Everyone who knows me understands that I am an avid bird hunter and that its all about the dog work to me.  Bird dogs doing their job is what makes it awesome.

Bird dogs come from somewhere.  The breeds get better because of breeders breeding the best.  The best are measured either through a home grown hunting dog breeder program where dogs are tested each year on wild birds or perhaps the testing is done through field trials.

I agree with horseback field trials though my dogs are mostly proven through working wild birds year in and year out.  I do seek out new blood for my program from time to time and the only way to find proven blood is with a fellow hunter / breeder or perhaps a proven field trial dog.

The proving methods can be questioned.  A breeder who proves his dogs through wild bird hunting can lie about how good his dogs really are.  Field trial dogs can be a ‘lie’.  There are dogs that are titled by virtue of who the owner / handler knows not necessarily on the merit of the dog.  I have seen this.  In simpler terms, cheating (ouch, I know that word is offensive).

There are field trial judges in the trial system …  [Read more →]