The Underdogs

Posted on June 25, 2004 by SuperRetrieverSeries.com Staff 

What got you started in Competitive Dog Trials?
I trained a dog when I was a kid growing up, because I wanted a good hunting dog. I couldn't even drive yet but I trained her and had her handling. She was a tremendous hunting dog.

I went on to college and eventually got married and had children. That dog stayed with my parents and later passed away.

I had gone hunting with a friend from work and his dog wasn't trained very well. I felt that hunting with no dog was better than hunting with a poorly trained dog. I asked him not to bring the dog anymore and I convinced my wife that we really needed to get a dog mostly for the kids and I wanted a hunting dog again. I knew it had to be a lab.

My wife and I went to the library to do some research on it and I found the book Waterdog by Richard Wolters. He mentioned a kennel inVirginia that Jack Jagoda owned and since I was looking for primarily a hunting dog, this was the place to be.

I bought a dog out of FC AFC Tru Marcs Hot Pursuit and I bought a female from that litter. Jack got me involved with a NAHRA club that got me through the next two years with that dog.

When I moved I got involved with the AKC field trial group and got introduced to the white coat game. I got that dog Qualified All Age. I bought another dog and another dog and now Windy is now my fourth dog.

I love the field trial game and I have run some hunt test with her and I really love it all.

What was your first memory of a trained retriever?
The first field trial I went to I saw Rebel Ridge Cody Mischief. To be a first timer you couldn't go to a trial and see like that dog and not just say, "Oh my Gosh!!!!!" "If I could only have a dog like that."

Oh man what an incredible dog.

What dog is the greatest dog you have ever seen?
Lean Mac. He was a derby dog.

Who is a great marking dog in your eyes?
FC AFC Chet's Bwana Mojoa MH

Tell Me about David and Windy as a team.
Oh boy. Well she is very tuned into my feeling. If I am relaxed then she is relaxed and if I'm not she feeds of that as well. She is a very cerebral dog. She tryst very hard and has been a very, very good dog.

Loves, absolutely loves to retrieve.

Who is the stronger you or Windy?
I don't know. It depends on the setup. I don't think that Windy is particularly strong in the water. I have to help her more in the water than I do on land. She is a very strong marker on land.

She inclined to get out of the water to early and sometime she just thinks too much. It just depends on how she sees the situation but she needs a little help in the water.

What importance is the handler in the retriever trial game?
It is situational. The handler isn't always all that important. You can see some children getting their dogs thru some hunt tests and that is a wonderful thing.

Now the technical or converging marks, the bird you want to insure that your dog sees, the handler is so important.

All these dogs can mark, they stop on a whistle, and they change direction. Communication is where it's at and so much communication has to be done at the line.

The handler is extremely important in communicating with the dog what is needed on a given setup.

Who do you think is odds on favorites in this competition?
Probably Alex Washburn and Jerry Day.

Why do you think you might take Gold in the Great Outdoor Games?
I think we will do well. I do have to say I am not sure of some of the surprises we will see out there. There are some things I am sure we have not yet done and may not be able to introduce the dog to before we go up there.

You know Windy is a very good dog, she wants to please. She is a good marking dog and she loves it. If I can keep her from breaking and if she watches her birds I am hoping we will do pretty well.

There are some very savvy handlers up there. I am probably the big underdog up there. I am the newbie.