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Started
Dogs & Puppies
Perth is due in early December and
there are more litters planned for winter breeding with pups ready in the
spring. Currently we are waiting on the females to come into their heat
cycles for breeding. We will be using Toast as one of the stud dogs as well as Wallace and a new stud dog named Checkers who is out of Windsor
x Philly.
Check
the web site for current
descriptions and updated litter information. We have a good selection
of young started dogs
coming up and with these litters there should not be a long wait for those
of you waiting to acquire a Pine Shadows puppy.
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Game
Cook
Duck
Soup
One Duck
1 can stewed tomatoes
3 Celery stalks
1 yellow Onion, 1 cup
lentils
Garlic salt, kosher salt Bay leaves,
oregano, Black Pepper,
Basil
Boil duck carcass in a gallon of water for an hour.
Remove carcass by draining through colander, saving the broth.
Remove meat from bones, set aside. Place broth back
in pot. Chop vegetables and add to broth. Also add lentils and
seasonings. Chop duck meat into small pieces, add to broth. Simmer for
about an hour, don’t overcook as it could become mushy.
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Gun
Dogs
Looking
for a finished dog? We have had several inquiries requesting a “finished”
dog. That term has always sounded rather odd to me because when I hear
that term “finished” dog to me that means he is done, old, finished off,
ready for the grave. So when we get “finished” dog inquiries we always
have to explain our viewpoint.
Here
at Pine Shadows we call them “started” dogs, some are much farther along
on their training so they would be well started but they are never
finished. One can always teach dogs new things and continue to train even
the older dogs. We have had some dogs at nine - ten years old get
reprogrammed, continued training and continued drills to complete their
championship.
So at
what point are they “finished”? In
my opinion they are finished when they die.
So
then what is the definition of a started dog and what do you ask for when
looking for a “finished” dog? At Pine Shadows tell us what your desires
are then we will select the dog that will best meet those desires, be it
a started dog, a well started dog, a youngster or a pup. The best fit is
a well started dog that fits into your lifestyle, adapts to your hunting
style and cozies right into the house with your family. This can happen
with a 6 month old youngster to an 8 year old “well started” dog.
New
Owners
Some
of the P x Wallace pups went home recently
as young started dogs. Jack Hughes from Lake Elmo, Brad Howland from Fergus Falls, Bruce Helland from Nisswa and
Mike
and
Dawn Winters from Sacramento Ca all have littermates from the P x Wallace litter. Wallace,
by the way, has just achieved his Field Championship points and will get
the water test done this fall then he will become our newest Field
Champion.
John
Adams and Bruce Eide from the Brainerd area have Jarvey x Wallace
pups and both have been hunting this fall already. Reports from the field
on these two are very positive. Cricket
has gone to Hawaii under the ownership of Gary
Planos. It has been a bit of a struggle for Gary to get Cricket to function under his new surroundings. Gary has been working diligently
and progress is being made.
Ken
Harber from New Jersey has a new Q x Tommy pup and
Scott Mills from Buffalo, MN has Wren along with Todd Chapman from Princeton MN hunting with Cooper.
As
always we appreciate reports from the field with the new dogs plus we do
want to hear about any issue you might be having that you will need
advice or corrective techniques. Please keep us informed. Email me.
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Timber’s
Tip
TIMBER
I
hunted my last birds when I was 14 years old. I didn’t hunt much that
fall because I was pretty sore with “old age” syndrome. But I was still
able to get out and about for a short while.
My
kennel mate Kodiak hunted
until she was 14 years old so we can do it at that old age but just how
old can a Springer be and still hunt?
This
question is often asked the crew at Pine Shadows when looking at the
difference in a started dog vs. a puppy. As with many of the questions it
all depends on the personality of the dog.
Keeping
the dog in good physical shape will always give longer hunting years
barring any injury or internal tumors or organ malfunctions. Good physical condition makes for a
happy dog and one that wants to continue hunting.
We
have had dog’s lives’ cut short by malfunctions, tumors, accidents, but
for the most part a healthy dog, hunting throughout their life, will go
to an average age of 13 with hunting up until 11 or 12.
A
classic example is a dog named Sport
owned by Mike Hayes. Mike acquired Sport at around 10 months old, continued some training for a
couple years then just hunted hard with Sport. He developed into a great hunting dog, great family
dog and fit in well, Sport is now 12 years old,
arthritic, hunted last year but needs to just rest out and enjoy his last
years while Mike hunts with a new dog.
Replacing
one of these old dogs with a new one is always difficult because the new
one is never just like the old. Be patient with a new dog, select a pup
or started dog and start the process over again and a new dog develops
into the next star.
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