Author: janetbob

Game Winner, our young black and white male, topped a strong field of contenders in the 73rd Grand National Grouse Futurity held November 5, 2017.  “Finn” put down an impressive thirty minutes of hunting which featured his strong drive and extreme running class.  He’s the kind of dog you just can’t take your eyes off when he’s going at his work of finding wild birds.  And connect with wild birds he did as he pointed old ruff at the 20 minute mark with high intense style.  As his handler, Dick Brenneman, approached “Finn”, the grouse got up with “Finn” standing regally steady-to-wing-and-shot.  A finished piece of wild bird work.  The combination of the best hunting effort of the day and the bird work won him the recognition.

In 2015, “Finn’s” breeder, Dave D’Hulster, nominated his female, Springfield’s Showgirl in the Futurity at the time of mating.  He spent the money to start the futurity process and more money later to maintain the litters’ eligibility because he had confidence in what was already a niche between Showgirl and the sire of the litter, Grand National Grouse Ch. Full Blast.  Previous litters of this mating had produced #1 #2 and #4 placements in the 2015 Grand National Grouse Puppy Classic as well as the #1 placement in the 2016 Grand National Grouse Puppy Classic.  At the time Dave bred Showgirl this third time to Full Blast, we asked if we could get a pup.  Dick drove out and picked out “Finn”.  “Finn” spent much of his puppy development life with Bob Watts and then over the summer of 2017, “Finn” spent months with our friend, Thor Kain. “Finn’s” prowess in finding wild birds and handling them with adult manners is testimony to the opportunity of wild birds at Thor’s and to his dog training skills.

“Finn” has been on a field trial dominant tear recently.  In the weeks leading up to the Futurity, he won both the PA Grouse Trial Open Derby and the Venango Open Derby with Dick Brenneman at the helm.  At this point, “Finn” leads in the points accumulated for the Flanagan Award which goes to the top English setter derby for the year.

 

Blast Zone, our 3-year old male, won the National Amateur Grouse Championship on October 29, 2017.  Thor Kain expertly handled “Strike” to this , his first championship win.   This championship comes as a well-deserved recognition of “Strike’s” becoming well-known and remarkable wild bird finding ability.  “Strike” as a puppy/derby found, pointed and was steady on wild birds of four game bird species like no dog we have owned in our combined 100 years of field trial dog development.

Grouse were scarce as 40  contenders from across the cover dog geographic spectrum gathered in the Allegheny National Forest to compete their dogs over the 7 one-hour courses.  In the 16th brace, “Strike” lit out from the start searching the nearby and distant objectives for the quarry.  Driving forward throughout, “Strike” was found ahead on point by Thor with the arresting intensity and high pointing style he consistently exhibits.  The grouse lifted quickly with “Strike” staying high and tight as the bird flew out of sight.  He continued driving hard, reaching and searching until the end.  After the thrilling find, it was clear to all that “Strike” only needed to not make a mistake as he had done enough to win at that point.  Thor could have kept “Strike” close to finish but with confidence he let him roll on out and hunt as he’d done throughout the earlier part of his hour.  “Strike” responded and went on to finish going as strong as when he’d started.  A thrilling climax to an exceptional performance.

While “Strike” is now in the string of Dave Hughes, “Strike’s” early development and finishing on game is the work of Thor Kain.
Dave has added polish.

Blast Zone, our 3-year old male, hunted over the historic cover dog grounds in the Allegheny National Forest in this year’s premiere amateur grouse dog stake held in the east.  “Strike” hunted with enthusiasm, determination and style as he scoured the thirty minute course to which he was assigned.  Under the whistle of Thor Kain, “Strike” laid to the front, going to where he needed to find the relatively scarce and elusive grouse.  He scored a thrilling find with his bird sharply located.  Standing steady with classic high style and intensity, “Strike’s” effort bested a field of 16.

In the first open stakes of the fall season here in PA, our derbies are scoring some high quality wins.  Game Winner (Full Blast ex Springfield Show Girl) has won both the Venango Grouse Trial Open Derby and also the Pennsylvania Grouse Trial Open Derby,  “Finn”, black and white speedster, has been not only applying himself in hard driving fashion but doing it with the jump, snap and crack that we have come to insist the dogs we own and campaign must have.  His straight up pointing style has also captured the judges’ attention. Both stakes had double digit entrants that represent the best in our region and beyond.

Only a step behind “Finn” and placing second in the PA Open Derby was our Full Breeze (Full Blast ex Electra).  She too was handled by Dick.  Recall “Bree” won the Grand National Puppy Classic last spring and she continues to impress on the ground and especially on her game.  Credit for “Bree’s” early development goes to our friend Thor Kain.  We should hear much more from this pair going forward.

Steve Snyder’s female, Snyder’s Full Rage. continues her winning from last spring as she won Runner-Up Champion at both the Michigan Woodcock Championship and the Lake States Grouse Championship.  “Libby” currently leads in the Seminatore rankings.  The Snyder Team includes her trainers/handlers Scott and Tammy Chaffee.

“Libby” started her career here, whelped from our mating of Grand National Grouse Ch. Full Tilt to the sire, Keystone’s Red Rage.  We liked what we got from Red Rage the first time we bred to him (Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Ch. Straight Forward) and we decided on using him again.  It worked.  As a pup “Libby” was a naturally skilled bird finder.  I recall her digging up some finds on wild birds late in the season when even the veterans were having a hard time.  She always gave her best and was happy doing it.  Snappy, determined application, loving the work and looking good doing it (straight tail on point) are my recollections of her.  The Snyder Team have taken her well beyond where she was when she joined their team.  Congrats to the Team with more big wins to come from this young dog.  We are proud of “Libby” and her wins are celebrated here as if we’d won ourselves!

Grand National Grouse Ch. Full Tilt had an especially strong spring.   Or better stated, “Callie’s” offspring scored a bunch of significant field trial wins that made her feel great as she celebrated her 13th birthday in June.  All of “Callie’s” pups are now grown into shooting dog/all-age competition.

In Michigan, Snyder’s Full Rage (sired by Keystone’s Red Rage) scored several wins for owner Steve Snyder in grouse trials at Gladwin in good sized stakes.  “Libby” has established herself an elite bird finder in Scott and Tammy Chaffee’s string.   Tom Fruchey’s, Ghost Train Cody (sired by Lilley Hills Secret Stash) continued to add to his string of all-age grouse trial wins in the Michigan spring season.  Tom, along with his Dad Wayne, have done all the work in bringing “Cody” to his high competitive level.  Marty Stoker scored in one of the last trials of the season in New York with his favorite female, Full Impact (sired by Impact Player).  Again, Marty and his Dad (Gardner) have done all the work and training with her.  Topping off the list of “Callie’s’ winners this spring is All In (sired by Lilley Hills Secret Stash).  Thor Kain has done all the work in bringing “Chance”, Thor’s first field trial dog, to his zenith and that was more than enough to win the Region 2 Amateur Shooting Dog Championship!

So, life’s good here in retirement says “Callie” and she’s proud to have passed along genes that can win with the best.  Also, “Callie” is pretty proud of this her Facebook photo that got 45 ‘likes’!

 

In his first quail trial start in more than a year and a half, Blast Zone, our 3 year old setter male, won the Chemung County FTC Open Shooting Dog, May 14, 2017.  “Strike” recorded six sharp finds with arresting style to claim the blue ribbon.  Our friend, Thor Kain, was the handler.  “Strike” and Thor go way back as Thor took “Strike” at just over a year of age and had him handling wild birds of all varieties steady to wing and shot in just a couple of months.  It’s “Strike’s” ability with finding and coolly and calmly handling wild birds that sets him above all the dogs we have owned in this critical category of bird dog skills.  Since late in his derby year “Strike” has been trained and campaigned principally by Dave Hughes.

We generally don’t run our dogs in quail trials but sometimes when, as has been the case recently in PA, wild birds are scarce in grouse trials, we feel that a dog needs to find and handle some birds in field trial settings.  Thus, “Strike” was entered in his first quail trial since placing in the DuBois ‘qualifier’ in August, 2016.  We are pleased with the results.

On January 24 Straight Forward whelped two males and two female pup sired by 5X Ch. Pennstar.  This was a frozen semen litter.  This is our first venture with frozen semen and we are excited with the looks of the pups to date.

“Roxy” and “Bek”, the females, along with “Fed” and “Man” are now 3 months old and we’ve got them going regularly in the field where they are chasing and pointing butterflies, moths, bugs and most anything that moves.  They like to get staked out and then get worked individually on fun thing like learning to come, pointing pigeons in a sock and standing on the board/barrel.

As with all our matings, we have high hopes for the pups.  This is especially so this time around as the mom, Straight Forward, has now won the Seminatore Award (top setter all-age, cover dog) 3 times.  No other dog has done this and she clearly ranks her as the best female in our 36 year partnership.   The sire, Pennstar, is arguably, along with his son Full Blast, our best male dog to date.  Pennstar’s 5 championship performances on wild birds stands our in our minds and his production record (30-74-449) to date certainly ranks him among the all-time best coverdog producers.

So, the stage is set genetically.  Now time, work and the individual developmental paths the pups take will determine if they can help cover dog setters take another step forward.

Angel’s Envy, daughter of Full Blast, continues to prove out the potential many judges saw in her last year as a puppy.  Owned by Diane Wheelock and often handled by her, Angel’s Envy jumped seemlessly from puppy to top quality derby performances and her continued development and winning led her being named the Michigan Coverdog Derby of the Year.  Strong performance over the Gladwin grounds at the Michigan Amateur and Ruffed Grouse FTC last fall and then the Michigan Amateur in the spring capped by her winning the spring Beaverton Derby Classic were the basis for her earning this recognition.

The judges at the Grand National Grouse Puppy Classic placed Angel’s Envy 1st in the spring of 2016 and she has proven them right in that she has continued to show exceptional and consistent potential to be a great grouse dog.   Under the direction of her owners, she has added wild bird handling skills and a willingness to accept training in reaching excellence at this next level.

 

All In, son ex our Grand National Grouse Champion Full Tilt won the Regional 2 Amateur Walking Shooting Dog Championship with owner Thor Kain at the controls.

The Championship event featured a strong field of 26 contenders including many of the top coverdog circuit winners along with a number of dogs bred from and winning as horseback shooting dogs in professional strings. Most all of the entrants had multiple finds.  The grounds at the Oak Ridge Pointing Dog Club, Harrisville, PA, demand that a hunting dog reach for objectives and know how to hunt fence rows and field edges.  “Chance” registered 9 finds and a back.  His finds had the birds well located and his style on point during and after the flush was arresting–high and tight.  He was still going forward with drive and jump in his step at the end.

This is an especially sweet win for all of us as “Chance” realized the full potential we expected from this planned mating 6 years ago and that we saw in “Chance” as a pup.  Originally, “Chance” was our “pick of the litter,” sired by Ch. Lilley Hills Secret Stash ex Ch. Full Tilt.  We looked after the early development of “Chance” and I can recall telling folks that at 5 months of age, “Chance” was the best looking male prospect I could recall working with.  We won with him a few times and Mike Spotts took him to the North American Woodcock Futurity and won as Bob Little, a judge at this event, recalled in his recent CoverDog post.  However, dogs with great potential don’t always develop in a straight line from pup, derby to all-age.  With other dogs like future Grand National Grouse Champions Straight Forward and Full Blast of the approximate same age, when “Chance’s” development took a dip, opportunity and luck fortuitously came together.

At this time we were coming to know a young enthusiast who was working with our buddy, gun dog pro Tom Gingher.  Tom kept telling us this young guy needed and deserved a quality prospect to work with and once we met Thor Kain, he seemed to be a perfect match for “Chance”.  Even though we were pretty attached to “Chance” who was our house dog, Dick and I gave “Chance” to Thor.  This turned out to be one of the best moves we’ve ever made.  Thor took on the challenge of “Chance’s” continued development with both owner and dog working extremely hard and learning a lot as they went along.

It’s easy now to understand why this is such a ‘sweet’ win, not only for Thor and “Chance” but for Dick, my wife Janet (who loved our house dog and was along for most of his workouts) and me.  This is the first Championship for both Thor and Chance.  At this point we can say unequivocally that the Championship win by Thor and “Chance” is much more fulfilling than if we’d have won the event ourselves.  Full Tilt, too, has a smile on her face as her boy “Chance” joins his littermate Ghost Train Cody, owned by Tom Fruchey, as pups ex hers who have won Championship laurels.