It’s been so long since I posted anything here that I may not remember how to do it! If you’re reading this, it means I figured it out.
Ian and I just got back from 2-1/2 glorious months of bird hunting in Eastern WA. He was just a 5-month-old puppy when we started in September. He’s a still a puppy now, but he has a respectable amount of bird experience for an 8-month-old dog!
Since Ian is my first pointing breed, there were parts of his training that I was unfamiliar with. I have never trained a pointing dog before. The process is quite different from retriever training. Also Ian, being a Gordon Setter, has a very different personality than the labs I am used to training and hunting. He is much softer and more cautious than my “Labadozers”.
I was aware that Ian was very young to start training. I wanted to be sure I didn’t make any mistakes and screw up his whole future. That’s why I sought out professional help from Kent Baxter at Baxter’s Bird Dogs in Republic WA. That proved to be an excellent decision and Ian and I both benefited greatly from Kent’s training.
I had to overcome a bit of an ego-obstacle to seek out another trainer for help. I happen to think I’m a pretty damn good trainer myself and it wasn’t easy to admit that I didn’t know everything. Fortunately, Ian had dug his way so deep into my heart that the thought of making a mistake overpowered whatever objections my ego could muster.
Kent and I quickly became friends and his wonderful wife, Rhonda, put a lot of tasty meals in front of me during that 2-1/2 months. Of course, we all went hunting together and I got to see Kent & Rhonda’s dogs in action. That helped me to see where I was headed with Ian and our training goals. In addition, Rhonda is an excellent photographer and if I can remember how, I will share some of her photos with you in another post. Here are couple snapshots I took with my phone.
Ian & Chukar Partridge
Got it, Boss!
I’m glad to be back in the kennel again. I shaved off my hunting season beard yesterday. My batteries are fully recharged, and I have bright young dogs in my kennel. They are all eager to learn and I am just as eager to train!
