Greg reports on Tango's test.  I'm very happy with the result and happy that every one of the B litter dogs will be tested.

I tried to get out of Boston early on Thursday in order to make 0630 show time in Mt Vernon Friday morning and was sucked in on a VTC which didn’t conclude until 1830, packed up my stuff and drove home.

Had nothing packed for the following day’s event so when I get home have to load the kennel, check cords, food, and water in bed by 1100.

0400 wake up, load up Tango drive to Wilton before stopping for coffee and a gut buster.  Pretty amazed that I could stay awake that long without coffee and just a note there is nothing open at that hour after you pass the Big Apple in Bethel.  Tango eats half of gut buster, no he is not spoiled!

Driving in the Wilton side of Cottle Hill Rd that isn’t maintained and has seen a lot of heavy rains this summer from the shape of the road; not the recommend route for non four wheel drive vehicles.  A bull moose pops out of the woods and turns out he’s going the same way that we are.  When we arrive at Cottle Hill Rd test area, seems the moose is there for test as well and walks through the fields that will be used for testing.  I guess trying to find the best spot to observe.

At 0700 the judges are introduced and NAVHDA test rules are explained, Tango and I draw second position.  First dog out is a black and white ticked German Short Haired Pointer (GSP) and I have to add the most beautiful example of GSP I have ever seen.  Tango thinks she’s hot too.   They have a good run in the search with only minor cooperation issues, remember a moose did just cruise the place and the pup is only six months if I’m not mistaken.  They come back up the hill and do the pheasant track, the judges confer and call next handler.

Now the moment of truth,  Tango is pumped, I let him off the lead and he immediately starts hunting.  He is staying out front nicely the judges and I are walking along at a nice hunting pace, not the footrace that I have seen past.  Tango gets birdie coming up on where the first bird is planted then locks up on the first bird.  One of the staunchest points I have seen, it was beautiful.  I’m thinking this is going to be text book and was already thinking Prize I was in the air and hoping someone is video taping this.  Those thoughts were short lived the judge tells me to walk in and flush the bird. I do that, the bird flies Tango jumps, doesn’t catch the bird but runs back up the hill chasing it, the bird lands in some tall cover on the edge of the field.  Tango is now in hunt mode and will not respond to call or whistle.  OK his desire score is going up and my cooperation score is going down. 

I get him back, start him down the hill again, he’s hunting, when I can only guess that he catches the scent of the moose cause he turns around and hauls up the hill nose down along the trail that the moose had left.  Again whistle and call do nothing, when he gets back to the top of the hill he gets wind of the bird trailer and heads over to it.  Very nice point when he gets there and cannot understand why I am running back up the hill and don’t seem to be happy with his performance.  Get him away from the trailer full of birds which he still can’t understand because he’s thinking his work is done, he found the mother lode. 

At the bottom of the hill, I pick him up and spin him around a few times to try and get him back on the job at hand   He hunts up finds a second bird points it and it runs off there goes Tango again.  The head judge tells me to leave him and walk across the dirt road and into the next field and to not pay any attention to Tango that he will follow.  This portion of the test has a twenty minute time limit so we have to be getting close at this point and I’m thinking it can’t end soon enough.  Tango does follow in his own sweet time and finds a third bird, points and the judge tells me to get a hold on the dog and collar him up.  I do that and the search portion of the test is done.  Back up the hill, by this time my old fat butt is feeling like I ran marathon in Bean boots. 

Back at the truck Tango and I get water and they call us out to do the pheasant track.  Conditions couldn’t have been much better it was still cool, dew on the grass the pheasant has been released but has gone in the opposite direction from which he was intended to go and has made a 15 to 20 foot hop after coming to the other side of the road.  We get to were the judges want us to start and I can see in the dew where the pheasant went and how far it hopped.  Take Tango up to where they had marked the start, got him on the scent, crossed my fingers and let him go.  He was a tracking machine, right down the track, no hunting, nose on the ground straight through where the pheasant hopped, on to the track were it landed, and right to the woods and right on point.  It just couldn’t have been any better. Utility dogs would have been impressed.  Back to truck for water, treats and much praise.

It’s getting to be around noon and I’m starting to slip away having not packed any lunch and only having half a breakfast sandwich.  All the other NA dogs have run and its time to go to the water portion on the test.  We all pile on the trailer and head down to the water. The first dog swims like a fish, they check coat and teeth and it’s our turn. Did I mention what a good looking GSP that first dog is?   Tango picks a bumper and I throw it in, he swims right to it and brings it back.  Judge tells me to throw another and when I do it slips in my hand and it goes short.  Tango goes and realizes that his back legs will touch bottom he doesn’t have to swim and start failing in the water like he is going to drown. 

The judges tell me to throw another one and the same thing happens I throw it short.  Tango does the same thing, failing around.  It’s not a pretty sight.  I throw one more and get it right Tango swims a bit for it but when he turns around the feet go down and he walks into shore.  Judges check coat and teeth all normal and we are done for the day just waiting for the scores.

After driving back to Rome and having a nice lunch, listening and telling some entertaining dog and hunting stories the judges returned from the water after finishing up duck search on the two utility dogs that ran.  Now tension is high as we all wait for the scores.  Tango’s scores are read and I’m thinking after the search that there is no way we got a pass but I am pleasantly surprised by all his scores being 4s except the search and cooperation scores which were 2s for a total of 93 and a Prize III.

So bottom line the NA square is filled and 1 Oct is right around corner, and we’ll see how Tango hangs in the real Maine woods.