Had another lovely weekend.  I (we, actually) drove eight hours to confront two of my biggest fears – islands and birds (bet you thought I'd say handling, but not any more).

Diva and her sister, Roxie, were enrolled in the Ottawa Valley Chapter’s inaugural test held at Island Ridge Pheasantry, Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada.  Oh, where to begin?  I guess with my favorite subject, ME.

This was Diva’s second NA test.  Her first test demonstrated her lack of experience on birds which manifested in lousy pointing.  Pouring rain contributed to the problem as well.  If you recall, she earned 97 points and a Prize III (very high point total relative to the prize).  At eight months, she was very much under control.

Now at 12 months she’s more independent and likes to pick up her head and feet and search.  She made her first bird contact and was over 100 yards away.  She worked too close down the scent cone (without pointing) and the bird got up.  I thought it was a hen pheasant, but possibly the chukar that were being planted.  In the ensuing chase, two more birds got up, and Diva discovered the tree line held birds.

I ran to the trees and physically extricated her.  So the battle lines were drawn up; I’d spend the rest of the test hacking her taking dings in cooperation rather than letting the test totally degenerate.  Lisa Pehur was my handling judge, and did a good job helping me stay focused.  I’ve actually gotten complements from the judges on handling during the past two NA tests, something that never happened before.

Midway through the test Diva was winded, tired and actually slowing down.  It wasn’t oppressively hot, but it was warm and very humid.  I ran the test in shorts.  Diva was mouth-breathing and her big-running style wasn’t helping.

The judges tried to help me walk her into a bird, which I dislike, because the dog sees everyone standing and doesn’t know she’s being walked into a bird so she noodles around wondering why we aren’t hunting.  Better to swing a big loop.  The bird also wasn’t there anymore.  Just feathers; enough scent to make the dog look bad.

After that, Diva decided to head for the tree line, now 300 yards away.  I called and ran over only to not find her.  Mike Pallotta, the senior judge stared yelling that she was back where we’d been last… Alain Lebon had made the trek to the woods with me.  Not to see if I gave her a shake, but to see if she had established point, I’m certain.

After returning Mike tried to help me walk her into another bird.  This one was running, and Mike was giving instructions based on where it was supposed to be.  Diva established point and I was walking up to her to take control when Mike said to back off (Mike was trying to be helpful).  I should have not.  She broke point and tracked the bird, pointing again.  Then more movement and a busted bird.  It was “sticky” pointing, cherished in some places like South Africa, but despised here in North America.  Calling “point” and whoaing the dog would have been better handling.

After that, time was called…

I figured the performance, as bad as it was, was still worthy of Prize III as long as she didn’t blow the track.

(By now it’s pouring rain and I’m in shorts and a rain coat.  You have to be a sexy man to pull that off.)  At the track, we had a particularly uncooperative bird.  She ran an L shape with the first portion of the track being the short end of the L.  I think it crossed the other track.

Anyway, Diva predictably lost the track at a couple of spots, broke into search mode, and came back for tracking.  The track ended slamming on a “huge” point.  Solid and steady.  The long tail dock – breeders take note.  The European standard for tail length is 60%.  It looks odd at first, especially since many GSP’s are under the 40% dock we have as a US standard.  Anyway, get used to longer tails because they look so nice on point.  Size matters and longer is better.  These pups are closer to 66% (two-thirds) and I’m keeping that.  It looks so nice and should not be a problem in the woods.

Anyway, when the scores were read, they were threes and fours accumulating to 87 points and a prize II.  I’ll take it.  They dinged her in nose, which I wasn’t happy about, but I can see how they’d have questioned it.  Fewer points, better prize, that’s NAVHDA and honestly, the Prize II run was better than the Prize III run.  She was better all-around.