working Irish? - Exclusively Setters2024-03-28T14:57:58Zhttps://irishsetters.ning.com/forum/topics/865021:Topic:660?commentId=865021%3AComment%3A4311&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noYes Susan, our dogs have to r…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-24:865021:Comment:43112007-07-24T06:25:41.405ZKatariina Roihahttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/Kwanda
Yes Susan, our dogs have to retrieve after shot in the open class and winner class, both autumn and winter trials.<br />
Years differ with the abundance of the birds but yes we have them enough to train our dogs and in the south of Finland we have pheasant farmery. FT´s can be arranged totally with farmed birds which are let out to be hunted days before the competitions.<br />
In Lapland all the competitions are with wild birds.
Yes Susan, our dogs have to retrieve after shot in the open class and winner class, both autumn and winter trials.<br />
Years differ with the abundance of the birds but yes we have them enough to train our dogs and in the south of Finland we have pheasant farmery. FT´s can be arranged totally with farmed birds which are let out to be hunted days before the competitions.<br />
In Lapland all the competitions are with wild birds. Hey good to read there are me…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-23:865021:Comment:42412007-07-23T22:19:42.495ZHenk ten Kloosterhttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/Setterset
Hey good to read there are members here intrested in fieldwork.<br />
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In my eyes fieldwork provides by far the best bonding with your redcoat. That was my inspiration to get a hunting license, do some falconry and training for trials. That way you revive breeds best literature: Big Red, Outlaw Red and Irish Red (Jim Kjelgaard) plus The Goshawk (T.H.White).<br />
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Even in densely populated areas like the Netherlands, you provide that way a network and eyes for good terrains with feathers. Maybe a long and…
Hey good to read there are members here intrested in fieldwork.<br />
<br />
In my eyes fieldwork provides by far the best bonding with your redcoat. That was my inspiration to get a hunting license, do some falconry and training for trials. That way you revive breeds best literature: Big Red, Outlaw Red and Irish Red (Jim Kjelgaard) plus The Goshawk (T.H.White).<br />
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Even in densely populated areas like the Netherlands, you provide that way a network and eyes for good terrains with feathers. Maybe a long and winding road, but for sure inspiring. Together with sports (trials) it may provide you a year long working opportunities and some of lifes best memories.<br />
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Sports only is difficult here as well - to find yourself good training-terrains and ok of landowner. Most trials are second half of last month, only points on partridge count, autumn plus pheasant. Because partridge is scarce, some travel in groups to better areas like Poland, Denmark, France. The Irish Setter Club of the Netherlands starts this year again a small training group basics, followed by work on feathers in Roxheim (Germany). It is a healthy sport for setter and owner in nice landscapes.<br />
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If you are lucky enough to be a member of the pro fieldwork clubs like the Red Club France, you can also train in Ireland. That club programmed a training next weekend because of the Irish parentclub, celebrating its 125th anniversary. Scandinavian clubs did likewise before and their members are regular visitors of eachothers trials plus theres exchange of information.<br />
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By far the most adventurous trials are in the USA - on horseback. So you should try that as well.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
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Henk ten Klooster. This sounds mouth watering! T…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-23:865021:Comment:42012007-07-23T19:28:31.612ZSusan Stonehttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/SwissSusan
This sounds mouth watering! Thanks for adding some fabulous pictures on your page, showing the kind of atmosphere you talk about. I imagined you in darkness for much longer during the winter...<br />
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There must be game in abundance, so your dogs can gain a lot of experience and develop their intelligence. Are they also expected to retrieve at the FT? At our autum trials the dogs must retrieve after shot, or else they fail the trial.<br />
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Sadly, if we wish to train our dogs, it is a very time and money…
This sounds mouth watering! Thanks for adding some fabulous pictures on your page, showing the kind of atmosphere you talk about. I imagined you in darkness for much longer during the winter...<br />
<br />
There must be game in abundance, so your dogs can gain a lot of experience and develop their intelligence. Are they also expected to retrieve at the FT? At our autum trials the dogs must retrieve after shot, or else they fail the trial.<br />
<br />
Sadly, if we wish to train our dogs, it is a very time and money consuming business... so understandably not many setter owners in Switzerland go to the trouble. Definitely texture has the mo…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-21:865021:Comment:36262007-07-21T22:35:45.451ZSusan Russellhttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/RussellIrish
Definitely texture has the most to do with how much debris the coats pick up. Having started my breeding program with a show bred bitch who had the "beautiful" excessive coat that does well in the show ring here, I know of what I speak. Becky was gorgeous in the ring - but few knew the hours and hours of stripping a ghastly undercoat that were behind the look. She had a wooly textured undercoat of extreme quantity. We have worked hard here to breed away from that coat towards a coat with no…
Definitely texture has the most to do with how much debris the coats pick up. Having started my breeding program with a show bred bitch who had the "beautiful" excessive coat that does well in the show ring here, I know of what I speak. Becky was gorgeous in the ring - but few knew the hours and hours of stripping a ghastly undercoat that were behind the look. She had a wooly textured undercoat of extreme quantity. We have worked hard here to breed away from that coat towards a coat with no wool, a bit harder texture (not sure if that is the right word) and a brilliant shine to it. These coats are not as competitive in the ring (thought they should be, but that is another discussion) since they are of more modest quantity as a rule (not always, but often) and one cannot cut a dog out of the extra coat or hide as many flaws, but oh are they ever nice to hunt with, groom (EASY,) and live with. Gorgeous to look at, that lovely shiny, naturally shorter on the back - do not require stripping...oh I could go on and on. Correct texture that is where it is at. I'll take this type of coat and correct volume and length everyday! Actually, if you´re referring…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-21:865021:Comment:35932007-07-21T19:52:12.928ZKatariina Roihahttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/Kwanda
Actually, if you´re referring to the cold weather Susan, it isn´t so hard. Our dogs are quite used to the cold. There is only about 2-4 weeks in the winter(january) when the temperature might be -25C or colder and then of course the walks are shorter. Then the hunting season continues till the end of march. We ski on beautiful white surface, get tanned and shoot the game on the skis :-) it´s like slamon and hunting together, what would be better?<br />
And imagine , the hunting season starts in…
Actually, if you´re referring to the cold weather Susan, it isn´t so hard. Our dogs are quite used to the cold. There is only about 2-4 weeks in the winter(january) when the temperature might be -25C or colder and then of course the walks are shorter. Then the hunting season continues till the end of march. We ski on beautiful white surface, get tanned and shoot the game on the skis :-) it´s like slamon and hunting together, what would be better?<br />
And imagine , the hunting season starts in september and stops in the end of march. Only the coldest months(jan and feb) are out of hunting, but if the temperature is nice we can train our dogs tough the lightness is poor. You know we have this "darkness season" in Lapland,which lasts for a month...<br />
In Finland we have FieldTrials in high mountain in march, which are quite popular and some of us continue to compete in Norway where the FT`s last till the end of april so the season gets even longer!<br />
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And all the FT`s are with wild game :-) You and your setters are sooo…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-21:865021:Comment:35832007-07-21T19:25:18.759ZSusan Stonehttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/SwissSusan
You and your setters are soooo lucky! But it must be hard during winter...
You and your setters are soooo lucky! But it must be hard during winter... In Finland the possibilities…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-21:865021:Comment:35692007-07-21T16:21:12.282ZKatariina Roihahttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/Kwanda
In Finland the possibilities are quite wonderful, though one has to wait untill the hunting season starts in september. I live in Lapland and we have wild grouse in our back yard :)
In Finland the possibilities are quite wonderful, though one has to wait untill the hunting season starts in september. I live in Lapland and we have wild grouse in our back yard :) Here in Canada we can train o…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-19:865021:Comment:30442007-07-19T05:05:03.251ZSusan Russellhttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/RussellIrish
Here in Canada we can train on wild birds, or on pen raised birds as long as it is not nesting season. We can then particiapte in hunting, field tests (or hunt tests at AKC events) and field trials. Since we live relatively close to the United States we can participate in Canadian Kennel Club events or American Kennel Club events. Only time and money and real life interfere - one could conceivably go to tests, trials, or hunting all year long. Finding a training partner is the hard part, and…
Here in Canada we can train on wild birds, or on pen raised birds as long as it is not nesting season. We can then particiapte in hunting, field tests (or hunt tests at AKC events) and field trials. Since we live relatively close to the United States we can participate in Canadian Kennel Club events or American Kennel Club events. Only time and money and real life interfere - one could conceivably go to tests, trials, or hunting all year long. Finding a training partner is the hard part, and for a new hunter such as myself, it is difficult to find a person patient enough and willing enough to teach hunting to a newbie. It is also hard to balance family and dogs - the dogs are so much fun! LOL! Sorry, all. I always get carr…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-18:865021:Comment:29712007-07-18T20:33:12.561ZWendy Czarneckihttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/Mothership
Sorry, all. I always get carried away when writing, and the above is not the complete comment that I made, obviously broken off mid-sentence. I don't know why this happened - I've written to Gene abt. it. Perhaps there is a limit as to how long a reply can be! Anyway, the above sentence should be:<br />
<br />
There are people here and there around the continent (including myself) who are working diligently to produce DC #19.<br />
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The rest that disappeared I will re-write shortly.<br />
<br />
Hope everyone's having a…
Sorry, all. I always get carried away when writing, and the above is not the complete comment that I made, obviously broken off mid-sentence. I don't know why this happened - I've written to Gene abt. it. Perhaps there is a limit as to how long a reply can be! Anyway, the above sentence should be:<br />
<br />
There are people here and there around the continent (including myself) who are working diligently to produce DC #19.<br />
<br />
The rest that disappeared I will re-write shortly.<br />
<br />
Hope everyone's having a great day with their Irish!<br />
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Wendy Hunting availablity, seasons,…tag:irishsetters.ning.com,2007-07-18:865021:Comment:29592007-07-18T20:00:33.622ZWendy Czarneckihttps://irishsetters.ning.com/profile/Mothership
Hunting availablity, seasons, and regulations vary in the US from state to state. In California much of our hunting areas have been taken over by housing developments and other urbanization. Additionally, many of our military bases, that often had hunting clubs on base and are situated on huge acreage, have been closed permanently and the land put to other use. There is a very short (about 2 weeks) season in late fall for public pheasant hunting and much longer quail and duck seasons. We have…
Hunting availablity, seasons, and regulations vary in the US from state to state. In California much of our hunting areas have been taken over by housing developments and other urbanization. Additionally, many of our military bases, that often had hunting clubs on base and are situated on huge acreage, have been closed permanently and the land put to other use. There is a very short (about 2 weeks) season in late fall for public pheasant hunting and much longer quail and duck seasons. We have private hunting clubs that charge a hefty membership fee, and some public land as well as state-controlled wildlife management areas. Most folks who seriously want to train their birddogs either own or have access to private acreage or to non-state managed land, such as that managed by the Federal Bureau of Land Management, which includes large Native American reservations. It is very complicated and varies from locality to locality.<br />
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We are fortunate that we have our own small acreage where we can start our young dogs. We can certainly get them ready to run in Junior Hunt tests and Puppy and Derby stakes in field trials. Most of these started pups would also be ready to be first season hunting dogs. When we get to the higher levels of competition, we use a professional trainer in Washington state.<br />
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Another problem in California is that there is very little wild game anymore. We do have a small herd of deer that lives in the field next to us, and we get plenty of nightly visits from opossum, racoons, skunks, weasels, lots of feral cats, and the occasional fox. But our field events are all run on planted birds, and the hunting clubs also raise or purchase birds to release in their fields.<br />
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We have a difficult time finding suitable grounds for our hunt tests and field trials. Private clubs charge a substantial fee for the use of their facilities during their off seasons - as much as $250/day, which is quite a financial burden for the dog clubs that hold the tests and trials. State-controlled grounds are very limited and much in demand by many dog clubs; we often plan our events a full year in advance, just to be assured of grounds.<br />
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To become an American Kennel Club conformation champion, there are no performance requirements for setters. And most conformation Irish never see a field or a bird. Many of them have no opportunity even to run off leash, mainly because their owners are afraid they will run away and get lost. (A few are very opposed to hunting on principle and will not allow their dogs to do so, even when that is their basic nature and purpose.) When we hold training days or fun events to try to get show people to bring their dogs into the field, we are very careful in our choice of grounds, so we can assure novice folks that there is no way their dogs can get lost or leave the property. Next April in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Irish Setter Club of America National Specialty, my husband and I will put on a field demonstration and workshop. We will see delight on the faces of the workshop participants as they watch their show dogs turn on to birds. The ISCA tries to have some type of field activity at every national specialty, but sometimes there is no suitable place, or the weather is far too hot, or there is no knowledgeable person who can do a field demo.<br />
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Likewise, many of the very seriously competitive field trial Irish owners have no use for and may never have attended a conformation event. And there is no requirement for dogs competing in the field to be assessed on their conformation qualities. Unfortunately, this has led to a very great division between field-bred Irish and show-bred Irish. There have only been 18 Dual Champions (conformation and field trial) in the history of the breed in the US. A few of us die hards continue to insist that Irish Setters can be beautiful and capable both in the show ring and in the field. There are people here and there around the continent (including myself) who are working