Sometimes I get a little hunting done with my own dogs. Wild birds are few and far between but we do have a good Chukar population in Utah. The terrain that they prefer is steep and rocky and you better have some good hiking boots. One of the things I like about Chukar hunting terrain is that it really can’t be done from a truck or ATV. This helps to keep the sport fairly pure as the “limit hunters” feel its too much work for a full bag of chukars. If you run into any fellow chukar hunters in Utah they usually have some nice pointing dogs along side.

Chukar hunting is also nice to stretch your dogs range a bit. The objectives are not so obvious as a ditch bank or fence row as when pheasant hunting for example. The terrain all looks the same in chukar territory. Rocks and rock slides, lots of sage brush and some assorted grasses. The lack of objectives forces your dog to use their nose more than their brain at times. It is really a joy to watch supposed close-working dogs stretch out and run big to cover the terrain. Lizzy is pictured above checking in.

The daunting thing about chukar hunting is that you often find the covey at the top of a steep hillside or outcrop. Typically you only get one or two shots when they flush and fly fast to the very bottom of the hill you just painstakingly climbed. You are left with no other choice but to follow and hike back to the bottom for another chance to shoot. This process seems to be repeated over and over. Up and down, up and down until your feet are blistered and/or you finally give up until the next time. That is Utah chukar hunting.

I like to run more than one dog at a time. Besides the fact that you can get twice as much accomplished, it is just plain fun. Dogs seems to work naturally as a team, the whole pack mentality shining through I am sure. I was running these two young female brittanys on quail and it felt like honoring and backing seemed to happen naturally. Intelligent pointing dogs will stop if they see another dog on point, even if they can’t smell or see the bird. I feel that this is as natural and deeply ingrained as the pointing instinct itself.

Of course, for one reason or another you will have the dog that developed the bad habit of stealing points. That is the maneuver of going in past the original dog on point to claim the point for himself. This can be avoided by establishing the ground rules early on. Even when working very young puppies, if they can point they can honor. I like to bring a pup in on an adult dog that is holding point and watch for the young dogs first reaction. If you watch carefully they will honor, even if just for a moment. This is where I stop them and keep them until the bird is flushed by my training buddy. Teach them the rules early on and bad habits will not be as big a problem.

Getting into the second generation of my breeding program I am pleased with the female I kept out of the litter. She has solid bird drive and a great nose and seems to catch on fast when learning new things. Sis has been introduced to birds and is starting to stand her birds really nicely. She covers ground well and loves to get up and really move. We have been getting good feedback from the owners of her littermates also. Her dam is my dog Sue an own daughter of NFC Shambo’s Dark Shadow. The sire of the litter was FC Light Em Up Luke, a very nice field trial dog with heavy Jeff Hoskins influence. I try to keep one or two pups from each litter I breed to make sure I am getting excellent results. I am hoping to have Sis campaigned this fall in field trials to see how she measures up.

Lucy broke her leg while jumping off the back of my flatbed truck a few months back. She stuck her front leg through one of the bed rail slots and then jumped off. It was a pretty bad break and I felt just awful with her dangling by her broken leg yelping. She recovered nicely and I got the bed rail slots fixed the next day. A few bucks in lumber and I could have avoided this train wreck. It never hurts to take a second look at your gear and vehicles and think “Is this a safe way to do this”? or “How can I make this safer”?

Taking Puppies to the Vet

This week we got to try out the new dog training truck and take our litter of brittany puppies to the vet for their 6 week shots and a checkup. They did well on their first ride in a dog box and were a big hit at the vets office.

Buster came to us as a finished dog and will be a big help as we head into the fall pheasant hunting season. We have taken him out on live birds and he looks great on point and is nearly whoa broke. Buster is a product of Dave Walker Brittany’s and his sire is FC Ricoche-T and his dam is Sweet Dreams who is heavily bred on DC/NFC Ban Dee on the top. We are hoping to use Buster as a stud dog in the near future. He has a great natural retrieve and is a pleasure to have in the kennel and in the home.

A side note: Annie came into heat this week and started spotting today. We are planning a breeding between her and Buster if all goes well. Puppies would be expected around October 17th and would be ready for their new homes right around mid-December. These should be excellent hunting dogs with a calm nature, strong nose and a natural retrieve.