Dixe Mae (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Bismuth, April 2017) is part of a Kowalski family trout fishing trip in Montana. She clearly loves goofing around in the stream.
This will be the final post of the season filled with puppy photos. Puppies from our last three litters—born within weeks of each other in April and May—are happily settled into their new homes.
As always, many thanks to our wonderful clients for staying in touch and sending photos…but most of all for giving the puppies loving homes and fabulous starts to their roles as bird dogs.
There could be two themes for this last puppy post. It seems our puppies thoroughly enjoy being in the water and also display an early proclivity to point.
Luna (Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, May 2017) is “a quick study” for the Conaway family in Maryland, already proficient at many commands. Pro Jeanette Tracy is also training her on pigeons.
Josey (Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, May 2017) found the perfect cooling-off spot on a terrace of the Clark family home in Georgia.
Finn (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, May 2017) displays good intensity pointing a bug in the backyard of the Edwards family home in Minnesota.
Puppy, mom, son and trout in a Montana stream. Doesn’t get any better than this!
Twelve-week-old Northwoods Diana (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, 2017) exhibits remarkable poise, style and intensity while pointing a bobwhite quail.
Even though much of raising puppies is simply playing with them and enjoying their antics, Betsy and I do have a set schedule of things to introduce and what training to start. Bird introduction, which we begin at about 12 weeks, is probably the most fun and interesting. At this age, it’s all instinct; but for us as breeders, it’s really exciting to see what genetic tendencies and qualities we recognize.
This spring, two litters were whelped within 10 days of each other–Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel and Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon. Betsy and I kept four puppies from the first litter and two from the second.
We eagerly look forward to our puppy training sessions at the end of the day. Using either bobwhite quail or chukars flushed from their houses, we walk the puppies through the area where the birds flew. Watching them discover bird scent, follow, point (maybe hold for a bit), back (maybe) and then chase the birds is a highlight of our day.
CH JTH Izzie (CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer, 2011). Look at her eyes.
August is an auspicious month for bird dog owners. First of all, autumn is in the air—especially on cool evenings. Too, even though they might have been conditioning their dogs all summer, they now begin training in earnest on wild birds.
JTH Scion (CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015). It doesn’t get any better than this.
Jeff Hintz is an excellent example.
He owns two white-and-black pointers: JTH Izzie (CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer, 2011) and JTH Scion (CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015).
Big bluestem, purple blazing star and yellow sunflowers are a pretty backdrop to a pointer hunting for sharptails.
The preparation and training is, for him, as much fun as the hunting. Since June, Jeff has been preparing his dogs for the hunting season. Scion, the younger dog, needed finishing work on manners around birds. He conditioned both off a reconditioned golf cart, and now is training them on wild sharp-tailed grouse. These birds can be found in open, native grasslands or thicker, mixed cover of oak, alder and prairie plants.
