Sunday, 8 February 2009
2009 Duck and Quail seasons
WGAA members will be pleased to know that common sense has prevailed and that the duck and quail seasons are both on. Duck season runs from 21.3.09 until 8.5.09, with quail season opening on 1.4.09 and closing on 30.6.09. Further information can be found on the DSE website.
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Last Training Day for 2008
The next WGAA (Vic) training day is Sunday 23 November 2008. Tullidge Rd Reserve, MELTON. Starting time 9am. All gundog breeds. For further details ring Graham Hayes 97437402. Training is provided free of charge. BBQ lunch & drinks available at a nominal cost.
Please note this is the 4th Sunday in the month, not the usual 3rd Sunday.
Please note this is the 4th Sunday in the month, not the usual 3rd Sunday.
WGAA (Vic) AGM
The WGAA (Vic) Annual General Meeting is on Friday 21 November at the SSAA(Vic) Springvale Range, 710 Dandenong Rd SPRINGVALE 3171 at 8pm.
We are able to have the bar open, and meals are available as long as we have 20 or more people present. So do the right thing by the club and make sure you attend. This has been a major year for the club with a big calendar of events, and a meal and a drink or two will be a nice way to finish things off. The bar and restaurant will open at 6pm and the AGM will start at 8pm.
We are able to have the bar open, and meals are available as long as we have 20 or more people present. So do the right thing by the club and make sure you attend. This has been a major year for the club with a big calendar of events, and a meal and a drink or two will be a nice way to finish things off. The bar and restaurant will open at 6pm and the AGM will start at 8pm.
Rick Smith Seminar Success
RICK SMITH SEMINAR
After many months of planning the Rick Smith Seminar finally got underway on October 24th, 25th and 26th. This was no easy undertaking! Liaising with the participants, organising meals over the 3 days, assisting with accommodation ... the list of tasks seemed never ending. However, it all came together in what can only be described as a unique and groundbreaking event. 8 different breeds of gundogs, 30 handlers from 4 different States ... this seminar was indeed an Australian first in the bird dog world.
The venue was just west of Melbourne and as can be gauged from the following photos, we were in the heart of “drought country.” However, drought or no drought, the event was both educational and entertaining for all. The Smiths are a byword for training excellence in the USA where they have been conducting bird dog seminars for many decades. This depth of knowledge was evident throughout the 3 day event in the way that Rick went about presenting, explaining and demonstrating the Silent Command method of gun dog training. The system is based on establishing the point of contact on the dog, developing a conditioned response and then overlaying the learned behaviour with whatever command the handler chooses. The command lead, whoa post and the check cord are all integral components of this system. Rick was also able to demonstrate the use of the low stimulation e- collar as an effective gundog training tool. As an interesting sidelight, Rick explained how the e- collar is used extensively in the States for “snake proofing” dogs – a point not lost on the handlers present.
Mention must be made of the support received from both SSAA National and SSAA (Vic) and Innotek.
This was an excellent event, one that received many accolades from participants at the certificate presentation. Requests for another seminar in the future attest to the success of the event, a point noted by the hard working WGAA committee.
Visit a slideshow of the seminar by clicking here
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Sporting Spaniel WGAA trial - NSW
For a report and pics from this trial visit the following link http://sportingspanielnsw.shutterfly.com
Training Day pics 21.9.08
End of the session
WGAA FIELD ASSESSMENT DAY 31.8.08
On what was a fairly cold, wet day, 12 dogs faced up to WGAA’s level 1 Field Assessment. A field run on a planted bird, a land run retrieve and water retrieve had to be completed. Although only at level 1, the tasks required were testing enough for the dogs. In the field run dog had to cover the ground well, complete a recall and a stay at distance when instructed, point or “flush” (for flushing breeds) the bird and be reasonably steady to the flush and shot. The land run was a sighted retrieve on a “rabbit” (on this occasion up hill) and the water retrieve was a sighted retrieve on a “duck” thrown into running water. The water was both cold and running reasonably hard. Some handlers elected not to ask their dogs to complete the water retrieve.
On what was a fairly cold, wet day, 12 dogs faced up to WGAA’s level 1 Field Assessment. A field run on a planted bird, a land run retrieve and water retrieve had to be completed. Although only at level 1, the tasks required were testing enough for the dogs. In the field run dog had to cover the ground well, complete a recall and a stay at distance when instructed, point or “flush” (for flushing breeds) the bird and be reasonably steady to the flush and shot. The land run was a sighted retrieve on a “rabbit” (on this occasion up hill) and the water retrieve was a sighted retrieve on a “duck” thrown into running water. The water was both cold and running reasonably hard. Some handlers elected not to ask their dogs to complete the water retrieve.
Buck goes through the cold water
Angie lining things up
Abed checking that everything is ready.
So too is Dean
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