Well it's official, Hank IS a pointer!! This past Saturday, I skipped my 8yo's morning baseball game (which I hate to do) and attending a local NAVHDA chapter training day. For Hank and I this was to be an introduction to live birds! The chapter members all met and we split into 2 groups, one at the pond working on duck searches and the group I was with headed to the field to work on pointer, holding steady and retrieving. Having not attending one of these before I did what I could to help, but mostly just observed and kept Hank out of the way while birds were planted, pointed, shot, and retrieved for the first round.

I was a bit interested to see how Hank did around gunfire. He's not shown any skittishness around loud noises or the cap gun at home, but... The previous Friday, my neighbor set off a mortar style firework while he was outside and it scared the bejeebus out of him. Later that week, he was even skittish about the thunder that came with the storm that hit home. At the first shot he did flinch and tucked his tail, but didn't run nor whimper. I petted him up and he seemed fine with all the rest of the shots. I and another guy were up for the second round as we were both working with young dogs.

We dizzied and set the 3 pigeons for Hank. I kept the check cord on him but wanted to give him some time to gains some independence/confidence. Once we walked him towards the first bird, he was faster than I and caught it on the ground. We reset the bird and showed him where it was and then flushed it. He chased it in flight for a bit and then it lit in the tree. The second bird was much better... laugh I worked the check cord better catching him just as he found the bird. We flushed it and I followed him as he chased it again. This time in lit in the short grass and just as I was getting ready to reel him in on the cord; BANG! First point! He locked up and after a few tail waggles, even that went still. A chapter member got this pic just as one of the others was picking the bird up to show Hank and to make it fly.
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The third bird took Hank a bit more looking than I would have liked, but once he found it he locked up on it as well!
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This one flew much better and I let Hank go as the bird flew low and fast with him in hot pursuit! Every time he took off after a bird, one of the members would fire a starter pistol. With a bird in sight, he didn't even flinch! He chased this bird about 100yds and it decided to set down. Moments later Hank pounced on it! I quick Come Hank, and he was bring the bird right back to me letting me take it from him with one, soft Give command! Though I was told that you don't want them to catch the birds, this one was unavoidable. I was pretty darn proud of the little guy, even though they were sight points, and very proud how well he retrieved the live bird.

Homework after they day: 1. Work more obedience and be more diligent on WHOA, 2. tracking drills as he needs to start using that sniffer more, and 3. since I have 3 dead pigeons we're going to start doing some retrieving drills with them in some tall grass so he has to use his nose.

Not sure anyone from the Chapter will read or see this, but I want to thank them again for all the help on Saturday! It was well worth the drive and time spent.