It is summer and the gundog exams of Orweja have started.

The SJP exams are found in 3 levels: C-B-A

C is mainly basic obedience and retrieving of dummies

B is intermediate level retrieving of rabbit, duck and crow on a precision mark and casting past water on top of the C parts

A is all of the above plus a double blind dove retrieve on 100+ meters range plus a long drag of goose with several turns. The blind test does not allow disobedience on the directing, thus a very high level of obedience in casting is required.

The SJP diploma gives access to the equivalent level of MAP and/or Working tests.

Here are the results from the past two weeks of Flatastic Aura action in the field:

Flatastic Platinum Alignment “Gurbe” with his owner Lieuwe SJP-C 46 points out of 50

Flatastic Blue Intelligence “Spyke” with his owner Hans SJP-C 39 out of 50 points

Flatastic Green Compassion “Fien” with her owner Laurine SJP-C 38 out of 50 points

Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar” SJP-C 50 out of 50 points

Flatastic Red Strength “Lotte” SJP-B 67 out of 80 points

I am a very proud breeder with these results – and it makes me even more proud when I see how much pleasure the dogs bring to our lives, how many engaged gun dog hours in the field we can enjoy because of them. Congratulations Hans, Laurine and Lieuwe with your diplomas.

The Dutch Working Flatcoated Groep “WFRG” held a marking workshop by Eric Verzijl in the beautiful place of Rijen.

A nice group of 11 gun dogs – 2 labradors, 1 golden and 8 flatcoated retrievers, most of them young dogs around 2-3 years of age.

Eric opened the day by inviting us to work our dogs exactly the same way as we do at home. He encouraged us to take action if needed not letting the dog finish without the retrieve being successful.

On beforehand I was a bit nervous about the impact on my dogs when doing only marks a whole day. Marking I find is very exiting for the dogs and it can easily ruin the steadyness and push them into stress levels where handling is difficult.

In cases like this I am happy that I have learned to recognize the levels of excitement and stress in my dogs and know how to deal with it and/or stop before I push them into over excitement. Luckily they are already well on their way to dealing allright with major stimuli.

During the workshop Eric presented the dogs with a variety of dummies. From cow skin in different colors to dummies with goose wings and launcher dummies. He even used a hand launcher that was build on to a shotgun. This I found unique as many gundog trainers mostly train for competitions and tend to forget preparing handlers for the real deal. Eric spend time explaining important aspect of practical hunting and why certain rules must be obeyed in order to ensure safety for all.

I find the risk of doing workshops in comparison to regular training is that one jumps from one training vision to another. Erik was clear on his views and opinions but I am glad he left space open to continue on our own route of training in order to remain predictable for our dogs.

One of the most discussed items in gundog training is the use of treats (a positive reinforcement tool). It is a topic that can call on strong emotions for some reason and this is intriguing I find, why we humans react so strongly to this when discussing gundogging.

My dogs are very motivated retrievers. Kaspar has a strong will to please and Lotte a strong independent and distance seeking drive. Therefore they bring different challenges into my handling. I use different tools to influence their emotions and behavior on a very conscious level. As they are young steadyness training is always on my top priority and because of all the mistakes I made in my basic training with their mother I spend more time focusing on walking towards the beginning point and the whole setting around me, than I do on the technical skills themselves as for example marking. At this point returning is a bit of a challenge as they have learned that after delivery the fun stops. I offer them good stuff to deal with the “sad” ending of the fun, but it will never have same reinforcement value as the retrieve itself of course. So I try to have all the right boxes ticked on beforehand – to prevent any messing around after picking up the retrieve. Everybody who owns a flatcoated retriever knows that if you desire a perfect steadyness/heelwork performance before building technical skills you will never get ahead. So knowing when to focus on what and being very alert to reinforcement is a must for successfully handling this wonderful breed.

It was a very enjoyable day in Rijen were both youngster were presented with many different marks, dummies and situations (dummies falling behind hills, in heavy water plants etc etc). When training on my own it is impossible to provide the dogs such variety and for that opportunity a big thanks to Erik for the chance to practice a bit of practical hunting skills too. Thank you WFRG and Huntingdogs gun dog school (Erik Verzijl).

All above photos are made by Erik Verzijl

The weekend of 27/28/29th of May the FRC celebrated her 50th birthday with a flatcoated event in Werkendam at the Selevia Hoeve. Of course we were there to celebrate with other flatcoated retriever fans.

Friday fun day

After a late evening arrival on Thursday we had to get up early in order to be on time for the first workshop: First Aid for dogs. We learned how to perform CPR among others. Thereafter we joined the Balance and Coordination workshop where Rumi and Kaspar had a blast. The instructor was amazed as Kaspar’s skills at such a young age – I explained that we had used a lot of coordination enrichment during the puppy period. It was nice to notice that our efforts have made a difference in the dogs coordination skills.

After the morning sessions we decided to leave Kaspar to rest with half sister Ragne at the campsite as he was rather tired after his morning gym. Rumi however had a serious schedule with agility ahead. But before that we had lunch with the rest of the Flatastic family who came to join us: Marja & Shelby, Hans/Marloes & Spyke, Frans & Jason/Déroy.

I decided to bring Jason to the agility as he loves action like his mother. Let’s say I am glad I brought some arnica gel too because running him in the horse arena throughout the agility course was a rather physical endeavor. Rumi had a time of her life – luckily the jumps were very small so she would not hurt herself considering her chronic ligament injury.

Saturday show time

Saturday Ragne and Rumi were entered to the Club Show nicely held outside (great that the club had arranged that last minute “weather” decision option as stated in the subscription papers) where there was a lot of space for the dogs to relax.

Ragne came in 4th in the youngest puppy class bitches with very promising and Rumi won the open class bitches out of 17 very nice open class entries.

I was very surprised and of course exhilarated. Also on behalf of Rumi’s breeder this is a great accomplishment and me & Dennis celebrated with champagne back home.

Unfortunately Rumi jumped a high fence when running off the campsite to find me as I was showing a college breeder’s dog in the youth class. Her shoulder ligament cannot take such jumps and she was not running fully stretched in the best of bitches class. But I was still very happy with the whole day and that I can maintain her shape even with the handicap of the damaged ligament up to a degree that she wins her class and is still able to go hunting.

Rumi has now won the open class bitches twice and she has twice been placed second, one time in Denmark at the flatcoated club show. She holds the SJP A gun dog exam and Map B both with high points. She is for sure a fantastic dual purposed flatcoated retriever.

Sunday gundogging

Sunday the FRC had at water workshop and both Rumi and Kaspar joined. Rumi who is not used to sharing her handler with her kiddos was rather uptight that she had to wait her turn and she became her young self – rather uncontrollable and wild, but nevertheless she did some nice blind casts and resisted temptations. Kaspar had his first fake large goose on the water and a little (rubber) duck that was diving repeatedly. He became very eager and it looked like he had extra boat motors when chasing the duck in the water. Unfortunately Lotte could not join this great weekend because she was in heat – but she spend the weekend with Dennis bicycling and visiting the parents in law. Great to have a replacement girl😚.

Big thanks to the team of volunteers of the FRC Dutch Flatcoated Retriever Club and great instructors throughout the weekend – also thanks to all Flatastic people visiting and spending the weekend with us. We had a lovely flattie time together.

I sometimes sit and gaze out the window thinking back at all I went through from birth of a heartfelt wish till the day I passed my first bred puppies to their new owners. I never ever could have imagined what an emotional roller coaster life would put me through just out of having a couple of puppies..

I never imagined that my heart could open up to so many dogs at once.. never imagined how vulnerable it would make my heart when we unexpectedly and far too early had to say goodbye to miss Yellow who I took so many “punches” for in order to give her the best life…

I never imagined that all our efforts and coaching would be so warmly welcomed as it has been..

I never expected so many to do so well as gundogs this early in life..

I never thought they would bring so much joy and pleasure to their humans as they do.

I am utterly proud of all of them – I hoped they would become social and happy flatties and they have become so much more than just that! They have become flatcoats of my heart.

Funny social pretty energetic sweet clever and always ready to rock and roll. Beauty and brains if you ask me, but then again I might not be very objective.

A very happy birthday to Lotte Kaspar Kai Jason Spyke Shelby Jones Bruce Jones Gurbe & Fien.

Big hugs from a proud breeder

In loving memory of Line💛

The flatcoated retriever is a dual purposed breed, meaning that each individual should be build correctly and be a beautiful dog, being able to work in the field for the purpose of hunting/retrieving. The Danish flatcoated retriever club has an event in the spirit of the dual purpose with both an exterior and working qualifications twice a year – springtime and autumn.

The Danish trials are rather different in set up from the Dutch system but nevertheless I guessed there would be no better way of getting in touch with it than participating myself so I entered both youngsters in the Markprøve B beginner class.

The first day was a very nice but cold sunny day and the running in the show arena kept us warm. All three dogs were placed above expectations. Here is what judge Brian Izzard said:

Rumi:

Excellent bitch througout, nice head, good eye, excellent front, good lay of shoulder, correct rearangulation, good overall size and temperament, moved well

Kaspar:

Nice young boy, correct hed, eyes and teeth, fair angulation at the front, good rear angulation, moved well

Lotte:

Moved OK, good head, good teeth, eyecolour OK, would prefer more bone, stands well when settled

Markprøve B

The day after it was time to show some working skills. In DK the trial is held for each participant with all retrieves in one. That is completely different from what we are used to. Another thing that amazed me was the fact that the retrieved game was placed on the ground leaving scents marks next to the next dog’s beginning spot. Also the helpers were standing in the cast line of the dog so they functioned as a distraction when the dog was sent out and returned.

There is a lot of discussion going on in DK because the trial system has been revised and adapted to using less edible game for young dog trials and (unfortunately) less independent work of the dog. Some aspects I think will make sense and other I am afraid will influence our breed dramatically in negative sense of the word.

But for now the Markprøve B beginner was the original test as it has been for years.

Lotte started out and showed nice heelwork and steadyness – followed by a good mark running up past the helpers uphill. Then she arrived at the huge duck.. apparently our modest exposure to cold game made her hesitate to pick it up swiftly and I had to apply some encouragement to get the duck in my hand. This “poor” game handling or should I say “youngster’s aim to keep it to myself behind the trees” became the theme of the day sadly and we ended with a big zero points but full of encouragement from judge Jens Lund who I admire for his ability to point out all the good sides of the performance. I must say I have never had such a poor performance and still leaving with a big smile. Not only due to the compliments of our basic training but also knowing why the performance is like it is. It is all about how I have designed their training matching the purpose of practical hunting in a water rich country and the Dutch trial system.

Kaspar was about the same performance as Lotte except he had a little better delivery to hand. Again there was some hesitation to picking up some pieces of game. Again his very low to zero exposure to certain pieces of cold game made sense to me. Looking at it from a positive judge’s eye, many good points: good marking – nice waterwork, heelwork and steadyness. Also finding the game was quickly and precise. Delivery to hand was good but to much encouragement needed to pick it up and bringing it back. I think it was a very fair conclusion and looking back it might have been a bit of a long shot for us to join this test at this point in our training. Nonetheless we had a positive “training” out of it and with a good dose of self reflection I could take the zeros with an accepting attitude.

We enjoyed the rest of the day on the terrain watching the finals of the winner class casting downhill into a lake on a blind uphill.

Looking back there are quite some differences to how dogs are trained and how things are executed. Especially waterwork I noticed was not of the standard we know in NL – many dogs struggled to accept a watercast even though the entrance was straight and the dogs could walk right in.

Their capability to direct the dogs however was of high standard and everyone has a good territorium whistle on the dogs (dog is being asked to search within 1-2 meters in circles).

Searching together with other dogs is also a part of the open class exercises and I find this interesting as it has been taken out in the new system. The capability of the dogs to search together is close to what would happen on a hunt I think. The only thing I find a bit tricky how is unwanted behavior being judged?

Looking back our weekend was full of inspiration to our training and I am sure we will make a come back after having made some training adjustments as we are headed towards the Dutch cold game season too. Let’s see if we can get our youngsters out of their young flattie heads 🤭. Those who have trained flatcoated retrievers will know what I mean by that. Either you love to work with it or you develop a dislike to their independent thinking. So far I still love to wrap my head around these typical flattie “flaws”.

It was a big contrast after the past week’s painful event of loosing beloved Line..

I did not feel much joy driving my car towards Bergschenhoek for the Clubdiploma day on dummies organized by the Working flatcoated group and the Toller club. Normally I look forward doing trials with my dogs but it was with a heavy heart this time..because Line was supposed to do this trial too. After meeting with the other Flatastics we agreed to do this trial in honor of Line and her wonderful nature.

Lotte was in a typical hormonal spaghetti brain mood of a bitch coming in to heat – so let’s say it was not her best day and we are curious to see when her 2nd heat is coming, but nevertheless she showed some nice work and especially her steadiness pleased me.

Kaspar however rose above expectations and just smashed it (for Line) and won the B class with a modest 72 points. When I heard that only 3 B diplomas were obtained I was ever so more proud of this great guy. He worked very focused and eagerly and just delivered way beyond I would think he is trained to.

Flatastic results:

Kaspar 1st place B diploma 72 points Lotte C diploma 45 points Shelby C diploma 33 points Spyke C diploma 37 points

Congratulations with the qualifications and thank you for a comforting and enjoyable day together with our dogs!

Showtime

Sunday it was time to show that our flatcoated retrievers are dual purposed. The Rijnland dog show gave the youngsters an opportunity to join the group class with all breeds in the bing ring. Kaspar and Lotte were great in showing themselves side by side and I was very surprised that they took a second place out of a rather big group. Standing still for the photo was less successful.

Show results 27/3-22:

Kaspar 1st place VG intermediate class. Lotte 1st place VG intermediate class Rumi Excellent open class.

You can imagine we are all a bit tired after the busy weekend and the past emotional week – now we take some rest to digest all the contrasting emotions before commencing our next adventure, which is just around the corner…

On Sunday the 13th I received a phone call that Line – Flatastic Yellow Joy had been taken to the animal hospital with kidney failure. I was informed that she was in danger of losing her life..

A week followed that infused us with emotions I had forgotten one can go through as a human being. Her dear owners and myself were devastated.

After 5 days of medical care Line was allowed to go home and we spend the weekend praying that her body would be able to function with the given medication. I had seen her at the vet’s and she had lost a lot of weight but she was full of her so particular life joy and enthusiasm and boy did we pray for her recovery.

Sadly on Monday morning the blood results showed that her time here on Earth was coming to an end and with deep love her owners decided to plan the goodbye before she would suffer more feeling poorly than we felt was right for this lovely girl.

It is with a very painful heart that we have said our goodbyes to this wonderful soul that we only got to have amongst us for a short while. I am deeply thankful for the rich life she was given by the most loving paw-rents a dog can wish for. I am thankful for Line – she brought me many life lessons and of some I am still in proces of understanding.

I am also thankful for being invited to remain close by in the proces of her departure by her caring owners and their family. I too have loved this beautiful yellow girl from birth on and will always do.

I have stood my ground every bit of the way to provide her the life in support and without strings that I felt she deserved from an early age. My intuition guided me through a very difficult time with only one purpose: allowing her to have a life without any pressure and/or pre set ambition. Little did I know why my intuition felt so strongly..

Today I sadly know why: Line was born with kidneys that did not grow the size they should have done. As she grew up there were no signs other than a selective eating pattern telling about her condition. Her owners have always provided her with whatever she asked for – which is quite unique for dogowners – and this fact kept her strong and alive to the end.

Medically we do not know exactly what caused her kidneys to stop functioning – it could have been anything from a hidden bladder infection to a birth defect.

So while I am struggling to carry my grief – I am so impressed by the love and care she was given – by her owners and all of her fans (she had her own fan club from vets to trainers, family members other dogs etc) and the love she gave in return was exquisite and unique.

When the grief softens its grip on us we will research into which consequences this event will have and which actions we must take holding future breeding plans in mind. Until then please be mindful when you mention the matter in words. We choose deliberately to share this in public to prevent any unnecessary gossip causing pain to the hearts of people involved but also out of love for our breed.

Meaning of the name Yellow Joy

Yellow Joy is the pure joy and delight of the soul of just being – being aware of being. The joy fuels curiosity and activates the sacred impulse of innocent wanting. The bigger the joy, the more the soul wants to be real, loving the truth and wanting to behold the truth.

My condolences to her owners and half sister Ragne who are now left with the emptiness of her no longer being with us 💛

Last Saturday the WFRG held a so-called Club Diploma Day. It is a standardized trial with dummies. Obtaining a diploma gives you access to club working tests and is a good way to start bringing young dogs to trials to test how they deal with such a situation.

The c-diploma consists of following parts:

-heeling on and off the leash while walking a set course

– casting the dog blindly 60 m and recalling the dog upon notice of judge

– a marked land retrieve (short distance)

– a marked water retrieve

– down position out of sight of handler during 2 minutes

B-diploma is all of the above parts plus:

– a sharp mark on land (no deviation allowed above 1 m)

– a cast over water and free search for a blind

– free search in woods

A-diploma is all of the above plus:

– directing dog to a set point in the field, when approved by judge one may cast the dog sideways to retrieve a blind

– a drag which begins at the other side of the waterway.

This Saturday it was Flatastic Apricot Fulfilment “Shelby” who brought home a C diploma after having fulfilled his first official trial.

Congratulations with your first diploma Marja and Shelby!

Shelby is a very talented youngster from our Aura litter. He learns very quickly and he lives to retrieve so to say. Of all within the dozen he resembles his mother Rumi the most: highly motivated-a mind of his own and an extrovert character. We are looking forward to see what the future brings for Marja and Shelby.

Today Lotte and Kaspar had their first official gun dog competition in the Netherlands on dummies.

It was at the same time a test for me to see if I am capable of administering 2 in 1 day. Well, let’s say I cannot recommend anyone to do this at home unless you suffer from a severe energy surplus. It is a rather exhausting task I must admit.

Nevertheless I am very proud to announce that both dogs managed to achieve an official diploma:

Lotte B club diploma on dummy 69 points

Kaspar C club diploma on dummy 45 points

Of course we have a lot to improve on execution within the test – but mostly it will be a matter of them getting used to all the distractions in a competition setting.

I am very proud of them and very pleased with the outcome. Now they are officially qualified for breeding according to the guidelines of the Dutch Flatcoated Retriever Club. That is to me as a breeder a kind of cool, however I still want to accomplish much more for them to prove their talents before we start making serious plans..

Storm Eunice is smiling as she takes off from our shores leaving the Netherlands with broken roofs and trees torn down. At 5 am me and the 3 black musketeers are sailing the highway.. brave Miss Ford is smiling back at Eunice and shortly past 7 we arrive safely in Friesland welcomed by a shower of rain.

My host Lieuwe is on his way to the field with his fellow hunters and I am late due to bad weather, so it will be a quick pitt stop and off to the field.

“You’ll find coffee at the table and be careful Gurbe is outside and will greet you passionately..”

I take Rumi out of the car when the first goose finds her way in the water.. a deep waterway and Rumi looks like a weightlifter on a day after a night out claiming a workout anyway. I just love her spirit to work – not even the stiffness of a 2 hour car drive stops her from working wholeheartedly.

On my way to our hiding place in the reed, a big Grey goose is hit but does not fall down immediately and lands rather far on a plowed field. Rumi does not seem to have noticed that it has landed. With pheasants and ducks Rumi spots an injuired bird immediately and will start running on its way down. With geese I can can tell she has not learned to tell the difference on a long distance yet. The goose lands somewhere 150 meters. In thick mud. So we give it a go as a blind. She runs about 80 meters and deviates to the left – then to the right. Of course..she wants to work on the wind.. I want to maintain her obedience on the cast. Finally she accepts the straight line and I feel very content. Then a hare comes out of hiding and runs across the field just in front of Rumi. Ships. A quick “no” from my side and she continues on the cast. Wauw that was some accomplishment for us. After another 30 meters I see her deviating to the left.. I decide to say nothing as her body language says it all. The goose has been found. It takes a fair amount of time for her to galop back to me in the sticky soil – I think she must have been further away than my estimated distance.. and the goose is rather lively when I pick it up. I must admit – a flatcoated retriever has the perfect size to retrieve these big birds and Rumi knows exactly how to get a perfect hold now. Wauw what a great retrieve.

This is my third time in the same field..it is crazy to observe how much damage on the grassland is being created by geese. The following photos are from the second last time showing what geese do to the soil and grass:

After the long cast I reach our hiding place.. despite the cold and the hailstorm I regret wearing thermo undergarments at this point. Walking in the mud is a fairly good workout especially with a heavy goose in the bag. But no time to rest because suddenly Rumi disappears without any notice for a retrieve on water that I missed completely. Not so good for the obedience but perfect for the retrieve. Later the hunter explained how the goose had fallen into a tree in between the reed and how he and Rumi had collaborated in getting the bird out of the tree in the water and then out of the water again. For these kind of situations I am very thankful for Rumi’s perseverance and tough cookieness because a gun dog who is softer and less motivated would have not gone to the extreme needed in these waters.

It was a morning full of impressions..Nature in her power, strong winds, rain as if in a waterfall, hail and warm sunlight caressing our cheek. Lovely company – good retrieves, some frustrating ones and a funny one (after a long search in reed Rumi came out with a ammunition shell in her mouth). But most of all a lovely day in the field with pleasant company-enjoying working with Rumi and Nature in her February power.

Our day was very retrieving rich – the “guns” (slang for hunters) were skilled and Rumi and I had a tough time getting it all done. Time to start hunting with multiple dogs, so we must speed up the youngsters’ education. Thank you to my host Lieuwe and his fellow hunters and thank you beautiful Friesland for your endless raw beauty. Looking forward to preparing the big lads awaiting our dinner table.