs on
point. But Léo hasn't been exposed to game birds yet. We avoided wild
birds over the summer since they were nesting or had young chicks and I
don't have access to pen-raised Chukars. So when we hit the field in the
NA test, I will just cross my fingers and hope that Léo's instincts
kick in when he comes across birds.<br />
<br />
Another thing
judges look for during this phase is how well the dog hunts with and for
the handler. They want to see a certain amount of independence from the
dog, but don't want it to take off for the horizon. Then again, they
don't really want to see the dog amble about mere meters from the
handler either. Ideally, the dog will hunt at a suitable range for
hunting according to the the conditions of the day; not too far, not too
close. It should also show a decent amount of drive and respond to
commands (if any) given by the handler. <br />
<br />
When I take
Léo out to the fields around here, he runs at a medium to fast gallop,
holds his head just above the shoulder line, and makes casts out to
about 75 yard. But, as mentioned, he hasn't really been on game birds
before. So I wouldn't be surprised if he opens up even more once he
realizes that there are birds in the field. He may even fall slightly
deaf to my whistle or commands. So my plan is to just keep my yapper
shut and hope that he doesn't disappear over the horizon on a
bird-fueled bender.<br />
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<div>
<b><i>2) Tracking Phase - The dog is given an opportunity to track a flightless running pheasant or chukar.</i></b></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
During
this phase, one pheasant for each dog is placed in a field and coaxed
into running downwind for about 50 yards. The dog is then brought to
where the bird was first released so that it can (hopefully) follow the
track to the bird. If the dog does follow the track and manages to find
the bird, it can point it or fetch it up. It doesn't really matter. It
doesn't really have to find the bird to get a good score. What the
judges want to evaluate is how well the dog can actually follow a track.</div>
<div>
<br />
In theory, this should be a relatively easy job for a well-bred gundog.
The bird should leave a decent scent trail behind it and the dog should
be able to follow it fairly well. But there are tons of variables
involved, from the humidity (or lack thereof) of the air and grass, to
the length of the cover, to how far and fast the bird went, so no matter
how much prep you do for this phase, or how well your dog did in any
practice tracks you've done, it is always a complete crap shoot on test
day. <br />
<br />
I've done exactly zero prep for this phase with
Léo. I might get one practice track in this weekend if I can find a
pheasant, but in all likelihood, the track at the test will be Léo's
first. And I don't really know how it will go. Léo loves to run and he
runs with a high head. So he may follow the trail for a bit, but then
decide that it's best to just go into field search mode instead of track
mode. Or he may track it perfectly well. I've seen him follow a rabbit
track for over 100 yards, so I know he has some tracking instincts. In any case, just as in the field search portion, I will cross my fingers and hope for the best.</div>
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<b><i>3) Water Phase - The dog is tested for its willingness to swim.</i></b><br />
The only problem I have with Léo and water is getting him OUT of it! So I am pretty sure he will do well in this portion of the test.<br />
<b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i> </i></b><br />
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<div>
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<br />
<i><b>4) Judgment of Physical Characteristics.</b></i></div>
<div>
<i><b>The following are judged throughout the Natural Ability Test:</b></i></div>
<ul><i><b>
</b></i>
<li><i><b>
Use of Nose</b></i></li>
<i><b>
</b></i>
<li><i><b>
Desire to Work</b></i></li>
<i><b>
</b></i>
<li><i><b>
Cooperation</b></i></li>
<i><b>
</b></i>
<li><i><b>
Physical Attributes</b></i></li>
</ul>
<div>
<i><b>No game is shot, and no retrieves are required during the Natural Ability Test.</b></i><br />
<br />
From what I can tell, Léo has very good nose and his desire for work and cooperation are excellent. He really is an outstanding pup in every way. He's super easy to live with, friendly, loves to hunt and cuddle, and is pretty darn handsome as well. We are really pleased with him and look forward to many hunting seasons with him. <br />
<br />
But for now, I need to pack my bags and then do some stretches for my fingers...they will be crossed all weekend!<br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-29216690925666895032016-06-21T17:57:00.001-07:002017-01-02T10:07:26.764-08:00On Range<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZur_xC2QVvx3tuYPyJk2GNk-f9QCYY0zkV-19I_UhTteQJeC6VbM7ov6ZYOIVg991HJTXrN_SZtYYELm_pE8DmuXYu61U03FK18zgbiuUXQqYOVUnW-vc3VD9p36JUbIudvGguf0ME6Q/s1600/394A7421-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZur_xC2QVvx3tuYPyJk2GNk-f9QCYY0zkV-19I_UhTteQJeC6VbM7ov6ZYOIVg991HJTXrN_SZtYYELm_pE8DmuXYu61U03FK18zgbiuUXQqYOVUnW-vc3VD9p36JUbIudvGguf0ME6Q/s400/394A7421-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hunting dogs are generally categorized according to the job they are expected to do and the manner in which they should do it. Thus the retrieving breeds; Labradors, Chesapeakes, Golden, Flat and Curly Coats, are used to do what their name would imply. They retrieve shot game to the hunter. While there may be some debate about the finer points of the expected performance, there is no disagreement about the basic task: the dog must leave the hunter, make its way to the downed game, pick it up and bring it back.</div>
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The flushing spaniels, Springers, Cockers, Clumbers, Sussex, Welsh and Field are selected, bred and trained to search for game and force it to flight within gun range of the hunter. They are expected to retrieve downed game as well. Here again there may be some disagreement regarding the exact manner in which the dog should work, but the basics are not in dispute. The dog must seek and flush game within range of the gun and retrieve what is shot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBHh7myNZekIhPV09PGW6RpgEGCOaqiCvbCR2KabCXN9mw0eMoBZCnaOwpnYtvBZ7MxMkvhmCZGkNhT6D3wVMwRuCNIJ8oB04EQdCEy-1-2yCJ2SYDFx5Fg8h3N5pDCN1WzuGZ6qk7Dlg/s1600/IMG_9907%25C2%25A92013+Craig+KoshykNovember+03%252C+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBHh7myNZekIhPV09PGW6RpgEGCOaqiCvbCR2KabCXN9mw0eMoBZCnaOwpnYtvBZ7MxMkvhmCZGkNhT6D3wVMwRuCNIJ8oB04EQdCEy-1-2yCJ2SYDFx5Fg8h3N5pDCN1WzuGZ6qk7Dlg/s200/IMG_9907%25C2%25A92013+Craig+KoshykNovember+03%252C+2012.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
Pointing breeds however, do not enjoy such a consensus of opinion when it comes to how they should do their job. Other than agreeing that the dog should find and point game, everything else, from searching to retrieving, to tracking, to pace, and gate, even to the posture the dog assumes while pointing can be, and usually is, the subject of heated debate among pointing dog enthusiasts.</div>
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This is one of the principle reasons that there are so many more breeds of pointing dogs than there are retrievers or flushing spaniels. Different pointing breeds have been developed to perform similar tasks but in sometimes very different ways. Furthermore, many breeds can now be subdivided into different strains with field performance characteristics so dissimilar that they can almost be considered different breeds altogether. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The one area that stands above all others as a source of endless debate, especially in America, is the question of range. Since a pointing dog’s main purpose in the field is to find game, point it and, hopefully, hold the game there until the hunter arrives, it can work at distances beyond the range of a shotgun. So the question then becomes, <i>how far is too far?</i></div>
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Traditionally, all of the Continental breeds were selected and trained to hunt only slightly further out than flushing dogs, about 50 or 60 meters at the most. Nowadays, a few breeds are still supposed to have that sort of range, but most are expected to run somewhat wider than that, at least some of the time. What’s more, over the last 50 years, bigger and faster running strains within most breeds have been developed. In fact, in some breeds, there are now lines of dogs that approach the speed and range of English Pointers and English Setters.</div>
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Be that as it may, I have come up with a chart that illustrates the typical range for each of the Continental pointing breeds, but we need to keep the following things in mind when consulting it.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
THE BEST RANGE IS THE ONE THAT SUITS YOU: One of the most common sources of frustration among pointing dog owners is a mismatch between the range the hunter would like his dog to run at, and the range the dog’s genes tell it to run at. Most experts agree that a pointing dog’s range is largely an inherited trait. There are methods that can be employed to modify this range making a wide-ranging dog work closer or, more difficultly, making a close-working dog range further out—but in general the distance from the handler at which the dog is most comfortable hunting is mainly determined by its genes. So, finding a breed that has the kind of range you are comfortable with, and is suitable for the game and terrain you hunt, is very important.</div>
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THESE ARE BALLPARK FIGURES: The chart is not based on anything close to a scientific survey. Some of the distances given are based on the preferred ranges stated in the breed’s published work standard, but most are based on nothing more than the breed’s reputation or the generally accepted norm as expressed to me by the breeders and owners I have spoken to.</div>
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THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS: There are outliers in every breed. Some may run way bigger than the average, and others may work closer in. In many breeds, this applies to various strains and lines that may show significant differences in range. That is why the chart shows a wider spectrum of ranges for some breeds.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EUau1Ht8jCE/T3ca-Nzcx1I/AAAAAAAACEo/o_MuyxGUiCIb8In7Izg30qohkvguy3JkwCKgB/s1600/VolumeTwo%2B-111118-162825-268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EUau1Ht8jCE/T3ca-Nzcx1I/AAAAAAAACEo/o_MuyxGUiCIb8In7Izg30qohkvguy3JkwCKgB/s200/VolumeTwo%2B-111118-162825-268.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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“HORSES FOR COURSES”: Generally speaking, within any given breed, breeders who select their stock for field trials tend to produce dogs that are toward the bigger running end of the spectrum. Other breeders may seek to produce closer-working dogs suitable for different types of terrain or game.</div>
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TO THE FRONT OR SIDE TO SIDE: In some countries, dogs are expected to run in a windshield wiper pattern in front of the hunter. In that case, the distances given would indicate how far the dog usually ranges out to one side or the other. In other countries, dogs are encouraged to “seek objectives”. They should run to areas of cover that are likely to hold birds no matter where they may be, to the left, to the right, or out in front.</div>
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DOGS ADJUST THEIR RANGE: The distances given reflect the usual range for the breed when hunting in open fields. Most dogs will adjust their range when working in tighter cover. The same dog that ranges out to over 300 meters across a stubble field for grey partridges might not go beyond 40 or 50 meters in the alder thickets in pursuit of woodcock. And yes, as mentioned above, a dog’s range can be adjusted. But it is easier to teach a wide-running dog to stay closer than it is to make a close working dog work further out</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/"><img alt="www.dogwilling.ca" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZB8p830zYKR6buSKM9soX6ooyrUKt3YqMDCNYE6awtxwGcKzk7jhVjbYQOAuok9xwK8imef8UzqZiL2vDYktn3HhLeTLmXv8fyNtsiWIxFb5g6aJHcj1PwW6bhE0F3VtZTArgQjv-lkY/s1600/cover72.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-35715173685591511652016-06-19T12:58:00.004-07:002016-06-19T13:00:39.467-07:00Happy Father's Day!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggngo6CxBMS1nZWwbgwnTBR7FFPqMBu78LpZNZq5eNntqByBSBRl4fgROzZ6SsveGMMwRjdrfXgnfQJ5N8cHeJxjyf6abv27fDtvkcxn5FSJrWysefPYOyQcaZS1u98l9tDl20IhBx_EkN/s1600/D2-95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggngo6CxBMS1nZWwbgwnTBR7FFPqMBu78LpZNZq5eNntqByBSBRl4fgROzZ6SsveGMMwRjdrfXgnfQJ5N8cHeJxjyf6abv27fDtvkcxn5FSJrWysefPYOyQcaZS1u98l9tDl20IhBx_EkN/s400/D2-95.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, my dad, Félix and CJ, circa 2000</td></tr>
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In honour of Father's day, and because I just happen to have the best father in the world, I thought I would share a book of photos that I made for my dad on his 80th birthday three years ago. All the photos are either of him or taken by him. And in case you are wondering, yes, at almost 83 he is still going strong. In fact he now has more hair than me, and none of it is grey!!!<br />
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Happy Father's Day Dad!<br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-89194755140592532272016-04-17T09:04:00.000-07:002016-05-19T05:26:02.397-07:00An American in France.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Bill Kelley is a man on a mission.</b> The goal of his <a href="http://www.cachedorbretons.com/">Cache d'Or Bretons</a> kennel is to produce Epagneul Bretons (French Brittanies) in the United States equal to the finest found in France. So, every year he travels from his home in Maryland to France to learn about the breed, run his dogs in typical French terrain, walk with judges at field trials and learn about the finer points of conformation from the best show judges in the country. </div>
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As a fellow francophile, I have much in common with Bill. I've spent a lot of time in France watching French dogs do their thing. But I've never actually met an American there or spoken to one that has dedicated so much time learning about the French system. So I was interested to hear Bill's thoughts about the French field trial scene and the dogs they produce and asked him a few questions.</div>
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<b>Can you tell me how an American such as yourself got involved with field trials all they way across the ocean? </b>After forty years of pointing dogs, I decided to get my first Epagneul Breton. At that time, I didn't even know that a French Brittany was an Epagneul Breton! Like a lot of people, I was attracted to the "close-working" gun dog- and the tri-color coat. I wanted an orange/white female and the breeder (Kevin Pack at Carolina Brittanies) only had a black/white male. I took him. So glad I did. When I looked at Cache's (Vulcan du Talon de Gourdon) pedigree, I noticed their were lots of red letters for champions. Having started my bird dog life in AF horseback trials with an English Setter, I knew what our field champions did, but had no clue as to what champions in France were required to do. The more I researched, the more I realized the only way to understand was to go to France and see for myself. <br />
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I have been fortunate since my time in the breed to have some very fine mentors, chief among them is Pierre Willems, former member of the CEB France committee and owner of the world-famous <a href="http://hameau.de.sorny.free.fr/">Hameau de Sorny</a> kennel. Through Pierre, I made my first trip to France more than a decade ago. I was permitted to walk the trial with Judge Jean Moussour. Understand, in French trials, there is no gallery as one would see in the US. Only the judge, landowner's guide, and handler are typically in the field.<br />
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Several days in the winter wheat of Vimpelles showed me I knew very little of what an EB was made to do- BUT I was anxious to learn! I did not know it then, but I was watching some of the finest EBs ever to hit the ground in France. The hunting and pointing was intense. The rules were formidable and unforgiving. It was a real challenge- and one that I believe has helped form the EB into the breed it is today.<br />
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<b>Tell me about your first experience(s) there, what was it like to compete in such a different scene and how steep was the learning curve? </b>My experience in French FTs has been limited to walking with judges. I have entered one of my dogs in a TAN in France (which in my observation is significantly different than those run in the US. see below.) We did well, passing the TAN and being recognized by the judge, a top French trainer/handler, as "the best dog I've seen today." In the French system, part of a judge's training is to work side-by-side with a judge. In terms of learning, this is far better than running a dog.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WOhqzy9ZDpQitORQ2Yk09TN6xhG9hquhpnImErDO9awXUfeIjJulPTU7rGy0Liszd7wFJpFOaoovza9CeQLSfUGFAHrWiQxXg1KO_Ldk0znua0wMUUYQa_JifJujZPsGGBey59xvIJDx/s1600/BIll+Kelly+in+France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WOhqzy9ZDpQitORQ2Yk09TN6xhG9hquhpnImErDO9awXUfeIjJulPTU7rGy0Liszd7wFJpFOaoovza9CeQLSfUGFAHrWiQxXg1KO_Ldk0znua0wMUUYQa_JifJujZPsGGBey59xvIJDx/s200/BIll+Kelly+in+France.jpg" width="155" /></a>A handler get to only see their dog. When one is with the judge through the day, you have the opportunity to learn the intricacies of the rues and what a judge wants to see. Through the years I have had the privilege of walking field trials with several of the top judges in France. Each time is a wonderful experience. These judges are real dog men. They understand the demands of a working breed and the needs of the hunter who walks behind the dog. <br />
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Dog people are dog people, no matter the language or culture. I am fortunate to have some fluency in French, so that has been helpful. However, the common bond of loving good dogs and good dog work transcends any possible divide. The learning curve was steep at first, has smoothed out a bit, but I am still learning. What I have found is summer up in a saying one of my mentors has used- "When the student is ready, a teacher will be found." What wisdom. It's all about our willingness to learn. EVERY person I have met in the French dog world has been exceptionally welcoming and willing to share. It has been an amazing relationship.<br />
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<b>What are some of the most important (or interesting or both) things you've learnt about field trials in Europe? </b>The most interesting thing I've learned is that just as in the US, there is no such thing as "a field trial." While all the French/FCI trials are on foot, the game and terrain are as varied as Europe itself. While the typical trial in France is the spring trial in winter wheat on wild partridge, there are equally popular autumn, shoot to retrieve, trials on released pheasants. There are also niche trials on wild snipe, woodcock, and mountain birds. Each has its unique requirements of both dog and handler. FT in France are serious business. Most dogs are handled by professionals whose livelihood depends in the success of their dogs. In addition, there is a circuit of trials held several days each week, not just on weekends. Dogs that come through this process successfully certainly have proven their merit for future breeding.<br />
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<b>What do your American colleagues think about your competing over there?</b> As for my American colleagues, I hope things are changing. As far as I know, there are only a handful of Americans who have run trials in Europe. Typically, they go to France with dogs they purchased and were trained on the Continent. In addition, the demands of "the game" make it difficult for US dogs to be successful on new game, new terrain, and new rules. The limited success US folks have found has been in autumn trials on released pheasants- something that more approaches our conditions.<br />
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Overall, I find that the American EB community's attitude can be summed-up in a quote from one of their club officer's at the CEB France National show several years ago- "I came all the way to France and I didn't learn anything." See the quote above about a "ready student." Within the past month, two officers of the US club have gone to France and run one of their dogs. Hopefully, they were "ready students." I often hear people talk about how much they love the EB. I wonder if they understand the process (the French process) that created the breed they love. I fear that like many other things, the realities of time and distance lead to changes and alterations from the original . The expectations are different here - lower, in my opinion. I have seen US EB TANs and trials. What goes here would never go in France. For example, I saw an EB run a TAN here. After two attempts to find scent, the dog was put on a check-cord and handled onto the bird. It flash-pointed for a moment and moved on. It passed. This would never go in France.<br />
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As for myself or others competing in France, I think most Americans are simply uninterested. We tend to be be quite provincial and think that our styles, systems, and ways are superior to others around the world. Unfortunately, I am afraid this attitude will lead to the diminution of the breed. I am convinced that if we want to maintain and improve the quality of the EB in the US, we MUST have a stronger relationship with our firends in France. After all, they are the creators and guardians of the breed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtH-nsL0R0QSKrwrS2geLeI2s7JrXMEUD5kfWVJT4uMEKhaye7BYTDLncEp9DkJo3ccoGxU99cpMN0lKfPlJjiA7Lup1WcZ6_WfTeCyCg5pjBnzx1nbs7uCK-REiVJvX9q09Za1xIpLKzw/s1600/Argos.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtH-nsL0R0QSKrwrS2geLeI2s7JrXMEUD5kfWVJT4uMEKhaye7BYTDLncEp9DkJo3ccoGxU99cpMN0lKfPlJjiA7Lup1WcZ6_WfTeCyCg5pjBnzx1nbs7uCK-REiVJvX9q09Za1xIpLKzw/s200/Argos.tiff" width="174" /></a><b>What are some myths about the european field trial and hunting scene that you've had to dispell? </b>The best way I can sum up the"myths" of the French hunting scene is to recount my landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport on my first trip to France. As we descended, all I could see were fields and woods. Little villages and towns, here and there, but mostly green. Where did Paris go? What happened to the Eiffel Tower? Like most folks, I think, my perception of France was a busy, urban, cosmopolitain place. It is that, of course, but so much more.<br />
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The landscape of France is vast and agrarian. The land is much more covered with field and woods. Spawling development in contained. Places to hunt, while typically organized for hunting clubs abound. Wild game, at least as compared to Eastern US, is abundant. Many French people hunt - and it is an important part of their culture. It is important to remember that for centuries hunting was the privilege of the ruling class. Poaching was a possible death sentence. Somehow, it appears that the French still understand these roots of our sport and strongly resist efforts to change the traditions they've developed. Mind you, neckties are not required when hunting in France as in the UK, but the French hunting traditions are strong. Frenchmen are proud to show you their Darnes and take you to the sporting goods stores. As you can tell, my appreciation for and affinity with the French culture is strong. I've learned a lot from my French friends and my life is richer for the experiences and relationships.<br />
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My best advice for any American who loves their EB and wants the breed to prosper is to get over their fears and insecurities about the langauge barrier and visit France, see their trials, and shows, and get to know the wonderful people responsible for giving us the dogs we love so much.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-46332741401620283462016-02-27T16:21:00.004-08:002018-02-02T15:09:10.542-08:00The Picardy Spaniel: What's What and Who's Who. In a <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/breed-of-week-picardy-spaniel_12.html">previous post</a> I wrote the following about an excellent Picardy Spaniel that Lisa and I saw in a field trial in France.<br />
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Watching Aramis run, I realized that the Picardy Spaniel would probably thrive in the US and Canada. Speaking to Lisa after the trial, I said that it would be perfect for many North American hunters since, among all the French pointing breeds, it is probably the best suited to <a href="http://www.navhda.org/">NAVHDA</a> testing and to the kind of mixed-bag hunting we do. She replied: I think you are right. It’s a shame that the Picardy is such a well-kept secret. But if you write about dogs like Aramis, the secret won’t last very long!</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">Photo: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sarah-Caldecott-Photography-893982470630671/" style="text-align: start;">Sarah Caldecott</a></span></td></tr>
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Well I am happy to say that the secret may finally be getting out. In addition to a club for the breed and a number of breeders in France, there is now a Picardy club in the UK and Holland and breeders in Germany, Austria, England and Finland. This summer, the Picardy Spaniel population of Canada is set to double -- from one to two -- when we welcome our <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-new-pup.html">new pup Leo</a> from the UK and there will soon be several more pups coming to in North America and even a litter or two on the ground in the next couple of years.<br />
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So I thought it would be a good idea to write a post about the current state of the breed, as of February, 2016.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">Photo: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Claire-J-Photographie-AnimalInfinity--1513355052230486/" style="text-align: start;">Claire Josse</a></span></td></tr>
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<b> THE GOOD:</b> The Picardy is a hidden gem among gundogs. Created by hunters, for hunters, it is still an artisanal breed. The vast majority of Picardy Spaniels look like they are supposed to look and hunt the way they are supposed to hunt. There are no large kennels breeding dozens of litters per year, no trucks full of Picardies on the major field trial circuit or show-only breeders seeking blue ribbons in the ring. Picardy Spaniels are still bred the old-fashioned way; mainly in the homes of hunters who produce a litter or two every couple of years from their personal hunting companions. <br />
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Like all breeds, there is some hip dysplasia, and eye issues like ectropion are not unknown either. But in general, the average Picardy enjoys good health. Overall, the breed's gene pool is relatively wide and inbreeding coefficients are usually not particularly high in most litters, even if it may seem that way on paper (see below).<br />
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<b><br /> THE NOT-SO-GOOD: </b>The overall population of Picardy Spaniels is very low and that means the dreaded popular sire syndrome can occur more easily and have a stronger negative effect. Have a look at the graph I drew up showing the registration <a href="http://www.scc.asso.fr/Statistiques,242">stats from the French kennel club</a>. It shows that while the breed has gained ground over the last 45 years it still averages less than 100 registrations per year. Of course there are dogs that are not registered, but even if we include them, the number of Picardy Spaniels whelped in France has probably never been more than 200 pups in any given year. <br />
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Outside of France, stats are harder to come by, but my guess is that an additional 20 to 40 Picardy Spaniel pups are whelped in places like Germany, the Netherlands and Austria each year. So if the average life span of a Picardy is 9 years and there are say, 125 pups whelped per year, that means the entire world-wide population of Picardy Spaniels is only about 1000 individuals right now.<br />
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Testing rates for hip dysplasia and other health concerns are also too low, especially in France. There are still too many breeders out there that just assume that their dogs are fine, then breed them without taking advantage of diagnostic tests now available.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Claire-J-Photographie-AnimalInfinity--1513355052230486/">Claire Josse</a></td></tr>
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<b>CHALLENGES:</b> Even before the breed was fully formed, "foreign" blood (mainly English Setters) had made its way into French Spaniels all over France, and in particular, into the French Spaniel type dogs bred in Picardy, Normandy and Brittany. I wrote about one such case <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2016/02/meanwhile-in-picardy.html">here</a>. When the Picardy Spaniel was officially recognized as an independent breed in the early 1900s, it was supposed to remain pure. But like every other French breed of épagneul, crosses to setters occurred. It is believed they happened between the wars and again in the 1980s and 90s and have probably occurred as recently as just a few years ago.<br />
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Over the years, some of the crosses were sanctioned by the club, others were not. In any case, no one denies that if a Picardy could talk, it would have a slight English accent. And in some ways, that is a good thing. Limited and controlled doses of setter blood have helped widen the gene pool of the breed and given the average Picardy a bigger run, more point and better style. <br />
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But there have also been some drawbacks. It now seems that there may have been a few too many crosses in some lines and that breeders may have over-estimated their knowledge of basic genetics. In any case, there are some issues in the breed that need to be dealt with. For example, pups with so-called "lemon" colouring -- a coat like that of an orange and white setter -- have popped up in some lines. Breeders will now have to test their dogs to identify carriers of the gene to avoid "lemon" coats in the future. In addition, coats with a faded brown colour, very light or no tan points, lacking grey roan and/or having a lot of white are also occurring in some litters. Another issue is that the overall build of some dogs is becoming more setter-like and there is a real fear that the versatility and practicality of the breed's continental hunting style may also be at risk.</div>
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So in some regards, the Picardy is facing a <a href="http://www.griffon-korthals-authentique.com/3agk/page_refondation.htm">situation</a> similar to that of the Korthals Griffon (although on a much smaller scale and with far less <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2009/04/trouble-in-griff-land_1.html">vitriol</a>). Unwanted genetic material has made its way into the breed and it is now posing a challenge to breeders seeking to produce clean litters of pups that look and hunt like Picardy Spaniels. That said, I am actually optimistic that the breed will be just fine in the long run. The French tend to have a worldly, pragmatic view about these sorts of things. They are certainly much less puritanical about it than some of the more zealous purists in the US and UK where a similar situation would end up with torch carrying mobs looking for witches. No, in France there may be a bit of mud-slinging and hurt feelings, but in the end breeders of Picardy Spaniels, with the help of a growing community of supporters outside of France, will put the breed back on a more or less straight and narrow path and continue to breed some really good dogs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Claire-J-Photographie-AnimalInfinity--1513355052230486/">Claire Josse</a></td></tr>
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<b> OPPORTUNITIES:</b> I know I sound like a broken record, but I will say it again: the Picardy Spaniel should be better known, especially among North American hunters. It represents exactly the kind of dog many of us want: an easy-to-train, easy-to-live-with, naturally-talented upland birddog that is also an excellent water worker. And yes, Picardies can also blood track, hunt fur and fetch foxes. Just ask the increasing number of German and Austrian hunters that are getting into the breed.<br />
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And that, I believe is the biggest opportunity for the breed right now. There are exciting new horizons opening up for the Picardy Spaniel. After languishing in its native Picardy for too long, hunters from outside of France are bringing new energy and new ideas to the breed. And as they do, a renewed sense of pride and purpose is emerging among the creators and guardians of the breed, French hunters. They've had a real treasure on their hands for over a century, but needed a friendly reminder about just how precious it is. The Picardy Spaniel was a well-kept secret for too long. I'm happy to report that the world is finally finding out about it.<br />
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Here is a list of currently active breeders with links to their websites or Facebook page or email. If you are interested in getting a Picardy Spaniel pup, you may want to read my post about <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2016/02/long-distance-run-around.html">importing a pup from overseas</a> first.<br />
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<b>FRANCE</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://epagneulpicard-duboisdudeffoy.e-monsite.com/">Du Bois du Deffoy</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://seabirdsanctuary.chiens-de-france.com/site_eleveur/index.php?ID_ELEVEUR=16139&ID_SITE=38152">Of Seabird Sanctuary </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.epagneulpicard-delafromentee.fr/index.html">Du Clos de la Fromentée</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.epagneulpicard-desfalaisesdelailly.com/index.php">Des Falaises de l'Ailly</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://vallee-du-pont-meur.chiens-de-france.com/site_eleveur/index.php?ID_ELEVEUR=2396&ID_SITE=8731">La Vallée du Pont Meur</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://duboisdelavannerie.chiens-de-france.com/epagneul-picard.html">Du Bois de la Vannerie</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://delaforgedesevoissons.chiens-de-france.com/epagneul-picard.html">De la Forge des Evoissons</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://dudomainediron.chiens-de-france.com/epagneul-picard.html">Du Domaine d'Iron</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://desvignesdupreux.chiens-de-france.com/epagneul-picard.html">Des Vignes du Preux</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://fermedelacendriere.chiens-de-france.com/epagneul-picard.html">De la Ferme de la Cendrière</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://dubois-de-la-fosse-etaine.e-monsite.com/">Du Bois de la Fosse Etaine</a> </li>
<li>Des Vives </li>
<li>De la Plaine du Touvent </li>
<li>Du Bois de Frechencourt </li>
</ul>
<b>GERMANY</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.klm-von-der-appelbecke.de/">Von der Appelbecke </a></li>
<li>Of Grandly Lodge</li>
<li><a href="http://www.picard-epagneul.de/">Vom Wietesch</a></li>
</ul>
<b>AUSTRIA </b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.vomhelmriegel.at/">Vom Helmriegel</a> </li>
<li>Von der Packerhöhe </li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/andreas.franclik.5">Vom Hernsteiner Forst</a></li>
</ul>
<b>NETHERLANDS</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.vanstip.nl/">Vanstip</a></li>
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<b>ENGLAND </b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ade.maurice">De Chez Maurice</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/emily.spence.796">Emily Spence </a></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Claire-J-Photographie-AnimalInfinity--1513355052230486/">Claire Josse</a></td></tr>
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And here is a brief overview of some of the more influential kennel names of the past and present that you will see in the pedigrees of most Picardy pups today.<br />
<b><br />DU VAL PICARD:</b> Mr. Loir no longer breeds, but his kennel was among the first to be established after World War II and his efforts were key in reviving the breed in the post-war years. <br />
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<b>DU PRÉ DES AULNAIS:</b> Mr. Demagny no longer breeds dogs, but was one of the first breeders of Picardy Spaniels, along with Mr. Lempereur, Mr. Charron and Mr. Mailly to focus on fields trials to raise the profile of the breed. Mr. Demagny's dogs Joconde, Only One, Tina, Excel and Iroo achieved great results in the field. Other kennels active on the field trial scene in that same period include du Bois Bruyant (Mr. Lecaille) and du Mont Galant (Mr. Charron). <br />
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<b>DE LA VALLEE BROUTIN:</b> Mr. Marc Lempereur's kennel is perhaps the most well known and prolific in France. Mr. Lempereur, along with Mr. Demagny and Mr. Charron were the first to bring the Picardy back to field trialing in the 1960s. Pacha de la Vallée Broutin, an excellent trial dog was the foundation of Mr. Lempereur's kennel and greatly improved the pointing talents and coat quality of the breed. Pacha's son Truffe dominated the field trial scene for Picardy Spaniels and was followed by other excellent descendants such as Astuce, Chipsie, Echo, Futile, Futée, Pandorre and other champions including the well-known dog Fax. <br />
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<b><a href="http://epagneul-picard-du-bois-du-deffoy.over-blog.com/article-epagneul-picard-des-marais-de-st-hilaire-37489453.html">DES MARAIS DE SAINT HILAIRE</a>: </b>Mr. Lemonnier was one of the rare breeders of Picardy Spaniels to successfully compete in woodcock and snipe trials. His dogs Roxane des Terres de Pitance, Aramis des Marais de Saint Hilaire, Candy des Marais de Saint Hilaire, Comtesse des Marais de Saint Hilaire and Coyotte des Marais de Saint Hilaire established the excellent reputation of the kennel. Mr. Lemonier has produced a number of field trial champions but may no longer be breeding.<br />
<b><br />DES TERRES DE PITANCE:</b> Mr. Joël Mailly started his kennel with Catch de la Vallée Broutin et Farah at the beginning of the 1980's. Since then, his small family-run kennel has produced field trial champions and field pointed dogs in every generation. Dogs such as Jaffa, Jeff, Milord, Rambo, Roxane, Vénus, and his latest dog Gena are the stars of his kennel. Vénus is in fact one of the very few female Picardy Spaniels to attain the title of spring-time field trial champion.<br />
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<b>DES ETANGS ENSOLEILLÉS:</b> Only produced one or two litters and is best known for Theo des Étangs Ensoleillés, an excellent dog used by Mr. Mailly. <br />
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<b><a href="http://lavalbouchon80.skyrock.com/">DE LA VALLEE DE BOUCHON</a>:</b> Sébastien Roze continues to breed the occasional litter for the kennel founded by his late father, Dominique. Sébastien often participates in Saint Hubert events (shoot to retrieve trials) and typically gets excellent ratings for his dogs at the national breed show.<br />
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<b><a href="http://dumaraisdelamalvoisine-somme.achetermonchien.com/nos-races-de-chiens">DU MARAIS DE LA MALVOISINE</a>:</b> William Brutelle's kennel has produced several high-profile Picardy Spaniels in recent years. Dogs such as <a href="http://epi.tangor.net/genealogie/arbre.php?id=5">Archimède du Marais de la Malvoisine</a>, <a href="http://epi.tangor.net/genealogie/arbre.php?id=30">Axel de la Malvoisine</a> and <a href="http://epi.tangor.net/genealogie/arbre.php?id=148">Astro de la Malvoisine</a> earned the kennel a good reputation for producing excellent field trial and hunting dogs. Axel also earned a BICP (versatile dog test) championship title and other dogs from the kennel have won and placed in field trials in France and the Netherlands. Mr. Brutelle also breeds English Setters. <br />
<b><br />DU RIDEAU DE LA LOUVE:</b> Mr. Bruno Demoulin produced a number of excellent Picardy Spaniels including autumn and spring-time champion César du Rideau de la Louve and Natt du Rideau de la Louve, the first ever spring-time field trial champion Picardy Spaniel. Mr. Demoulin no longer breeds Picardy Spaniels and now focusses on breeding English Setters. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jagdhundefotografie/">Julia Kauer</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-63103921768653554132016-02-25T09:55:00.000-08:002016-09-18T13:27:36.856-07:00Long Distance Run Around<div style="text-align: center;">
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In a perfect world the pup of your dreams, from the breed of your dreams, would be whelped by an awesome breeder living just down the street. And when the happy day came for you to bring puppy home, all you'd need to do is walk half a block to get him. </div>
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But this world is not perfect. </div>
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The pup of your dreams, from a breed of your dreams, may actually spend the first 8+ weeks of its life far away from where you live. And that means you can't just walk down the street to get him. But if he's in your own country, getting a pup from a different city or state is fairly straight forward. There are no international borders or language barriers to deal with. And no matter how far away the breeder lives, you at least have the option of taking a road trip to go there or shipping him with a domestic airline.<br />
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But what happens when the pup is in another country, on the other side of the ocean? Obviously things are a bit more complicated, but not impossible. In fact, getting a pup from Europe is actually relatively easy, and best of all, it can lead to some incredible opportunities to make new friends and discover other cultures. <br />
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How do I know that? Because my wife and I have been there, done that, several times. And our lives are now richer for it. We've imported and help others import dogs from France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and helped breeders over here export dogs to France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. So here are some tips and suggestions for getting a pup from overseas or, if you are a breeder, for shipping a pup overseas. They are based on our own experiences and those of some good friends who have also 'been there, done that'.<br />
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<b> NOTE: </b>If you are still trying to figure out which breed to get or haven't made contact with an overseas breeder, before you continue reading this post, you may want to read these posts about the 'rare' European breeds <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/01/rare-doesn-mean-goodor-bad.html">here</a> and <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/01/popularity-it-complicated.html">here</a>.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">MAKING CONNECTIONS</span></b></div>
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<b>Before you do anything at all, you absolutely, positively MUST establish a connection based on mutual trust with folks on the ground over there. </b>Look for contacts on breed club websites, Facebook groups or online lists of breeders. Connect via the breeder's website, by email or forums, bulletin boards, Facebook etc. or spend a buck or two on a long-distance phone call. <br />
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But whatever you do, make sure to look for HUNTERS who breed hunting dogs. Engage them on a hunter-to-hunter basis and see if you are on the same wavelength as they are. Don't worry too much about language barriers, they are no longer such a big deal<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span></span> <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2015/06/say-au-revoir-to-language-barriers.html">Google Translate is your friend!</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.aspenridgekennels.com/#!about_us/c14e3">Cindy Petkwitz</a>, a <a href="http://www.aspenridgekennels.com/">breeder</a> of Braque du Bourbonnais in Michigan says:<br />
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It takes time to build an open and honest relationship, but it is worth it. We've all heard stories of people just throwing money at a breeder or two, hoping to get a fantastic pup but ending up with a real dud. When you spend no time at all building a relationship and establishing a good reputation with breeders, you risk getting nothing but their cast-offs, the dogs they couldn't sell locally but are more than happy to 'dump' on the other side of the ocean.<br />
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I was lucky to get my first dog Jack. The breeder in France didn't really know me but I was at the right place at the right time. 8 years later, with all the time and effort I have put in, making connections, I am creating my own luck.<br />
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Sending photos of where and how you hunt is a great way to communicate with a breeder and establish trust. While you may not be able to communicate well due to a language barrier, as they say "a picture is worth a 1000 words". Sending photos of your hunting adventures shows them that you are a serious hunter and you have the same passion as they do. And it is usually super interesting for them to see how we hunt over here, so sending photos is a great way to get them interested in working with you.</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.coraschatten.com/about-us-1/">Cortney Schaefer</a>, a <a href="http://www.coraschatten.com/">breeder</a> of Deutsch Langhaars says:<br />
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It helps a lot to have a mutual friend to refer the breeders to if they have any questions. For example, I am friends with the chairman of the Deutsch Langhaar Verband in Germany. And of course all of the German breeders know him (or at least know of him). So when I contact breeders, I always encourage them to call the chairman if they have any questions about shipping puppies to America. Probably about half end up calling him. But I think they all like the piece of mind of a reference that they themselves know.<br />
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I might also mention that most Germans do not seem to check email nearly as often as Americans. And we all know how many scammers try to email people today. So if you can call the breeder rather than emailing them, that is always preferable. It is easier to trust someone calling you over someone emailing you. If you can't speak the language, have someone who can speak on your behalf. We have gotten some pups with Germany by just communicating through email, but most of our imports come after Hermann (our German-speaking president) calls the breeders to answer any final questions.<br />
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And finally, I would add that "tire-kicking" is very disrespectful to German breeders. If you contact the breeder, they assume that you are 100% committed to getting a puppy from them. I know it can be very exciting to start contacting breeders about puppies, but please don't contact a breeder unless you really plan to take one of their puppies. I'm not sure why the culture is definitely there, but it most certainly is.<br />
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When you do contact breeders, make sure to be completely open and honest in all your dealings and insist that they be too. Get references, check with people who may know your contact, even vaguely about their reputation and their dogs. Like American breeders, German breeders are most interested in placing their pups into hunting homes. So I have found it very helpful to immediately talk about the types of game that I hunt with my dogs and even include several good hunting photos. </blockquote>
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I have also found that German breeders are very interested in seeing their pups reach their full potential by being trained and run through tests. So it helps us a lot to talk about our testing experience and our desire to get the dogs certified for breeding. If you tell a breeder that you plan to run his pup through a VJP and HZP and get him certified for breeding, that goes a long way. If you can tell the breeder that you have already tested a dog and report his scores, that goes even further. So like us, they prefer sending their pups to experienced owners.</blockquote>
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I should also add that "tire-kicking" is very disrespectful to German breeders. If you contact the breeder, they assume that you are 100% committed to getting a puppy from them. I know it can be very exciting to start contacting a bunch of breeders about puppies, but please don't contact a breeder unless you are fairly sure that you want to take one of their puppies. I'm not sure why that attitude is there, but it most certainly is. </blockquote>
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<b><b>GETTING THE PUP</b></b></div>
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<b>In my opinion, the best way, by far, to get a pup from overseas is to fly there yourself and pick it up from the breeder. </b>Not only is is the most secure way for the pup, but the experience of a trip to Europe will stay with you forever and if you can arrange to go during hunting season and go for a hunt there, it will blow your mind. Yes, it will cost more, but you will get huge returns on the investment of time and money make for years to come. So sell a gun or two, eat nothing but Kraft Diner for six months, get a second job...do whatever you need to do to pay for a return flight and a week or two visit to Europe. Trust me, you will LOVE IT!</div>
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<b>If you absolutely cannot or do not want to go, arrange for someone to bring the pup over for you. </b>Ask around to see if a friend or relative, neighbour, work associate, basically anyone you know and trust is already planning to go there. If they are, offer them a few bucks to bring the pup back with them (and cover the cost for the pup's flight of course). A few years ago, a friend of mine reserved a pup in France. She was unable to go so pick it up herself so we looked into shipping it here. The cost turned out to be about the same as a return flight to Paris for a person. So I asked my sister if she'd like a free trip to Paris. She jumped at the opportunity and was more than happy to bring the pup back with her. <br />
<b><br />Another option is to invite the breeder to bring it over to you. </b>Again, this is a very secure way of getting the pup, and depending on where you live and where the breeder lives the cost of a round trip flight for the breeder (or for you if you go there) is not much more than shipping the pup one way via cargo.<br />
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<b>What about having the pup shipped?</b> This can be the least expensive way (still not cheap, and sometimes as much or even more than a round trip flight for a person), but it can also be the most stressful way for everyone involved. The breeder may have to travel a long way to get the pup to a major airport, the flight may not be direct, you may have to travel a ways to get to the nearest major airport etc. But if you are near a major hub and the breeder is too, and you can get a decent flight (hopefully direct) at a decent price, shipping via cargo can be a good option. <br />
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Some breeders will flat-out refuse to ship pups over here no matter what. They are anxious about putting a puppy on a plane overseas. I don't push them on this. Everyone has their limits with what they are comfortable with. But when I contact breeders now, I am quick to point out that we have successfully shipped many puppies with <a href="http://www.petair.de/index.php/en/">PetAir</a> (www.petair.de) and that they have been easy to work with. They arrange the flights and can pick up the puppy at the breeder's door to deliver him to the airport. I have had a couple of breeders tell me that they were nervous about shipping overseas but felt more comfortable with it after visiting the PetAir website and speaking with their representatives. -- <a href="http://www.coraschatten.com/about-us-1/">Cortney Schaefer</a></blockquote>
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<b><b>BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PRICE?</b></b></div>
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<b><br /><br />Surprisingly, prices for pups in Europe are not much different than in North America, and sometimes less. </b>Of course, as they say "caveat emptor" (buyer beware), so watch out for really low prices or really high prices. Generally speaking you are looking at about a thousand US dollars for a young puppy of just about any breed. Yes, some will be higher, some lower, but none will be half price or double the price.<br />
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For years, we had some trouble getting people in our club to import puppies. People just assume that the process is difficult and expensive. It is a little more pricey, but it is a really easy process and well worth the effort. Most pups in Europe are cheaper than here. The average DL price in Germany right now is 700-800 euros (about $825-$900 US dollars). But then the shipping often doubles the price. However, consider that buying a domestic DL pup right now is $1,100 plus about $450 for shipping. So really, importing a pup is only a few hundred more than buying a domestic pup. And there is a lot more selection because there are so many more litters over there. So you can be more selective about gender, colour, or whelp date if you import a puppy. And then you just have to show up at the airport with your photo ID and the pup is yours! -- <a href="http://www.coraschatten.com/about-us-1/">Cortney Schaefer</a></blockquote>
Finally, if you need help, just ask. I am happy to help out in any way I can and there are people in every club, in every breed that are willing to take the time to answer questions and help you get a good dog. After all, they are looking for good hunting homes for their hunting dogs. And the rarer breeds really could use a helping hand, especially from North American hunters. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rsUMPk15tys/TdrdpZaBg1I/AAAAAAAAAnI/2ooSupGJf9I/s1600/Baltrum1.jpg" style="border: none; color: #00b7f3; list-style: none; margin: 0px auto; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rsUMPk15tys/TdrdpZaBg1I/AAAAAAAAAnI/2ooSupGJf9I/s400/Baltrum1.jpg" style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; max-width: 420px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-60057860169926903822016-02-21T09:40:00.001-08:002016-02-21T10:38:24.562-08:00Mystery Breed?Charles Fernand de Condamy (1847-1913)<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"> </span>was a well-known watercolour painter in France in the late 1800s. If you do a google image search for his works, among all the wonderful painting of horses and hounds, is this shot of a dog on point.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Charles-Fernand de Condamy</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">What is unusual about the image is that it shows a dog with a curly coat, and there is only one breed of pointing dog that has such a coat, the </span><a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/05/the-pont-audemer-spaniel.html">Pont<span style="text-align: start;">-</span>Audemer</a><span style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/05/the-pont-audemer-spaniel.html"> Spaniel</a>. But as far as I can tell, the painting does not have a title. At auction, it has been listed as an image of an Irish Water Spaniel and/or </span>Pont<span style="text-align: start;">-</span>Audemer<span style="text-align: start;"> Spaniel. One auction site even listed it as a watercolour painting of a Poodle.</span></div>
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De Condamy's painting may have also inspired one of French sculptor Albert Laplanche's bronzes. Unfortunately the small statue is simply listed as "Chien à l'arrêt" (dog on point), so we still have no solid confirmation of what breed it is. <span style="text-align: center;">So what breed could de Condamy's watercolour represent?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Chien à l'arrêt by Albert Laplanche</span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Well, I don't think it is a Poodle. Here is how de Condamy painted that breed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-ntRnUCqozmefm-pVT3ykw8P1NEyIQhRHt11pminY8t7CfQowIxQER5VGrrYnVdQ1gh46LPc420ijQrPxlnAUiyIrFp8pgPwLL_uZ486aqRX4hhbXVna_9t6-vTs5B9-NxSFoTQF7Yc4/s1600/1178870442435116.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-ntRnUCqozmefm-pVT3ykw8P1NEyIQhRHt11pminY8t7CfQowIxQER5VGrrYnVdQ1gh46LPc420ijQrPxlnAUiyIrFp8pgPwLL_uZ486aqRX4hhbXVna_9t6-vTs5B9-NxSFoTQF7Yc4/s200/1178870442435116.jpeg" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUwCrgx771eTIgSPICNgXGGKUOvuy0Qjl8OqpyJAWgDBhRy3di96EWdmjrnMi4wGn8VGZpq_Eu12HL_TZLnVZNafd77oxEbK3ZVRvg7eL54QseYlGddmbgmVqoBPhYyIvt6ZrEP0Uawwm/s1600/charles-fernand-de-condamy-caniche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUwCrgx771eTIgSPICNgXGGKUOvuy0Qjl8OqpyJAWgDBhRy3di96EWdmjrnMi4wGn8VGZpq_Eu12HL_TZLnVZNafd77oxEbK3ZVRvg7eL54QseYlGddmbgmVqoBPhYyIvt6ZrEP0Uawwm/s200/charles-fernand-de-condamy-caniche.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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And it is probably not an Irish Water Spaniel. After all, that breed doesn't point... or DOES IT? Have a look at this video. It is of an Irish Water Spaniel and a Boykin Spaniel hunting pheasants in Oregon.<br />
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I asked the owner of the Irish Water Spaniel about the dog in the video and this is what he told me:</div>
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Ah yes, the hesitation flush (aka the point). With my limited experience of hunting with only 3 IWS, my speculation has two parts. One is that IWS are somewhere on the continuum between a flusher and a pointer and as such, they can be trained to go either way depending on the individual dogs personality. </blockquote>
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Tooey is a very reserved dog and if prey is not running, her chase instinct gets confused and so she points while determining what to do next. My male Cooper was an opportunist, and if he saw a hint of a bird, he would do anything to trap the bird before it flushed (we always got several birds each year that never left the ground). But if he winded a bird but could not see it at first, he would lock up while his brain processed what to do next. My youngest male recently saw a pheasant deep in wild rose and locked up tight, in a classic pointer pose. But when he encounters a moving bird, his prey drive kicks in.<br />
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The second speculation is that as the dogs confidence grows with experience, the tendency to point or hesitate at the flush diminishes over time. Tooey hesitates less and less, and only if the bird is in sight but not moving will it cause a point before the flush (she failed a senior level hunt test for this behavior but has never failed to find a downed bird or an crippled runner). However, the hesitation flush, or temporary point, has been a blessing for my shooting. Just having a few moments to prepare for the shot has allowed me to connect with birds that I probably would have missed with an instant flush. Not good for hunt tests, but great for the average shooter who likes to eat birds. </blockquote>
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Now, let's compare that to what <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/05/the-pont-audemer-spaniel.html">I wrote about our Ponto Uma in my book</a>:<br />
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Uma lives to run and runs for fun. To her, pointing birds is great sport. But so is flushing and chasing them. When she was young, I tried to cure her of bumping and chasing in the same way I cured our Weimaraners. I took her to a field loaded with meadowlarks and let her chase for as long as she wanted. But it didn’t work. When our other dogs were young pups, they were given the same treatment but they quickly figured out that they could not catch the birds, so they stopped chasing them and started pointing. Not Uma. The more she bumped and chased, the more she enjoyed it. She was so driven to play this game, I was concerned that she would run till she dropped dead. Eventually, by adjusting my training methods, I managed to bring out her pointing instinct while discouraging her impulse to flush. Uma is now a very reliable pointer and even backs other dogs on her own. </blockquote>
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I now believe that what Uma showed me early on was the basic conflict in the genetic makeup of the breed. With training she learned to listen to her pointing instinct and ignore the urge to flush. However, it could have gone the other way. It would have been very easy to train her to work like a Springer Spaniel.</blockquote>
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Be that as it may, my guess is that the dog in De Condamy's watercolour painting is indeed a Pont-Audemer Spaniel. The artist lived and hunted in the north of France were Pontos were relatively common in his day. It is very likely that he'd hunted over them and knew hunters who bred and owned Pontos. So, until and unless more evidence comes to light that indicates otherwise, we can enjoy the lovely painting as an extremely rare image of a Ponto on point from the 1880s.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uma the Ponto on point!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-12036769650315802442016-02-16T09:27:00.002-08:002016-02-16T10:29:52.962-08:00Meanwhile in Picardy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The 1880s were a difficult time for the French pointing breeds. </b>Nearly overwhelmed by a tsunami of Setters and Pointers, they were struggling to get their house in order. Lacking written breed standards, even official names for some breeds, judges had a hard time figuring out what was what in the show ring and how the various breeds should perform in the field. Even worse, a seemingly endless number of “rediscovered” breeds kept cropping up. After judging a dog show in Paris in 1884, Ernest Bellecroix published a plea for order.<br />
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Last year we were crushed under a completely unexpected number of classes. In all the species, native or foreign, new breeds, until now unknown, were discovered. There were 145 classes! Of all these different classifications, which one is the proper one? We have no idea. Therefore we request that the Society that has the difficult task of improving the breeds of dogs determines these breeds once and for all and clearly defines their characteristics. Even the owners of dogs sometimes had no idea what kind of dogs they owned or bred and often would enter them into the wrong class at a dog show or field trial. </blockquote>
<b>Meanwhile in Picardy, many of the locally bred dogs were of the French Spaniel or </b><b>Pont-Audemer Spaniel type</b>. They were medium sized, long haired dogs with white and brown or white and black coats and were said to be excellent workers in the field and water. However by the 1880s it was increasingly obvious that a hefty dose of British blood had made its way into most kennels.<br />
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Nowadays, the official story of how and why that happened goes something like this: wealthy British sportsmen would travel to northern France to hunt in the fall but then leave their Setters and Pointers with the locals for the winter since there was a quarantine back home. While they were away, their dogs would occasionally get lucky and have a fling with a local pointing dog and voila, suddenly a bunch of 'setterized' épagneuls and 'pointerized' braques were seen running around.<br />
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As plausible as it sounds, I've always found that story to be a bit too convenient. First of all, the quarantine act didn't come into effect until 1901. So for most of the 1800s British hunters could come and go as they pleased with their dogs. And secondly, it is well documented that a lot of French hunters were captivated by the beauty and abilities of the British dogs and would seize upon any opportunity to breed their dogs to them. French sportsman and dog expert, Adolphe De la Rue, actually witnessed the very beginning of the widespread and indiscriminate period of crossbreeding in France.<br />
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I remember that it was on one of the opening days, so noisy and numerous, that I saw for the first time a large black pointing dog of the kind that appeared in France in 1814 with the English army. The dog was so highly regarded that his owner did not know who to answer first. All of his neighbors had the dog cover their bitches, even if the bitches were épagneuls. Based on what I saw, I can conclude that these thoughtless crosses were taking place more or less everywhere, a dog of a foreign breed would appear, everyone would take a liking to it and want one of its kind. </blockquote>
<b>Clearly, the various setterized families of epagneuls in the north of France were not the results of happy accidents or illicit flings. They were intentionally created for the use and enjoyment of local hunters. </b>In fact, there are even written records describing exactly how some of the families were created and in one case, an extraordinary colour illustration of what some of the first crosses may have looked like.<br />
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In an 1885 article published in Le Chenil a M. DE TOURIGNY wrote about tri-coloured dogs that were entered as French Spaniels in a number of shows and were awarded first place several times. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(*translation mine, original French version below)</span><br />
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In 1883 at the Tuileries dog show two black and white spaniels with tan points were shown as French Spaniels. These two dogs, Odett and Kroumir 1 won first and second place in the class.<br />
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At the time, we criticized the decision, noting that these animals were not of the French Spaniel type; they were more like watered-down versions of English Setters, obviously the result of cross breeding or inadequate selection. This year, Odett was again shown with her son Kroumir II and five puppies, and won again. And yet we still failed to find any more of the French Spaniel type in Odett and her offspring this year than in 1883. </blockquote>
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Our criticism didn't seem to have any effect since Odett and her offspring are still registered as French dogs by the Kennel Club and are well on their way to creating a line of pseudo-French Spaniels. Recently, a portrait of Kroumir and Odett appeard in the Journal d'agriculture pratique with an explanation of their origins. Here it is verbatim:</blockquote>
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<i>In I855, Mr. Molon obtained a Setter from Scotland. It was entirely white with silky hair, very beautiful and remarkably good. He crossed that white Scottish dog with a beautiful black and white silky-haired bitch with bright tan markings on her cheeks and the same colour on the nose and paws. The bitch was from North America, where it had been bred by a captain, a friend of Mr. Molon. </i></blockquote>
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<i>Later a bitch from this cross was bred to a beautiful Setter from England, with the same colour coat as the dog from North America and most probably belonging to the Laverack breed, although it was white with large black spots and bright tan markings above the eyes, cheeks and legs. However it did not have the same sort of undercoat as the Laveracks. It is through judicious inbreeding among the first crosses that Mr. Molon established his breed, which is now as beautiful and as good as Odett and Kroumir. </i></blockquote>
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From the foregoing we can only conclude that the alleged French Spaniels are in fact from various Setter crosses; yes, they have been in France for thirty years, but their origins are actually English. We will refrain from discussing their qualities or from criticizing Mr. Molon; he bred and kept good dogs and they did well. Ultimately he did what we recommend French breeders do: use good dogs where you can, but use authentic purebred Pointers and Setters and stick with them. </blockquote>
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But somehow the products of all these crosses have become French because they were born here and we've become used to them. But they are not now and never will be French breeds of dogs, and we wish to remind the Judges of upcoming exhibitions, and the Kennel Club, that we must require purebred dogs, and not accept the unfortunate mixes we now have on hand. </blockquote>
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M. DE TOURIGNY</blockquote>
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<b>Eventually the French pointing breeds did get their act together.</b> Official standards were drawn up, clubs were formed and breeders learned how to keep their lines pure...more or less. Nowadays, the épagneul breeds of France are recognized for what they really are; national treasures, living works of art, created by dedicated French hunters from a bygone era. <br />
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Today, the Brittany and the French Spaniel are doing quite well, while others like the Picardy, Blue Picardy and (especially) the Pont-Audemer remain vulnerable. But in yet another twist to the story, the French breeds which were nearly wiped out by an invasion of British breeds 150 years ago now seem to be winning hearts in the UK.<br />
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British and Irish hunters are shooting over Griffons, braques and épangeuls in increasing numbers. There is even <a href="http://www.picardyspaniel.org.uk/">a club</a> for the Picard, Blue and Pont-Audemer in the UK now and the first litters of Picardy and Blue Picardy pups were whelped this year. A litter of Pontos may soon follow. I guess the old saying 'what goes around, comes around' is true after all!<br />
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<b>Stay tuned for more on the origins of the Picardy and Blue Picardy Spaniels. I've got some more great images and quotes from the sporting press of the late 1800s and early 1900s.</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* En 1883 on pouvait voir à l'exposition de la terrasse des Tuileries deux chiens épagneuls blancs et noirs, légèrement marqués de feu, exposés comme Epagneuls français. Ces deux chiens, Odett et Kroumir 1 furent classés par le Jury premier et deuxième dans la classe des Epagneuls français.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">11 nous souvient alors d'avoir critiqué celle décision, en faisant remarquer que ces animaux n'avaient aucun des caractères typiques des Epagneuls français; ils faisaient songer à une dégénérescence de Setters anglais, suite de croisements ou de sélection insuffisants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cette année, ladite Odett, de nouveau exposée avec son fils Kroumir 11 et cinq chiots, a obtenu le rappel de son premier prix de 1883 et le premier prix d'élevage, toujours pour Epagneuls français. Nous nous sommes permis encore de ne pas trouver davantage cette année qu'en 1883 dans Odett et dans ses produits le type de l'Epagueul français. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Critique bien platonique, assurément, puisque voici désormais Odett, et tous ses Kroumirs, inscrits comme chiens français sur la liste des origines de la Société canine et parcheminés à la patte, prêts à faire souche de prétendus Epagneuls français. Ces temps derniers, le portrait. d'Odett et de Kroumir a été reproduit dans le Journal d'agriculture pratique, et une notice explicative de la gravure donne l'origine des deux chiens et de leur race. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nous reproduisons textuellement : « En I800, 31. M. de Molon se procure un Setter écossais, entièrement blanc, à poil soyeux, très beau et remarquablement bon. Il croise ce chien écossais blanc avec une magnifique chienne épagneule à poil soyeux mais noire et blanche avec feu très vif aux joues et mouchetée de même couleur sur le nez et les pattes. Cette lice était originaire de l'Amérique du Nord, d'où elle avait été ramenée par un capitaine de vaisseau, ami de M. de Molon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Plus tard une lice issue de ce premier croisement fut donnée à un très beau Setter venant d'Angleterre, de la même robe que la chienne venant de l'Amérique du Nord et appartenant très probablement à la race Laverack, bien que ce chien blanc avec grandes taches noires et feu vif aux-yeux, aux joues et aux pattes, n'eût point le fond de la robe traitée comme la plupart des Laveracks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">C'est grâce à des alliances judicieuses in and in entre les produits de ces premiers croisements que M. de Molon est parvenu à constituer la race, absolument confirmée, aussi belle que bonne, représentée par Odett et Kroumir. Après ce qui précède la conclusion se tire d'elle-même. Les prétendus Epagneuls français ne sont que des chiens provenant de divers croisements de Setters ; ce sont donc bien et dûment des chiens anglais élevés depuis trente ans en France, mais réellement d'origine anglaise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nous nous garderons bien de discuter leurs qualités, ni de critiquer M. de Molon; il a reproduit et conservé des chiens qu'il trouvait bons et s'en est bien trouvé. En définitive il a fait ce que nous conseillons aux éleveurs français:,se contenter de prendre son bien où on le trouve, c'est-à-dire de recourir aux reproducteurs authentiquement de race pure — Pointers ou Setters — et s'en tenir là. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mais les produits de ces élevages, devenus français par la naissance, par l'habitat, ne sont pas et ne seront jamais ce que. l'on appelle des chiens de race française, et nous signalons tant à l'attention des Jurys de nos expositions à venir, qu'à celle de la Société canine, la nécessité d'exiger la production des origines, et la regrettable anomalie que nous venons de constater pièces en main. DE TOURIGNY</span></div>
Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-24199414524097410492016-02-03T19:18:00.000-08:002016-02-21T09:54:53.297-08:00NAVHDA ROCKS!!<div>
Who goes to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a weekend in January? Crazy dog people like me, that's who!<br />
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The <a href="http://www.navhda.org/">North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association</a> held its annual meeting in Sioux Falls this past weekend and it was a blast!! Not only did I get to meet a ton of great people and talk dogs over fine food and adult beverages, I was given the tremendous honour of delivering the keynote address!</div>
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Yes, you read that right. Me, a guy who might hold the record for the lowest passing score <i>ever </i>in a NAVHDA test was given a microphone and a soapbox in a room filled with the who's who of the NAVHDA world.<br />
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I did my best to keep the speech short and to the point (pun intended). I managed to cover about <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/07/the-history-of-pointing-dog-part-1_30.html">500 years</a> of <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/09/the-history-of-pointing-dogs-part-2.html">pointing dog evolution</a> and explained how NAVHDA is now absolutely crucial to their further evolution in North America. I concluded with the following thoughts:</div>
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<i>The golden age of gundog creation ended about a hundred years ago. The modern age of gundog development came to an end in the early 2000s. And that means we are now in a new age, a post-modern age of<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span>gundogs and all the traditional structures that led to the creation and development of our dogs are in flux.*</i><br />
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<i>We now produce puppies via artificial insemination and analyze their DNA. We vaccinate them and inject microchips under their skin. We transport them across the ocean in airliners and through the marsh on all terrain vehicles. We keep track of them with the help of satellites floating in the sky above and can now access more information about them in a few minutes on our smartphones than William Arkwright or Jean Castaing could have accessed in a year in the biggest library in the world.</i><br />
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<i>So dog breeds, breeders, breed clubs and registries all face a choice now. They can evolve, or wither on the vine. Currently some of the most influential structures in the canine world are paying the price for their reluctance or inability to evolve. Memberships are in free-fall, boards are floundering, wracked with internal conflict. </i><br />
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<i>And then there's NAVHDA, an organization well-positioned to actually thrive in this new </i><i>knowledge-based society. You see, in our high-tech global world, information and communication are king. They are the dominant driving forces behind just about every aspect of life. So for an association like NAVHDA, </i><i>designed from the get-go to collect, store and share information, this new age might just turn out to be a new golden age.</i></div>
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<i>After all, when we are in the fields with our dogs, we are following in the footsteps of Gaston Phebus. And every time we test a dog we pay homage to Hegewald and Oberlander, Solms and Korthals. </i><i>But </i><i>even as we honour the past</i><i>,</i><i> </i><i>NAVHDA's main focus is, and always has been, firmly on the future. NAVHDA has but one real purpose: to help s</i><i>hape the future for </i><i>hunters, breeders and their canine companions.</i><br />
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Prior to the main event, I gave a seminar about the Continental pointing breeds, using a number of photos and videos from this very blog. Here are links to some of the things I mentioned in the talk for those in attendance that would like to see them again:<br />
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<a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/point-now-what.html">What do YOU do after the dog goes on point?</a></div>
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<a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/point-now-what.html"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ro-WntT3CWs/T3cbJFy_TuI/AAAAAAAACGI/AdBubMCg7Rg/s1600/VolumeTwo+-111118-164154-416.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/07/versatility-part-1-reporting-from_21.html">Cool pointing technique from Finland</a></div>
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<a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/07/the-history-of-pointing-dog-part-1_30.html">History of Pointing Dogs Part 1</a></div>
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<a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/07/the-history-of-pointing-dog-part-1_30.html"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r5olx9JUU6A/TdFdWks00BI/AAAAAAAAAhg/AkgWkiDb4og/s400/Origins-20100815122356-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And finally, thank you to everyone who purchased a copy of my book and my apologies to those that wished to purchase a copy but were unable to do so after all copies were sold. If you would like to order one, you can get it at the same price it was selling for at the meeting. </div>
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Just go to <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">this link </a>and look for the coupon code box above and to the right of the BUY NOW button. Type in NAVHDA and instead of paying the usual $99.00, you will get the book for only $79 with free shipping!!</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span></div>
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* UPDATE: I've been asked to expand a bit on the idea of the various gundog eras I spoke about. I will do so in much more detail in my next book, Pointing Dogs,Volume Two: The British and Irish Breeds, but for now, here is a quick overview:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amesplantation.org/events/national-championship/">The National Bird Dog Championship</a>, one of the greatest and oldest events in canine sport starts next Monday, Feb 8, 2016. First held in1896, the National Bird Dog Championship was a key player in what I think of as the golden age of gundogs. During that time, breeders, handlers, trainers and trialers all made great leaps of progress. Breed clubs and registries were formed, established breeds became more uniform and reached new heights of performance and most of the Continental breeds were created around that time. </div>
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But all that ended just before the first World War as the British breeds began their long decline into near obscurity in their native lands and the creation of new breeds of pointing dogs ceased completely. <br />
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And that is when I feel we entered into the modern age, characterized by continued growth and development of the British breeds outside of the UK and the rapid expansion of various continental breeds throughout North America. It is the age of the GSP, the Brittany, the GWP, Pudelpointer etc. and the continued rise of the Pointer and Setter. It was an age when a growing middle class of Americans and Canadians swelled the field trial ranks, when new trials and trial formats were developed and new clubs, new registries, organizations flourished. And it was a time when news and marketing of the gundog scene relied on newspapers, magazines, books and to a lesser extent radio and TV.<br />
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But that age came to an end just after the advent of the Internet, around the early 2000s. Almost overnight, everything changed. Yes, we still have trials and tests and yes, our dogs continue to improve. But the average age of participants across the gundog world is creeping upward and many club membership numbers are in decline. Few, if any new clubs are being formed, few if any new trial venues or formats are being created and we no longer rely on the traditional media to spread the word, we rely on the Internet, just as you and I are doing right now. And as I said in my speech: <br />
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"We now produce puppies via artificial insemination and analyze their DNA. We vaccinate them and inject microchips under their skin. We transport them across the ocean in airliners and through the marsh on all terrain vehicles. We keep track of them with the help of satellites floating in the sky above and can now access more information about them in a few minutes on our smartphones than William Arkwright or Jean Castaing could have accessed in a year in the biggest library in the world." And to me, that is what defines what I think of as the post-modern world of gundogs. It is smaller, faster, more knowledge-based and information dependant. It is an era in which we will probably see breakthroughs in canine genetics that will astonish us. I recently read a paper by a fellow I know in Germany. He and his team think they've found the area of dogs' genetic code that determines pointing behaviour (link below). Will we one day soon have genetically modified dogs like we know have genetically modified corn? I have no idea. But even posing a question like that 20 years ago would have been crazy. Nowadays, it is probably being studied by someone in a lab coat. We are beyond the modern age. We are now in a sort of post modern age for gundogs. Hang on to your hat, it's going to be an interesting ride!<br />
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*Homozygosity mapping and sequencing identify two genes that might contribute to pointing behavior in hunting dogs: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26401333">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26401333</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-886454467065887732016-01-19T10:00:00.002-08:002016-04-23T21:26:21.633-07:00A New Pup!<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbQlObUrigWU5KPiejw7m7FF3a1728h2DLOdyzJu2014mFJl_rH-K9sLRpL9VZPrAA5Wvv_ObKv-vWgjkluDy1kAju4LKwQZu2rPB3HZZoiIVugmtANgp7hWhkXy4RznPpNmsSFDJd9DY/s1600/Picard20070403130-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbQlObUrigWU5KPiejw7m7FF3a1728h2DLOdyzJu2014mFJl_rH-K9sLRpL9VZPrAA5Wvv_ObKv-vWgjkluDy1kAju4LKwQZu2rPB3HZZoiIVugmtANgp7hWhkXy4RznPpNmsSFDJd9DY/s1600/Picard20070403130-Edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Aramis des Marais de Saint Hilaire </span></td></tr>
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Dog folks are a curious bunch. No matter how many dogs they currently have and how happy they are with them, thoughts of the "next dog" still pop up from time to time. For Lisa and me our next dog is always an ongoing conversation since we are constantly exposed to dangerous levels of puppy cuteness. After all, in our travels, we often meet with top breeders and handlers of all sort of dogs and many of them offer us a pup at some point. So we'd probably have a dog or two from every pointing breed in the world if our credit cards could handle it.<br />
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But somehow, we've been pretty good at resisting temptation. We keep just enough dog power with us to cover our hunting needs and keep us warm on cold Manitoba nights.<br />
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But then, last May, <a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/henri">Henri</a> died.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.craigkoshykphoto.ca/img/s12/v183/p790912648-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.craigkoshykphoto.ca/img/s12/v183/p790912648-4.jpg" height="178" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henri the Pocket Rocket nearing the sound barrier in pursuit of snipe. </td></tr>
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His passing left a massive hole in our hearts and massive shoes to fill. We were suddenly down to two ancient gundogs: <a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/happy-birthday-souris">Souris </a>nearly 16 and <a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/happy-birthday-uma">Uma</a> 12. Sure, we had other dogs we could hunt with when needed. We chased roosters with the <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/09/amazing-maisey_26.html">Amazing Maisey</a>. <a href="http://www.craigkoshykphoto.ca/p611355407">Zeiss</a> rocked the prairies in honour of his buddy Henri. <a href="http://www.timberdoodleweims.net/our-dogs/upcoming-litters/">Beebe</a>, a daughter of Henri , spent the fall with us cuddling, hunting and getting her freak on with Zeiss (pups are due next week!). But when the season ended, we were left with a nagging void around the house.<br />
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As our hearts began to mend, we considered getting another Weimaraner. But over the years, we'd lost two magnificent Weims to terrible diseases so now, every time we talk about it, we end up on the verge of tears. So we thought about the other breeds we'd always wanted. The list was long. Lisa and I have never met a breed of pointing dog that we didn't like. But we do have a short list of dogs we want next. It includes breeds with a lot of white in the coat (I wrote about the reasons why <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/02/my-next-dog_20.html">here</a>) and a couple of other breeds that we've always loved, the <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2011/08/breed-of-week-portuguese-pointer_26.html">Portuguese Pointer</a> and the <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2012/07/breed-of-week-picardy-spaniel_12.html">Picardy Spaniel</a>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.craigkoshykphoto.ca/img/s11/v36/p870082889-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.craigkoshykphoto.ca/img/s11/v36/p870082889-4.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aramis des Marais de Saint Hilaire, one of the best Picardy Spaniels I've ever seen. </td></tr>
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Then a couple of weeks ago, photos began to pup up on my Facebook feed. They were of the first litter of Picardy pups whelped in the UK. I had been helping breeders of Picardies and fans of the breed connect via Facebook and email for a number of years already. I'd even set up a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1451156151857929/">Facebook group for the breed</a> and told anyone that would listen that the Picardy would be a great choice for North American sportsmen and women. </div>
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So last week I 'shared' the post with all the photos of cute Picardy pups and wrote: <i>If you've ever considered getting a Picardy pup, now might be the time! Check out these photos of pups from the first litter whelped in the UK and try to resist.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7inQYA4sQ0bMMvZezNVMNWvBPEHbWTZQfjkhx1jbO5UOd0ayhlMUphedAxDovrzqx7G9UHQy-kxIvoAloyl0sZ8VJxdb4VhhTydtHsqj0p_zLtKAUhrvVzFhizqdsZSGJ24R9VOjDXNK/s1600/12465857_10206775980571555_7523050786444514067_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7inQYA4sQ0bMMvZezNVMNWvBPEHbWTZQfjkhx1jbO5UOd0ayhlMUphedAxDovrzqx7G9UHQy-kxIvoAloyl0sZ8VJxdb4VhhTydtHsqj0p_zLtKAUhrvVzFhizqdsZSGJ24R9VOjDXNK/s320/12465857_10206775980571555_7523050786444514067_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the shots that shattered my resistance. Photo: Sue Axtell</td></tr>
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And the more I looked at the photos, the more I felt my own resistance fading. At one point I had to step away from the computer and plead with Lisa,: "Talk me down dear, help me step away from the edge". I fully expected her to provide me with some solid, logical reason<span class="text_exposed_show">s why I should not get a pup at this time. But instead of being reasonable and helping me resist, she said: "A new pup!? I'll go get my purse..."</span><br />
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So, despite my best efforts, it looks like the first person to give into temptation was...me!<br />
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SAY HELLO TO LEO!! He's headed to Canada!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEaWNbhOCk6ICA2bR0xVYDnhcSQTB3JT2eKK8_VHxg-PEoc3CjQGNMSW7w2az1oMQdGM-IBDltSVDoTMLd28LJK0LgduHkvh4l-BNCTIEPYZGJVjyt6nWFpGM-88CWHO15coMeC07k_CA/s1600/Leo4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEaWNbhOCk6ICA2bR0xVYDnhcSQTB3JT2eKK8_VHxg-PEoc3CjQGNMSW7w2az1oMQdGM-IBDltSVDoTMLd28LJK0LgduHkvh4l-BNCTIEPYZGJVjyt6nWFpGM-88CWHO15coMeC07k_CA/s400/Leo4.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: Sue Axtell</span></td></tr>
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Since announcing that we were getting Leo, I've received a lot of questions about him, his breed and our reasons for the choice. Here are a few answers to the most common among them:<br />
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<b>Why that breed? Do you just want to show off by having a breed nobody else has?</b><br />
How rare or popular a breed is has zero influence on our choice of hunting dog. I have always maintained that you can find hard-hunting, well-bred gundogs in any pointing breed. The only difference is how much time and effort it takes to actually find and get one. With some breeds it is dead easy; just find a litter, reach in and pick a pup. Your chances of getting a decent hunting dog are excellent. With other breeds, it is a total crap shoot, you really have to search high and low to find a good one among all the crap.<br />
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Having studied the pointing breeds for nearly 2 decades and having excellent contacts in a ton of breeds means that Lisa and I can find a decent gundog in just about any breed we choose. So it comes down to which breed is best suited to the kind of hunting we do (there are quite a few) and all the little things about it that, for whatever reason, we find appealing. Lisa loves the expressive eyes of the Portuguese Pointer, I love the tri-colour coat of the Picardy. Lisa loves the curly coat and quirky characters of the Pont-Audemer Spaniel and I like the class and style of Pointers and Setters.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4J9eZ4Pkk-Pk8PpTilvWPl2s8lhCF4dozaoKP0BsAbBA2pKZZsYBW08JtRq-7vIZp2OtQZl0h6kSApuuswcNjK3nsiwgok5wMyhYdAFrex5LRBFb-hP2Ac9rb-p0XXNP-PAtn_qDMgkU/s1600/justusrun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4J9eZ4Pkk-Pk8PpTilvWPl2s8lhCF4dozaoKP0BsAbBA2pKZZsYBW08JtRq-7vIZp2OtQZl0h6kSApuuswcNjK3nsiwgok5wMyhYdAFrex5LRBFb-hP2Ac9rb-p0XXNP-PAtn_qDMgkU/s400/justusrun.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Leo's father <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JustusMyPicardLove/?fref=ts">Justus,</a> a fantastic dog in all respects. </td></tr>
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<b>So why did you choose the Picardy in particular? Was it a spur of the moment decision?</b><br />
We met our first Picardy Spaniels in France about 10 years ago and have been a fan of the breed ever since. In fact on one of our trips to Europe, I would have purchased the handsome fellow at the top of this post right there on the spot! I wrote about him in my book and used his photo for the main shot in the breed chapter. So, no, it was not a spur of the moment decision.<br />
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I'd always known that one day, I would get a Picardy. As a mediocre trainer and someone who just wants an easy-to-live-with gundog, French breeds tend to fit my style better than German breeds. And since the Picardy region has a lot in common with Manitoba --good to great waterfowl and upland game hunting -- the pointing breed native to that area seemed to make sense. And finally, I've always thought that among all of the French pointing breeds, the Picardy may be the best suited to North American hunters and the types of game and terrain we hunt. By bringing Leo to Canada I am putting my money where my mouth is and making a commitment to the breed. With fellow hunters in Québec and the US I want to establish a breeding population of Picardy Spaniels on this side of the Atlantic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuybYPLrNH-x8CpyyO0v17iDdTDSMViplgEDg1l07u9fTmgWd_vTahBtyW_AI0dFF5YSPuL4UWBo5_5Ltny5QIjGlCfF30ZSYQisSIfd7D9S3QCdQygNBFENLQHTkmLcUDCjDJBZuRbLD/s1600/justuswater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuybYPLrNH-x8CpyyO0v17iDdTDSMViplgEDg1l07u9fTmgWd_vTahBtyW_AI0dFF5YSPuL4UWBo5_5Ltny5QIjGlCfF30ZSYQisSIfd7D9S3QCdQygNBFENLQHTkmLcUDCjDJBZuRbLD/s400/justuswater.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loves water you say?</td></tr>
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<b>Aren't rare dogs way more expensive? Aren't they rare for a reason (ie: they suck)?</b></div>
Short answer: no. <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2013/01/rare-doesn-mean-goodor-bad.html">Long answer here.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1x3w0hb5b-83kPXpu_bwiOqbRhsKzbipKaMLz3aHTbLsIbg5N7q515EOLqFKv17gsElGAMBuIpBTBL0UYCNi4hvWF9KxPon0cHHlvT5UEO3DNjIdBxKpq4rvEMljwGW3IeQbCuZNnRuzD/s1600/leo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1x3w0hb5b-83kPXpu_bwiOqbRhsKzbipKaMLz3aHTbLsIbg5N7q515EOLqFKv17gsElGAMBuIpBTBL0UYCNi4hvWF9KxPon0cHHlvT5UEO3DNjIdBxKpq4rvEMljwGW3IeQbCuZNnRuzD/s400/leo1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo left side. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: Sue Axtell</span><br />
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<b>Picardy SPANIEL? Spaniels are flushing dogs, not pointing dogs! </b><br />
There are actually more breeds of 'spaniels' that point than breeds of spaniels that flush! Sort of. <a href="http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2014/08/do-spaniels-point.html">It's complicated.</a><br />
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<b>Are you abandoning the Weim? </b><br />
No. I love Weims and will continue to support the efforts of those in the breed that are c<a href="http://huntingweimalliance.com/">ommitted to producing solid hunting Weims</a>. We will continue to hunt with Zeiss and Maisey even if they don't live with us and will probably get another Weim at some point in the future.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZLbSM_N2C9pqQQr9JIc19qCWLADSUuOu5tPOcMCqV3L76KUd7zWfDZnqEQ2iRK1gOJ9AvpvGJ0eftOSfX2bw6s1Rt0HqTyaHJlZwQA4tufpeEnD8WwkF6HSLs2Ey_0vuEWvpkGeHaX0W/s1600/leo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZLbSM_N2C9pqQQr9JIc19qCWLADSUuOu5tPOcMCqV3L76KUd7zWfDZnqEQ2iRK1gOJ9AvpvGJ0eftOSfX2bw6s1Rt0HqTyaHJlZwQA4tufpeEnD8WwkF6HSLs2Ey_0vuEWvpkGeHaX0W/s400/leo2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo right side. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: Sue Axtell</span><br />
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<b>The Picardy intrigues me. How can I get more info? Where can I get a good one?</b><br />
Start by buying my <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">book!</a> lol.. If you are on Facebook, check out the group I set up for the breed in North America <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1451156151857929/">here</a>. There are breed clubs for the Picardy Spaniel (and Blue Picardy and Pont-Audemer) <a href="http://ceppa.org/">in France</a> and <a href="http://www.nvebpp.nl/">the Netherlands</a> and a Picardy club in the <a href="http://www.picardyspaniel.org.uk/">UK</a>. If you are serious about getting a Picardy, drop me a line via Facebook or via email: dogwillingpublications@gmail.com and I will be happy to lend a hand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy76qoneILmjyeVFO0YPqsTXbBcZKJPocJ_5whxwXeZLlCPuq2FWYXELWpEVt8rE_UCmbgS2a-w-DeScTCtXXWl8aqyNTO15Ii1yIl2j9VQMnFFLeOozQVeGkjfm53IG1TZYRxKJ1q0L4H/s1600/leo3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy76qoneILmjyeVFO0YPqsTXbBcZKJPocJ_5whxwXeZLlCPuq2FWYXELWpEVt8rE_UCmbgS2a-w-DeScTCtXXWl8aqyNTO15Ii1yIl2j9VQMnFFLeOozQVeGkjfm53IG1TZYRxKJ1q0L4H/s400/leo3.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo in full cuteness mode. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: Sue Axtell</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">UPDATE: New photos of Leo <a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/leo">posted here</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JHaySL5dSwEi6x3TaHBGDPVGHNP6aaFaMbQYyWAjPJb4ZgK8H9W63DaDzQMEafQy_8JKq5lQJksNqwdSYNFmuQcL3YCjmF1M_qeSH5VUrFjQgbmSYJAaWGVcAF19zkxhAec3UNt-vrWz/s1600/A97T6440-PSLEO%25C2%25A9Sarah+Nicholson+Caldecott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JHaySL5dSwEi6x3TaHBGDPVGHNP6aaFaMbQYyWAjPJb4ZgK8H9W63DaDzQMEafQy_8JKq5lQJksNqwdSYNFmuQcL3YCjmF1M_qeSH5VUrFjQgbmSYJAaWGVcAF19zkxhAec3UNt-vrWz/s320/A97T6440-PSLEO%25C2%25A9Sarah+Nicholson+Caldecott.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDsjX9yCKmir6JIsWavt0wTcU9oaQFGIDVsCga-N2eRCIgwo1E75HSmGbXKNOII_c7ZIq2-YmxsOrBNr9w0jb-ockkcniWJMGnjNJCMzZ9YXk8CTyWVpaooWDjbODr66vsCz4YfjU9H5p/s1600/A97T6556-PSLEO%25C2%25A9Sarah+Nicholson+Caldecott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDsjX9yCKmir6JIsWavt0wTcU9oaQFGIDVsCga-N2eRCIgwo1E75HSmGbXKNOII_c7ZIq2-YmxsOrBNr9w0jb-ockkcniWJMGnjNJCMzZ9YXk8CTyWVpaooWDjbODr66vsCz4YfjU9H5p/s320/A97T6556-PSLEO%25C2%25A9Sarah+Nicholson+Caldecott.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-85635846172898363752015-11-18T06:41:00.000-08:002016-01-19T06:13:36.995-08:00In South Dakota, For a Little While<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The land belongs to the future, Carl; that‘s the way it seems to me. How many of the names on the county clerk‘s plat will be there in fifty years? I might as well try to will the sunset over there to my brother‘s children. We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it—for a little while</i>. ― Willa Cather<br />
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<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/la-belle-saison"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJlb3OjzPl_6PjfDK6MHaTco-jkA4Ui5wDJi3sgEhegOsgoVr2lpcWaKn62iDIGgjG5aEGN3huZ5EZhr1vHVeUSxx4BI7nu8_jRB3cgOb2M6Tj1y0L5-hhAEd5eLVfQ6hlGh_iQDrsVPf/s400/DSCF5983-2%25C2%25A9+Craig+KoshykMay+29%252C+2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well the weatherman is calling for snow tomorrow and there's only a few more days of deer season left. That means the 2015 hunting season is pretty much history. Sure, I we may get out a couple more times for grouse if the snow ain't knee-deep, but for all intents and purposes, our trip to South Dakota last week was the last big adventure of the year.<br />
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And what an adventure it was! Even though we could not bring any birds back with us (there is a complete ban on the importation of anything remotely resembling a chicken to Canada due to avian flu stateside), we still managed to take (and eat) a few. More importantly, we managed to get some great photos of some very nice dogs and their friendly owners.<br />
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And I really need to thank an the <a href="http://www.uplandjournal.com/">Upland Journal's awesome online discussion forum</a> for much of our success! You see, a few weeks before we headed south I submitted a post asking anyone running Pointers and/or Setters in ND or SD to drop me a line if they would let me photograph their dogs in action. It wasn't long until Brad Adrian stepped up and offered to let me follow him and his sweet Pointer Peanut as they chased prairie birds near Pierre. Along with Brad were few other UJ members, and one of them also had a couple of really nice Pointers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H1ZrhsNjPAhZ6AGue8R4V4pFrGoZ1h8CsvbUxnH-3-LedmlN0KFAezy1LsdWAMgc4_HV44_sLXn8nW1VUvHq19a6iZBB0BgbxQwPHZDtBdeeVHvFfRA7lIcHnSVVg-zYeD85ovowbmIo/s1600/DSCF5979-2%25C2%25A9+Craig+KoshykMay+29%252C+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H1ZrhsNjPAhZ6AGue8R4V4pFrGoZ1h8CsvbUxnH-3-LedmlN0KFAezy1LsdWAMgc4_HV44_sLXn8nW1VUvHq19a6iZBB0BgbxQwPHZDtBdeeVHvFfRA7lIcHnSVVg-zYeD85ovowbmIo/s200/DSCF5979-2%25C2%25A9+Craig+KoshykMay+29%252C+2015.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
So Lisa followed them with our Canons instead of shotguns. We could not have asked for better conditions. The temps were near perfect, the light was just right and the hunters, dogs and birds put on a great show. We managed to get some shots that we are really happy with, one or two of which I am pretty sure will make it to my next book.<br />
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If you'd like to see a selection of our favourites, check out the 2015 hunting gallery below. It features shots spanning the entire season, in reverse chronological order from South Dakota to North Dakota to Manitoba.<br />
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Enjoy!!<br />
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<iframe src="https://Cdog.exposure.co/la-belle-saison?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 550px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100%;"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/la-belle-saison">LA BELLE SAISON</a> by <a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/">Craig Koshyk</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/" style="text-transform: uppercase;">Exposure</a>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/"><img alt="www.dogwilling.ca" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZB8p830zYKR6buSKM9soX6ooyrUKt3YqMDCNYE6awtxwGcKzk7jhVjbYQOAuok9xwK8imef8UzqZiL2vDYktn3HhLeTLmXv8fyNtsiWIxFb5g6aJHcj1PwW6bhE0F3VtZTArgQjv-lkY/s1600/cover72.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-423815608168342684.post-28128522331305197242015-09-10T05:56:00.001-07:002015-11-18T10:46:29.725-08:00Pursuit: Photos of Hunters and Huntresses in The Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I guess most people would describe me as a photographer of gundogs. And it’s true. I do spend ungodly amounts of time, energy and money capturing images of gundogs. But along the way, I also snap a shot or two of the hunters and huntresses who follow the dogs, ready to harvest the game their canine companions manage to outwit. <br />
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Below are some of my favourite images of the hunters and huntresses with whom I’ve had the honour of sharing the most precious moments of my life. I hope you enjoy looking at them half as much as I enjoyed taking them.
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Place your mouse over the first image and scroll down to view the others.<br />
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<iframe src="https://cdog.exposure.co/pursuit?embed=true" style="border-radius: 2px; border: solid 1px #ccc; height: 800px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 650px;"></iframe><br /></div>
<a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/pursuit">PURSUIT</a> by <a href="https://cdog.exposure.co/">Craig Koshyk</a> on <a href="https://exposure.co/">Exposure</a>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book <a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/pointingdogsvolumeone.cfm">Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals</a></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.dogwilling.ca/"><img alt="www.dogwilling.ca" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZB8p830zYKR6buSKM9soX6ooyrUKt3YqMDCNYE6awtxwGcKzk7jhVjbYQOAuok9xwK8imef8UzqZiL2vDYktn3HhLeTLmXv8fyNtsiWIxFb5g6aJHcj1PwW6bhE0F3VtZTArgQjv-lkY/s1600/cover72.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Craig Koshykhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00551849205683278959noreply@blogger.com1