Rory wins two ribbons today!

   "The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win." ~ Bobby Knight

Proud Rory Hero Picture!

 

 Coach Knight got it right.  Rory and I have been working on today's success on a daily basis for months now.  But I digress.

Ann, Rory and I loaded up in the truck at an ungodly hour this morning and drove up to Ogilvie, MN to Pheasant Ridge Shooting Preserve to run in a NAHRA Upland Test.  In all honesty, the video I'm about to show you is pretty lack luster, but I am as proud of it as I can be.  Your mileage may differ.

There are two categories to a NAHRA Upland test.  Working Upland and Senior Upland.  We tested today at the Working level.  I am in awe of the guys who have their dogs up at the Senior level.  Maybe next year! 

Today's tests required Rory to meet a higher standard of training and performance than we've ever managed before.  

I'll explain those requirements as I bloviate my way through today's blog.  Ann followed us throughout the test with our GoPro and captured the video I'm about to show you.  As you watch the videos, please click Youtube's settings gear symbol and set the quality to the highest level and maximize your screen.  It's much better that way!

The two Judges, DickO and Terry are guys that I really respect for the dogs they've trained and the things they've done for Four Points Retriever Club. 

The first event is called a "Hunt-It-Up Test".  The judges hide a recently killed bird out in the cover somewhere.  Neither I nor Rory knew where the bird was hidden.  We are given a starting place for me to heel Rory over to and tell him to start hunting. On a different note, every retrieve in this test series requires Rory to "Deliver to hand" which means that Rory has to hold the bird for me until I take it from him.  The other tests we've passed were Started tests and all Rory had to do was to deliver within a "Reasonable Distance" which is much easier.

I have been working with Tim Springer's Do It Yourself program since last summer and one of the things we've been concentrating on is "Obedient Fetch" and Deliver to Hand.  I'm pretty proud of where we are and yet we've still got some firming up to do.  Rory went full k'nuck and had a little difficulty giving up the bird to me today.   

If I may digress yet again.  I've got Rory to a pretty solid level of obedience when it's just him and I in the backyard working together.  Or, out working in public with garden variety distractions going on.

An official NAHRA test is another whole kettle of cliches.  There are people and dogs everywhere, the excitement level is ramped up for everyone, there are guys with guns and birds, there are judges with clipboards...and it's just a fun whirlwind of distractions and controlled craziness that tests your dog's obedience like no other time.  Tests...well....they test you and your dog.  

If you watch the vids critically, you can see how distracted, excited and driven Rory was and how difficult it was to get him back into an obedient mindset.

We settled down at the start point, I told him "Dead Bird" and then "Find It!"  We've been "backyarding" "Find It!" and he knew exactly what to do.  The wind was blowing perfect and he found it right off and came charging back to me. 

Then we heeled over to the starting point for the next event.  

This next event is two fold.  An Upland Hunting Test consists of Rory "quartering" in front of the judges, the shooters and me for a set distance.  Then I get to heel him up and we "Walk Up" on the bird flinger and the shooters.  The perspicacious Gentle Reader will note the shooters and bird on the left side of the screen.  You can also see Terry signal them to release the bird.  Rory has to remain in heel until I send him to retrieve the bird.  He did really well on this one!

Then we had to quarter over to the next live flyer site.  This video is really kind of boring but you can see the bird guys reloading the flinger with a new bird for the next dog as we walk by.  You can also see the thicket out in front of us where we'll be for the next video.

 

 

This next video is the last event.  We did a Walk Up on the shooters through a thicket.  I had some trouble keeping Rory in heel and I gritched at him too much.  But we got through the thicket and Rory marked and retrieved the last bird pretty nicely.  Then he got all gnawy on the bird and I had to do some handling.  But it all worked out in the end.  

 

 We earned two ribbons today.  The Test Chair combine this weekend's tests on Saturday because of a forecast big blizzard.   So there were two simultaneously running tests going on.  Which is a really great testimony to our Retriever Club can do attitude.  It also added to the level of distraction and chaos for the dogs. I forgot to make sure Ann had the GoPro, so we did not get any video of the second test.  

 

On the second test, I concentrated much harder on making Rory heel, sit and give and I thought was much better.  

So on the happy image, I remain, 

Dad/Geoff