"The Starting Point
"
As 
Sees It
By Roy Greffin
- Chapter 6 -
When the Grizzled One heard the words ‘’There is
a problem with Penny’’ from his wife, his heart sank. In spite of his age he
sprinted to the deck where his wife was waiting with the phone. ‘’ Hi Ron, what
is the problem with Penny?’’ The vet replied ’’Along with the
pancreatic problem, she has a infection in her system. I started her on antibiotics this
morning and we should start to see some improvement by tonight. I sent a blood sample to
the lab this morning and should have a report back tomorrow but I think it will basically
confirm what we already know about her. But, we want to touch all the bases in this
situation. The nausea and retching episodes ended shortly after you brought her in this
morning and she is getting nourishment and medication by IV. She seems fairly comfortable
but not as ‘’bouncy’’ as she usually is. We will watch her close and
stay in touch with you.’’ ‘’Thanks Ron, you know what Penny means to
us’’. ‘’I know Roy, she is special here too’’.
The Grizzled One handed the phone back to his beloved and
relayed to her what the vet had told him. She touched his arm and said to him
‘’Honey, she will be back home with us before you know it and she will be able
to go back to what she loves best, hunting’’. With the sense of ominousness at
least partially lifted, the Grizzled One returned to making preparations for the Shorthair
pup’s training session.
Shortly before 4:00 Ed’s car pulled into the Grizzled
One’s driveway. The older man went to greet him and told him to let Benji out and
romp a bit . The pup was all over the Grizzled One who picked him up and cradled him and
allowed the pup to yank his beard and give him puppy kisses. (The Grizzled One believes
that like infants, puppies need affectionate, physical contacts) ‘’Well you
ready to go to work with your dog Ed?" Asked the Grizzled One. ‘’What are
we going to do today?’’ asked Ed. ‘’We are going to repeat
yesterday’s session with some additional twists.’’ replied the Grizzled
One. He instructed the younger man to put the wide training collar on the puppy and then
attach the check to it and take Benji for a short walk while he set up the training
situation. Because the puppy had indicated high degree of birdiness and desire in the
prior session, the Grizzled decided to use bird launchers today with Ed taking more of a
handler role than he did yesterday when he simply held the checkcord while the puppy did
gyrations with the flight of each pigeon. Because of the wind direction (Remember that
wind direction. Always bring your dog downwind from the training bird) the Grizzled One
was able to place the three launchers in a fairly straight line in a high weed strip. It
was really a ideal puppy training situation. The pup could be moved from one bird to the
next, in a line, and always be downwind. He called for Ed to bring Benji back. Explained
to Ed how today’s session would operate. ‘’Today we are going to use radio
controlled bird launchers instead of placing the birds on the ground under cover. The
reason why we are doing that is your pup showed he had a good nose yesterday and reacted
to bird scent so now we want to get those birds up into the air the instant he catches
scent. That will not only teach him to trust his nose when he picks up bird scent it will
also cause him to stop (a point is a delayed stalk on the part of the pointing dog) which
becomes a point. We are giving his genetic program a little help. Yesterday we introduced
him to birds ( in a highly controlled situation) and he showed us that he was birdy. Today
we are going to reward his picking up scent with an immediate reward of a bird in the
air.’’
Instructing Ed to keep the pup about l5 feet away from the
weed strip containing the bird launchers the two men began walking, with the pup tugging
at the end of the checkcord, parallel to the weed strip. As they approached the area where
the first launcher was located the Grizzled One told Ed that the launcher was coming up
and to keep a good hold on the check cord . As they approached the spot both men’s
gazes were riveted on the puppy who tugging along went right by the hidden bird launcher.
Ed turned to the Grizzled One and with a crestfallen look asked ‘’What happened?
Is something wrong? He did not pick up that bird’s scent!’’
‘’Just keep going Ed to where the next launcher is. We’ll come back and
work that bird going in the opposite direction. You have to realize that your pup is a pup
and is just starting to built up the memory banks of experiences which will enable him to
be a mature adult later on. Also scenting may not be what it seems it should be. The
breeze coming at us face high may be altogether different down at ground level where your
puppy is. Over the years I have seen many well trained and highly experienced bird dogs go
right by game birds that were visible to the eye but whose scent was undetectable to the
dog for a whole host of reasons’’. The Grizzled One informed Ed that they were
coming up on the spot where the 2nd launcher was and almost in the same breath the happy
tugging by the puppy halted and the puppy whirled to face the weed strip whereupon the
Grizzled One thumbed the transmitter button on the launcher transmitter and a big homing
pigeon shot up into the air l5 feet in front of the wide eyed puppy. ‘’Tell him
he is a good boy and move him on down the strip to the next launcher Ed’’ said
the old hunter. The puppy now instead of tugging his checkcord in a straight line was
moving in a zigzag pattern looking for??? ‘’Coming up to the next launcher
Ed’’ said the Grizzled One. The instant they were abreast of the hidden launcher
the puppy’s nostrils flared and instantly the Grizzled One catapulted the bird into
the air. This time the pup stood and watched the bird for a tiny bit before it went into
gyrations in its desire to get that bird.
’’Ed, we are going to swing out a bit and come
back at an angle towards that 3rd launcher. I don’t want the pup to go back past the
launchers that we have discharged. He will be picking up bird scent with no bird to go
with it. That kind of experience will come later. What we are interested in is giving him
as many positive experiences with birds as possible." As they angled towards the
final launcher with the puppy doing a frantic zigzag in front of them the Grizzled One
watched the pup intently. As they reached the area of the launcher, Ed diligently kept the
pup a good l5 feet out from the strip. The Grizzled One not seeing the puppy display any
signs of awareness of the bird’s presence told Ed to let the pup move in 5 feet or so
towards the weed strip. The pup immediately moved closer to the weed strip and at the
instant its nose flared its face froze in a mask of intensity and its forward motion
became frozen in time and space. It was pointing. This all took place within the wink of
an eye before the Grizzled One could react to the pup’s action with the release of
the bird. The pup’s intense gaze at the bird as it rose in flight did not abate.
‘’Praise him and move him on’’ said the Grizzled One to Ed .
‘’Your puppy is becoming a bird dog’’.
To get to know more about Roy
Greffiin. Or, You can write to grizzone@windy-city.com
with any questions you may have about selecting or training your hunting dog buddy.
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