First trip after deer wreck

On the 18th of February Gage and I traveled to Thomasville Georgia to see some of the best boykins in the country. Nine Boykins qualified for the BSS Spring National  competition this year. Four of them were there this day. We met some great people and better "LBD's" or little brown dogs.

I must admit I am not thinking  to get into retrieving contest in the future, but it was good to see people enjoying working their dogs and the dogs were more than ready to work. The equipment they were using to shoot the dummies/bumpers into the air was pretty neat. They had sound effects (duck, chucker,and pheasant if I remember right) that could be played before firing the bumper to help get the young dogs attention.

Gage did not travel well and looked like the worse candidate in the world for training to hunt. I had  forgotten that we had hit the deer the last time he rode in the truck. He was just exhausted from the trauma of riding again in the truck.

Phil Hinchman who owns Brandywine Creek Boykin Spaniels kennel in Indiana, whose female WC NC SM LC Big Sky's Bessie Wayne, who won the 2007 BDC Top Gun World Champion title was there. He took me and Gage over to an area and we worked with some quail. He gave me some great advice on what to work on with the pup. I was wishing that Phil could had seen Gage at his best. A nice hunting, nose to the ground and in the air pup, with lots of hustle.