Piper (The Swiss Army Knife)

There are two hunt test in January. One is close to Frankfort, KY. The other one is in Southwest Indiana. Then in February there is another one in Southwest Indiana. I am planning on going to all 4 - KY, MS and IN twice.

Before you run your first Hunt Test, we should meet at Edward Norys place so Piper can run 2 or 3 test course. If you are like me, it will help you more than Piper. Reading boundaries, watching the wind, reading your dog and cover the course without neglecting any area is a learning curve. That is what I did and it really showed me what to work on prior to the Hunt Test.

Congrats on the new pup - now you are set. It is great that Piper is putting it all together.

Wayne
 
There are two hunt test in January. One is close to Frankfort, KY. The other one is in Southwest Indiana. Then in February there is another one in Southwest Indiana. I am planning on going to all 4 - KY, MS and IN twice.

Before you run your first Hunt Test, we should meet at Edward Norys place so Piper can run 2 or 3 test course. If you are like me, it will help you more than Piper. Reading boundaries, watching the wind, reading your dog and cover the course without neglecting any area is a learning curve. That is what I did and it really showed me what to work on prior to the Hunt Test.

Congrats on the new pup - now you are set. It is great that Piper is putting it all together.

Wayne
Wayne,

If Piper keeps going at the pace she is going then January is a real chance for us. My wife has always liked to travel since she doesn't go anywhere and me I like to stay at home since I'm always traveling. I'll most definitely have to run some practice courses as you mentioned. I really think Piper is more intense now in our practice since Obe has come along. She likes the one on one attention is even more eager to please now more than ever. But in the mean time she sure does love her some Obe
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Wayne,

If Piper keeps going at the pace she is going then January is a real chance for us. My wife has always liked to travel since she doesn't go anywhere and me I like to stay at home since I'm always traveling. I'll most definitely have to run some practice courses as you mentioned. I really think Piper is more intense now in our practice since Obe has come along. She likes the one on one attention is even more eager to please now more than ever. But in the mean time she sure does love her some Obe
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Gosh was a super photo. The best of both worlds in this photo. Wish mine got along like that.

Wayne
 
As I mentioned early on in this thread Piper was to he a family pet first and foremost. I will have to say she has accomplished that with ease. Went for a ride yesterday to discard some deer guts a family member shot.

Something that I don't see much mention of but wanted to say a quick word about building trust with your dog. Piper is willing to try anything now because I do believe she has confidence in the fact I won't get her hurt. Her willingness to please me is beyond comprehension for me. But back to trust. I know we work on being able to trust our dogs but what do we do for them to trust us. Besides feeding them, playing with them, etc. What are some ways you have gained the trust of your dog? I'm interested to learn from others.

Piper had a big day yesterday too. She ran two mock trials I setup on the place then played with the kids until dark. Then played with the pup Obe for another hour. Needless to say she slept well
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I guess this is where the rubber meets the road. We're heading Friday to Owenton, Kentucky for our first hunt test. I look for to meeting Wayne in person. For any of y'all wanting to get into this shed thing I'd suggest reaching out and talking with him. He's go a world of knowledge on the sport. Piper does great when I have my head on straight. She's been a little stubborn about work out away from me. We're excited either way. Oberon's drive is not as strong as Piper's was at her age but he's coming along. His food drive is crazy and I can get a lot done when he's hungry. Both have cemented a place in our hearts. Wish us luck.
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Piper may be hard to see if it snows on us Saturday. I went to watch my first Hunt Test about a year ago at Norman Henderson's place in Southern Indiana. It was cold but it was great fun watching many different dogs run.

You will do fine - you are starting a journey with your dogs. They are amazing - give them time and they will make you proud.

See you Saturday. Travel safe.

Wayne
 
Piper may be hard to see if it snows on us Saturday. I went to watch my first Hunt Test about a year ago at Norman Henderson's place in Southern Indiana. It was cold but it was great fun watching many different dogs run.

You will do fine - you are starting a journey with your dogs. They are amazing - give them time and they will make you proud.

See you Saturday. Travel safe.

Wayne
She's getting a bath tonight for the travel but she'll look dirty against that snow. If she does anything like she did when we got 8 inches in early December I guess we'll forego the hunt test and play for the 15 minutes I have to run the course. Either way we'll have fun

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Pretty dog!
I know I'm biased when it comes to my dog. But as for "confirmation standards" when it comes to the "English Lab" she is top notch. I already have enough people interested in her first litter of pups (if we choose to breed her) that I won't have any trouble finding good homes for.

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First Hunt Test Report.

First off I would like to thank Wayne for pushing me to get Piper ready and out to an event a month earlier then planned. If anyone is considering getting into the world of shed hunting Wayne is an invaluable source for information. He knows the sport and the in's and outs of it. Me I just fly by the seat of my pants most days doing the opposite of what I should be doing.

Our trip to Owenton Kentucky was an adventure to say the least. Having 3 kids and both working full-time jobs my wife and I are hard pressed to get away by ourselves so we had high expectations for this trip. From our front door to the Capital Plaza Hotel was roughly 670 miles. I kept an eye on the weather the week leading up to the event. With snow and ice forecasted for the area we decided to drive the truck and not my wife's SUV. It turned out to be the right decision since we had to navigate what looked like a demolition derby in Nashville. I lost count on the amount of wrecks we saw. After making it through Tennessee we were greeted with blinding snow in Kentucky. I tip my hat to the road crews in Kentucky keeping the roads open. What was suppose to be a 10 hour trip turned into a 13 hour ordeal. But none the less it was fun and exciting. After getting the wife and Piper settled for the evening I finally made it to bed around 10:30pm.

The next morning we were greeted with a blanket of snow and high teens for temps. I also got to meet Wayne for the first time. We have spoken a few times on the phone and would text off and on. Mostly through the forum. I met Wayne for the first time behind the wheel of a 500hp army tank sports car named Scotty. I had just walked Piper to let her do her business. I look up to see Wayne holding onto Scotty while trying to traverse the snow and ice. Needless to so I got a chuckle. If anyone gets the chance to meet Wayne and Scotty you will find out very quickly that Scotty is a machine. His athleticism and drive makes him want to go 100% all the time. Plus he's a gorgeous to boot (Scotty not Wayne). It's kind of intimidating.

We got loaded up and made the 25 minute drive out to John Ballard's farm for the test. I'm still not 100% sure how they draw the running order but we drew dead last. There were suppose to be about 40 dogs running but due to the weather the field was cut down some. As time went by I would occasionally get Piper out and let her stretch her legs and get her nose warmed up retrieving a thrown shed. We finally got the call that it was our turn. The first course was shaped kind of like a half moon that had a pond on one side and some tall grass on the other. I sent Piper on my command and we were off. Straight to were every other dog before us had stopped and marked their territory. The wind swirled and she caught wind of her first shed. When she found it and I witnessed the year of training come to fruition I was beyond proud. She brought it straight to my hand. At that point I would of been proud to have made the trip just for her to find one. After probably too much love and praise I sent her back out. I noticed we were working with the wind at our back so I pushed her to the back of the course and turned us around. She found shed number 2, 3 and 4 in no time. I looked at my watch that I forgot to start to see how we were doing. The judge told me we had 5 minutes left, I panicked, Holy crap!!! did 10 minutes really go by that quick. At that point we dove off into the high grasses. Piper sniffing every spot another dog have been. I'm sweating bullets trying to keep her working. Bam!!! Number 5. "Ok we can do this" I thought to myself. Gave her some love and a treat and back off she went. Bam!! Number 6, Oh my goosh!!! Did we just pass our first course?!!! We did!!! Time 6:26.....what??? The judge had gotten confused and told me we had 5 minutes left instead of telling me we only used 5 minutes. Needless to say I was shocked. After a lot of praise and love we went straight to the second course.

The second course was a cut soybean field with deep tractor ruts with a brush pile in the corner. She went on my command. I watched the ribbons on the boundary markers and worked Piper downwind edge of the course running the length of it. She had no trouble finding the large sheds. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 like clock work. She threw that nose in the air. "She smells it" straight to the brush pile, Number 6!!!! Wow!! Did we just pass both of our courses? I guess we did. She manage to pick up the speed on the second course and ran a 5:40. The walk back to my wife was one of pride and jubilation.

All of the work and frustration had paid off. I learned a lot on this trip. I learned I have been over training Piper on courses too large with sheds that are too small. I think it paid off. I also learned that we will never win best time or a World Championship. We can never compete with the "fast dogs" as I call them. Piper isn't built for it and not wired to do it. I just happy with a pass. Ultimately I'm just happy to have her as my pet.

I'm going to give her the week off and give some much needed attention to my male pup Oberon. Then we'll get back in the woods and get ready for our next test in February in north Mississippi. Needless to say it was a long weekend. 1400 miles driven, countless hours behind the wheel. But it was all worth it. Thanks for reading. 20180113_174223-1.jpg 20180113_174242-1.jpg 20180113_075816.jpg 20180113_102404.jpg 20180113_180801.jpg 20180113_174223-1.jpg
 
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Congrats on a very successful weekend. Each time I saw a text message on my phone I was afraid it would say you had been turned around by closed highways. It was great that your round trip was a safe journey.

Piper has a steadiness that is special. I am impressed by all the new situations she mastered like it was her 10th rodeo instead of her first. The longest trip of her life, all kinds of dogs and new people. Her performance was flawless and that is a credit to her and the training.

Now Scotty gets excited and wants to check out all dogs and their ground scent. I just don't want to hit him with the electronic collar except on the course at this point. As you stated, he is an athletic dog.

It was a pleasure to finally meet you but through our communication and forum content I already knew you would be another great addition to the group of dog handlers.

Hopefully the event it North Mississippi on Feb 17th will have milder weather. Anyone that reads this thread that is interested in training a shed dog and getting started in this great sport, please send me a message. I would be glad to assist you in any way.

Good dog Piper!!!
 
Oberon Update 1/20/2018

Since we got back from our first hunt test my main attention had been turned to Oberon. I've come to realized I've neglected him too much and he is nowhere near the stage Piper was at his age.

Over the past week we have bonded. His trust in me has grown considerably and hid training is progressing nicely. It only took a day and delaying his feeding until after we worked for him to take to the "place platform". He has come to learn that good and yummy things come to him when he's on that platform. His retrieving is solid. He went 10 for 10 on retrieves. His "hold"" is starting to improve and his leash manners are coming around. It won't take much to get him to start using that nose for retrieving.

I planted some sheds this morning and plan on working Piper on some courses in the woods tomorrow. You can tell she is jealous when I'm working Obe and not her. I can't wait to see them working in tandem one day.

Thanks for reading
Zach

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Labs rely on their nose. Personally, I believe if that is a problem with their nose we may be feedin a dog someone else should own. Yikes!!!

Glad to hear Oberon had a great week. Snow here all week but it left today. Scotty has been in the snow all week.

Today I left him run 6 planted antlers. He was good at 4:47

Wayne
 
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7B886jldgNP2vTga2

Here's a quick video of Oberon. To most folks it nothing special. To me it shows his willingness to please, he's focused on that bumper and he's learning to handle a large antler. All of which are desired traits we want in a shed dog. My training methods are probably not the "industry standards" but it works for me. I think that is probably more important than listening to the "pro's". Yes their methods work for them and 98% of the dogs they run across. But for me my dogs are pets. Then shed dogs second.

The more he gets obsessed with that shape and retrieval the more he will start to use all of his senses to find it. Eventually he will start relying on that nose. As he progresses so will the degree in difficulty in which he will face to find an antler. Like I said. I'm not a pro. Never will be or want to be. I'm just taking a dog that's bred for looks first and foremost with some good hunting pedigree in his bloodlines and trying to make him a pet and shed hunter. We shall see if he has what it takes. It's early on but he's showing some things I wish Piper had.

Thanks for reading

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This past Friday my wife and two oldest children picked me up from work with Piper and we made the 3 hour drive to Olive Branch Mississippi. We stopped and grabbed some Mexican food then found our hotel. We stopped once for a bathroom break and I let Piper out to stretch her legs. I noticed she wasn't her normal self and was being really stubborn and not wanting to listen. At the hotel I met Wayne while out walking Piper for the evening. She did not like the sleeping arrangements and was active all night. Between both of us we didnt get much sleep.

We awoke to find the rain we had been promised setting in. It was about a 20 minute ride out to Ed Norys farm. Upon arrival all vehicles were parked out by the road since the road in was a mud pit. Having the wife and 2 kids with me it wasn't an option for a long walk back and forth to the truck. So locked it in 4wd we did and down the road we went. Made it just fine and had all the parking to ourselves. That makes 2 hunt tests having 4wd has paid off.

Ed's setup was top notch. They were well organized and were ready for the rain. We drew a high number and ended up running second to last. It was raining pretty good during our runs with shifting winds making it hard to get Piper lined up for her to be able to work the coarse. The first course was a mixture of hardwoods running along a creek with some sagebrush mixed in along the edges. It was challenging for us. We used 13 minutes of the 15 minutes given to find all six. But she did it. I normally run Piper without a e-collar but since she seemed bull headed I put it on her. I still don't know if it was the right choice of not. She runs better without it.

Onto the second course. At this course it was just the judge and me which o thinker helped her a ton. There were two additional people with us on the first course and I think it distracted Piper a bit. The second course was about the same as the first. We found 3 in less than 3 minutes. She ran right over the 4th one. I let her work by it onto the back of the course since I knew where one was we could work back later to it. She worked well and only needing a couple hugs from me to push her through the end. We ended up running the course just over 10 minutes. Needless to say I have been more than pleased with her. We are headed out Friday morning to Indiana to try and get 2 more passes to finish up our junior title this year.

We will be staying with friends we have made in this short time running in NASHDA. This to me has been the best reward from doing this. The people we have met are great folks with huge hearts and am proud to call my friends. We all have something in common and love our dogs. It really is a great group of people. I also commend the competition rules that pits the dog against the clock and not each other. This in my opinion takes am edge of competition out of it and makes it to where everyone wants to see the dogs run good. Low times is just a bonus.

For anyone wanting to get into this it is easier than you think. No you don't have to have a young pup. One of the best dogs I've seen didn't start hunting sheds until he was 9 years old. He's about to wrap up his senior title and move onto his masters. It's a great family atmosphere with great people. Would love to see others if anyone is interested.

Thanks for reading

Zac
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Congrats on your success and I have no doubt Piper will complete her Junior Title at the Indiana Hunt Test on Feb 24th.

Maybe I should start training Scotty at midnight 'cause it sure has made Piper a steady and successful dog. If my youngest grandson who is 8 years old was along with me Scotty would never be able to sleep. It was a pleasure to talk to Emma and Collin and I think their behavior was excellent.

The location of this upcoming hunt test has a nice building as the registration location with plenty of room. I have not run the courses but was on two of the courses as an observer. I watched Lane and Edward run one course and I watched a Michigan dog run the other course. Alex Ballard shadowed the judge on that course as part of her Judge Certification.

By the way I ran Scotty on 6 antlers today - one in a water hole and 5 in brush piles. Tomorrow we will move to different brush pile settings.

Good girl Piper. See you in Indiana on Saturday.

Wayne
 
PineSapJunky

Do you think your kids would enjoy putting some chestnuts that I have stratified in the fridge into a small pot and watching them grow?

This time of year they would only have to stay in the house maybe four weeks and then they could move them outside to finish up before you plant in final location.

If you would like to give that a go - I will 6 to 8 good chestnuts this weekend in addition to the seedlings.

Just let me know. Some kids really enjoy this and chestnuts can be vigorous when they get rolling.

Wayne
 
PineSapJunky

Do you think your kids would enjoy putting some chestnuts that I have stratified in the fridge into a small pot and watching them grow?

This time of year they would only have to stay in the house maybe four weeks and then they could move them outside to finish up before you plant in final location.

If you would like to give that a go - I will 6 to 8 good chestnuts this weekend in addition to the seedlings.

Just let me know. Some kids really enjoy this and chestnuts can be vigorous when they get rolling.

Wayne
Shoot yeah they would. I've got about 60 chestnut oaks that I'm doing that to next week anyways. They love doing that kind of stuff

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Sorry for such the long delay in posting. Late February me and the wife packed up Piper made the trip to Norman Indiana to try and finish Piper's junior title. We stopped about 2 hours away in Kentucky at a friend's house who we met on these hunt tests to spend the night. The weather called for flooding rains and boy did we get them. We had to go around a different way to the farm where we would be since the roads were flooded. It was a good turn out for such a bad day. We got lucky and the rains stopped just long enough for us to run.

The first course was along a cut corn field that went through a small drainage and back into another cut field. Winds were inconsistent and made it tough to work the field. Couple that with the fact the sheds blended in perfectly with the cut corn and it made a challenging course. We found the first 5 antlers in 7 minutes (about normal for Piper) but ran out of course. Anyone can tell you it's a bad feeling getting to the end of the course and still needing to find an antler. We backtracked quick and finally found the one we missed at the beginning of the course. We finished in the 13 minute mark.

Onto the second course. Shannon was a pleasure to walk with and the course laid out better for us. It was a mixture of tall grasses and saplings shaped in a oxbow. Piper started well but needed some love and encouragement to get going good. She made quick work (in my opinion) of the second course in 8 minutes or so. I'm not too hung up on times. Anyone that's ever timed out would tell you they would of been happy with a 14:59 time than going over. All and all I couldn't be more happy with her. We have competed in 3 tests all under tough conditions for a young dog. Piper is 36 for 36 sheds found. I know one day soon we'll feel defeat but not this year. She passed her junior title with flying colors in my books. We won't be back out until September. At that time I will be running Piper in the senior class and my male pup Oberon in the junior division. It will be fun none the less.

Thanks for following along.
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Spring has sprung here in the Sip. Summer is showing itself ever so slightly. I've been working Oberon a bit lately. Sticking to the same training that I did with Piper just with all of the mistakes removed. Obe has a problem dropping the shed at my feet and not delivery to my hand. I've been making a game of tug of war with a towel or bumper coated in rack wax. During this I've been using the command "hold" coupled with lots of praise. Its helping. He's getting big. He's already surpassed Piper in height and weight. He's almost 8 months old and is starting to fill out a bit. We've upped his food to 6 cups a day to keep up with his growth spurt. I'll back off later as he levels out. Here's a picture of him. Ignore the black stuff on his coat. I put a load of gravel in their run. Unaware at the time some of the rock had tar on it and it sticks to them. I've about got all of the bad rock out. None the less he's a handsome fellow. Piper is pretty as ever
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