Simply The Best!

Sorry it's been a month or so since I last posted. I've had some health issues that took priority. It's great to know that when you need help it's there. Such is the case with Luther. Since I had surgery (colon cancer) and was hospitalized, Jim Elam agreed to keep Luther and train him. We went down yesterday to visit and watch the training. Luther was as glad to see me as I was him. Jim said last weekend the Yadkin River Retriever Club visited his kennels. Jim used Luther as a Demo Dog to demonstrate training in the technical pond in the field behind the kennels. He said Luther did perfect. They are a great team together. I can't say enough about Jim Elam and the training program at Lake Country Retrievers. Luther is smart and talented and Jimmy and I were trying to learn and train at the same time and it just wasn't working out. At LCR, they are professional and hard workers. Each team member is talented and knows their responsibilities and the program works so smoothly. Jim Elam has made Luther the fine athlete he is today! The journal entry says: "Our goal when we got Luther was for me to have a buddy and Jimmy to have a good Hunting Dog. As Luther grew, we recognized that Luther was way more than an ordinary dog. We stumbled along the way with his training. Lauren Hall Koch got Luther off to a great start. The problem was she is in Montana. After trying to move forward, we realized there was so much we didn’t know. Our quest for a trainer brought us to Jim Elam. This was the perfect solution for Luther and us. Jim is about the nicest fellow you’d ever want to meet--and he’s in tune with each dog, it’s talents and shortcomings. Luther would never have gotten his first Master Pass at 2 years and 2 months without Jim Elam. Lake Country Retrievers has the finest, caring team working with each dog making them the best they can be. Jim has even worked with me teaching me handling skills with Luther. Needless to say, I can’t say enough accolades about Jim Elam. It’s a good thing!"

Visiting Honey

My grandchildren, Barton and Reagan, come to visit for a few days during Spring Break. One day we drove down to Emporia to watch Jim Elam train Luther. Mike Griffith was there training his 3 labs. Mike left a step stool by his truck and I turned to see both kids on the stool looking in and talking to Honey, Mike's yellow lab. My favorite photos are those that capture the moment like this one.

BLUR

Luther is quite a fellow. He has so much go power that when he runs up a hill, there's a dust trail behind him. At his Junior Title test, Luther was the first dog to run. The judge turned and asked the gallery to clap for him (he put on such as show) and told them that the rest of the dogs should thank Luther since he literally blazed a path up the hill to where the bird was. Cover? What cover? Nothing has changed. He gets as excited and focused as ever. That's what this layout is about. Jim Elam has done a fantastic job training Luther and harnessing his energy. Jim coordinates his direction and focus, has him mark, says "Luther" and off he goes! A BLUR!

The Most Important Things...

When Luther was home last, it was what I like to call "A Perfect Day"! The sky was a clear blue, no wind and the sun felt warm and melted on your skin. I walked out into the back yard and Luther walked with me and he laid down beside me. We stayed there without moving for about half an hour. It was only when I downloaded my photos that I saw Jimmy had picked up my camera and captured that moment. It's a good thing.

Lucky me! The majority of any retail "Lab" products I find feature Black Labs or even occasionally the Yellow Lab. Imagine my surprise when I spied these wonderful sandals in the L.L. Bean catalog with Chocolate Labs. The are comfortable and sporty, too. I've half a notion to order a second pair for backup since they are so perfect. ;-)

Luther's a Brother--Again!

It was indeed a thrill to hear that Tess (Luther's mother) just had a healthy litter of puppies. Lauren is careful and diligent about her dog's breeding program and her choice of studs--FC AFC It's All Over Now Baby Blue is an example of her extensive research. He certainly is a magnificent dog! I'm so glad all are doing well. Congratulations! (Wish I could see these cute babies.) The text on the layout reads - "Luther’s Mother, What Can Brown Do For You MH (Tess) was bred to FC AFC It’s All Over Now Baby Blue and their puppies were born on April 16th, 2012. Eight pups--6 chocolates--4 females, 2 males and 2 blacks. Mother and Pups doing well.

Trials & Tribulations

Luther did us proud at his first Field Trial. It was a fair test with great judges. Of course, Jim Elam did his usual first-class job handling Luther! Here's what the text says on the layout...

Friday was an exciting day. Luther was dog #4 and ran close to that order. Luther was the youngest dog in the group. I was a little concerned at first because as spectators and dogs, we were looking straight into the bright morning sun. The later dogs would have the advantage but it turned out not to be a problem, thank goodness. The one thing I have learned in watching these events so far, is that there is an element of luck (good and bad) beyond your control that can affect the performance.

For the land marks, Jim Elam brought Luther to the line and he was perfect! He walked right up there like he owned the place! It was a triple--two birds and a flyer. Jim sat him on his left and said he got a good look at the left and center stations and when he turned his leg to right, his head followed along perfectly and he saw the right flyer station. He nailed all 3 marks, no hunts! He had great lines and did his usual quick grab of the bird on his pivot back! The 3 land marks were followed by a 205 yard land blind. When he was running back from his 3rd retrieve, Jim and the Judges walked over to a holding blind about 25 yards to the right and called Luther there to hand the 3rd bird over. Meanwhile, a fellow in the woods placed the blind at the back of the field near a small tree or bush. Luther took the line and Jim tooted the whistle a total of 3 times. He took each cast perfectly. The last toot he was almost on the blind. He did his land series very well and probably was in the top 3 or 4 dogs at that point. At the end of the land series and blind the field was reduced from 21 to 17 dogs.

The water turned out to be his downfall. The water blind was set up with lots of different surfaces. There were all sorts of grasses and rush in the water. The blind was over 200 yards through a marshy condition and the dogs needed to leave the line, go through some running water and a little swim, then onto a piece of land about
20 yards wide, then swim for a ways and past a very sharp, pronounced point of land with a small cypress tree on the tip and maneuver through a combination of swimming and running water with various grasses to the side shoreline. We knew immediately that Luther's training was not advanced enough for this series at this time. Well Luther made it to the first island and spotted that point with the Cypress and fell apart. He was resistant to go any further. Jim called him in. At the end of the water blind, the field was reduced to 8 dogs. (Luther wasn't the only dog with a problem!)

The last series of water marks were fairly straight forward. I think Luther would not have had any problem with those. So it's back to water work. Jim said he was going to return to basics with him and give him some simple water marks and restore his confidence. Then add to those and get him going again.

We brought Luther home with us after the event. Yesterday Luther had the day off. Today, we took him to three places and primarily worked blinds. He did great. Several were water blinds but much more simple than the one at the Q. We just got back from a long walk. (Walk a hound, lose a pound!)

It's a joy to have him home.
He's been my constant companion.
First and foremost, he's my buddy!