Not One Bird

I didn't get one bird at the trial this week-end.

Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.

I have to think back about 4 or 5 years to the last time that happened...when Darbi broke in an Open in Canada.

Well, she did it again.  She broke in the first series of the Open.

I'd like to think that a 175 yard flyer is NOT a breaking bird...but nobody told Darbi that.

She.Just.Left.

And to add misery to company, she tried to break AGAIN on the honor when she was ON LEASH.

To say I was stunned, was an understatement.

Darbi is creeping??  And now breaking???  What happened to my dead serious, dead steady dog??  Well, she is having the time of her life...that's what is happening.  It is a fine balance to train a dog at this level.  We have her in the right frame of mind, the BEST frame of mind, that she has ever been in.  But we need to reel her in a little bit...just a wee little bit.  Too much pressure on line and she gets stale...too little...and well, we know what happens now.

And Libby...Little Lunatic Libby.

I picked her up on the flyer in the first series of the Derby.

She was quiet in the holding blind.  Good going to line and watched the birds nicely.  But when I released her, it was akin to a patient escaping a mental hospital without their medications.  She went under the arc of the flyer and ran WAY deep and then started to run around in random places.  I got tired of watching it and picked her up.  Well, my sweet little dog that is so nice in training WOULD NOT pick up and I had to walk out to the field and get her.  The Walk Of Shame they call it...and shameful it was.

This week-end will go down in the Anals of Field Trials (spelling mistake intentional) I'm sure.

But my spirits were lifted thanks to the children of my "girls".

"Turq" (Darbi x Prime 2008) WON the Qualifying at this trial and "Zink" (Miikka x Shaq 2009) was SECOND in the Derby, bring him to a total of 24 Derby points at 19 months.

WAY TO GO kids!!!