The Hunt

Hi All,

Today's entry comes with a warning. It is not for the faint of heart. It will appeal to true poodle lovers, those who like hunting (particularly with poodles) and those who have a taste for life's unusual experiences.

I just returned home from the Working Certificate and Working Excellent Certificate Tests in Waukesha Wisconsin. No, this is not a certificate to enable me to continue working (either excellently or not), but a hunting test for standard poodles. Of course I brought my sidekick, Baron (aka Jaws) with me. I must say, he was the largest and handsomest of the dogs there (but I am biased). Note: I did not say he was the best behaved - if in doubt, read previous blog entries.

First of all, for those not aware of this: I have a terrible sense of direction. Waukesha is a very long drive, and, I'm proud to say, I didn't get lost at all. This was a first for me, since the drive to the hunting club involved turning down a small, poorly marked street. Thank heavens for mapquest.

Secondly, I didn't know if it would be worth the time and effort, particularly given the forecast for "passing showers." It was! Baron and I had a blast (no pun intended), even though the "passing shower" never passed. I'll tell you all about it. Here goes:

All of the handlers (that's the human - a professional - who handles the dogs) were dressed in hunting clothes, which are basically water-proof camouflage jackets and pants, knee high rubber boots (very smart considering the above-mentioned showers), and whistles. The poodles were all well groomed (clipped short), but none had that "fancy" poodle cut, and none were as cute as you-know-who.

First, I must also say a few words about the ducks. They were all dead - homicide. Their necks were broken late yesterday in preparation for today's event. Apparently, there is a man who has a job doing this. The hunters were all very excited about the ducks because they were in good condition. They allow 2 ducks for each dog, and the owners got to keep their dog's dead ducks - how exciting is that? No one offered me any for Baron's dinner. I visualized a lot of foie gras.

I arrived during the Working Certificate Excellent Test, this is for the more advanced dogs, because it involves a memory test. Each dog is kept behind a camouflage screen before his or her turn. The dog then comes forward with it's handler, often off leash on a "heel" command - is that well trained or what? The marshal catapults a duck (still dead) in the air while using a duck whistle that mimics a duck's call. He then shoots a gun as a real hunter would do. The dogs sits at attention and watches. This is then repeated in another direction, with the dog watching the 2nd duck (also dead). The dog is then commanded to retrieve the 1st duck and after doing so successfully he has to remember where the 1st duck is and retrieve him (or her). The handler is only allowed to give one direction (i.e. "over" - directing dog to the left or right. The handler's whistle is used to give commands to the dog (i.e. a short sound for sit). It was amazing, the dog would sit in a field and look at it's handler for direction, with the handler standing several yards away.

The test for the less advanced dogs is similar, but with no memory component. You could really see the difference between the dogs in training and the more advanced dogs. The dogs in training needed help, and in a couple of instances, the marshal retrieved the duck and catapulted it for the dog to try again.

Unfortunately, I had to leave before the water trials. For this part, a dog has to qualify in order to compete. They catapult the still dead duck into a large pond and the poodle has to jump in the water and retrieve the duck. I would have loved to have seen that. I had to return home, which was just as well, because it was really pouring by this time. I was thankful for my own rain jacket and am seriously considering one for Baron.

As you can tell, for me, this was an alternate universe; you not only had humans in "battle fatigue" but dogs who were actually well-behaved! Speaking of which, Baron had to remain in the car so as not to be a distraction. I did walk him frequently, and he was quite excited to be around so many poodles. At one point, we saw a woman walking her 5 poodles - all off leash. One dog started to approach Baron, but was called back. It was amazing, the dog actually listened to her owner!

There is no end to what I am learning with my faithful sidekick (that would be Baron).

All for now. Baron's dinner is getting more complicated, now that duck doesn't look so appetizing.

Botswain










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