Late summer training on sharptails

Northwoods Sir Gordon (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2016)

The month of August and into early September has always signified that it’s time to start training on wild birds. The foundation has been laid and reinforced during summer sessions and the dogs have been conditioned so they’re all in great shape.

It’s with pleasure that I get up early, load eight dogs into the trailer and arrive at the sharp-tailed grouse training grounds by sunrise.

In addition to taking photographs, I’ve captured some of the training runs on video. I always run the dogs in braces—usually pairing an older dog with a derby. For young dogs, I often run in groups of three or more.

The first video features our own Northwoods Carly Simon (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2011) and her 19-month-old son Northwoods Sir Gordon (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2016), owned by Ben McKean.

Northwoods Aphrodite (RU-CH Erin’s Three Leaf Shamrock x Southern Grace, 2016)

The next two videos star Northwoods Rolls Royce (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2013), owned by Bob Senkler, and 20-month-old Northwoods Aphrodite (RU-CH Erin’s Three Leaf Shamrock x Southern Grace, 2017), owned by Betsy and me.