On the 6th of April 2024 the Working Flatcoated Retrievers Group organized their yearly flatcoated only working test.

Flatastic Black Peace “Kaspar” won the Novice class and got himself a participation ticket for the Trophy B2 in the Autumn. Not bad for a young dog with a sick handler who was busier sweating the flu out, than guiding her dog.

Thank you WFRG for a well executed Working Test and a special thanks to Sophie Alma for the nice photo’s of my boy.

It has been a couple of weeks since Lotte’s ultrasound showed an empty womb. It was a bit of a shock to us and I needed some time to digest the news. Digesting bad news has been a bit of theme lately and it has been reminding me that breeding and having passion for what I do really puts my heart in a vulnerable position. Luckily the dogs are still their fantastic selves and they bring smiles on my face everyday. That is very valuable in times where hardness seem to arise more and more between humans.

After some consideration and elaboration with the owner of Cajus, we have decided to give this combination another chance whenever Lotte comes in heat. The fact that several bitches in the Netherlands and in central Europe have been mated without results, gives me idea that it is a natural phenomenon rather than there should be anything wrong with the parents or the combination. I am very thankful that the major part of the potential puppy buyers are giving me their confidence too awaiting the next heat period of Lotte.

To celebrate the fact that we are “getting back in the saddle” a friend of mine, Henriette de Feij has designed this lovely poster. I think she did an amazing job.

Henriette enjoyed making this and she has offered to make more of this kind of litter adds and/or stud adds for a reasonable price in the future. I would be happy to provide you Henriette’s contact information should you wish to use her services. Henriette is familiar to gun dog work and therefore has the right eye for gundog breeds.

Thank you Henriette!

On the 10th of March 2024 Hans Mansveld & Flatastic Blue Intelligence achieved their Club Diploma B certificate – coming in on the 4th place with 71 points out of 80.

A CDD B exam is on dummy and foam duck including casting out and recalling, leaving the dog behind for a while, walking heel with and without leash, retrieving both on terrein and water, castings on a blind retrieve crossing a waterway followed by a free search and search in a forest casted from the edge of the forest. Spyke is Hans’ first flatcoated retriever and first gun dog. I am very proud of this couple – they have been training very hard and learning from scratch with eachother. Last year they also had a hunting experience picking up pheasants.

Well done Hans & Spyke – it is always a pleasure to watch you two together learning and training.

Here are a few words from Hans in Dutch on his experience with Spyke:

Het eerste B diploma voor Flatastic Blue Intelligence alias Spyke

Onze Spyke wordt einde mei al weer 4 jaar en wat is de tijd voorbij gevlogen. 

De eerste mogelijkheid in 2024 om aan een CDD deel te nemen was op 10 maart in Utrecht omgeving Ruigenhoek, waar we vorig jaar ook al eens een CDD hadden gedraaid.

De plaats van handeling is een forellenvijver met daaromheen landerijen van Staatsbosbeheer/Utrechts Landschap, met veel grotere sloten in het landschap. Het is openbaar gebied met her en der wat voet/fietspaden die bevolkt worden door fietsers, voetgangers, skaters en hardlopers en niet te vergeten honden-uitlaters. Voldoende afleiding natuurlijk.

De weg naar deze dag is voorafgegaan door training zowel bij Piet Schaafsma (samen met mijn trainingsmaatjes  Marja en Frans met de nestgenoten Shelby en Jason), als de regelmatigeeigen thuis-training met de hulp van Marloes die regelmatig met walkie talkie in het bos verscholen stond om een zoek verloren te regelen, of een markeer in een drassig weiland.

Want uiteraard waren de B onderdelen toch wel de uitdaging voor Spyke, en natuurlijk in wisselende onderdelen; lukte de markeer de ene keer goed dan ging over water weer slecht en zo kun je alle variaties bedenken.

Na 8 keer een C- diploma (3x SJP en 3x CDD en 2 WT)behaald te hebben, heb ik ook de ambitie om het B- diploma te behalen. Ook ik weet dat het op een dag kan meezitten en tegenzitten dus een beetje geluk is altijd welkom.

Ons harde werken is nu beloond met het eerste B diploma met een goede score. We gaan proberen deze lijn vast te houden en wie weet waar we gaan eindigen. Wat ik wel weet van Spyke en mijzelf is dat het allemaal wat meer tijd kost gezien het leerproces dat ik doormaak. Spyke en ik hebben wel steeds meer het gevoel een team te zijn, we begrijpen elkaar steeds beter.

Vanaf deze plaats wil ik dan ook Birgitte als fokmevrouw en wijze ervaringsdeskundige bedanken voor haar wijze lessen hoe om te gaan met onze turbo’s, Piet Schaafsma als de trainer van de laatste 2 jaar en mijn vaste trainingsmaatjes Marja en Frans. Zonder jullie hulp was dit niet mogelijk geweest, nogmaals bedankt hiervoor.

We kijken uit naar wat ons dit jaar nog verder te wachten staat;  een paar keer CDD, SJP , workingtest, en tweemaal eenbuitenlandse trip om wat extra training te doen in een mooie omgeving.

Een ding is zeker met onze Flatastics , wat motiveert is dat het harde werken en het geduld uiteindelijk wordt beloond, maar vooral ook het plezier dat Spyke en ik eraan beleven.

It has been a busy week – having two bitches in heat was a logistical challenge when one of them was to be mated.

Sunday morning- complete unexpectedly- Lotte stuck her behind up under her brother’s nose and put her tail aside. I quickly got them in each their rooms and started packing my stuff for traveling.

As it was Sunday me and the girls decided to drive to Hengelo in the East of NL to stop at friend’s house in case Lotte’s progesterone was already high. The next morning we went to the vet’s office for a test and it was far from high enough to mate. We decided to wait until Wednesday and we went off to Germany for a date with Cajus – or as his pedigree says: Arved von der Wichmannsburg.

Von der Wichmannsburg is an area south of Hamburg and the name of a breeder – originally breeding German Wirehaired but the breeder name has been passed down in the family of Cajus’ owner and is now a flatcoated breeder of working gun dogs. Cajus is homebred and lives with his lovely mother Rosa who is still going strong at 12 years of age. Both dogs are active hunting dogs for finding game (boar) and birdhunting.

Cajus’ owner Maike welcomed us very heartfelt and luckily I was offered a lovely place to sleep close to the beautiful forest were woodpeckers greeted me & Lotte every morning.

I say luckily because Lotte has kept us waiting for as many days as her mother did when she was mated. At the end we were almost in dispair thinking nothing was ever going to happen – with an extremely high progesterone level the two lovers got things done in a second after entering the garden and kept me and Maike waiting half and hour for them to let go of each other afterwards. Lotte being the princess she is – took prime position on the family couch while we enjoyed late breakfast together.

So after a long week away from home I have picked up Rumi again on the way back from Germany. Now to enjoy a good nights sleep dreaming of liver & black puppies of Lotte & Cajus. I may have left another little peace of my heart in Germany.. what wonderful dogs are Rosa and Cajus.

As a bonus – apart from a successful mating – I had the opportunity to learn from some local hunters about preservation of species, importance of diversity in plants and weeds. We looked at fox and badger holes and I had the privilege of watching deer and boar with nightvision cameras. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Also big thanks to my husband for supporting me and this venture – helping were possible. Many thanks to Yvonne & Wiebe for having Kaspar over these days and Josine & Mathijs for having Rumi and us girls to visit. I could not have chosen this great guy who does not live around the corner if it has not been for your support.

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting up with one of Rumi’s pups. Well this pup is now a full grown dog with very nice (working) attitude. He was ridiculously young – only 3 years of age when he obtained his hunting exam SJP A certificate. He has picked up many geese when out hunting with his handler and they have a great bond together. Gurbe is also rated to a Very Good on the way he looks. I am incredibly proud of both him and his owner. Flatastic Platinum Alignment. It is his owner’s first working flatcoated retriever – he is doing a great job and it is a pleasure for me to watch them as a couple working together. Thank you Lieuwe for taking so well care of him and giving him a great flatcoated life.

HD A

ED free

Patella free

ECVO (clear except distichiasis)

Show: VG

Work: WT B1, WT novice talentenjacht, SJP A

Working gun dog

On Valentine’s Day both Lotte and Rumi came in heat. We cried both happy and sad tears as Rumi and I were invited to the retriever championships in the Netherlands, but now we have had to pull us back from the competition.

Not much time to dwell on sadness – the litter prep has begun!

First I took Lotte to our local veterinarian for a regular health check. Everything was fine and compliments for good behavior.

The vet took a blood sample for herpes titer – then we know wether to need a vaccine after the mating.

Lotte has been thoroughly health tested before we made litter plans and she has received all her vaccines except those she still had protection from.

She is primarily raw fed with a balanced diet of meat, vegetables, a bit of carbs, herbs and fruits. She has daily chews of natural source and a late night snack.

I think we are ready for the adventure of our B litter.

We have a puppy adventure lift-off ! Flatastic Red Strength has come in heat today – on Valentine’s Day.

Within a couple op weeks she and I will drive to Germany for a visit to Cajus (Arved Von der Wichmannsburg). This spring will hopefully bring us liver and black puppies of this great couple.

The litter will be one of the highest – if not the highest qualified litter of Flatcoated Retrievers in the Netherlands at this point in time (when it comes to tested working skills) – both parents are working gundogs with an enormous set of skills for all round hunting. Besides that they are both very friendly family dogs.

We are very excited here at “casa Flatastic”

Lotte has been in heat at a regular schedule of 7-8 months every time and she was expected to come in heat around October/November. I was very pleased that she had had the chance to obtain her map B qualification last autumn. As her mother Rumi she will be the highest qualified breeding bitch in the Netherlands. This is a fact I am very proud of since her training has not been rushed or forced into any results.

December brought the chance to go hunting together with he “fiancé” Cajus and that was really a bonus for me as a breeder. How often does a breeder get the chance to see the breeding dog working during a hunt? I was very pleased to see that Cajus has all the qualities we think can add up to all the ones that Lotte already have and I am starting to become a little bit impatient in the waiting as I am so curious to what wonderful little working talents will come out of this combination. For sure they will be very nice in temperament and social skills – both Lotte and Cajus are very friendly and easy going dog with high work ethos without losing their heads. Cajus has had an extensive exterior assessment by the German breed club and Lotte has many great show results in the past.

Our waiting list for this combination is at this point still open – should you be interested in a puppy please contact us via the contact form introducing your family and living situation, but most importantly what you have to offer the dog in form of caretaking and training/enrichment.

Meanwhile Lotte has a side job as couch tester..

The gundog competition season finished for us with a qualification to participate in the Champions Trophy on the 24th of February.

One may call it the “Retriever Championship” of the year as the best of all the retriever breeds compete at a high level. Rumi and I are invited and looking forward to the experience. Hopefully she will not come in heat at that time – we keep our fingers crossed.

I have had the joy of being invited to many different hunts this year – and many of my hosts have invited me and the dogs because they appreciate the diversity of the flatcoated retriever. They are of course specialists in working after the shot – working very keenly on lost birds and game. I have come to the conclusion that they are absolute perfect gundogs for goose hunting – being great on marks and memory’s.

I was invited to Friesland 3 times this year and I brought the girls on two occasions.

Our first was at Piet’s area and my friend Yvonne was also there with her lovely girl Ylva.

We started early with hiding in the cover for goose hunting. As I have explained earlier goose hunting is not only hunting but also damage control as they are living in the NL in very large numbers – spoiling a lot of fields and contaminating waterways with their co2 rich excrements. More importantly they apply pressure on other field birds as some are very aggressive and territorial. Economically it is a very expensive animal because the government pay out damage compensation to farmers and landowners who are affected by invasion of hungry geese.

Luckily I am a fan of eating goose meat – and willing to put the hard work into the whole processing of these big animals.

In fact is a very durable way of taking in proteins – no man made production facilities, no medication in the animals and they live a natural life in freedom. They die quickly without long stress and suffering of being transported or kept in poor conditions.

Hunters are often viewed at as bad humans who take pleasure in killing. After some years of assisting in hunting with my dogs – I think I might be able to add some nuance in this image. Yes, hunters do take honor in making a good and clean kill. Because it is the most friendly way to obtain meat. With the lowest possible suffering, using your human skills and focus. I think many people today are not aware how our food ends up in the supermarket and therefore we are relieved from the moral pressure of taking a life. The truth is that we are all in one way of the other hunters in our core nature. Hunting for food may be the lesser experienced action in these modern times but we all hunt after something or someone in life and we tend to do some crazy thing in order to obtain what we hunt for. It is a very strong motivation and drive in our human nature – wether we acknowledge it or not. For some reason, many of us who like to hunt on game find it important that we maintain the skill to feed our families – have knowledge and practical skills in and about nature. Hunting is 20 % shooting and 80 % caring for your field – creating a balanced living space for all wild life – counting numbers and keeping the flora in good condition. Hunting itself one may say is the cherry on top at the end of the year – after a long period of being in and about the fields. Knowing what is going on and communicating with farmers and officials is a big part of the task of a hunter who has a field/area under his responsibility. When there is an annual hunt on hare the amount of hares that needs regulation and/or the number of hares the hunt may harvest is pre-set. In my case it was one hare per hunter per drive allowed. This left plenty of hares in the field after hunting and still keeping the pressure on the fields low enough. 2023 was a very good year for hares.

But enough talking about the ethical side of hunting and let us get back to the gundog work..

Working the dogs on a goose hunt is really great – they often get to make some far retrieves and often they need to work extra hard on rough waterways – sometimes a goose is drifting off and a good dog like Rumi who trusts my instructions is such a pleasure to have at my side. Lotte has been out on geese too but surprisingly this little elegant girl has surprised me in being a really reliable “spaniel” on driven hunts. A hare that jumps out in front of her nose is a bit too tempting but if on a bit of distance she remains really steady in her task of searching and even deer she was able to resist.

The traditional pea soup is a Dutch thing one either loves or hates but I must say – Lieuwe’s version is the best I have had so far. I was lucky enough that he agreed to share the recipe (sorry only in Dutch language):

Erwtensoep: 500 gr spliterwten, 2 litr water (meer of minder voor dikker/dunner 2 uien wortel prei 2 aardappelen halve stronk bleekselderij 2 tenen knoflook 200 gr gerookte spekjes 2 schouderkarbonades 4 speklappen rookworst in plakjes 2 bouillonblokjes peper en zout naar smaak

For quite some time I have developed skills in processing geese, pheasants and ducks. But a hare is a whole new thing.. maybe it because it looks like a cat in some way, also the soft fur and the big eyes.. it is a different level to kill it if necessary and also to process it. Up until now I was reluctant- but I challenged myself to do the job myself. My chance to put my challenge into action came when Lieuwe invited me for a second hunt in Friesland. Rumi brought a hare that needed to be releaved from suffering. Poeh – that was indeed a next level thing. As I have not yet tasted hare to my liking – my dog friend Raymond was kind to show my how to proces a hare – so at Christmas morning me and my friend Josine (who has recently obtained her hunting license) went to Raymond for a lesson in cutting out a hare. He gave me a recipe too but it has not been tested yet.. to be followed ..

Of course Kaspar was also out hunting – more on his adventures later on.. for now I would like to thank Piet, Lieuwe, Yvonne, Marian and Jacqueline for the wonderful opportunities you have given me and the dogs to develop over the season. And Raymond for teaching me game processing skills 2.0.

Thank you to all hunters and fellow dog handlers for all the good and safe hours in the field together.

Last Sunday – the 19th of Nov 2023 the FRC held her flatcoated finals gun dog competition. Rumi and two of her siblings were invited which is very special to have 3 littermates at this top level. To qualify one must have at least an A diploma in an SJP – WT or MAP.

The competition consists of 4 rounds with each 3 retrieves. All on long distances with various distractions – testing marking skills – double drags, blinds and memories as well as searching in different covers.

Here is a link to the description op the 4 rounds:

https://www.frc-nl.com/event/apporteer-trofee-en-de-uitreiking-van-de-ben-koolen-bokaal/

Rumi was in a good mood – very eager and ready to rock and roll. I had a bit of hard time walking her on the leash as she simply could not wait to get started. She simply loves to work and I was afraid she might get lost in the passion as it often does. But I must say she really did her utmost to keep listening and with a little bit of handling we got all retrieves. What a joy!

While enjoying the “afterbuzz” of a great day working with my beautiful Rumi (Flow of Spirits Silver Skipper) – we all had a drink in the café of the “Forrelenvijver Breukink” while waiting for the results. To my great surprise we came in 3rd place and to obt the joy Rumi’s brother Déroy won the AT.

Thank you FRC for this wonderful and memorable day.

A special thanks to Robin Polman & Ad Ordelman for making these lovely photographs for us to remember these precious moments.