Post by Woody Williams on Jul 26, 2005 21:24:59 GMT -5
Retriever Club offers enjoyable alternative
By JEFF LAMPE Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star
July 24, 2005
DUNLAP, Ill. - Tim Smith remembers staring into the fog and wondering. After 15 minutes of waiting in a mist-shrouded duck blind, he grudgingly decided to get the boat. Then he heard words every retriever trainer longs to hear.
"There's your dog. And he's got a duck."
For 15 minutes, Smith's 6-year-old black Labrador retriever, Chase, had lived up to his name - chasing a crippled duck without turning back.
"The guys in the other blind down from us said he was all the way over by them," Smith said.
Moments like that explain why Smith - once a die-hard golfer who is superintendent at Peoria's Kellogg Golf Course - has largely put down his clubs in favor of training dummies and a whistle.
"The dogs got me away from golf," the Dunlap resident said. "It's a joy to go out with a well-trained dog."
For Smith it's also enjoyable to spend time with like-minded dog trainers. A five-year member of the Illinois Valley Hunting Retriever Club, Smith said the group helped him shape Chase into a hunting retriever champion.
"People are willing to help you. That's what our club is about," Smith said. "Dog-training is a hard process, but there's shortcuts and drills that might help you."
Sharing that information is one mission of IVHRC, whose 35 members come mostly from the Peoria area. Several members typically meet once a week for informal training sessions at Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area.
"Depending on the level of dogs, we try to set up some scenarios for testing," said Steve Munson of Morton, IVHRC treasurer. "For some of the newer and younger dogs and folks who don't know as much, we try to do some basic training to share knowledge with them."
Unlike most field trials, sharing is common in HRC hunt tests. That's because instead of competing against each other, dogs seek to pass established standards. Earn enough points and your dog passes - even if every other dog also passes.
There's no bell curve. And not much backbiting.
"The camaraderie is one thing that's real nice," said Jim Campbell, a professional trainer from Canton. "Another thing that's nice is judges set up tests that are just like hunting scenarios.
"I'm not knocking field trials, but a lot of times they are not a true depiction of hunting situations."
The HRC philosophy was on display at Banner Marsh during an annual two-day hunt test. Camo-clad trainers from around the Midwest blew duck calls and handled dogs through a variety of realistic retrieving situations. Judges were on hand to grade a dog's performance.
For some, titles handed out after that event are the ultimate reward for training. For Munson, titles are merely icing on the cake.
"It's not really hunting, but it does extend the hunting season," he said. "A lot of us are just guys who like to hunt and to have our dog come back to us when we call them and bring back a duck or goose."
By JEFF LAMPE Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star
July 24, 2005
DUNLAP, Ill. - Tim Smith remembers staring into the fog and wondering. After 15 minutes of waiting in a mist-shrouded duck blind, he grudgingly decided to get the boat. Then he heard words every retriever trainer longs to hear.
"There's your dog. And he's got a duck."
For 15 minutes, Smith's 6-year-old black Labrador retriever, Chase, had lived up to his name - chasing a crippled duck without turning back.
"The guys in the other blind down from us said he was all the way over by them," Smith said.
Moments like that explain why Smith - once a die-hard golfer who is superintendent at Peoria's Kellogg Golf Course - has largely put down his clubs in favor of training dummies and a whistle.
"The dogs got me away from golf," the Dunlap resident said. "It's a joy to go out with a well-trained dog."
For Smith it's also enjoyable to spend time with like-minded dog trainers. A five-year member of the Illinois Valley Hunting Retriever Club, Smith said the group helped him shape Chase into a hunting retriever champion.
"People are willing to help you. That's what our club is about," Smith said. "Dog-training is a hard process, but there's shortcuts and drills that might help you."
Sharing that information is one mission of IVHRC, whose 35 members come mostly from the Peoria area. Several members typically meet once a week for informal training sessions at Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area.
"Depending on the level of dogs, we try to set up some scenarios for testing," said Steve Munson of Morton, IVHRC treasurer. "For some of the newer and younger dogs and folks who don't know as much, we try to do some basic training to share knowledge with them."
Unlike most field trials, sharing is common in HRC hunt tests. That's because instead of competing against each other, dogs seek to pass established standards. Earn enough points and your dog passes - even if every other dog also passes.
There's no bell curve. And not much backbiting.
"The camaraderie is one thing that's real nice," said Jim Campbell, a professional trainer from Canton. "Another thing that's nice is judges set up tests that are just like hunting scenarios.
"I'm not knocking field trials, but a lot of times they are not a true depiction of hunting situations."
The HRC philosophy was on display at Banner Marsh during an annual two-day hunt test. Camo-clad trainers from around the Midwest blew duck calls and handled dogs through a variety of realistic retrieving situations. Judges were on hand to grade a dog's performance.
For some, titles handed out after that event are the ultimate reward for training. For Munson, titles are merely icing on the cake.
"It's not really hunting, but it does extend the hunting season," he said. "A lot of us are just guys who like to hunt and to have our dog come back to us when we call them and bring back a duck or goose."