Category Archives: Keaton’s Journey to Master

Keaton and I finished our Senior Hunter title in July 2008 so it has been 2 years since we last played at a Hunt test. We were originally just planning on running as a test dog to get us back in the hunt test arena .The Hunt test was being held by my hometown club, The Backwater Retriever Club . It is the only AKC Retriever Club in Indiana and the grounds are about an hour North of Fort Wayne.

I decided with the encouragement of training buddies to just enter and “see what we have”. What’s 73.00 anyways?
It was held in mid-april after a long, cold winter and minimal training during Nov-Feb.The number of Master entries was large so they had it split into 2 sections.

We had great supportative judges, Blake Lemish and Chris Cornelius. The weather was cool, overcast and windy. Keaton was fired up and I was a trying to stay warm. The trip through the holding blinds was gearing Keaton up and I was too nervous to notice the one in charge was NOT ME!

It was a delayed triple. The marks were tight and the go bird was a flyer. They called us to the line. Keaton had “given me my walking papers” . He remembered this game so who needed me. The first bird goes up and he moves in front. Then the flyer is shot. He makes a break for the bird. Stunned, but not completely, I am able to get him back without picking up the flyer. That was it-we were out without a single bird picked up.

At a hunt test, you can NOT talk to your dog once you signal for the birds. At master, unlike senior there are NO controlled breaks. What a valuable lesson for me. 1.keaton needs a good controlled run before getting to the test 2. Train coming in and out of multiple blinds 3. Go and work on more steady drills.

I also got the opportunity to run as the test dog for the next series. I turned it into an “expensive training day” and worked on his steadiness and manners to the line. I also had the opportunity to watch alot of dogs and handlers run which was very helpful.

The UKC Hunt Test

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Dr. Kiley

After finishing his master title, I decided it was time that I learn to handle a gun so we could run the UKC hunt test program. One of the biggest differences between the UKC and AKC tests, is that the … Continue reading →

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A Master Hunter

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Dr. Kiley

It was apparent that Keaton was a dog who NEEDED to be worked consistently to keep him grounded. Work had been busy and the extreme heat and humidity made training difficult. Although dogs can sweat from their pads, the majority … Continue reading →

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2011 Hunt Test Season Begins

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Dr. Kiley

Keaton and I have managed to add 2 master hunter legs and 1 finished retriever leg to our bag in 2011. His third leg came at the Michigan Flyaways Test in May and his fourth at Cuyahoga GRC test in … Continue reading →

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Winter Blues and Romance

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Dr. Kiley

Indiana weather continues to be brutal. We have had  brief periods of moderate temperatures or snowless days.  Just when I start getting hopeful that maybe we could do some field work another storm blast through the state. This week we … Continue reading →

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Central Kentucky

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Dr. Kiley

Central Ky is one of the last  hunt test  of the season in the midwest. We left  friday morning to meet up with training buddy, Nancy Pal in Paducah to shop and dine at a place called Patti’s. Before heading … Continue reading →

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Hambden Hunt Test

Posted on November 13, 2010 by Dr. Kiley

Although Hamden Nursery is a 5+ hour drive from Indy(near Cleveland), I always enjoy the grounds here. Hambden  are private grounds belonging  to a  local family who has generously allowed the retriever clubs use of the land.The foliage was rich … Continue reading →

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A double master at Backwater

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Dr. Kiley

The following weekend we had ANOTHER test up in Albion In. This is our “local” retriever club and the only AKC hunt test held in Indiana. I don’t normally like to run tests back to back because not only do … Continue reading →

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Michigan Flyaways

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Dr. Kiley

Our next trip was to Michigan for a test at Omega Farms. Omega farms is a working cattle farm in lower Michigan . The owners and property managers have also been working the grounds in hopes of it becoming a … Continue reading →

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The Fcrsa National Speciality Hunt Test-June 2010 Auburn In

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Dr. Kiley

What a great experience. Wonderful people, awesome dog work and  supportive judges. The blind set-ups had master challenges including under the arc and to the back of the gun blinds along the shore line. Lots of dogs sucked to the … Continue reading →

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Keaton’s Journey to Master

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Dr. Kiley

Keaton and I finished our Senior Hunter title in July 2008 so it has been 2 years since we last played at a Hunt test. We were originally just planning on running as a test dog to get us back … Continue reading →

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