I spent Saturday on the lease working the dogs on released quail. I say dogS because that's what it was; both dogs at the same time. Please don't misunderstand as I don't have a favorite dog. I do, however, have only ONE dog that I am actively trying to get titled.
Meet the other:
This is Prescott. Prescott has the heart of a lion but is only held back by his genetics. He is from "bench" lines, rather than "field" lines-not something anyone in the general public would know about because they get all their information from the AKC ; watching the dog-show circuit.
In the world of Springer Spaniels there is a division/schism. If you watch the Westminster dog show (the second oldest animal sporting event in the US-can you name the oldest?) and listen to the commentators describe the temperament of each breed as it parades around the ring; you would be of the opinion that the "springer spaniel" would be described:
This article by Cathy Lewis does a good job of describing some of the differences. And this goes into a much more lengthy discussion but best summed up:
My search led me to Springer Spaniels: based on the AKC description, a GREAT all-around gundog.
OK-where to find one? Obviously the local paper classified ads. Where else?
A trip to visit a local family who had bred their springers led me and my soon-to-be bride to our first dog. (In hindsight I probably did stack the deck a bit in our favor by doing a pretty good job of picking out a good pup. My experience with my GSD had taught me about dog behavior. And our choice wasn't/hasn't been something either of us have regretted.)
However, Prescott is a bench-bred dog. He is not built for speed and does not have the same desire to please that i have come to expect from practically every field bred spaniel I have come across. He is very independent and sometimes willful. He was very slow to mature. But at the time-what did I know?
He is a gundog, right?
After a year of working on basic obedience skills with him I ordered a box of training supplies from Lion Country Supply. In particular were freeze dried pheasant wings:
(prepare for hyperbole) When I brought the box in from where the UPS man had left it- a light-bulb went off in Prescott; and not a crappy fluorescent one. The old fashioned, instant, switch-on, light-bulb. Something in his soul was stirred by the smell of those wings coming from INSIDE the box; before I had opened it; and it was behavior we really hadn't seen before.
Our road to proper gundog training was underway because he IS a gundog. Stored away deeply in that soft fluffy body is the heart of a gundog.
So when it was time to decide what the training regimen was going to be this past Saturday, and when I saw the excitement in Prescott's wagging nubbin of a tail, I couldn't very well leave him behind; even though it meant a less than stellar training day.
Meet the other:
 |
| Prescott |
In the world of Springer Spaniels there is a division/schism. If you watch the Westminster dog show (the second oldest animal sporting event in the US-can you name the oldest?) and listen to the commentators describe the temperament of each breed as it parades around the ring; you would be of the opinion that the "springer spaniel" would be described:
The English Springer Spaniel has been endowed with style, enthusiasm, and an "eager to please" quality common to most spaniels. He is recognized for his ability to keep going and going under adverse hunting conditions, which is partly due to his medium-sized, powerful body. He has long, hanging ears and a moderately long coat that can be black or liver with white, blue or liver roan, and tricolor. (taken from the AKC breed description)What you do not hear is that the Springer Spaniel was split between show and field lines somewhere in the 1950's and that the two strands are hardly recognizable as the same breed.
This article by Cathy Lewis does a good job of describing some of the differences. And this goes into a much more lengthy discussion but best summed up:
The Field Bred English Springer Spaniel is different from the Show Bred English Springer Spaniel. They have been different dogs, for 70 years.Prescott was my first gundog, and I did what A LOT of people do-I looked through the various breed descriptions to see what was the best choice for my next dog. I had just recently put down my first dog, a wonderful German Shepherd, and wasn't looking to get another of the same breed. I may have one again sometime, but the memory of her was just too strong especially since the last several years of her life were less than healthy. In the end I didn't want to try to replace her, but I knew I wanted a dog in my life.
My search led me to Springer Spaniels: based on the AKC description, a GREAT all-around gundog.
OK-where to find one? Obviously the local paper classified ads. Where else?
A trip to visit a local family who had bred their springers led me and my soon-to-be bride to our first dog. (In hindsight I probably did stack the deck a bit in our favor by doing a pretty good job of picking out a good pup. My experience with my GSD had taught me about dog behavior. And our choice wasn't/hasn't been something either of us have regretted.)
However, Prescott is a bench-bred dog. He is not built for speed and does not have the same desire to please that i have come to expect from practically every field bred spaniel I have come across. He is very independent and sometimes willful. He was very slow to mature. But at the time-what did I know?
He is a gundog, right?
After a year of working on basic obedience skills with him I ordered a box of training supplies from Lion Country Supply. In particular were freeze dried pheasant wings:
 |
| pheasant wings |
Our road to proper gundog training was underway because he IS a gundog. Stored away deeply in that soft fluffy body is the heart of a gundog.
So when it was time to decide what the training regimen was going to be this past Saturday, and when I saw the excitement in Prescott's wagging nubbin of a tail, I couldn't very well leave him behind; even though it meant a less than stellar training day.