in actualality Bob I was using AKC as an average not as expectation. As for dogs that "don't meat the standard"My wifes niece trains obediance dogs and she has a rotti that because his nose is too long does meet conformation standard yet won his last compation. Funny side note when told to lie down and stay, he did so on his back. Anyway Food will be what it will be and as far as compations my son would like to enter him in agility no. I'll take him to the local field trials that one of the ranchers here likes to sponcer. But this would be for training tips not to compete.
Well Bob you maybe happy to hear Cops has started to learn to flush and track rabbit. At 12 weeeks of age he shows potential for the chase , He loves to search and chase our flemmish giant rabbit aroound what was a garden. We have let the weeds and strawbarries and rasberries run unchecked this year and sits as the thicket inwhich our rabbit will hide. Cops has on consistant problem, should the rabbit gets far enough ahead to drop into the grass unseen Cops will run right past and completely lost. He has started to run what would be best discribed as a cloverleaf pattern with his nose to the ground, doesn't seem to do much good. He will hold a point but not very long and once the rabbit moves forget it. This is great fun.
Fantastic, Chris! Sounds like you have natural on your hands. At least he's running with his nose to the ground. That's a start. Smart of you to "set" him on your pet rabbit. That's something you can easily control. Pointing at 12 weeks! Wow! If he held a point that early it would scare me! I've seen two year old bird dogs break a point after months and months of training. Looks like you're well on your way!! This is exciting! Congrats!
Well cops is growing like a weed . i haven't had much chance to taech hunting sklls yet and obdience is priority at the momment. But at 14 weeks he is 12 pounds and has feet somewhere between a clydes dale and an Eewok and I still think we should have called him Chewy.
An update on Cops. Well at 4 months he is bigger than his mother chatches the rabbit an his obediance is as bad as my spelling. But there is hope for him. He loves to chase rabbits it's getting him to stop, that is a problem. Anyway wanted to share his exiting moment from last night. Now I had gone to bed early so part of this is spectulation. Close as I can guess Copper had laid down on the cold air return for the furnace. when he got up his tag got caught in the grating. as the grate lifted up he fell in. so there he stood half hanging in the heating duct under the floor yelping for help and trying to go the wrong way. LALH got him out and everything was fine and now the dog takes a wide arck around thaat grate.
Chris, my new GSP was doing VERY well up until last night. My wife was tolerating him. He was even allowed to come in the house. Last night, while he was roaming the living room and kitchen area, my wife's hot-out-of-the-oven pork tenderloin mysterious disappeared off of the counter top. Buddy was caught eating it in the living room... on the new carpet. Now both of us have to sleep in the kennel
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion................ and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."
Well started Cops with Mary. At 4 and a half about all he does is chase the bird from her perch to the glove. The other day Mary gave him a shot on the nose. Other than that she's not bothered by him. But then his kennel is right next to the mew.
Cop's is getting better at finding it , the only problem is he enjoys chasing so much that it's hard to gety him to listen once on the game. but he is less than 5 months.