Buoy is Learning His Trade

In early 2016, at 4 months of age, Buoy went home to the UK to join his ancestral Arnac pack and co-breeder, Chrissie Mayhew. He went to live at the home his mother Larch left when she came to live with us in the U.S. He’s had plenty of time to be a pup, learn good manners, and develop his retrieving skills.

Last winter, Buoy got to tag along a few times on the driven shoots that Chrissie works picking up game. These early visits were all about exposure to gunshot and the all the stimulation of a busy shoot. He was tested on a few retrieves, but then would be put up in the Land Rover so that the experienced dogs on the team could put in their day’s work. 

This season, two year-old Buoy is now really learning his trade. He’s a full-fledged member of the team and he’s proving to be just the right kind of dog for the job. Chrissie just sent this news yesterday: “Buoy on Friday was not good ............he was BRILLIANT!  He started the day with a cock runner during the drive on a reasonably bare field ....a good one for a young dog .......he picked it and came straight back despite there being shooting galore and more birds coming down. He has a really soft mouth. He then excelled himself at the next drive finding numerous birds ...nearly all runners ....Blue brought one back and dashed off for another before I could take it properly and it scooted off into the undergrowth so Buoy went after it and hunted and found it for me .....I am so pleased with him....he is as good as his mother. He got the dog of  the day award in my eyes.” As they say in the UK, he’s turning out to be a “cracking” retriever.

We don’t have any photos of Buoy working on the shoot because Chrissie has her hands full with the team of dogs and all the birds they deliver to her, but we do have this lovely photo of him at a working test. Photo courtesy of Sue Worrall, Watersplash.

Arnac Weatherdeck Buoy

Week of Wow!

Wow! What an exciting week for four 10 month-old Weatherdeck/Arnac pups in three countries. Our Gudgeon got things rolling over the weekend when she entered the show ring for the very first time in a series of three shows in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I expected her to be a wiggly puppy that would be easily distracted by all the sights and sounds of a large indoor show. She impressed me by being completely at ease and by carrying herself in a way that allowed the judges to see her in the best light. On Day 1 she was awarded Winners Bitch and began her journey toward her conformation championship. Wow! Winners Bitch at her first show! On Day 2 the hosting kennel club had a special competition for puppies under one year of age. Gudgeon was Best Puppy for her breed which meant that she got to compete in a puppy sporting group. She was not intimidated by the larger ring where she claimed 2nd place in the group. Wow! Holding her own with the best puppies of the other breeds in the sporting group! She finished up the weekend with another Winners Bitch award and the added honor of being selected as Best of Winners. The weekend far surpassed my expectations. This was supposed to be a learning experience for Gudgeon and an opportunity for us to learn to work as a team in the show ring. It's such an honor for her to so well received during her debut weekend.

Gudgeon. Practicing the fine art of standing still. (Photo by Karen Beste) 

Before we'd even packed up to head home, unexpected news started coming in from far away. On that same day, three of Gudgeon's littermates were also being recognized in both the UK and Norway! I didn't even know that they, too, were entered in shows on that day. Brother and sister, Buoy and Delta were battling it out for Best Puppy in the UK. Buoy was Best Dog Puppy and Delta was Best Bitch Puppy and in the end, the judge chose Delta to be Best Puppy overall! Then, in Norway, Glenna was awarded Best of Opposite Sex and her first Challenge Certificate with a rating of Excellent. Owner, Heidi Sageng, was on the other end of the lead. Wow, what a great day for all of these pups!

In Norway, Glenna and Handler/Co-owner, Heidi Sageng. (Photo by Co-owner Margunn Tvedten. )

And, if all that wasn't enough excitement for one week, today Buoy knocked it out of the ballpark in the UK when he went Reserve Best Puppy in Show, handled by our friend James Newton. Just, wow!

Chrissie Mayhew and I worked very hard to make this breeding happen and we couldn't have done it without the help of our good friends Sue Worrall, Polly Ruff, Richard Schauber, and the Wernecke family. And, Karen and Ron Anderson of Chestnut Hills Kennel (breeder/owner of the stud dog) have been equally supportive and invested in the whole project. Our little family is touched by a bit of pride this week. What great fun for all of us!