Game Season

It is Autumn and game season has started. Covid-19 has changed everything for events and many dog competitions have been cancelled. For Rumi we hope to join a bit of hunting soon when she is back in shape. Having had 12 puppies took a lot from her body and even though we are training – she is not completely fit yet.

Luckily Rumi’s brother Déroy had the opportunity to show his qualities at the early competitions and it is with great joy that I can tell you that he achieved the double SJP A qualifications this year with a respectable score. My big congratulations to Frans de Vries.

Frans and I train together on a weekly basis and our passion for gun dogs has been the ground for a growing friendship over the years. It has been a pleasure to be witness to his adventures with Déroy as they grew together and our reflections on each others ways of handling dogs has been an ongoing proces of learning and influencing each other.

Frans has an enormous perseverance in getting the technical details right and the fact that he spends hours getting it right is one of his keys to success in my opinion. Of course, having a talented dog that matches one’s personality is also a major part, but how you influence a diamond in the rough is certainly just as important. Another key element is Frans’ willingness to be open. This quality is often lost as we become more skilled and experienced – remaining open and asking questions is a virtue for the experienced handler, I think. So my big compliments to him for holding these qualities.

Déroy was over summer a frequent visitor to our Aura litter – he turned out to be a great uncle, with clear dog language and he made an excellent puppy teacher. When the puppies see him again, they run directly towards him with wagging tails. He is the best play uncle one can wish for. Rumi of course still adores him as much as always and they have their own special relationship and play rituals.

Thank you Frans for many great training moments, competitions, hunting and endless many dog-whatsapp’s over the past years – I am looking forward to many more to come and especially looking forward to you bringing out the new little Aquamarine nephew. He will have big shoes to fill, Déroy and you are going to show us much more great stuff in the future. Go get’m Tiger!