| |  Keith, just a short line to update you on the puppy. Tuff is holding up to his name, he was a bit timid when I got him but as I expected he got over it. He's doing great with the yard work I have him heeling, sitting, and staying very nicely. He is pointing a wing very solid, and I introduced him to live birds last week and he was very excited when the birds flew. Have had him out to the skeet range running through the side fields at the club as they shoot skeet and the gun shots don't bother him. I'm very happy with the pup, and Bill is as well. Hope to have him in good shape for next season. Force broke to retrieve, and steady to the shot, when we head for ND. Andy Bjorson, Salisbury NC
Dear Keith, hope your hunting as been enjoyable so far this year. thought you would like to hear from us, we named the puppy Koda. I cant say enough good things about her, she is all we could ask for in a dog. She's been great with my kids and a real joy in the house with us. I've been more impressed with her learning ability. She learns real fast and is eager to please. I've taken her hunting 6 times and she has successfuly locked or trailed to point on 6 pheasant hens. I havent gotten a rooster up for her yet seem to be scare were I hunt. She loves to play fetch with the bumper or retreive anything she can find to play with. I took her hunting with a pal of mine who owns 2 black labs, at the age of 5 months I thought she worked just as good if not better than his labs. I will try to send you some pictures sometime. Keep in touch and let me know about up coming litters would like a black male sometime. I passed your name to some other hunting buddies. Ken Druyvestein, Polson, MT
Hey Keith, thought I would let you know about a goose hunt I had on the Yellowstone river by Billings MT. I took Koda with me, two other guys had black labs.She never had been in a duck or goose blind before. The 1st goose shot she took after to retrieve but got there and realized how big it was so she just barked and growled at the bird. She then began to see what the labs where doing with the birds which seemed to help her with what needed to be done. Anyway to make a long story short, the last day I hunted with my dad and the dog by ourselves. The conditions were great, it was snowing and the birds came in small groups. We ended up with a limit and Koda retrieved 7 out of 8 geese. 1 goose was easily a 300 yard retrieve on a winged goose. It was totally awesome. she also made a double retrieve on a verbal and hand command for the 2nd goose. Anyway I think it was a lot of natural blood line and ability by her. Sometimes I think she is a better water fowler than a pointer. I guess thats why I enjoy the breed so much. Anyway I hope your hunting is going good, keep in touch. Ken Druyvestein, Polson, MT
 Hi Keith The dog is doing great. We just had her to the vet a week ago for shots and she weighed in at 27 pounds. She gained 10 pounds in a month and I swear to god she looks bigger everyday. As like your pup, she picks up on things fast. I have her doing retrieves with dead fowl trainers from the river in my backyard. The first couple times she was a little scared, but after awhile she did great. She swims like a fish now. I have taken about 20+ ducks in the early season (Lots of woodies) so far. When I come home, I hide them around the yard and Bruna goes crazy for them. When I come back the dog sees me in camo and knows that she will be playing with some dead birds. It's great to watch her get so excited. She loves to go on point for my kid's pet rabbits in the back yard. I know it's rabbits, but she locks up like a rock. I can't wait to see her on birds. My wife spoils her and I find the dog on my side of the bed now and again. The only problem I have is she loves to check out and get into everything. Don't leave a sandwich or chips lying around, she loves them. She's a great dog. Matt Batty, Franklin, NJ Hi Keith,Took Bruna out for the second time this past weekend and again she impressed me. I watched her get "birdy" on all six birds she got, then lock up on an awsome point for each one. She sat tight until I could move in and flush the birds out. It was great to watch and my friends were in aw of how good a dog she is and her natural abilities to hunt. At six months old she can hunt better then some of my friend's dogs which are 4 & 5 years old. Their dogs "jump" the birds and do not retrive them to hand. I love her. Here is a picture from that morning. It was about 10 degrees out, but she didn't care, she just wanted to hunt.Matt
 Hey Keith,Just sending you a quick e-mail letting you know that Bruna is still doing quite well. Just got her out on some pheasants today and she found and pointed out four as you can see in the picture. We were hunting an area where I had to wear hip boots to get into. She pointed one cock bird while she was up to her neck in water. It was incredible. I wish I had it on video so people would believe it. The bird fell on the other side of a flooded stream and she did not hesitate to swim across to fetch it up. She also has been getting a workout on ducks and geese. Bruna has made some retrieves over 70 yards on a couple of big geese in the lake by me. She went under the water to get one crippled duck that continued to go under and hide from her. She came up with it like she was bobbing for apples. It was great. I'll keep you updated as the season rolls on.Thanks again for a great dog. Matt
 Hi Keith - Just thought I'd drop you a line or two on how the pup is doing. Like the other lucky ones to get a pup from you, she is doing great. I am extremely impressed with Brie's natural ability. I have her holding a point on the pheasant wing and retrieving the wings with much enthusiasm. She is very smart and as such, is easily trainable. I have had her out hunting a few times and she works the field like a natural. She also retrievs the bird wing in the water without hesitation. She is a joy to have in the house as well. She is a beautiful dog and we get many compliments on her. This is my first hunting dog and I couldn't be more pleased. Jeff Tamblyn, Helena MT
Howdy Keith,
Just an update on Brie. This is her first full hunting season and she is simply amazing. I have heard it before but until you experience it first hand the old saying "breeding tells, doesn't it", is the absolute truth. She points, holds, and retrieves like a veteran. She has got an excellent nose and she has found me more birds than I have ever seen in past years. I took my camera along last time and shot a few pics of her on point. I had to catch some of this on film since it was so pretty. It is really neat watching a dog do what it is bred to do. By reading other "testimonials" on this website, it looks like you shouldn't need any more evidence of how great these dogs are, but if someone wants to talk first hand of an owner of one of these dogs, you can certainly give my phone number to them - I love to brag about her. I'll send an updated picture. Thanks for the great dog. Jeff Tamblyn, Helena MT
 Keith,
Just thought I would sent you a quick note on how Missy is doing along with some updated pictures. She started trailing and pointing at 10 weeks, she still needs work on holding a point on live birds though. She seems to think she can catch them when they are on the ground, will be working on this pretty steady over the next couple of months. She started retrieving to hand a full size Dokken pheasant dummy on land and a puppy dummy in the water at 12 weeks. We had her out yesterday with some pigeons and a remote launcher to work on her creeping problem with live birds. She rushed in on the first 2 birds so we let them go so she could see that she wasn't going to catch them. The last 2 she pointed for a couple of seconds, after steadying her on point we launched both birds and shot over her with a 12 gauge. She hunted dead very good and retrieved both birds to hand. No concern what so ever about the gun fire going off near her (I used a starter pistol around her for a week prior to the actual gun). Missy picks up everything I try with her very easily, she has an excellent nose and desire for birds. I am very happy with her progress so far, she is a very intelligent dog with tons of confidence. She is starting to get her facial features now and it looks like she is going to be just what I had wanted when I started looking for a pup. Her coat is coming in good and it looks like it will be a very good field coat.
Jim Melander, Lanesboro MN
 Hey Keith!
I just wanted to drop you a quick note and let you know how “Cooper (male pup#3) is doing. What a dog! His training is going great – fetches, points, retrieves, and I absolutely cannot keep him out of the water. He even dunks his entire head under the water and blows bubbles. I’ve never seen a dog do that! He’s 4 months, 2 weeks old and about 42 lbs. He seems to get bigger every day. Steve Silberg, Oklahoma City
Hey Keith!
I’ve been meaning to write you but just had too many things in the fire. First of all, Cooper the WonderDog has turned out to be a great dog! He is second to none on long water retrieves and has a fantastic nose and a solid pointer. He’s a great companion and my wife has spoiled him to death! Right now the little 7 month old bugger weighs 64 lbs and finally looks like he is slowing down. He is without a doubt the smartest dog I have ever had! Steve Silberg
I’ve got another great Cooper story… I was hunting for Quail a few weeks ago at a game preserve in Eastern Oklahoma. I met a guy that morning that asked if he could hunt with me. He seemed like a nice guy and had a very nice 3-4 year old English Pointer. We hunted most of the morning and both dogs were doing a great job of pointing and retrieving. We were on our way out for the morning when both dogs locked up on point right on the edge of a large pond. As I walked forward the covey flushed right over the pond and we both shot dropping two birds. They both fell in the middle of this pond. The Pointer ran full boar towards the birds and then put the breaks on…but Cooper (alias Flash) did a swan dive straight into the water about 15 feet! He retrieved both birds in his mouth at one time! I wish I had a camera to catch Cooper in action as well as this guy’s expression…mouth wide open in surprise. He was still wide-eyed as Cooper brought both birds to me. All I said was… “That’s what you get with a Versatile Hunting Dog”!!
Have a good one…
Steve Silberg
 Keith, Here are some pictures of "Coors." We sent him thru a nine week training program from a nationally recognized dog trainer. Coors is one of the best dogs I have ever hunted with. One of the guys I work with is so impressed with Coors that he will be calling you for your next litter. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Keith Haag, Cold Spring MN
Keith,
Another update. We went down to Iowa this past weekend for pheasant opener. I brought Diesel out with us just to get him some exposure. There were a couple of older dogs in the group, and I thought I would let him see what he is supposed to do. At first he would just follow me around, but as the day went on, he started to follow the other dogs. By Sunday, he started to quarter in front of me and one of my daughters. He did not do any retrieving, but he is so small, he could not see what was going on in the tall grass and weeds. At one point, we were at the end of a CRP field, a rooster got up, and went down in a plowed field. He was able to see it this time, and ran out after it. Unfortunately, the older dogs got out there first, bu tat least he went out after it. All the guys I hunted with were very impressed with him, especially at his age (12 1/2 weeks). They all said that I had a good dog. There was a lot of shooting all around him, and he did not care one bit. I am going back down next weekend with 2 of my daughters, and plan to let him go out again. He went all morning on Saturday, and I rested him most of the afternoon. Sunday, he went most of the day. He has tons of stamina Jerry Stanton, MN
 Keith,
Here is a picture of Diesel and I after a day of hunting in Iowa. Diesel is really getting the hang of this hunting thing. At one point, I was calling for Diesel, but he wasn't coming to me. I thought this was odd, because he had always come before. My brother-in-law found him locked up on a pheasant carcass that must have been shot last weekend. Later, one of the guys next to me shot a rooster, and Diesel went out and marked it. He could not pick it up (still too small), but he held it down (not dead yet) until I got to it. He is starting to quarter already, and all this at 13 weeks!! Everyone I hunted with was very impressed with how well he is doing. Jerry Stanton, MN
We had Diesel out at a Pheasant Farm on Saturday. He had a Great Day!! For a young dog, I was impressed with how he would use the air to get a scent, and immediately his nose was on the ground tracking. He had at least 10 to 12 hard points. This is the first time I had him out since Christmas, and he had a little trouble with distance at first, but after he settle down, he was quartering the whole group (10 people) and keeping his distance (about 15 yards out). We only lost 1 downed bird all day long. My brother-in-law was extremely impressed with him. He is 7 1/2 Months old, and is 26 1/2" at the shoulder, and weighs about 70 lbs. He has excellent stamina and a Great nose. I brought him out to a lake Sunday. He had not been in water before, other than wading in streams, and I was not sure what to expect. I threw the dummy in short, and he bolted in after it. I threw it out farther, and he had no hesitation going in. I had him swimming in no time. There was still some ice on the lake, and the cold water did not bother him in the least.
I am thoroughly impressed with him. Jerry Stanton
11/24/2008 Keith,
Just an update on Diesel. Things are going Great!! He is 30" High at the Shoulder, and weighs around 90 to 95 lbs. He looks amazingly like Max, but he has a little more facial hair. I did not have a chance to work a whole lot with him this summer, and was worried how he would hunt this fall. I had a customer outgoing last week out in South Dakota, and decided to bring Diesel along. I let him work when we were in switch grass, but had one of the Guides Post with him when we hunted corn and sorghum. The guide told me he had several great retrieves while posting. All of them were long retrieves over a 100 yards. He told me he cleared the Barbed Wire Fences like a Deer, even with a pheasant in his mouth on the way back. Once I told the guide that I say HAND for the release command, he brought all the birds back to his hand and released. He pointed a couple of birds in the switch grass, but most of the stuff we hunted was not good for Pointers, besides all the other dogs (9 of them) were flushers. Like I said, I only let him hunt when we were in the switch grass, but the guides used him for retrieves in the Corn and Sorghum.
He has tons of Energy, and is very durable. Like I said, I did not have much time this past summer to work with him, and he seemed to know what to do on his own. I wish I could take credit, but it is all instinct. I think if I send him to someone who knows what they are doing, he will be a phenomenal Dog. Thanks for a Great Dog!!
Jerry Stanton
Keith,
Have not e-mailed you for quite a while. Thought I would update you on Diesel. Well, he is 3 years old now, and really getting into his stride. Had him out on a customer outing, and he was excellent. He pointed 8 to 10 birds, and made some really phenomenal retrieves. Shot one bird, and all 4 dogs went in to find it. Diesel disappeared, and the other 3 kept working the area where it went down. I was actually getting a little upset after about 4 to 5 minutes, because he was no where to be found, and was not coming to me when I called. About 3 minutes later, here he comes from the opposite end of the field, with the bird in his mouth!! He tracked it down about a 1/4 mile away. He retrieved it to the hand of the nearest guy. I was a proud Pa Pa!! He had a couple of long retrieves like that throughout the day.
He has not really grown since my last update, actually he lost a little weight, which is probably good. He is 30" at the shoulder, and is about 85 to 90 Lbs. He is a real hunting machine. Thanks for a Great Dog,
Jerry Stanton
 Hey Keith, It was the best thing this morning. We were over at the hunting club with our dogs and our neighbor with his dog, when Ruby pointed on a bird. Hank just froze up honoring her. That would have been good enough, but then he did that for both girls on the next two birds. Wow, I was so proud of him. He was on a lead because I didn't want him interfering with the girls working. I figured after honoring each of them (one mid turn) he was down to business today and let him off the lead. On our way out of the fields he scented his own bird. It brought tears to my eyes. Head and tail up, tail going like a whirly gig. He winded that bird for about thirty feet before he pointed. He barely got stopped before that hen flew, but it was so exciting for me I can hardly tell you without a smile on my face. David says "I know he has a great nose, but I didn't think he would just KNOW to honor another dog on point." He's absolutely the best. Hank is affectionately known as "Hank Tank the Hunting Machine". He is huge. Barely 6 months old, 24 inches at the shoulder, and 60 pounds. His coat is smooth over his body, but is hairy as Sasquatch on his head and legs. Looks like he's wearing a set of Mukluks (shaggy snow boots). I'm sending a picture taken last week of him honoring Ruby, and one I took tonight so you can see how handsome he is. Thanks a bunch, Christina MacLauchlan, CA
 Hey Keith,One more update on our Hank boy. Brought him home from the trainer yesterday morning and had him in the field at the hunting club this afternoon. He was on three birds and we brought in two. WOW! It was awesome hunting with him. When we came in with our birds, we were told there were a few guys fussing that there weren't any birds. Boy, sure am glad that they didn't tell Hank. :-) He's had a growth spurt too. Up to 26 inches at the shoulder. He's quite the moose. He's thin from all the work and the growing together. He's still the love of my life. Thanks. Christina MacLauchlan
Hi Keith: Well, yesterday was Maggie's birthday as with her litter mates. I just wanted to give you a quick update at the end of her 1st year. We just finished the pheasant season here. My trainer finished Maggie about 3 weeks ago, so I had a few weekends to hunt with her one on one. She did very well. I took several birds, some were pointed and held without a break, and some were wild flushes. She most definitely has a good nose and she never failed to miss a retrieve. What I really love about her though is her total focus and enthusiasm. She is unstoppable. In fact I have to make sure I don't overdo it with her. All in all we had a great time this year with her training and then getting out to work with her. She will truely be a great hunting companion. We still have a few weeks left for Chukars, Huns and mountain grouse, although the snows are starting to move in now, so we shall see. Over Christmas shutdown I plan on getting in some duck hunting. I haven't tried her on that yet, although I can tell you she loves the water and has no hesitation when it comes to retrieving objects over water. We're just really pleased with her. She still has some of her puppy tendancies to tear things up, but she is getting better on that account. If you need any recomendations for the next Max & Brandy litter I would be more than happy. I did give your number to my trainer who lost his dog this fall. But I think his wife is not warm to the idea of a Wirehair. I will tell him you are planning on a breeding though. He really loved Maggie. Anyway, hope this finds you happy and healthy.
Regards,
Steve Hiett, Idaho Falls ID, 12/08/2008 (This is a pup from Max & Brandy)
Hi Keith: Here is an update on Chama. I hunted her over the weekend in really cold conditions for the first time and that dog definitely loves the water. It was 8 degrees in the morning with a stiff wind and I could barely keep her out of the water. The wind chill was well below zero. She'd jump in the stream and paddle around for awhile and immediately turn to a block of ice once she climbed out. I figured after the first swim she'd be too cold and would stay out but that didn't happen. She jumped in about every 5 minutes! I've seen dogs with heavier coats than her refuse to get in and she acts like it's bathwater. The thing that impresses me the most is how much she thinks about something before taking action. She doesn't just run on auto pilot. I've had her in lots of different situations this first year and she always adapts quickly to what we're doing. Mentally she's one of the strongest dogs I've been around and clearly thinks her way through situations. If I was strictly a waterfowl hunter or only hunted upland birds I would probably go with a breed more focused on that specific game. But for the wide variety of hunting I do this breed is perfect. I really think to be versatile the dog has to think on it's own and she clearly does that. The other thing I really like is how she hunts like she's possessed, but then in the house plays with the kids and sleeps in their beds. A great all around dog and like I said before, we'll be getting another from you. Now if I could only keep her from chewing bones on my pillow! Brett Weiland, Colorado Springs CO (This is a pup from Kodi & Black Jack)
| |
