APRIL NEWSLETTER





Derek Jennings pops a pigeon for one of his griffs - Three Forks Training - Photo by Greg Bahny

  

It’s hard to believe that it was just two short months ago that we assembled in Great Falls to found the Montana Sharptail Chapter of NAVHDA.  It’s also hard to believe that in just two more months we’ll be hosting our first sanctioned test in Vaughn, MT.  As enthusiasm builds, it has been a pleasure to get to know the people and dogs of the growing chapter that is now 47 members strong. (And countless dogs representing several Versatile Breeds.)

With a less than optimistic weather forecast, 20 chapter members and at least 32 dogs travelled from Montana and Idaho to attend our first “Training Camp” in Three Forks on the first weekend of April.   Karyn Conner was a more than gracious host for the event and offered not just a fantastic facility, but made sure we had everything we needed and kept us well caffeinated.



Steve and Rae Brown went over the top to make sure we had birds for the event.  It was great to see everyone jump right in and help with set-up, training and tear-down.   There are more training events in the works…….We’ll keep you posted as these evolve – I’m working on one session that simply focuses on “Yard Work” – as many of these  skills we can work on at home, without any (or very few) birds.

HEALTH CHECK

It is a good time of year to assess your dog’s health needs:

                -Regular Vaccinations

                -Rattlesnake Vaccinations (make sure the pup is at least 4 months old)    Moreinfo: http://www.redrockbiologics.com/

                -Lymes Vaccinations (especially if you’ll be travelling to the Midwest)

                -Heartworm control (especially if you are travelling)

                -Regular parasite (worming) control

Please feel free to contact me if you are having difficulty finding either Lyme’s or Rattlesnake Vaccines.

UPCOMING EVENTS

It doesn’t seem like this group will have any issues in putting the needed efforts together to host a test – as the events get closer, organization and communication will be key.  A few of us have visited briefly about food at the test(s) – So far we’ve generally agreed to keep it simple, plentiful and tasty.  We will likely reserve space or a small banquet room for Saturday night, June 18 near the test site.  Everybody would be welcome and responsible for their own checks, with the club picking up the ticket for the judges.  We will be recruiting volunteers and coordinators for Food and Field coordination – please feel free to contact me if you are interested, or know of folks who can help.

KEEP YOU EYES ON THE SKY:

“Sky Rats,” “McChickens,” “Flying Mice” – Whatever your name for pigeons – they are an exceptionally valuable resource to you and your dog for training (we obviously have a much greater respect for our “Homers” – some of them even get names.)  As you drive through the Montana countryside – keep your eyes open, as most folks who have pigeons are more than happy to get rid of them.  If you can get to where they roost, this is the easiest way to catch them – at night with a strobe light and you can frequently pick them right off the roost, or scare them into a fishing net.   Pigeons are invasive, non-native and unprotected birds – This makes them a great training tool as you can use them on public or private land any time of year (please check that your dog may be “off-lead” as there are some regulations for some public lands – especially wildlife management areas.)  A small “Homing Pigeon Loft” may be an easier project than you might think, and a half dozen “homers” can be easy to tend and invaluable when working on everything from Puppy/NA training to UT work and/or simply “finishing” a hunting dog.  Although you can get “feral pigeons” or “barn pigeons” to home a short distance – real homers are a better option as they “trap back” quickly and expand your training area potential – feel free to contact me if you are interested in getting some “true homers.”  Loft Plans: http://www.lcsupply.com/Pigeon-Loft-Plans/productinfo/PLP/


Plans are coming together potential training events on the weekend of April 23-24 and/or May 14-15.

We’ll keep you posted……………..