Veteran Northwoods Vixen (CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer, 2011) makes it look easy.
Much of Minnesota’s woods are thick and hot now during high summer but whenever I have an opportunity to work dogs on wild birds, I say, “Let’s go!”
Northwoods Carbon (Blue Riptide x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2014) found a woodcock on the edge of a grazed cattle pasture.
Just to the south of our kennel are great woodcock covers. Young and old aspen mix with alders and field edges and there is plenty of damp ground. I’ve worked one or two dogs almost every morning. This summer is especially fun as woodcock are abundant and we’ve even encountered a brood or two of pheasants.
Northwoods Jaguar (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013) pointed a woodcock in older aspen with an understory of ferns.
It’s interesting to watch the dogs naturally shorten up in thick vegetation. Our dogs usually range 100 – 150 yards in mid-October but, now in July, they’ve hunted 20 – 40 yards from me.
One-year-old Northwoods Bismuth (Blue Riptide x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2014) pointed the first woodcock she smelled and let me flush it!
The past couple months, I’ve been using a PE-900 Pro Educator training collar manufactured by E-Collar Technologies, Inc. I bought a one-dog collar but the PE-900 can be expanded to three dogs and features seven stimulation modes, including momentary and continuous, seven vibrations and four tones.
The cool thing is that these options can be programmed and combined in almost any configuration and can be customized for each dog. There are many other innovations—some quite complicated such as Level Lock and Boost.
For basic training in a defined area, the PE-900 is the best ecollar I’ve used.
Nice features.
My favorite capability is the patented “Instant” stimulation mode. It lets me use one hand to dial the intensity up and down while training compliance to known commands. The small increments of low-level stimulation help the dog make the right choice without causing the stress of hard corrections. This “Instant” mode can be applied for up to 45 seconds.
Another feature I like is the small size of the receivers. At only 2.4 ounces, they can be used on a very small or young dog.
For Whoa training, the PE-900 is perfect for use on the flank. The small bungee allows for a snug fit without inhibiting movement. (Houston’s Cappuccino, CH Shadow Oak Bo x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2014)
E-Collar Technologies also improved another issue for me. When training compliance to the Whoa command, I use an e-collar on the dog’s flank. The collar must be snug enough to make contact with the skin but not so tight that it restricts movement. The PE-900 has a biothane buckle collar with an elastic bungee incorporated into the strap which allows a good fit with easy expansion and contraction.
Limitations.
The PE-900’s range is only ½ mile and I wonder if that could be further limited in dense woods or hilly terrain. Too, since I haven’t used the collar under actual hunting conditions I can’t vouch for its durability.
E-Collar Technologies is the brainchild of Greg Van Curen, co-founder and former president of Innotek. Another Innotek alum, Kim Westrick, is in charge of sales and customer service.
For more information on the PE-900 and other e-collars made by E-Collar Technologies, visit their website at www.ecollar.com.
Northwoods Chardonnay (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2009)
What we think, what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do. ~ John Ruskin
It’s amazing and humbling to think about but 20 years ago today, on June 6, 1995, Betsy and I whelped our first litter. We bred a strong, blocky-headed, handsome black-and-white male English setter to a chestnut-and-white female. Even though she wasn’t pretty, she had a powerful combination of bird-finding and pointing instinct.
Finder’s Keeper (RU-CH Pat’s Blazer Banjo x Spring Garden Rose, 1991)
We never thought that 47 litters and 301 puppies later, we would have created a bird dog business that sustains and fulfills us. For not only did we produce lines of setters and pointers of which we are proud but we formed deep friendships with people from all over the country who share our love of fine bird dogs.
A. G. Murray, Jr., is an attorney and serious bobwhite quail hunter. A.G. and his wife Mary Beth drove from their home in Oklahoma to buy a puppy—a male they named Colonel—from that first litter. Last summer, they again travelled to Minnesota to pick out their fourth setter from us.
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Our first litter out of Spring Garden Tollway x Finder’s Keeper produced five males and three females. CH Blue Streak is in the upper right looking at the camera and CH Blue Smoke is in the lower center.
The sire Spring Garden Tollway (Charlie) and dam Finder’s Keeper (Sparks) weren’t our first bird dogs. Charlie was preceded by a Brittany spaniel I purchased in 1980 but it was Charlie with his verve and tenacity that got me hooked on field trials. After buying Charlie in 1987, I was determined to find more good grouse dogs and spent the next seven or so years sorting through a dozen or more dogs—buying puppies and started dogs from the best dogs in the country. I hunted over them and then Betsy and I competed with them but not until we bought Sparks in 1993 did we find a match for Charlie.
CH Blue Streak (Spring Garden Tollway x Finder’s Keeper, 1995)
It was a gut feeling and also perhaps a bit of beginner’s luck but that first breeding of Charlie to Sparks succeeded beyond our expectations. It produced two field trial champions, CH Blue Smoke and 4XCH/4XRU-CH Blue Streak and, essentially, laid the foundation of all that followed. Out of Streak, we got Blue Blossom and Blue Silk. Silk produced our two best sires, Blue Shaquille and Northwoods Blue Ox, and out of those males, we have current dams Chablis, Chardonnay and Carly, and Grits, a wonderful male.
Blue Silk (CH First Rate x CH Blue Streak, 1999) and her sons Northwoods Blue Ox (by CH Peace Dale Duke, 2007) and Blue Shaquille (by Houston, 2004)
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Blue Chief was whelped in our second setter litter out of Sparks by CH First Rate in 1996. Chief was a dream come true for me—a big, tri-color male with incredible instincts. Betsy and I learned early that Chief was a pre-potent sire and we found an excellent cross in Blue Blossom. In fact we bred Chief to Blossom three times, our first “nick.”
Blue Chief (CH First Rate x Finder’s Keeper, 1996)
Chief’s reputation grew and he became popular as a stud around the country. He sired 32 litters and produced 11 dogs that won 86 field trial placements. His contribution to the breed is still evident in championship-caliber setters such as CH Conecuh Station’s Pressure Test.
Kevin Sipple, a school superintendent in Wisconsin, bought Elle, a Chief x Blossom female in 2006. He brought her to a grouse camp owned by friends and shared with several serious hunters. Kevin has since purchased another female setter from us and now his five hunting partners have bought our setters, bringing the total number of Northwoods dogs in camp to nine.
But Betsy and I don’t breed only English setters; we’ve carefully and selectively bred pointers, too. In 1997, we bred CH Dance Smartly, our liver-and-white female and first field trial champion, to CH Brooks Elhew Ranger. We kept a male named Dasher that Mark Fouts chose for Fallset Fate, his Elhew-bred female. Out of Dasher and Fate we got Prancer who produced Vixen, our current dam.
Bill and Gail Heig own Bowen Lodge on Lake Winnibigoshish in northern Minnesota. They offer grouse hunts to a select group of hunters and for more than 20 years, I have spent part of each fall working as a guide. Betsy and I will never forget the honor Bill bestowed on us in 1995 by placing the Minnesota Grouse Championship trophy Dancer had just won on the center of the lodge dining table.
Bill has bought many dogs—both setters and pointers—from us for use in his own guiding string. Over the years, guiding customers of his have become our clients and friends.
Northwoods Vixen (CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer, 2011)
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Another pivotal litter was whelped in 2005. Dr. Paul Hauge is a dentist from Wisconsin who has long been involved in field trials and setters. Not only did Betsy and I campaign his excellent female CH Houston’s Belle but, with Paul, we planned and whelped Belle’s litters.
The sire of that 2005 litter was Gusty Blue, a grandson of our CH Blue Smoke. One of the female puppies was Houston’s Belle’s Choice. She became an exceptional producer, especially when bred to Blue Shaquill—our second “nick.” Choice’s genes, somewhere back in their pedigrees, are in every one of our setters.
Northwoods Grits (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis, 2011) and his granddam Houston’s Belle’s Choice (Gusty Blue x CH Houston’s Belle, 2005) had a good day in the grouse woods with owner Bob Senkler.
A later breeding of Belle to CH Can’t Go Wrong produced an uncommon litter. Every male that was given a chance to compete in field trials won, including RU-CH Land Cruiser Scout and two champions, CH Ridge Creek Cody and CH Houston’s Blackjack.
Betsy and I bred to both Cody and Blackjack but all three have been used as sires by other kennels around the country including Grouse Ridge Kennels, Skydance Kennels, Waymaker Setters and Erin Kennels and Stables.
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Even though we focus on setters and pointers used in the pursuit of ruffed grouse and woodcock, Betsy and I are proud that our dogs are bought by hunters throughout North America and in Hawaii and Japan, too. Dogs have been used by their owners—some of whom are professional guides—to hunt most every type of upland bird whether in the woods, mountains and desert or on the prairie.
Northwoods Prancer (Dashaway x Fallset Fate, 2008)
We are also proud to have produced 13 dogs that have won 23 American Field championships or classics with 16 runner-up placements. These titles have come at local, regional and national events, some with more than 80 dogs entered. Our dogs have won on grouse and woodcock, quail, prairie chicken, pheasant, sharptailed grouse and chukar partridge. They have won stakes in every age category and in walking and horseback trials. Importantly, our dogs have won for both the most experienced handlers and the least.
Our dogs have amassed a nice list of national and regional awards:
• Micheal Seminatore English Setter Cover Dog Award
• William Harnden Foster Award
• Elwin G Smith Setter Shooting Dog Award
• Bill Conlin Setter Shooting Dog Derby Award
• 5X Winner/3X R-U Minnesota/Wisconsin Shooting Dog of the Year
• 4X Winner/3X R-U Minnesota/Wisconsin Derby Dog of the Year
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Northwoods Rum Rickey (Blue Shaquille x Snyder’s Liz, 2012) and Northwoods G (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013)
Our earliest litters had one clear goal—to breed dogs that could win grouse field trials. But when Betsy and I formed Northwoods Bird Dogs in 2002, we refined our focus. Without losing the athleticism, flair, poise and polish required of championship-level performances, we wanted to produce dogs that had it all—smart, natural wild bird dogs with excellent conformation, superior instincts, wonderful dispositions and that were good-looking, too.
Now, 20 years later, Betsy and I are breeding the seventh generation of setters and fifth generation of pointers. What a rewarding, gratifying journey.
Winners and others gather after the Moose Rive Grouse Dog Club Open Derby stake. From left: Tim Kaufman, Jerry with First Place Northwoods Rolls Royce, Judge Sig Degitz, Mr. Bjerke with Second Place Sadie, Judge Jason Gooding, Bill Frahm, Ben McKean and an unidentified youngster.
The final spring field trial held on ruffed grouse was hosted by the Moose River Grouse Dog Club (MRGDC) on April 25 and 26 in the Douglas County Forest of western Wisconsin. At 14 entries, the Open Derby was the largest derby stake of the 2014-2015 season and perhaps the most competitive. The field included several dogs that had placed in previous derbies, in addition to the eventual winner of the Minnesota /Wisconsin Derby of the Year award.
Northwoods Rolls Royce placed first, followed by Sadie in second and Coulee in third place. Sadie is also out of our breeding—CH Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay in 2013.
Royce is owned by Bob Senkler; I handled him.
Royce ran a mature hunting race and had a grouse find on which he was steady to shot. This was Royce’s second placement in three starts. Last spring, he placed first in the Minnesota Grouse Dog Association (MGDA) Open Puppy where he staunchly pointed a woodcock.
Royce’s placements prove that he matured early in his hunting application and his ability to point wild birds. He had extensive exposure, too, which helps. As a puppy, Royce was worked on wild bobwhite quail in Georgia and last fall he was hunted hard on grouse and woodcock. I used Royce often on guided quail hunts this past winter in Georgia.
Royce is out of the outstanding nick of Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice (also owned by Bob Senkler) and joins a long list of siblings that have placed as puppies and derbies in grouse trials.
• Northwoods Creek (owned by Randy Ott) placed first and second in two MGDA open derby stakes this spring.
• Northwoods Troy McClure (owned by Dale and Jessica Robinson) placed third in the spring 2014 MGDA Open Puppy.
• Northwoods Carly Simon (owned by Betsy and me) placed third in the spring 2012 MRGDC Open Puppy when handled by young Paul Diggan.
• Northwoods Chardonnay (owned by Paul Hauge) placed second in the spring 2010 MGDA Open Derby when she was still a puppy. Chardonnay also placed in two spring derby stakes in 2011, enough to win the 2011 Minnesota/Wisconsin Cover Dog Derby of the Year award.
• Northwoods Chablis (owned by Bob Senkler) placed twice in spring derby stakes in 2011 and was second place (by just two points!) to litter sister Chardonnay for the 2011 Cover Dog Derby award.
• Northwoods Lager (owned by Jim Bires), a littermate to Chardonnay and Chablis, placed twice in derby stakes in 2011.
RU-CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock (CH Ridge Creek Cody x Erin’s Sky Dancer)
Paul Hauge and Northwoods Bird Dogs have teamed up for another cool litter.
Paul has long been a partner with Betsy and me in our breeding program. His dog Houston became a foundation for our kennel and, over the years, we’ve bred many litters together.
Northwoods Chardonnay (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2009) Photo by Chris Mathan, The Sportsman’s Cabinet
This winter we bred Paul’s Northwoods Chardonnay (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2009) to RU-CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock (Jack), owned by Sean Derrig. Jack is out of Sean’s female Erin’s Sky Dancer and Larry Brutger’s CH Ridge Creek Cody, which is also cool because Cody is by Paul’s multiple grouse champion CH Houston’s Belle to CH Can’t Go Wrong.
For a couple years now, I’ve been watching young Jack during training sessions with Sean. Jack is impressive and has nice wins—especially against pointers—on the all age circuit where Sean competes. He was runner-up champion in the 2014 National Amateur Derby Championship held on the Dixie Plantation in northern Florida and placed third in the 2015 West Tennessee All Age.
From what I saw, not only does Jack possess qualities we look for in a sire but he inherited quite a few traits from the Houston line.
Chardonnay whelped four females and two males on April 15.
This is Chardonnay’s fifth litter. She has produced exceptional dogs no matter which sire we bred her to.
On April 15, Chardonnay whelped four females and two males at Paul’s kennel in Wisconsin. All the puppies are sold.
Northwoods Parmigiano (Northwoods Blue Ox x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2010) loves to “Fetch” his chew toy.
As a professional trainer, I’m always working with several dogs and want to make the most of my time with each. Whenever I interact with one—whether in the kennel, at feeding time, on the way to the truck or loading into the dog box—I try to teach the dog something.
These little snippets of time I call “training moments.” It’s amazing what can be accomplished.
Encourage “Fetch”
Every dog run has a wolf-size Nylabone Double Action Chew toy in its kennel run. When a dog likes to mouth or lick my hand, I pick up the chew toy and say “Fetch” as it grabs the toy or as I ease the toy into its mouth. I then lavish praise on the dog. Soon, when I come into their kennel run and say “Fetch,” the dog finds its chew toy and brings it to me. Several even anticipate my presence and pick up its chew toy whenever I’m close to its run. (Many dogs have actually learned “Fetch” this way.)
Don’t pull on leash
Day after day of many dogs pulling on the leash and jerking my arm led me to this idea. If a dog is straining against a lead, I stop and don’t move until it releases the pressure. This takes patience but it works.
Yoshi, an eager and energetic young English cocker, fully understands the training moment of “stay until released.”
Stay until released
It drives me crazy when I open a kennel door and a dog barges out. So I make the dog stay still until I say “All Right.” I open the door just a bit and when the dog makes a move, I shut it in their face. With a few repetitions, they remain until released.
“Kennel” command and treats
A dog of any age spends lots of time going into crates so why not make it a pleasant experience? Sure, you can shove it into the crate but it doesn’t learn anything. Rather, I entice the dog into the crate with treats. At first, I toss the treat into the crate, making sure the dog has smelled it and seen it. Then I lead it to the crate with a treat in my hand and only give the treat after it is in the crate. (Purina Pro Plan Sport Adult Training Treats in Chicken Breast flavor are perfect. They are easily ripped into smaller pieces, smell great and fit into a pocket.)
These training moments are easy, simple and don’t take much time. Be patient and consistent and you, too, will be amazed with the results.
Puppy buyers often become fixated on their order of pick in a litter. Betsy and I know—first hand—that the last pick can be the best.
The first grouse champion we owned was bought sight unseen from Maine. Not only was our puppy the last pick but the breeder changed his mind during the process.
We were excited about that that litter—a repeat breeding of a top-notch female grouse dog, 5X CH Vanidestine’s Rail Lady, to a spectacular male, 2X CH/RU-CH Northern Dancer, trained and handled by fellow Minnesotan Jim Tande. Eddie Vanidestine first told us we were getting an orange-and-white female. We said, “Fine.” When he later called to tell us it would be a liver one, we again said, “Fine.”
Most of that litter went to grouse trialers and we never saw or heard anything about an orange-and-white female. But that liver puppy grew into our extraordinary 2X CH Dance Smartly and became the foundation of our pointer line, now four generations down.
It’s hard to believe how close we came to not having what would become our best setter ever. When we bred Blue Silk to Paul Hauge’s Houston in 2004, our first pick was based on looks—a gorgeous, tri-color male with a solid head. After two other males were chosen, one was left. He had a big, blocky head, a patch on one side of his head and a small spot over the other eye. We named our first choice Kobe and the leftover pup, Shaq.
The all-female litter out of Northwoods Prancer by CH Westfall’s Black Ice in 2011 left us with an evenly marked, black and white one with a spot at the base of her tail. Jeff Hintz, good friend, neighbor and training helper, took her. Jeff will tell you in a heartbeat that he will take last pick any day if it turns out to be as good as his precocious, smart, talented young champion, JTH Izzie.
In a previous post, How To Pick a Puppy, I wrote that the essential concepts are to: first, choose the right breeder and, second, choose the right litter. The pick order is the least important. It is impossible to definitely know what a puppy will become when it is eight weeks old.
Others agree. John Wick, breeder of hundreds of coonhounds, writes, “It is absolutely impossible at 8, 10, 12 weeks of age to pick out the best pup or pups, no matter who you are or what you know.”
Inherited talent and ample exposure to opportunity are crucial elements to a pointing dog’s bird-finding skills. (Northwoods Nickel, CH Shadow Oak Bo x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2014)
“That dog’ll hunt!” exclaimed Bobby, dog trainer on a large Georgia quail plantation, while we were out working puppies last week.
Bobby was referring to the bird-finding ability of his young pointer—a dog that was focused exclusively on finding quail. Bobby has been training bird dogs for more than 20 years and knows what’s essential.
“They’ll all point,” he said, “but give me the one that finds the most.”
Bobby is right. You can’t teach a dog to find birds. You can teach it to heel, come and whoa but if it doesn’t have the inherited talent to search for and to find birds, all you have is a well-trained dog. Those instincts, however, will never be maximized without opportunity—and plenty of it. Even then, some dogs given equal opportunity will be better at finding birds. No one really knows what produces that proficiency. Is it above-average scenting capability, intelligence, ability to focus? Or a combination? Or something else?
The degree of difficulty to finding birds depends on the birds. Non-wild birds such as put-out quail or game farm pheasants are generally easy to find. They usually have little idea of where they are or where to go and so, unknowingly, they become exposed.
Working puppies in groups is a fun, productive way to provide bird-finding opportunities because the puppies learn from each other. (Three females out of CH Shadow Oak Bo x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2014)
Wild birds are the most difficult to find. They know every square foot of their own territory—from exactly where they are to exactly where they’re going. They move a lot during the day—to find food, loaf, dust and avoid predators—and most of that movement is done by walking. Their scent is left on the ground by their feet, droppings and feathers and on plants by brushing against them.
Finding wild birds is easiest when the bird is stationary and the dog hunts by that exact spot. Most of the time, though, the dog smells leftover scent. It learns to follow that little wisp of scent until it becomes progressively stronger, ultimately leading to the location of the bird.
Another experienced plantation dog trainer, Phillip, would agree. A man wanted to sell him a young dog, pointing out conformation, markings and other physical qualities and boasting about all the champions in its pedigree. Phillip wasn’t impressed. Instead, he looked the man straight in the eye and asked, “Yeah, but can it find a bird?”
Desire is another inherited trait that will lead to ample bird finding. (Northwoods Nickel, CH Shadow Oak Bo x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2014)
Pro trainer Luke Eisenhart reaches in to take his derby winner Awsum In Motion out of the area after a find.
On a foggy morning in early March, I drove northwest out of our place to Erin’s Covey Pointe plantation near Sale City, Georgia. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to ride along with professional all-age handler Luke Eisenhart during a morning workout.
Luke is a phenomenon. After his first year of competing on the all-age field trial circuit, he was named the 2011-2012 Purina Top All-Age Handler of the Year. He won the next year, too, 2012-2013. In this year’s standings not only does Luke have a substantial lead over second place but he handles two of the top three dogs for the Purina Top Dog Award, Erin’s Wild Justice and Erin’s Kentucky Gambler.
To keep his string in top condition both physically and mentally, Luke combines roading and field work of 30 – 45 minutes on birds. During these workouts, he doesn’t let the dogs range like they do in a trial; rather he keeps them close and concentrates on handling, finding and pointing birds. He runs dogs in pairs and wants each dog to point several coveys and back the bracemate.
Luke Eisenhart walks back to CH True Confidence after the flush and shot on a nice covey find.
On that day, Luke worked pointer champions Erin’s Dog Soldier, Erin’s Wild Justice, Erin’s Full Throttle and True Confidence, along with setters Houston’s Blackjack and derby winner Awsum In Motion.
Like all good handlers I’ve observed, Luke is smooth, confident and soft spoken around his dogs. It can be forgotten that he is working some of the most powerful, driven dogs found anywhere because he makes handling them look easy. Luke is good because he’s passionate about what he does, works hard on a consistent basis, knows what to do and—and just as importantly—knows what not to do. His timing and execution are precise and he knows each dog thoroughly.
Also exciting for me to see was the dogs themselves. Up close, I saw their physical conformation and disposition and, out in the field, I observed their gait, style and performance.
In the truck on the way back to our place, it became crystal clear to me why Luke and his dogs do so much winning.
I felt fortunate to chat with Robin Gates and to see CH Shadow Oak Bo up close after the morning’s braces at the 2015 Continental All-Age Championship.
Betsy and I were excited to watch two-time National Champion Shadow Oak Bo compete at the 2015 Continental All-Age Championship held at the Dixie Plantation in northern Florida. Though I had watched him before, I couldn’t miss an opportunity for another look.
Bo is handled by professional Robin Gates and co-owned by Butch Housten and John Dorminy.
Bo, who had just turned nine years of age, hunted the course hard and far, yet handled easily as he hunted from one birdy location to another. He had four finds on coveys, one where the birds were unseen by the judges and two that required relocations.
I was very impressed with Bo’s relocations. Both times, he was on point to the front. After thorough flushing attempts, Robin released the dog and Bo was masterful. He moved positively yet cautiously, exuding confidence that he knew his job. After 40 – 75 yard relocations, Bo pinned the coveys. Robin moved in quickly to flush and the birds were right where Bo indicated. Again, in both instances, the quail flushed from a wide area, indicating they were a feeding, moving group—not the kind that are easy to keep on the ground.
Bo finished his hour well, perhaps not as strong as Robin would have liked and not good enough for a placement but clearly showed us why he’s had such a long, successful career. Interestingly, Bo was being treated for a good-sized abscess on the side of his rib cage due possibly caused by a migrating grass awn.
After the morning’s running, Betsy and I walked to the kennel area. Robin handed Bo a treat as he opened the kennel door. We chatted with Robin who then offered to let us see Bo.
Physically, Bo is a specimen—strong and solid. He is a gentle dog with deep, sensitive eyes that convey intelligence and calmness.
If there is one word to describe Bo’s personality, it is calmness. He was calm on the dog wagon; calm prior to his brace when being outfitted with the Garmin; calm after his brace; and calm while we petted him and chatted with Robin. Most importantly, Bo was calm—yet also composed and intense—on point.
We were happy with everything we observed about Bo. It’s easy to see why he’s so outstanding in field trials. We wish him the best.
