GWT Bracco Italiano Society
Ashdown ForestHazel - In season at home
Rusty - entered in Open
Jaz - entered in Novice and Open
Open Test1 Blind, across a lake and 25 yds the other side is a dummy. Shot fired this side of the lake over to the left hand side!!! (why!!? - this just made another distraction)
(The hard part about this was that you were stood about 20 yards back from the lake in the wood so you couldn't see your dog, so therefore you couldn't handle the dog. A lot of dogs struggled with this, mainly because as soon as they got to the lake they were following the path around the lake instead of going straight over.)
Both Jaz and Rusty went into the lake but because they couldn't see me, both swam around and then returned. I moved forward a little and sent them and they both did it perfectly (just because I could encourage them across it was amazing what a difference this made.) However, because I moved forward I lost probably over half the marks. I was pleased with Jaz, this was really hard for her.
2. Very long blind with a shot fired. Every dog failed. (and there were some decent Open dogs in this class.)
3. Long blind, (no shot or mark) for a pigeon.
This was hard as although the dog was in sight it had a really touch time getting to the pigeon as the area was covered in scrub, fallen trees, and a brook ran through the middle. The dogs really had to fight/pick their way through.
Rusty and Jaz both did it perfectly. Really pleased with them both, and I wondered if Jaz might be funny with the pigeon but she picked it straight away.
This was a long blind for Jaz so really pleased.
4. Split. Seen in water, blind about 70 yds up the hill, in cover.
Rusty did it perfectly, Jaz got about half way with the blind and then started hunting so I had to move forward a little so again lost loads of marks.
Result: Jaz beat Rusty!!! (by 1 mark.) Jaz 7th, Rusty 8th so not too bad.Novice.
1. A shot fired to the left on the track at the top. Send the dog up a track to another track at the top (T). Stop dog. Send to the right. Dummy in cover at side of the track.
Jaz completly fluffed this one. She was so fast up the track that by the time I had blown the whistle she was sat almost round to the left, and this was the only place she wanted to go. I actually recalled her and then stopped her again to send her right but she was just totally confused. She actually just sat there looking at me and wouldn't move. I just couldn't get her in the right place and she just completly died on me.
2. Seen with shot fired.
Jaz did it perfectly (19 out of 20)
A lot of dogs messed this up. It is heavy undergrowth and very tall bracken. You really needed a dog to mark it well in the first instance because if they didn't mark it, it was hard to get them in the right area. (there was a stream in the middle to cross as well.)
3. Hunting, with shot fired and dummy thrown (steadiness.)
Jaz did it fine. Hunting could have been a bit better but I don't really care too much about that as she is an amazing hunter when she knows there is game.
4. Water. (Shot fired - dummy thrown in lake.) They actually used the same lake as they did for the Open class this morning, so this was a doddle was Jaz. She got 20 out of 20. Surprisingly most dogs messed this up, but it was a long way across, and many dogs just didn't seem to mark it that well.
Overall I think Jaz was just out of the placings. I felt a bit disappointed about this really as if she hadn't got her knickers in a twist with the split retrieve she would definitely been in the awards. Ridiculous really, when she did so well with the Open retrieves.
Overall though I feel OK about the day. It was lovely weather, and nice to catch up with some people that I haven't seen for ages. (Funny though, I haven't done hardly any tests for a couple of years, and the same people are still there.) Both dogs were really well behaved, Jaz is definitely so much easier now. When she was younger she was such a pain, she couldn't cope with the hanging around and would whine and pull on the lead and generally be a complete pain. So both dogs were a real pleasure to take out.
Chloe will go for her jumping session later, she went quite well last
week, so a repeat performance would be nice!
4. Water. (Shot fired - dummy thrown in lake.) They actually used the same lake as they did for the Open class this morning, so this was a doddle was Jaz. She got 20 out of 20. Surprisingly most dogs messed this up, but it was a long way across, and many dogs just didn't seem to mark it that well.
Sussex is lovely at the moment, the fields are full of wild flowers while the grass is waiting to be made into hay, and the brown meadow butterflies are everywhere. The twin fawns are still about and I distrubed them this morning as they lay in Chloe's field. I guess the mother had left them there whilst she was feeding. They bounded off so I hope they all get reunited soon.
I watched a buzzard circling over the meadow, though not sure what she was searching for, and the bird song is lovely. A couple of swallows are about but nothing like the numbers we had last year, perhaps some more will turn up.
We are entered to run in the Intermediate Pairs and have decided to go so as not to let Bec's down. Walked the course, and then we went round. 
Bec's is leading because I still feel a bit crap and she wants to practise from the front. However, at a couple of the harder fences I am meant to overtake so Chloe can give a lead. We did overtake but at the first jump, as B had a stop, so 
we led through the first water complex, and then I was waiting for B to overtake so wasn't riding that hard and Chloe stopped at the log!!!!!!!! So now B was in the lead. However, I rode pants and had another stop later on on the course so B carried on. At the coffin B's horse refused and she fell off, but fortunately they were fine so remounted and then followed me over, and Chloe just popped over like a pro, b
ut it was just one of those days, where if it was going to go wrong it went wrong.
