Tink's first Ever cold game retrieve and Hamptworth

Posted on September 18, 2011 at 11:57 AM

With Jay Jay and the pups safely in the Landi we headed of to Hamptworth Estate, Gary chuckling to himself over the way I had got into the passenger side with my damaged knee, all go ahhhhhhhhh for me :))

Pups are excellent in the Landi but they really do need more socialisation as they just aren't getting any, that is apart from when we go to a shoot/estate and then they come with us, to run around for 5-10 mins before settling in to wait for us to finish

Jay-Jay's lesson/work.

On the way down to Hampshire it absolutely hammered it down but whilst at Hamptworth the sun shone and we stayed dry, Perfect.

We drove to a different part of the Estate that we had never been to before and poor Gary nearly cried as his Landi got rotten when he had to drive it through great big wheel ruts filled with lovely dirty water :))

I was to busy watching pheasants to care, up to the hundred in numbers running in front of us or darting off to the sides. All I was thinking was yeah she will get a flush today and she did, not many flushes as they run tantalising in front of us just a few paces in high numbers, keeping the same distance at all times.

Jay Jay kept her calm throughout when quartering in front , even when I walked fast to try and catch up with the birds Jay Jay worked hard and fast in front of me without need of whistle using her nose and keeping tight working side to side :)

More experience needed for Jay Jay and myself, and Nick thinks Jay Jay has yet another gear/level in her that she will hit when all of it comes together for her. This Nick says will be when she has more experience of hunting and watching what she flushes fly away to be shot and for her to then retrieve said bird to my hand. She can do all of this but it needs to all come together for her now. The thought of another gear/level is exciting and scary as I am fully aware my girls are at a higher level than I and that only by their grace do we pull it all together, as Mia has proved on the shoots in previous years and now Jay Jay.

Nick also said that 'I should be really pleased with Jay Jay',

and I am, bless her!

Below is a clip of Tinks this morning doing her first retrieve of cold game and what a sweetie she was at it :))

Not something I will do often with her, more than likely won't do it again with her until next spring, but what a sweetpea.

Master told me off as he saw the pain in my face when getting up but I soooo want to get on with training the pups and I just haven't been able to :(