farmerrich

Sounds like he would have good reason to shoot you. In that situation I would shoot the dog and if the poaching scum didn't f**k o** a few warning shots might make them reconsider. If that wouldnt change your mind then you might find it difficult to batter someone into paralysis with a bullet in your leg.

And the FTCH/FTW thing.....it is only that one dog has been judged to have been the best dog on that particular day/test..... It is just like you going on a shoot and beating or picking up and on one particular day so and so's dog worked best that day because he pulled off an amazing retrieve....or he flushed the best pheasants.....whatever..... It is just 4 peoples opinions on who performed the best on that day....... Thats not quite right, judges can choose to withhold 1st, 2nd or even 3rd if they are of the opinion that the dogs are not up to the required standard. The awarding of f

Guelder rose I think. Poisonous but edible when cooked, don't taste very good. alb, rich

Sloes or damsons, which do you prefer? is there much difference?

The only worry I would have with buying a dog with no papers would be that it may have been stolen, or the bitch may have been stolen if buying a pup. There are a heck of a lot of working dogs being taken.

The dog may have had an eliminating fault. For example squeaking when exited. It may have been unsteady in some way, slow to drop to shot or flush, creeping forward on the drop, not nessesarily faults that would bother the average shooting man but should not be rewarded by a place in a field trial. People use field trial awards as a guide when breeding their dogs and need to trust that dogs in possesion of such awards do not suffer from certain faults or traits. Without being present at the trial in question however it is difficult to comment on this case. Rich

Yes they are but they are also kept in captivity for eggs or to clean up spilt food on avairy floors. They are known as Japonese quail but are in fact the same species as the european quail. Because they are so easy to rear I thought I would hatch some and put them in one of the covers, just wondered if any one had tried it.

Has anybody ever released quail? and if so how did they fly. I was thinking about putting a few into some cover crop drives as a point of interest. They are easy to rear and mature at 8 weeks or so.

I fed a pup on beta puppy once. The pup was absolutely crackers. Someone advised me to change to a feed with a lower protein content which I did. The transformation was incredible. Overnight the pup became far easier to handle. Whether it was the protein level or some additive in the feed I don't know but my experience has been that the expensive "premium" brands are not always the best.

Nice pup ryan, just one thing thou, I wouldnt make him sit when you call him to you at this stage you want to encourage his return as much as possible and if you want to lay the foundations of a good retrieve get down to his level and encourage him to come right into you, dont discourage him from jumping on you. It might look impressive for him to come to you and sit quietly at your feet but you may be creating problems with his retrieving later. Keep the joy. alb Rich

A lot has been made of stamina but most trialers only work their dogs for short periods as if they worked for longer they would pace themselves and their hunting style suffers. You would expect a keepers dog to be fitter and have greater stamina if it is worked several days a week as well as constantly being about with him but this is not down to genetics, the dog doesn't inherit its fitness. If you buy a dog with proven trial breeding you know that it is from parents who are sound in every respect of hunting ability, trainability, mouth etc. you are shortening the odds on having a good dog. K

Bunch of bloody yahs the North Staffs. You on here Warren? Keep out of my covers yer bugger.

I have a trio of light sussex banties £25, a trio of white silkies £25, several silkie/lightsussex crosses £10 ea and some dark and jubilee indian game adults £20 and growers £10. Location - North Staffs. PM if interested

If you want the chance to catch monsters you could try Dever Springs.

If I can be a little more helpful, Training Spaniels by Joe Irving is an exellent book, it was recomended to me 20 years ago when I was training my first dog and it is just as relevent today. Also take every opportunity to pick the brains of the top trainers, watch the demonstrations at gamefairs and try to attend a few trials. Introduce yourself and ask them a few questions, most are only too happy to help. Nothing wrong in introducing the stop whistle at this stage in my opinion. Just dont use it to "stop" him while playing or hunting about. Use it in conjunction with the sit command