Natural Ability

We've always known that Shai was a bright puppy.  She has been eager and a quick learner from the beginning.  Getting out and finding birds wasn't really a problem.  But I'm just me and there are others who know far more than I do.  So how does Shai stack up against the expectations of NAVHDA?  Well, let's just see...

First of all, a day of field testing includes and incredible amount of waiting.

But once things start, it's pretty exciting.  Shai didn't know what was going on.  She was just happy for another day in the field.  I, on the other hand, was a wreck!  And the pressure wasn't even on me.  She was the one that had to put in the work.  So we started with the field phase.  Five chukars were planted throughout a 200 acre field and the clock was set at 20 minutes.  Points must be definitive and produce a bird.  The dog is judged on use of nose, cooperation, quality of search, pointing, desire to work and gun shyness.  And off we go...

 Shai's first point was so fast I almost pushed her off it and told her to move on, but I let the dog work.  And work she did!  Here is point 1:

 Here is point 3:

 And point 4:



Next is the water phase.  I never worried about getting Shai in the water.  She can't get enough of it.  During this phase the dog is also evaluated for confirmation.  As expected, good teeth, medium length/medium harsh coat, straight back and beautiful yellow eyes!

 

Then the track.  Oh the track!  I worried most about the track.  I knew Shai loved to hunt, but for the track the dog is expected to "shift gears", put her nose to the ground and track a running pheasant, not just go back to hunting the field.  So I walked to the line, calmed the dog and...

...as soon as I gave her the command to track, she put her nose to the ground and didn't pick it up until she was trotting back with a pheasant!!

 

So, after this long day what do we have to show?  Well, Shai earned herself a Prize 1 and a perfect score of 112 points!!!  That is our amazing pup!

To the Point

With spring well on its way, we had one last chance to get out this season (March, at a local club) before things wrapped up.  And I finally remembered to bring the camera along to catch Shai pointing another rooster. 

GOOD GIRL!!!!

A Rocky Start

My entire youth was spent training dogs.  Everything from training Guide Dogs for the Blind to rescuing greyhound racers to teaching puppy obedience classes.  I was a dog person through and through.  My lovely wife, however, not so much.  Her family had a dog once.  And she hated it.  So, for the first ten years of our marriage I would ask, she would say no and I would keep waiting for the day when a dog was allowed back on the premises. 

The change of heart came when I introduced her to the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, or Griff.  A shaggy bathroom rug that could spend hours a day in the field with me and ALSO be content to curl up at her feet in the evening without bouncing off every wall waiting for the next hunt.

After a long, hard search, we found our Shai at Windmill Kennels in Burley, Idaho.  We knew what we were looking for and what we found was a breeder dedicated to producing quality dogs.  And  we weren't disappointed.  Our pup was bright, enthusiastic and possessed a natural ability that, to this day, hasn't disappointed.

That was the beginning of Broken Bow Kennels.