This Spring almost every weekend is filled with a hunting test or field trial, so we figured we better get Karma on some birds. Liz and Tim’s girl Gavi needed to get back in the field for some more practice before her Master level tests this Spring, so we took her out too.
Gavi was up first. Gavi honored beautifully and hit some very stylish points. Her nemesis is taking a step or two in enthusiasm, which is allowed, but some judges don’t like to see it, so Gavi got some really good practice waiting under LOTS of pressure. She did a wonderful job and completed several of her signature retrieves (she brings the bird around and delivers to the left side) which always makes us smile.
Zeke and Indy came out next. Zeke and Pat worked on the junior skills: hunting, trainability, and pointing. Zeke surprised us all when he honored Indy who hit a point right in front of him. It was very exciting to see the 7 month old puppy with his natural honor! Zeke got in a few beautiful points and didn’t move a muscle on the shot, another impressive skill he has picked up. We think Zeke is definitely ready for the hunting test season, and we can’t wait to see how he and Pat develop in the field together.
Karma, unlike her brother, hasn’t been exposed to much gunfire, so today was cap-gun shooting day. One thing Karma LOVES to do is retrieve, so we removed the flight feathers from a chukar and let her point, catch, and retrieve while we fired the cap-gun at a good distance. Luckily, Karma didn’t pay any attention to the shots and happily brought in all her retrieves to hand. We were also really impressed with how detailed she is in the field. She really works the scent cone, and is very deliberate with her hunting.
After the afternoon in the field, we grabbed dinner with Pat and Jacqueline which made for a perfect ending to a wonderful day with our puppies!