Indians For Guns

I realize you guys don't hunt birds with dogs there ( ),but nevertheless, I thought the dog guys would be interested in the Hunt Tests that we have in the US. These are not horseback Field Trials. but are rather walking events where the dog are judged againt a standard of performance rather than against each other. It takes 5 passing scrores(average of 7 out of 10 in all areas of testing, no less than a 5 in any) Titles are JH (junior hunter), SH (senior hunter) and MH( master hunter).

Categories judged are:

POINTING: Intensity of its point, as well as its ability to locate (pinpoint) birds under difficult scenting conditions and/or confusing scent patterns. A 'flash' point cannot be graded as pointing.

TRAINABILITY: Willingness to be handled, its reasonable obedience to commands and its gun response. Senior hunting dog must stop on a wild flushed bird and may be commanded to do so without receiving a failing score.

HUNTING and BIRD FINDING ABILITY. A Senior hunting dog must point and hold its point until the bird has been shot or the dog has been released.

RETRIEVING: Land only, not water. To hand.

HONORING: A Senior hunting dog must honor; a handler may give a dog a verbal command to honor,but a Senior hunting dog must acknowledge that its bracemate is on point before it has been cautioned to honor. A dog that steals its bracemate's point cannot receive a Qualifying score.

It isn't easy. Last week at a Hunt Test, there were 6 dogs entered in Senior Hunter. Mine was the only one who qualified and "got a leg" of the 5 needed.


Here is Field Champion Jerelyn's Justa Stacked Deck, aka Demi. (#6 nationally in field trials for her breed --German Wirehaired Pointer--last year, #4 at the national Trial). We're planning on adding a MH to her name, but SH comes first. This is her third leg. She found 5 birds (quail) and handled and retrieved them all quite well. Scores were all 9s from both judges.

There are a lot of interesting things to do with your dog here. Besides hunt, of course.

congratulations !!

that is very impressive achievement

Here's a better or at least more appealing picture of Demi. She is a very good breed speciman, beyond her working credentials. American bird dog guys love their dogs, and most of the guys I know keep their dogs in the house. Demi sleeps in my bedroom at night (on the floor, in her dog bed or on a rug) and goes to the office with me every day. My wife runs three miles with her 3 days a week, and we hunt twice a week during the season and train and hunt on preserves another 3 months a year. Wirehairs (her breed) gives you full return on the time invested in them, as, in fairness, do most dogs.

Very informative post Steve.
"I realize you guys don't hunt birds with dogs there".
Steve, we guys don't hunt anything here. Hunting is banned in India . Big game was banned way back in 1972 and smaller game and birds, in the mid 1980's. There was a time when people did hunt with dogs here. We have had Golden Retrievers , Labrador Retrievers, British Pointers and Fox Terriers in the family.
Congratulations on Demi's achievement .

Congrats to Demi and you too Steve. It must be a pleasure to have her around.

Best

Vikas

Congratulations to Demi and you.

My puppy seems less than inclined to hunt anything but hugs..

MoA wrote:Congratulations to Demi and you.

My puppy seems less than inclined to hunt anything but hugs..

IMBA
Great Picture there and nicely said.
I sometimes think they are a reflection to our own nature. I am sure you like to hug it as well.
My lab is lazier than me.

That a big puppy you've got MoA. and a beautiful one as well.
Having said so, I have yet to come across a Great Dane with any qualities of a Gun Dog.lol.
Gentle Giants.

Congratulations Steve! Demi is a beauty! You are indeed fortunate to have so many opportunities to work with your dogs!
Regards,
Yaj.

Yes very informative post by Steve. I think we can try this game in India, after exploring the legal aspects of the "ban" on hunting.

we guys don't hunt anything here. Hunting is banned in India.

I was really laughing aloud when reading this. The language and words are expressing frustration and helplessness. What is said is very true. Except those animals that are declared officially as "pests" non are allowed to be hunted. AFAIK only crows and rats are officially declared as pests. In some states wild boar hunt is allowed after getting official permission. But a point to be thought about is, humans are banned from conducting the act of "hunting" or does it also include the dogs? Animals in the wild are hunting as per the laws of nature. Why can't we allow our dogs to hunt? BTW does anyone has the text of the law that has "Banned" hunting in India. We can read it and figure out, if the dogs are "exempt" from the hunting ban and allowed to hunt?

Congratulations,Steve.Demi is a great looking dog and I fully appreciate the pleasure and the pride her performance gives you.Many thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Please continue to post.

Best-
Vikram

goodboy_mentor wrote: humans are banned from conducting the act of "hunting" or does it also include the dogs? Why can't we allow our dogs to hunt? BTW does anyone has the text of the law that has "Banned" hunting in India. We can read it and figure out, if the dogs are "exempt" from the hunting ban and allowed to hunt?

Well..keep in mind that at Senior and Master Hunter levels, we do shoot the birds (there is an appointed "gunner"; the handler does not). Otherwise, it would be hard to get a retrieve. However, so every dog has a chance, they are not wild birds, but preserve bird that have been put out there some hours previously.

On the other hand, there is no bird shooting at Junior Hunter levels or actually at big time field trials. A blank pistol is fired at the flush; the bird flies off. Plenty of people in trials only trial and do not hunt. Demi will be one of the few dogs with both Field Champion and Master Hunter titles--when we get the MH title..I hope.

I'd call the breed clubs on this, and ask.There must be a Brittany Club of India or a Pointer or German Shorthaired Pointer Club of India. Hunt Tests are only in the US, but Field Trials are all over. I admit I don't know about India, but the breed clubs would.

Congrats Steve.

Good pic MOA.

We have the Kennel Club of India which registers and certifies the dogs.
I don't think we have exclusive clubs for different breeds.
In none of the Dog Shows I have been to till date (in India) have I seen Field Trials or Hunt Tests.
With almost four decades of NO hunting in India , our dogs have probably lost their "Gun Dog" instincts. LOL.

e.g.
I doubt Yaj your beautiful " hounds" have the same killer instinct which their forefathers had, that were originally bred for Shikar. It is said that the "Rampurs" and the "Caravans" could even take on a wild boar in the bush.

How important are "genes" Steve in the making of a Gun Dog ? .......apart from the training aspect.

prashantsingh, you will not see working trials or hunt tests at a dog show only because they are not held in the same places! A conformation competition(i,e. "dog show") is conducted in a small ring,frequently indoors. A walking (not horseback) bird dog trial requires space for a 30-45 minutes run. (15 minutes for Junior Hunter).

If you are seriously interested in finding out about this stuff, I'd make an effort to find the (sporting/gun dog) breed clubs.They almost certainly do exist.(the clubs, not the trials). Fanatical hobbyists band together (think of gun guys), and bird dog people have a desire to develop their dogs even if they can't shoot birds (and maybe they can; preserve birds are not wild birds). Some people shoot clay targets but not birds for similar reasons.

Just be aware that single-purpose dog show people aren't always the ones you want to find; most show people don't trial and most working trial people don't show.They don't always like each other.

Your dogs can quite probably do well in hunt tests; unlike a Great Dane or hound, they wont get killed or injured by dangerous game in the early stages of figuring things out. With an untrained dog, you show him pigeons and let him chase them to develop his desire for birds (they fly back to the pigeon coop to be re-used).

Demi is a serious competition dog --quite provably and inarguably one of the best in the country-- and comes from a very long line on both sides of her pedigree of National Field Trial Champions and Master Hunters. But as in any sport, practice and instruction will take you a long way even without great genetics, and you can definitely have a lot of fun and great satisfaction. It's only work if you'd rather be doing something else. And for a lot of guys, there isn't much they'd rather be doing than training and being with their dog.