2AK for Skadi

[Thomas&Merete-Kennel Alvertoppen]

Irish Red and White Setter Toboggan's Amazing Skadi got her 2AK (2.price, Open Class) at Kongsvoll-prøven(Highland field trial on grouse) on october 2nd 2009. She is the only irws with this high placing in Norway, together with Ben of Sugarloaf (visitor from sweden) who got the same placing sometime in the early nineties.

She is also the first norwegian IRWS with several field trial placings, and with placings both on highland and forest trials.

This also makes her approved as a breeding bitch by the breeding comittee, in regulations with the 2008-2012 breeding program for the IRWS in Norway.

But we do not have any plans to breed her, yet. But we are on the lookout for good male irws with a maximum of intensity and hunting desire, good pointing instinct and good temperament.

[Margaret Sierakowski]

Congratulations on another good placing for Skadi.

And good luck with the search for a good male dog. You are facing the problem of all breeders of working IRWS. The gene pool is small, especially for the entirely working/FT bred IRWS, who are all related more or less closely to each other, with Craigrua and Rushfield breeding dominating the breeding. And if you look outside that small gene pool of Irish field trial dogs, you have to search carefully to get the level of working ability that you are looking for. But interestingly there are one or two IRWS from mixed show and working breeding who are holding their own in field trials at the moment, like Skadi herself, so maybe you shouldnt be afraid to search wider. Fiorella's Pollina and Cathy Forster's Arouenn are a mix of Irish FT and other breeding , plus good training, and it has worked for them.

[Susan Stone]

Congratulations, excellent work! Must be wonderful area to work your dogs.
Would love to see photos...

[Margaret Sierakowski]

Also interesting that Skadi has Ben of Sugarloaf three times in her pedigree.Something in that line that suits Norwegian terrain and trials? I guess you need some pretty tough dogs for Norwegian trials?
Skadi's great grandmother Cara (Ardbraccan Firecrest ) was a small very fast bitch who was inclined to take off on her own unauthorised hunting trips , even in the middle of winter when it was snowing. Sometimes she would disappear for up to two days in terrible weather conditions, and I would eventually get her back from some farm up to ten or even twenty miles away. She had a strong hunting instinct amd a will to keep running whatever the weather conditions on the hills. I think some of this comes down in her descendants :))

[Thomas&Merete-Kennel Alvertoppen]

Thank you for congrats :) We have learned quite a lot about Skadi during her 3 first years:

1. She has an "well above average" pointing instinct, "cold headed"
2. She has good game desire, and very good nose (above average bird finding)
3. She has a medium hunting desire :(
4. She matured late; at about 2 and a half years of age she "over night" doubled her pace and intensity
5. She is quite afflicted regarding when in heath; she performs better and better the closer she gets to her heath, but during and afterwards she performs rather badly ("collapses completely"). Quite hormonal, in other words.
6. Good temperament

Based upon this knowledge we now know what type of trials to attend (those with high density of game / lots of scent), and which to stay away from (f.ex deep snow with little or no scent). And WHEN to attend trials.

So she can be a bit "unstable" in her perfomance. She is not a "hunting idiot" who will run when- and where-ever, but more lik a "smart hunter" who runs (quite well) when she thinks there are game to be found :)

Mated with the right dog, maybe we can get some "hunting idiots" with a good point and good on game...

Time will show..

[Thomas&Merete-Kennel Alvertoppen]

Skadi in the middle with her brother Adrian to the left and her sister Gaia to the right:

[Thomas&Merete-Kennel Alvertoppen]

The grounds at Hjerkinn - Kongsvoll (Dovre, Norway):

[Thomas&Merete-Kennel Alvertoppen]

IRWS in Norway:

[Susan Stone]

Thanks for the photos:-))) I love the one of the hunting grounds - what wilderness and space!

as to your Skadi being 'hormonal' well I can say for my own bitches that they are/were all more or less hopeless during the 9 weeks following their season... but in the couple of weeks before would be really keen and very intent.
maybe cause they are not hunting idiots either ;-))
I think there used to be the rule that racing greyhound bitches were not raced for 100 days from their first day of being in season... makes sense to me.