Marshall's progress

[Marc]

Well since I've already gotten him for Christmas I guess I should start a new Thread on his progress.

Marshall is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. I brought him home when he was 9 weeks old 18 1/2 lbs. Here is a picture of him shortly after arriving home from the ferry ride from Surrey.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_sleeping.JPG

During his first week uncrated in the house I learned a hard lesson. Crate your puppy when you're not there to supervise Them! In the first week he chewed threw my keyboard cord, a speaker wire, and my power cord for my laptop. Luckily he chewed through the DC side. Here he is getting to know Nash my 11 year old Lab in a cuddle session.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_Nash.JPG

His first snow fall.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_s_frst_snow_fall.JPG

[Elkhound]

Looking good Marc

[ryanb]

I picked up a chocolate lab back in April, and everyone is always commenting that he looks like he has some chesapeake in him. Looking at your pup, it sure looks like it...

Here's a photo from this summer, probably when he was about the same age as your pup is now
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/rbumali/IMG_3919.jpg

does yours have that chesapeake attitude?

[Marc]

Here is a picture of Marshall doing a sit stay and a down stay. He's now 13 weeks at 26 1/2 lbs and so far he's learned the following commands: Sit, Stay, Down, and Come. Now comes the refining.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_sit_stay_resized.JPG

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_down_stay.JPG

[Marc]

does yours have that chesapeake attitude?

If you mean that when he's got something in his head that he wants to do and it takes several tries to change his mind then yah he's a chessie.

He's got more drive and stamina then my male Lab had at 13 weeks and I've got to say he seems to be learning a lot faster as well. My wife is having a hard time coping with his raw energy as she's not used to having a hyper puppy around anymore.

I had him down to the shoreline today and he was smelling and following the other two dogs as they checked things out. At one point Penny my female lab went for a dip to cool off and Marshall followed her in without realizing it was to deep for him to walk. A bit of back paddling and he was ripping up and down the shoreline.

[Marc]

The biggest difference I've noticed between my two labs and the Chessie is that the Chessie has a coat more like whool. His top coat on his back is coarser and wavy.

[ryanb]

I don't know if it's just the green glow in his eyes in those second set of photos, but he sure looks mischevious...

[Marc]

At this stage he's either fully supervised or locked in his crate. I've bought tuffy's, nilabones, balls, real bones, and he still wants to chew everything he can wrap his lips around. All part of being a puppy I guess. He seems to be listening better to me if I hear or see him gnawing on something that he’s not supposed to a “NO CHEWING!” usually will suffice to stop it.

The thing with Chessies is you need to supply a lot of stimulation so they don't get bored. I do short little training sessions with him on things that he knows to start and then try and improve on the ones he's having problems understanding until he figures it out. Then I'll move onto something new. The key is to keep the sessions short so he doesn't get bored. If the dog walks away from what you're trying to do then you've done to much and he's lost interest.

[bsa30-06]

Glad you started this thread, i have enjoyed reading about marshalls adventures and misadventures.Great lookin pup, have fun with him.

[Marc]

Well I finally managed to train him to go in his crate on command. I needed some support from my other two labs Nash and Penny to get him to figure it out. I called all 3 dogs out then showed them the treat. Then I gave the command "Kennel" and Nash and Penny went to their kennel and got a treat. It didn't take long for Marshall to figure out what I was looking for. It doesn't sound like much of a an accomplishment but you haven't tried to catch and rassle a 13 week old chessie into a crate. :mrgreen:

[Islandali]

Hi Marc,

What a beautiful pup. For the chewers I take a Kong fill it with peanut butter and put it in the freezer....for at least a few hours...best if it is overnight...it will keep them busy for quite some time...also the bully sticks are great because they last forever!

Cheers,
Alisha

[Marc]

I picked up 3 raw bones the other day. It was so funny to watch. They took their individual bones and went into their crates and chewed for a good 2 hours, now every opertunity they get they poke into each others crates trying to steal each others bones when they're out and roaming. It almost seems like the ohter dogs bone is better then theirs. To funny to watch. My older Male Nash constantly hords the bones and will lay in his crate with his head covering the bones so the other dogs don't see them.

This has to be my favorite picture so far. This was taken about a week after I got Marshall home. Nash my 11 year old Lab was trying to get some peace from the pup so he went to his crate but Marshall figured there was still enought room for one of my sneakers and himself in there for a nap.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/nash_and_marshall.JPG

[Marc]

I reached another mild stone with Marshall this week. It used to be that he would almost knock the food bowl out of my hand before I had the chance to lay it on the ground for him or if the other dog bowls were handy he’s plow his face into them and try and eat all the food. I used to either have to lock him in his crate or shut the door to the bathroom where I stored the food so I could get it served for the 3 dogs without him plowing his head into the bowls. I’ve never heard so much noise come from such a small creature as he was waiting for his meal.

For 2 weeks I would feed him at least one meal per day out of my hand from his bowl and would only give him some if he was in a “sit stay”. He squirmed around for the first weeks that I did this but got better and better. Then I moved on to making him sit at a “sit stay” and place his bowl on the ground and then release him to eat. This was all done off of the leash. The first couple of days I had to pull him back off the bowl and sit him down until I released him. At first it was like a second or two before releasing him. Every day I’d wait a couple of seconds more and more.

I can now leave the door open to the bathroom, have him sit there at the door and watch me serve up the food in the bowls on the floor without causing a commotion and then going into a sit stay with the other two dogs just feet away from him while I place his bowl on the ground and give him the release command to eat.

[Marc]

Marshall is now 3 1/2 months old. I put him on the scale the other evening and he's now 35lbs. He's going to be one solid dog when he finally stops growing.

I managed to scratch a couple more wigeon yesterday and today I had Marshall playing with one before I plucked them. I had him retrieving and bring it to me and actually releasing it in my hand:eek:. It was only 15 feet away in the dog room but I was pretty impressed as just a couple of days ago I almost had to pry it out of his mouth. I think he's finally figuring out this fetch game, I usually toss a ball for him or a tuffy and he brings it back to me to toss again for him.

[Jimbo]

Marc, sounds like Marshall is right on track ! Some how my lab pup never made the transition from wings and dummies to real birds. He was great in training sessions but wouldn't pick up the real thing. Talk about frustrating!! Ended up taking him to a pro trainer while I was away deer hunting and happily all has worked out well. He's retreiving well and has a nice soft mouth. Good for you for getting a real bird into Marshall's mouth early on, you saved a bunch of money !!

[Marc]

I guess I should have tossed this picture in here as well. I shot a hen mallard the other night and when I got home Marshall was parading it around in front of the two labs.

I'm amazed at how well he's learning and the drive is definitely there for wings and the real thing. I haven't introduced him to water or the shotgun yet but there's tonnes of time between now and next fall.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/mallard_hen.JPG

[bruin]

That's awesome Marc, small gains are pretty exciting on a new pup. What is your style of duck hunting? Do you think the short attention span will be a problem in a blind or will it just be a puppy thing?

[HuntNHookSports]

Do you think the short attention span will be a problem in a blind or will it just be a puppy thing?

I have hunted ducks with Marc a few times now. He is a good shot and an excellent caller. I don't think Marshall will have too much down time in the blind.

[Marc]

That's awesome Marc, small gains are pretty exciting on a new pup. What is your style of duck hunting? Do you think the short attention span will be a problem in a blind or will it just be a puppy thing?

As the dog gets older his attention span will grow. He'll be over a year old by the time he gets to hunt next fall so that gives him a bit of time to grow up and settle down. I don't expect him to be perfectly steady his first year in the blind. There will be mistakes made and we'll learn and adjust from them so he doesn't keep making the same mistakes.

My style of hunting varies. I enjoy sitting in a duck blind with decoys spread out and calling in birds. For me this is the best type of hunting with a dog. Choose your shots and train your dog as you go. I learned from my previous dogs not to rush to take doubles until the dog can handle them. No use in doing doubles if you're going to lose cripples all the time.

[Allen50]

cool pic, and great updates,, good work Marc.

[Marc]

Here is Marshall a week shy of 4 months. Marshall is now retrieving to hand in the back yard which is about 30 yards long or so. After the duck season is over I'll move him to the duck marsh and do some field and shore retrieves. I'll slowly work him into the water for the odd retrieve when his interest takes him there.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_retrieving_.JPG

[BlacktailStalker]

He's coming along nicely !

[Marc]

Marshall turned 4 months today. Here are a couple of pictures taken of him last week. The first picture was taken about a month ago,

Nash was tired of being a chew toy so he went to his crate for some peace. Marshall pretty much tuckered out from the days play decides that there is enough room for my sneaker and him as well.

A month later Marshall decides to make a social visit with Penny in her crate. Not much room in there now for two dogs. Look at the size of his paws :lol:

Nash and Marshall taking a rest after a good chew. When I first tried to take this picture Marshall was sleeping and had his head resting on Nash's chest and he woke up as I was getting ready to take the picture.

Man I can't get over how fast he's growing.I put him on the scale this morning and he weighs in at 39 lbs.

He starts basic obedience classes in two weeks, he pretty much knows them now but I figure the more socializing with other dogs and people the better.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/nash_and_marshall.JPGhttp://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_and_Penny_sharing_the_same_crate.JPGhttp://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Nash_Marshall_cuddling.JPG

[happygilmore]

a shoe works good mine has a taste for leather work gloves I find fingerless gloves all over the yard... you put them down to use your bare hands and when you reach down there gone! He looks like a good pup, gota love a good huntin partner.

[Marc]

a shoe works good mine has a taste for leather work gloves I find fingerless gloves all over the yard... you put them down to use your bare hands and when you reach down there gone! He looks like a good pup, gota love a good huntin partner.

My female Lab used to do that when she was younger. She'd chew off the the thumbs of my leather work gloves. Always the thumbs never figured out why, must have been easier to hold the glove with the other two paws to chew it off I guess. She also chewed a hole in my ultimate hunting neoprene waders a year after I had bought them. Man was I ever pissed.

I try to keep things away from Marshall that I don't want him to chew. For example a dog doesn't know the difference between an old yard sneaker to a brand new pair you paid $200 for. If you don't want hi chewing your new stuff then don't allow him to chew your old. Those sneakers are never in his reach and if I do forget to put them away and I see him playing with them I take them away right away.

The little bugger is getting taller and things that he couldn't reach a month ago he can now reach.

[MIL720]

great looking dog Marc....Keep up the good work.

[Marc]

Well Marshalls training aids came in today and he was more then eager to do a few retrieves and a photo shoot.:mrgreen: Here is Marshall just over 4 months retrieving a dokken deadfowl trainer duck.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_backyard_duck_retrieve.JPG

[Marc]

I've been working on Marshall's basic obedience for a couple of months now and tonight I decided to throw him a curve ball. Tonight I gave him all hand signals and no verbal commands for sit, stay, down, and come. I was pleasantly surprised that all the hand gestures I've been making in the past month while giving the verbal commands weren't for nothing.:biggrin:

[Marc]

I ordered a training collar for Marshall from Canadian Gun Dog Supply out of Ontario. Received A1 service from the owner John Apostolis and had my collar shipped to my door within a week of ordering it. I made a mistake online when I purchased it at around 9:00pm BC time and sent him an email stating I think I ordered two collars by mistake and the very next morning my bank account had been credited one collar for my mistake. He emailed me letting me know what was going on every step of the way. The best thing about all of this is that they had the collar I was looking for in stock when it was advertised in stock, it was cheaper to buy it in Ontario (No PST), and faster then trying to order it locally from Vancouver. :confused:

I know where my business will be going from now on.

Here is Marshall getting used to wearing the Pro 100 G2 EXP receiver with the red collar. The pro 100 EXP comes with 3 different color collars so you know what color code to use on the transmitter. I only have one receiver right now but figured I'd use the red collar so that the black one will be in good shape when hunting season comes around. The collar is only on the dog at this point so he gets used to the feel of the collar and doesn't get collar wise.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_training_collar.JPG

[houndogger]

Glad you found some good service Marc. You won't be disappointed in your tri-tronics8-)

[newhunterette]

awwwwwww Marc ur little boy is growing up so fast hehehehe

he has a look on his face like "WHAT DID I DO NOW?"

he sure seems to be learning fast - thats wonderful

[Marc]

Had Marshall to puppy obedience training last night, poor bugger was getting bored pretty quick as they were teaching sit and down that he already learned about two months ago. There was an advanced class beside us and I asked how advanced it was as Marshall already knew everything they had planned on teaching in the next 5 weeks. So as of Next week Marshall is going to be put into the next level up with the older dogs.

[happygilmore]

A case of proud papa syndrome:wink:?

[bruin]

I would say so, good job marc, Keep us posted. How much are these classes if you don't mind me asking? What will you be working on in the advanced classes?

[plumbob]

Great job Mark,keep posting on the progress.

[Marc]

the obedience classes I'm going to is a non profit organization and it's $35 for the lessons. Not bad at all if you ask me. I'm not 100% sure on the content of the class but I think last night they were practicing walking on the leash with distraction. I guess I'll find out next week.


I would say so, good job marc, Keep us posted. How much are these classes if you don't mind me asking? What will you be working on in the advanced classes?

[houndogger]

I have put a few dogs through those classes Marc and they were great. Not that you can't teach that stuff at home but there are lot of distractions and interaction with other dogs.

[Marc]

Marshall turned 5 months today. He's getting bigger and bigger. I jut put him on the scale and he's now 55 lbs. Here is a picture I took this afternoon with my retired couch potatoes.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/the_3_dogs_resized.JPG

[Elkhound]

He's lookin good

[diggerpax]

What a great looking group- do the couch potatoes still make it out much? We need to see some pics from the first water trip.

[Marc]

I take the couch potatoes for walks with the little guy but they don't hunt anymore. Nash the old guy on the right is 11 years old and just had a seizure last week still waiting on the lab results. Penny on the left is 9 and loves the water but has no desire to retrieve ducks. You know the saying the "lights are on but nobody's home"? That fits her perfectly. I might take them to the water this morning and see if I can get some water shots. I haven't really pushed him to swim yet but he's mistakenly fallowed my female in over his head a couple of times when she decided to go for a swim.

[Marc]

Well had Marshall and the couch potatoes down to the water. The couch potatoes were in there with little to no coaxing. Marshall on the other hand still doesn't quite have the hang of it. I walked him out 20 feet from the shore and released him giving him some momentum but he tries to keep his head to high and splashes on the surface as he's swimming to shore. Lots of time yet and I don't want to scare him so when he's ready and grows into his legs. I'm sure he'll be fine.

[diggerpax]

All in good time. I think the two greatest moments for me when training my dogs was their first day swimming, and of course their first retrieve.

[bsa30-06]

Marc, my golden retriever gets siezures she has gotten the since she was about a year old and vets say its just like epilepsy.She used to get them fairly often but the vet has her on phenobarbitol and now only gets them about twice a year.Might be something to consider if they become persistent.Good luck hope it works out for Nash.

[Marc]

Marc, my golden retriever gets siezures she has gotten the since she was about a year old and vets say its just like epilepsy.She used to get them fairly often but the vet has her on phenobarbitol and now only gets them about twice a year.Might be something to consider if they become persistent.Good luck hope it works out for Nash.

The vet told me that dogs just don't develop epilepsy at that age. It's usually something else that triggers it. Like a failing liver or kidneys.

[bsa30-06]

The vet told me that dogs just don't develop epilepsy at that age. It's usually something else that triggers it. Like a failing liver or kidneys.

yep never thought of that and mine did develope it when she was young.Its a scary thing when they have a siezure and theres nothing you can do but try to prevent them from hurting themselves.Its a very helpless feeling.

[Marc]

Had Marshall down to the shore this weekend and got him to make some retrieve in the mud and marsh grass he'll be hunting in next fall. He's doing really good and pretty much retrieving to hand except a couple of drops at my feet. He went in after one dummy with my female Penny but turned around when it went over his head :) He's getting better but not quite there yet. Still lots of time before next fall. I had him on the scale again today and he's already packed on another 3 lbs in 2 weeks and up to 58 lbs at 5 1/2 months.

[Marc]

Took Marshall over to the mainland this weekend and spent some time with his litter and t breeder. It was nice to see some other dogs with the same amount of drive and energy to give my old two a break.:biggrin:

Had a good visit with Gayle from Hight Tide Chessies and finalized the paper work to register Marshall's name. On paper his CKC registered name is Hight Tide's Pride of the Marsh.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/dad_and_the_gang.JPG

[bsa30-06]

I was hoping to run into you and marshall in abby,wanted to meet the internet famous marshall.Looks like he's doing well.

[Islandeer]

Nice looking chessie Marc, ever consider running the odd Hunt Test?

[Marc]

I do plan on running him to get his CKC and possibly his UKC hunt titles. He's like a calf moose right now with all legs. Still working on the swimming with him but it's slowly coming.

Here is a couple more recent pictures of his visit to the breeders and most recently yesterday out on Quamichan lake to get him used to being in a boat.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_and_Fletcher_sitting.JPG

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_on_point_.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_looking_at_ducks.jpg

[frenchbar]

Thats a couple of fine looking retrievers ya got there marc .nice pics.

[calvin L]

It seems he likes to keep a eye on the ducks . Thats a good thing

[newhunterette]

Your little one is growing up so fast Marc :)

[Marc]

Thats a couple of fine looking retrievers ya got there marc .nice pics.

I should of mentioned that the big dog is Fletcher, Marshalls father and the breeders dog.

[Wolfman]

Gotta love that coat color!

Wolfman

[shotgunjohn]

He's looking good Marc.
Is that a new duck boat I see him standing on?
How about some pictures?

p.s. I finally got my own user name.

[Marc]

Yes I always dreamed of having a layout boat and this year I finally got one. It's a FatboyDP from www.momarsh.com

I've spent the past 3 evenings at Quamichan lake getting a feel for it and getting the dog used to it. He was fine when I was using the paddle but he went crazy yesterday when I had the motor on it as it caused the boat to vibrate. He settled down after about 20 minutes. I thought he was going to fall in a couple of times as he gets right up on the bow .

I haven't put any of the hardware on it as of yet, I was talking with Ira from Momarsh and he's sending me a deck cover for it to secure the grass and I want to get that installed first before I do anything else as it's a tight fit.

I'll be priming and painting the removable transom as well as the motor in the near future.

I'll be practicing with the boat with marshall all summer so that by next fall he'll understand the game and it won't be new to him.

I don't want to hijack this thread as I'll be doing a review on the boat and all it's accessories in the near future.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/FatboyDP.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/mrshall_on_stern_of_boat.jpg

[jiggy]

fine looking dog!

[BlacktailStalker]

Right on, nice set up, new rig, new dog coming along nicely :)

[bruin]

He looks good marc, filling out nicely. It almost looks like he'll be a bit bigger than Dad, what do you think?

[Marc]

He's going to be a big boy for sure but I'm hoping he doesn't get much bigger than his father or he'll be over weight for the breed for breeding. He's now off the puppy food and on Evo Chicken. I plan on putting him on a Raw diet after April.

[Marc]

I just put Marshall on the scale this morning. He turned 6 months on the 16th and now weighs in at 70 lbs. I can easily feel his ribs so he's not overweight by any means. He's going to be one solid dog.



http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/mrshall_on_stern_of_boat.jpg

[Bow Walker]

Just looking at him in the pic prooves that he's not chubby by any stretch of the imagination. He's one fine looking lad!.

[Tikka7mm]

Beautiful looking dog Marc! Great coat/eye color.

[Shed Hunter]

When is the (Auction) for your dog Marshall. Nice looking dog you have there

[Marc]

Had Marshall out on the bay today, first time putting the FatboyDP on the chuck. Marshall assumed his normal position in the boat looking for anything that was moving or not.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_rock_dodger_.JPG
I was quite impressed at how shallow you can still motor with this boat, a couple of times I'm sure I had less then a foot of water and I never felt the motor bottom out.

Decided to take Marshall into the flats where he'll be spending the majority of his hunting time in the fall. Man does this dog love to retrieve.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_mud_retrieve.JPG

Still working on the swimming thing with him so we did some shallow retrieves and some mud flat retrieves to keep him interested.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_in_the_water_.JPG

I eventually got into chest deep water and tossed the dummy out and he went out to his chest and hesitated at first so I went up to him and grabbed his neck and helped him along once he was over his head he swam to the dummy and retrieved it to shore. We did this a half dozen times and I was happy with our progress and left it at that. He's finally starting to realize that it's easier to swim with his paws in the water instead of reaching for the sky.

[bsa30-06]

he sure looks right at home on that boat.

[Wolfman]

My little Koda is just about ready to hit the beach this coming weekend. Just looking at your guy going at 'er there in the water is getting me all gung ho to get him out to see how he does ;-)


Wolfman

[Sasquatch]

Looks great Marc. By the time summer comes around, you'll have to watch out he doesn't swim to the mainland.

[Islandeer]

Great shots Marc, keep up the great work.

[Jimbo]

Marc, how will Marsh climb out of the water and back on the boat? Do you pull him in by hand? Use a dog ramp?

[Marc]

Hey Jimbo, most times the boat is just pushed into the marsh grass or mud flats. So he can jump out and back in. If I'll be out for divers I'll more then likely have someone tending me in another boat and the dog would be at home. I'm not 100% sure as I haven't had the opportunity to try and get the dog back in the boat from the water but from the way he's been playing up on the bow it's just a matter of time before I find out. :mrgreen:

[Marc]

You have to admire a birdie dog with the drive and desire to retrieve, but when you enter your Den and find that one of your duck mounts that's up 5 1/2 feet on the wall is now missing it's tail feathers you start to wonder if maybe he has just a little bit to much drive.

I don't know if I should laugh or cry. It was a nice Drake Black Duck that I shot one fall on PEI. Not only was it a massive bird it was also a banded duck.

[bsa30-06]

You have to admire a birdie dog with the drive and desire to retrieve, but when you enter your Den and find that one of your duck mounts that's up 5 1/2 feet on the wall is now missing it's tail feathers you start to wonder if maybe he has just a little bit to much drive.

I don't know if I should laugh or cry. It was a nice Drake Black Duck that I shot one fall on PEI. Not only was it a massive bird it was also a banded duck.

I'm sorry,but that is funny!!!!:smile:

[Marc]

I've since moved it 7 feet up the wall I figure if he gets it this time he deserves it :mrgreen:

[Marc]

Had Marshall out in the FatboyDP on Quamichan lake this afternoon to get him used to traveling in it. Well the inevitable happened about a half hour into the ride. He fumbles around on the front and falls in. I turn and hit the kill on the motor and by the time I turn around he’s coming down the Starboard flank (right side for you land lovers).He’s flogging around trying to get back in, I grab him by the collar and back in the boat he comes with about a gallon of water. So for those of you wondering how hard it is to get the dog back in the boat. Not that hard really, the boat is only maybe a foot off the water and it’s sort of tapered so you just slid him back on. With all the excitement of falling in and getting wet he starts flopping around on his back in the boat like a landed mackerel. Surprisingly not 10 minutes later he was back up on the bow so it didn’t seem to fizz him.

[BigBanger]

Wow awesome dog, great progress.

[dedapair]

A suggestion for getting him back into the boat. If you get him to put his front feet on the side of the boat. push down on his head or push it into the side of the boat. he will respond to one or the other. It will give him the leaverage to climb in himself. I was shown this by an older fellow while training my chessie when he was a pup, and he got into the boat first try. My dog is now 14 years old and needs help to get up onto the bed or couch. (my girlfriend - now wife turned him into the worlds biggest lapdog) LOL it gives him that little bit extra boost he needs to get up. He still is very protective of our family, but sadly is having health issues and I will probably have to put him down this spring. He will be missed like you wouldn't believe. Anyway, try teaching him this, it works like a charm and you won't need to take a ramp everywhere.
Cheers, PM

[Marc]

Gave all 3 dogs a bath this morning and decided it was a good time to get in a photo shoot since the sun is out and it's 19 degrees in Duncan.:biggrin:

I put Marshall on the scale this morning and he's 77 lbs and 4 days shy of being 7 months old. He's one solid dog, still can feel his ribs. Here is a couple of pictures of him this morning.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_looking_left.JPG

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_tire.JPG

[Islandeer]

Always suspected Chessie's were tire biter's....

[Marc]

Wow we just got back from vacation and picked the dogs up. Soon as I looked at Marshall I knew he had grown some more but didn't realize how much until I put him on the scale. He's 7 1/2 months and now weights 85 lbs. He's taller and longer then my two labs right now. His coat is coming in really good. He's finally figured out the swimming thing and now we train to see if he's ready to do his junior hunt test in June.

Correction to my last it's a Picnic trial and hopefully a a junior WC in Oct.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_85_lbs_resized.JPG

[Islandeer]

Marc,

are you running CKC or UKC? Where are you running in June?

[Marc]

I think I was mistaken it's a Picnic trial. Never been to one of those, I guess it's just a trial run with judges but doesn't count?

http://www.viretrieverclub.ca/events.htm

[Marc]

OK now I'm back on track got the two sites mixed up. It's a WC on the 8th of June and then a Hunt Test in August.

http://www.prhrc.com/premiumlistsresults.html

[Marc]

I know some of you are probably saying "big deal pictures of a dog swimming" but I'm quite excited because two weeks ago he wouldn't go over his head unless I pushed him in. Now at 7 1/2 months of age he swims out and retrieves the dummy and delivers it to me and stands on the bank looking out waiting for the next retrieve.

The pictures makes it look closer then they were. I was using my zoom lens on my SLR. The dummy was out there 30 yards or more from the shore. Duck season can't come fast enough for the both of us. This was down on the salt water and it didn't seem to fizz the dog at all he just wanted to keep retrieving. I gave him a half dozen or so and we headed back so he wouldn't get to cold and to keep him interested in retrieving.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_retrieving_dokken_duck_heading_out.JPG


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_retrieving_dokken_duck.JPG

[BlacktailStalker]

Thats good, glad he's coming along nicely.
Always best to leave them wanting more.

[bsa30-06]

If he gets any bigger he'll be retrieving tugboats.Looks like he's common along nicely.

[Dirty]

Beautiful dog Marc! Hearing about your progress with Marshall has been great to follow.

[Marc]

Had Marshall out yesterday practicing retrieves with real birds from a launcher. It was kind of funny when he got to the mark as he was expecting a retrieving dummy. He stood there and sniffed around for about 10 seconds then clued in that this is what I sent him out for. Overall he was marking the birds great over land and water. His retrieving and hunting is coming along fine just have to work on the retrieving to hand a bit more. He would bring the bird back to within 5 feet of me and lay it on the ground then come in to me then go back to the bird. Flip it over sniff a bit then flip it again. He didn't want to cross the line and give up the bird.

Looks like I'm going to seriously have to start working on the force fetch, he usually delivers the dummy to hand so I guess it's just a bit of fine tuning.

Overall for a 7 1/2 month dog I'm extremely pleased with his progress.

A big thanks goes out to HuntNHookSports for his help yesterday.

[Sunny]

so cuite I like it

[Wolfman]

Marc, that is one big lad you have there.

My 4 month old (Golden Lab/Chesapeake Bay) Koda is having a few issues with the water lately - at first he was nuts about it, then he started getting a bit wary. I hope it will pass.

I'll be happy if he gets goin at it like Marshall is! ;-)

Wolfman

[Marc]

I just put Marshall on the scales tonight and it looks like he's finally slowing down. He's now up to 87 lbs.

For those of you who live on the Island Marshall is going to be at the Tyee Dog show in Mill Bay. Unfortunately I'll be out of town for part of it so I wont get to see it all.

[Islandeer]

what kind of dog show?

[Marc]

All Breed Championship Shows. It's a best of breed type of show where dogs compete within their breed and are award points to the top dogs who conform closest to the breed standards. You see the dog shows on TV once in a while. Where they get the dogs to walk and trot on the carpet so the judge can look at the way the animal moves and they check the dog over for muscle tone overall fitness of the dog. They also check to make sure it has two grapes if it's a male :mrgreen:



It's sort of a beauty pageant for dogs. Marshalls mother Tracy won her Best of Breed Championship for 2007. It's ran by the CKC.



http://www.hightidechessies.com/HIGH_TIDE_CHESAPEAKES/Gallery_1_files/shapeimage_9.jpg

[Islandeer]

Right on, good luck.

Are you working in Esquimalt? Where?

[Marc]

I'm in the Navy. I work out of the Dockyard in Esquimalt. I'm posted to the HMCS Victoria. I'll be off the Island on Sunday for work so I won't get the chance to see the whole show.

[RoadKing]

Hi Marc,

I thought you might like to see a couple of other Chessies with some High Tide bloodlines. This is our boy Farley (as a pup, he's the darker dog), and "dschultz"'s dog Duke (the lighter dog). They're from Tsunami Kennels in Smithers. Both dogs have some High Tide blood in their pedigrees. Duke is now 11, and Farley has just turned 1, and is getting pretty big as you can see in the last picture...

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=9261&cat=500&limit=recent

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=9262&cat=500&limit=recent

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=2179

[Marc]

How is Farley doing for hunting? Does he retrieve? So I'm guessing that the High tide lines you speak of are coming from Ontario?

[Marc]

For those of you who were maybe thinking of attending the dog show in Chilliwack this weekend Marshall is over there being shown. I won't be over there but the Breeder and the handler will be looking after my baby. I haven't seen him since last Saturday. Getting anxious to get him back.

[RoadKing]

Farley's been grouse hunting a couple of times, has shown a good nose, but is really more of a family pet than anything...

I was under the impression that the High Tide lines came from the Lower Mainland, but I could be wrong - haven't really looked into it. Where was your pup from again?

Farley retrieves well - he does quite well on blind retrieves. It's amazing to see him work on tracking down the dummy, naturally circling wide, then cosing in on concentric circles. Instinct is a crazy thing in these dogs. He's a great pet, and a real character (as is Duke - the closeness of the traits they share is uncanny...).

[Marc]

Marshall is from www.hightidechessies.com located in Surrey but from my understanding both his parents originated from Ontario.

[Marc]

Farley retrieves well - he does quite well on blind retrieves. It's amazing to see him work on tracking down the dummy, naturally circling wide, then cosing in on concentric circles. Instinct is a crazy thing in these dogs. He's a great pet, and a real character (as is Duke - the closeness of the traits they share is uncanny...).

It's amazing how much they learn from each other. That can be good and it can be bad. My older male Lab was a great natural hunter but he has a bad habit of playing catch me if you can when he has something in his mouth so when I'm training the young fella for retrieving or obedience I train him by himself.

[RoadKing]

It's amazing how much they learn from each other. That can be good and it can be bad. My older male Lab was a great natural hunter but he has a bad habit of playing catch me if you can when he has something in his mouth so when I'm training the young fella for retrieving or obedience I train him by himself.

It seems that most of the traits they share are the slightly "annoying" ones. I think most of it comes from the breed and their tendancy to be hard headed. They're very intelligent, but that stubborn streak takes some patience.

I'll have to check Farley's pedigree about the High Tide in him. I know Schultz's dog Duke was sired by a High Tide dog. He looked very similar in his prime to your Marshall...

[Marc]

They are not a dog for everyone that's for sure. I've got to say that Marshall is really coming along nicely and I think a lot of it has to do with training consistency and lots of exercising.

When Marshall gets bored he lets you know, he either climbs up on your shoulders when you're trying to type on the computer or sits 10 feet away from you and barks at you and looks back to where I store his retrieving dummies. That dog would run and retrieve all day if you let him.

[Marc]

Started Marshall on the force fetching. He just figured out tonight what hold means. It's like someone turned on a switch in his head. I'm sure I'm not in the clear yet but it's a lot better then where I was two weeks ago. Just need to keep drilling it in his head and make him do it more often.

I actually had Marshall and my Lab Nash sitting about 4 feet from each other face to face and I passed the retrieving dummy back and forth as I got them to hold and give a half dozen times as I rubbed his head and his chest before I gave the command give so he wouldn't anticipate me grabbing the dummy and dropping it on the ground. I was pretty proud of both my boys tonight as they sat there as I passed the dummy to one another.

[Marc]

I had Marshall up to Black Creek this past weekend for 3 days of CKC all breed championship dog shows. He did extremely well and earned 6 point towards his championship. He needs 10 points in order to achieve the title of champion of breed.

Here is a picture of Marshall and Lauren, one of his handlers.



http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_dog_show.JPG

[Johnnybear]

Just started following this thread. Great job Marshall (oh yeah and you Marc):D. You guys are doing great. Man they grow up fast. Great photos and chronologue Marc keep up the good work.

[BlacktailStalker]

Right on Marc, and Marshall.
No doubt he'll seal the deal in his next show !
Nice meeting, well, all 4 of you :)

Yep be sure to get up for a weekend hunt, shouldnt be a problem gettin' ya on a good buck.

[Marc]

Here is another picture of Marshall in the ring in Black Creek. This time it's with Rowan.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_Rowan_on_the_move_.JPG

Marshall is going to be in the show this weekend up in Nanaimo if any of you are interested in seeing a dog show at Beban Park. I'll be there for most of Saturday and Sunday.

[Marc]

Well today was a happy day for me and the dog. Marshall earned his 10th point today making him a new Champion of Breed. Some professional pictures were taken but I won't have them for another week or so and I'll post them up when I get them.

Now we get back on track with the hunting training.

Marc.

[Bow Walker]

All this attention and "glamour" are going to go to his head Marc, he'll be paying more attention to that pretty handler than to you!!

[Marc]

He definitely had a great relationship with the handlers who did an awesome job handling him in and out of the ring. If anything the past couple of months have given him a bit more discipline on the leash.

[Islandeer]

congrats, on his way to being a dual champ! Hunt test in the fall?

[Marc]

congrats, on his way to being a dual champ! Hunt test in the fall?

Thanks for the congrats,

I'm hoping to try and get him his juniors before duck season but I could use all the help I can get. He's retrieving well enough on bumpers just have to expose him more to real birds. He's holding a lot better then he was a few months back but I've been so busy I haven't had the chance to put him on real birds in the past month or so. I'll be training him as much as I can from now until the end of August before the trials and hope for the best.

He's an extremely smart dog, he just needs to get the trainer to relay the message properly to him so he understands what's wanted of him. :biggrin:

Marc.

[Islandeer]

Has he been force fetched?

Teach him hold,hold a bumper in his mouth, saying hold, slowly release saying hold, progress the duration, and praise his sucesses. Is he dropping?

[Marc]

Has he been force fetched?

Teach him hold,hold a bumper in his mouth, saying hold, slowly release saying hold, progress the duration, and praise his sucesses. Is he dropping?

He hasn't been force fetched yet.

He does understand what hold means though. If it's just me and him retrieving in the back yard he brings the bumper to hand pretty much every time.

So far the only time he wouldn't deliver to hand was when we used dead birds and he would retrieve them but would drop them 5-10 feet in front of me and then come in. This was about a month ago and I haven't had the chance to do it again with him since he's learned what hold means. I think I'm going to zip tie some wings on his bumpers and see how he deals with that before I thaw any more birds.

[Jimsue]

Hold has to mean hold on your tearms not his. Put a collar on him with a leash, make him sit, then stand on the leash so he don't go any where, put the bumper in his mouth and make sure his lips are not pinched between his teeth and the bumper, tell him hold, when he spits it lightly slap him on the bottom fo his jaw twice say no no, and put the bumper back in. Now its on your terms not his.Or check out force hold on you tube

[Marc]

Hard to believe how much they grow in 9 months.


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/nash_and_marshall.JPG

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_and_Nash.JPG

It's hard to tell from this picture but Marshall is taller and longer then Nash and sitting at the same weight around 85 lbs.

I had Marshall to the marsh doing some retrieves this morning and out of a dozen or more retrieves he delivered to hand except for one. I then made him pick it and deliver it to hand. We're working on it 3 or 4 times a night for 10-15 minutes. He's catching on. Starting to swap different things in his mouth so he knows hold means hold no matter what goes in there.

[Marc]

Finally the pictures came back! Here is Marshall with his handler Rowan

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_Rowan_champion_picture.jpg

[bsa30-06]

congrats to you and marshall.Excellent picture i assume you got it in a frame hangin on the wall in the house somewhere.

[Marc]

Here is another picture of Rowan's assistant Lauren who was also with Marshall during his showings. To bad there was something going on with the camera and the brightness.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_and_Lauren.jpg

Both these women were great with the dogs and Marshall just followed them around the ring like a horse chasing a carrot.:mrgreen:

[Marc]

congrats to you and marshall.Excellent picture i assume you got it in a frame hangin on the wall in the house somewhere.

Just got the pictures this afternoon, might have to head out tomorrow shopping for a frame.

[Elkhound]

very cool Marc. I know you have been working hard with him. Congrats

[newhunterette]

Way to go Marshall - congratulations Marc

my how they grow up so fast

by the way - you said Marshall is 85 lbs - our Hunter is 82 lbs and we were told she is overweight needing to lose another 12 lbs - I am thinking she will look anorexic at 70 lbs because Marshall looks great at his weight - thinking I need to talk to my vet again

[Marc]

by the way - you said Marshall is 85 lbs - our Hunter is 82 lbs and we were told she is overweight needing to lose another 12 lbs - I am thinking she will look anorexic at 70 lbs because Marshall looks great at his weight - thinking I need to talk to my vet again

Ali, Chessies are taller and longer then a lab. Marshall is taller and longer then my two labs.

[newhunterette]

Ali, Chessies are taller and longer then a lab. Marshall is taller and longer then my two labs.

he is such a beautiful dog, you really have a blue ribbon boy there and I know how excited you were when you first got Marshall

since I posted about Hunter's weight she has slimmed down to 75 lbs but now she has all this flub hangin on her, we spent 4 days at the cabin last week and she worked out hard and looks a little more toned than before but she has lots of skin hanging off her chin

do you have any suggestions how to tone her up, she gets plenty excersize and is till on a special diet cause Marshall looks very toned.

When is Marshall's next trials?

[Marc]

Had Marshall out to the salt chuck for some exercise and training. Both coming along great. He's been blowing his coat for the past month or so so it's nice to get him in the water to lose some of the coat there and not in the house. :)

Here is a picture of him at 10 months of age sitting and holding the bumper for me after just coming out of the water and before shaking off. He's now learning to wait to shake after I take the bumper.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_holding_before_shaking.JPG

In the second picture as we're walking down the marsh he runs out into the field and looks back as to say " this looks like a good spot for you to throw me a retrieve" so I make him sit and toss it out away from him and sits there until I release him to fetch and he brings it back to hand.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_ok_throw_it_now_.JPG

Here is another picture of him patiently waiting for me to toss him another retrieve.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_sitting_pretty.JPG

[Marc]

do you have any suggestions how to tone her up, she gets plenty excersize and is till on a special diet cause Marshall looks very toned.

When is Marshall's next trials?

Ali labs tend to have sorta lose skin to start with. My two old labs lost a bit of weight when I put them on the raw diet. My old fella was 94 lbs the last time I took him to the vet and he's now around 85 lbs. he's got a bit of lose skin where the weight came off but that should tighten back up eventually I'd expect. I give my 3 dogs an omega 3-6-9 every day with their food and that would improve their coat not sure if it would tighten their skin.

If I haven't missed the registration deadline I'll probably have Marshall trying for his Junior Hunter at the end of August.

Marc.

[Marc]

Had Marshall out again tonight for some training and defrosted one of the ducks I kept intact from last fall for training. Here is a couple of pictures I managed to snap of him tonight. His holding and delivering to hand has improved dramatically from a couple of months ago.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_alert.JPG

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Nash_holding.JPG

[Bow Walker]

Marc, I said it earlier in this thread and I'll say it again. That is one handsome Dude! He looks (and obviously is) intelligent.

[newhunterette]

Marc,

Marshall gets more and more awesome loking with picture you share. I sure wish him the best in his next trials.

Breanne loves seeing updates of Marshall as well.

Ali

[Tikka7mm]

That's a pretty nice looking dog you have there Marc. All your hard work has definitley paid off by the sounds of it.

[Marc]

Well I hooked up with Anne Everett and the Salt Chuck Hunting Retriever club this weekend up in Courtney for two days. Marshall was a bit outnumbered as he was the only Chessie in the bunch but he was able to hold his own.:mrgreen:

His first retrieve was around 10:00am in the morning and people commented that he sounded like a horse trotting through the field as he towered over all the rest of the Labs/Golden's.:mrgreen:

He really enjoyed working in the club environment and didn't pay much attention to the other dogs and focused solely on the birds. So after training all weekend and retrieving every one to hand I've managed to talk my wife into letting me run him the weekend of the 30-31st of August here on the Island for his Junior Hunter's trials.We then head over to the mainland for the 13-14 Sept to hopefully finish off his Junior title.

Got to meet Islandeer and his wife this weekend. I also got the chance to see the pups from his last litter and their going to be some pretty good retrievers for labs :razz:.

If you have a dog and want to train it you can't beat joining a club and getting the experience and help needed to train your dog. Marshall learned and gained more in those two day than what would have taken me months by myself. I've been in other clubs and I have to say this one gives your dog the attention it needs. I'm glad to be part of this club as I know it will benefit Marshall and I in trials and in the marsh plus it's another social network. Not like I really need something else to occupy my time but it's all good. :)

[Marc]

Well crap, I finally convince my wife in letting me run Marshall at the end of August and I get a call from the doctors office today telling me that someone canceled and that I could go in on the 26th of August to have my knee done. Well waiting in pain since January I jumped on it not realizing at that point that I wouldn't be in any shape or form to run my dog 3 days later :( I'm hoping that my knee is heeled good enough to at least run him the 13-14 Sept. the good thing is I won't have to worry about my leg killing me later this fall as hopefully getting the surgery done now I'll be in decent shape for the fall.

[Islandeer]

Marc,

Yah our pups are okay for 4 months, 50 yd water and land retrieves,whistle sits,retreiving live pigeons, recall in progress. :cool:

We are very excited about their potentials.

You need to get going on the force for your Chessie.

[Marc]

Well I'm hoping for the best. I having surgery on my left knee to repair some torn cartilage on the 26th of August and I'm taking my dog to try and do his Junior Hunt Test on the 30-31st. I'm hoping that I'll be able to hobble to the line and the dog will do the rest from there. Been doing a lot of leash work and heel commands to get him locked in next to my side so that there is no pulling come game time.

I just mailed my entries and fees for both days of the CKC Junior Hunt Trial Here in Crofton at the end of the month and the CKC Junior Hunt Test in Abbotsford on the 13-14th of Sept. Hope to see some of you dog people out there.


Had Marshall out on the boat again this afternoon getting him used to the new boat cover and blind. He was all over the place at first. We even tried a few retrieves from the boat in deep water with him. The first time he went over the blind door on the side and was a bit of a rough entry but then I got him to launch himself off the front of the boat and it was so much easier for him. Most of the time the boat is going to be pretty much up on the mud flat so a couple of inches of water to contend with. I think as well if I was set up with the motor put away on shore or in the boat that he could use the back deck to jump from if I was hunting for divers in 3 or 4 feet of water.

[Marc]

Well it's time. Marshall and I are headed out to Swallow field shortly in Crofton with HuntNHookSports for the CKC Hunt Test trails for what will hopefully be the first passes towards his Junior Hunters. We had him out last night on birds and he was doing really good lets just hope that both ofus can keep it together in the heat of the moment. The knee is feeling really good this morning with more mobility every day.

Wish us luck!

Marc.

[HuntNHookSports]

Good job today Marc and Marshal!

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg179/HuntNHookSports/MarcMarshal.jpg

[Marc]

Thanks Josh,

My heart was in my throat for the first retrieve until he found the land mark, then the second retrieve was a lot better. He aced the water retrieves and now one pass closer to his Junior Hunters title.

Now we rest and get ready for tomorrow!

Marc.

[Marc]

Thanks again Josh for helping me out yesterday.

Day two started off pretty good. Marshall was again first dog to run as they wanted to push them through as fast as they could as they had a pile of dogs to run that day. Marshall just happened to be first dog on the line after the test dog. A big thanks goes out to Islandeer who walked Marshall down to the holding blind for me, the path down the setup was to steep for me to handle the dog with my just knee being operated only 4 day ago.

Marshall was a bit short on the first mark but hunted it up and came back to the line with a fat and plump drake.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_Big_Drake.JPG

The second retrieve he was pretty much on his mark and back to the line. So we where the first dog of the morning to run the trial then the waiting began. I don't think Marshall had the chance to run the water marks until 5:30pm.

Here is Marshall patiently waiting at the line to be released for his second water retrieve.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_Waiting_to_be_released.JPG

On his way back from the retrieve the duck accidentally slipped out of his mouth, instead of stopping and waiting for the duck to pop back out he plunged his head underwater and grabbed the duck again and carried it to the line where he delivered it to me to hand by the tail end. Another long day, another Junior Hunter trial pass. Two down one more to go. Hoping to finish it off in Abbotsford on the 13-14th of Sept.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Duck_by_the_arse.JPG

[BigBanger]

Youve have done one hell of a job with him Marc nice looking boy .

[Marc]

Youve have done one hell of a job with him Marc nice looking boy .

Thanks BigBanger, I've spent a lot of time training him and its starting to come together. He's going to be such a pleasure to hunt over. I may try him on grouse before we head over to Abottsford to try and finish off his junior hunters qualification.

He just loves retrieving, he could do it all day long. After his second water retrieve he got back up on the line and sat there waiting for another duck to fall out of the sky :biggrin:. It almost broke my hear to take him away after waiting in the back of the truck for half the day for his turn to retrieve.

[Islandeer]

Good job Marc!! It was a fun weekend.

[HuntNHookSports]

Good job Marc!
Those pictures are awesome. All three are frame worthy.

[newhunterette]

Marc - marshall is doing so amazing - I know the hard work you have put into training him as well as the love he gets and his way of showing his Daddy his appreciation is all his successes

I hope when you come over for the Abby trials you call up so I can make ya some dinner while your here.

Love the pics - what a beautiful dog :)

[Marc]

Here is a picture I just received in my email of Marshall on day one of his JH trials. He looks pretty proud of himself in this picture.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_s_first_retrtieve_of_his_JH.jpg

Ali thanks for the offer but from what I've heard the trials are going to be just as busy on the other side as they were over here running from 9:00am to the ribbons last night at 8:00pm. I also have to try and sneak a visit in with the breeder who lives in Surrey so she can have some time with Marshall.

I think that spectators are allowed if you want to watch the dogs run or bring me something to eat :biggrin:

Some bling for my collection, one more to go for the set. :mrgreen:

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/rings.JPG

[newhunterette]

I think that spectators are allowed if you want to watch the dogs run or bring me something to eat :biggrin:

well shoot marc give me a call - let me know where and I can see what I can come up with for ya

[Marc]

Marshall turned a year old today. Looking back it's amazing how fast he grew up. It seemed that he went from a puppy to an adult dog overnight. Man do they ever grow fast.

Early on I had a couple of goals I wanted to achieve. First we wanted to work towards getting him his Champion of Breed status, the majority of my training time was spent with him trying to get him to show his teeth and listen to the handlers in the ring. Rowan and Lauren did an awesome job with him and earned his Champion of Breed Title at the young age of 9 months.

"CH HighTide's Pride of the Marsh"

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_Rowan_champion_picture.jpg

After another month or so of retrieving and seeing how he well he was progressing, I decided that I'd like to try and get his junior hunters done before he reached the age of 1. With the help from the breeder, a few members of the site, and of course the support of my loving and understanding wife, Marshall managed to earn 4 points in the span of two weeks. People thought I was crazy trialing him 3 days after knee surgery but we worked to hard to let this slide. Marshall managed to earn 4 qualifying points in two weekends all in the span of two weeks. He only required 3 points but I had registered him for the 4th day as a back up just in case so I ran him for the experience. Marshall obtained his "Junior Hunters" title just two days shy of his first Birthday.

Who said Chessies can't be trained? :mrgreen:

I'm extremely proud to present you:

"CH HighTide's Pride of the Marsh JH"

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marc_Marshall.JPG

[steelheadSABO]

nice pics great looking dog

[Marc]

Today was Marshall's first day hunting waterfowl. The first thing that flies within range is a goose and it falls stone dead on it's back in the water. The dog runs out to it as it's low tide and sniffs and tries to figure what it is and what he's going to do with it. I shoot a second one maybe 30 seconds after the first and you hear a thud as it hits the sand stone dead.

The first goose is in a river bed and it's slowly drifting away so I walk over encouraging the dog and pick it up and bring it to the boat. I head over to where the second one hit the ground and Marshall runs in a head of me before I can cross the river and he's got it in his mouth and coming back, good I'm thinking he's figured it out.

I continue to set up the decoys as I planed my time poorly and it was legal time before I had all the decoys out or the boat tucked away.

A drake mallard falls into our trap and after a bit of guidance Marshall finds the bird and retrieves it. He hasn't mastered the marking from the boat yet.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_with_geese.JPG



Things settle out and I'm out there rearranging the dekes as the tide is coming in. After lunch I have two teal come into the decoys. I shoot one, the other takes off and does a 360 and I knock the second one down as well. Marshall was getting ready to head out for the second one with a duck still in his mouth but I managed to stop him and get him to give me the first one and he went out for the second.

I had a bunch of mallards landing just out of range into another nice grassy area so I decided to stretch one out to about 40 yards, unfortunately I couldn't tell which bird was the hen or the drake as the sun was in my face.

The bird hits the water and when it sees Marshall coming it decides to dive. Marshall got on it's trail and grabbed a bunch of tail feathers on his first try, shortly after he managed to grab the duck. His first cripple and he seemed to manage it pretty good. He made the mistake of letting it go when he got to the shore to check it over and the hen tried to head for the water again but Marshall pounced on it and I told him to hold and he delivered it to hand.

I had a widgeon visit the decoys and let two volleys fly, it flew over my right shoulder and I turned back to see if it was hit and sure enough it came out of the sky. I turned around and got up but couldn't tell where it went down. Marshall and I spent an hour or so looking for it but never did find it. I felt pretty bad about losing the bird but it happens to all of us sooner or later.

Here is Marshall doing roll call making sure they all stay in line, and yes I did pick up the hull floating in the back ground.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/opening_day_.JPG

[Marc]

A few more pictures from this fall.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Goose_hunt_2_Nov_08.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_and_I_side_on_.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/todays_catch_16Nov_08.jpg

He's been doing quite well so far this fall.

[JRG94]

how much did he weight at a year old?
my male chessie was about 85 pounds at a year

[Marc]

He was pushing around 85 lbs but I put a few more on him for the fall. I cut him back from about 5 lbs of raw to about 3 1/2 to 4 lbs about a month ago as I wasn't able to get him out training every evening like I did before when there was light to be had.

[JRG94]

mine gets his exersise from whrestling with your other dog that is a english mastiff every day all day, he's just a tank,and super strong and stocky from it,now hes just over a year and i think he is done growing but his head is starting to widen. ill try to get a pic of him on here

[Marc]

Marshall is now a year and 3 months old. I've been preoccupied with work and chores around the house (rebuilding a fence that Marshall was tearing down pannel by pannel.) I hadn't done any hunting with Marshall for over a month.

I called the grounds keeper and managed to get into the Dinsdale field for opening day of the late season goose hunt. I decided to take Marshall with us for the opener of the 20th December.

When we left the house it was -14 outside and probably 6 inches of snow on the ground. Marshall was lifting his hind feet once in a while when we were setting up the decoys. I laid him out and old down filled coat liner to sit/lay on but once legal time was on he didn't sit still very long. He had about 3 hours of non stop action. He was in his glee and had more then his share of birds to retrieve as between 5 of us, we managed to scratch 25 geese that morning. Mr Marshall brought back 15+ birds I figure. He made some great retrieves and wrestled a few cripples back to the blind for us saving us from having a heart attack from chasing them in the snow.

He was having so much fun out there it was such a pleasure just to watch him do what he was bred to do, retrieving waterfowl.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_Geese.jpg

[houndogger]

Looking good Marc:cool:

[Marc]

Another picture of Marshall during a hunt on the 3rd of Jan. He's really starting to fill out now.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_and_a_limit_of_drakes.jpg

[Angel]

hey Marc, Hows marshal? Havent heard much lately. hope all is well.

[Marc]

Now that spring is finally here and the days are getting longer it's back to the dog training with Mr Marshall. We're now working towards us getting him his Working Certificate Intermediate (WCI) this year while ultimately working towards his Senior Hunters Qualification (SH) in the future.

We've started working on blind retrieves and whistle and hand signals. So far so good. He now understands to run out on command and to turn and sit towards me on the whistle. He also understands the "back" hand command and again stop on the whistle and face me. I've also done the " over" left and right with him. It's a little rough around the edges at this point but we're working on it.:biggrin:

I can't wait to put this to the test come hunting season when the birds start to fall out of the sky again.

Here is a picture of him watching the cat from the bottom of the stairs, one of his favorite pastimes when we're not outside training.:biggrin:

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Marshall_watching_the_cat.jpg

[Marc]

Well with my work load I never did get the chance to run Marshall in any hunt test this summer, but the training we did get done will come in handy this fall.

I've had him out for grouse 3 times so far and he's clued in pretty good about flushing and retrieving them. He's retrieved a half dozen or so grouse so far and gets better every time we head out.

Marshall turned 2 years of age on the 16th of Sept, we'll be getting his clearances checked and possibly putting him up for stud in the near future depending on the results of his test. From what I can see everything is looking good but until the test are done we won't know for certain.

Here are a few pictures of Marshall so far this fall hunting grouse.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/marshall_garding_the_camper.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Grouse_hunting1.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/take_3.jpg

[seanps]

Looks great! Any tips on how you got him used to the sound of the gun?

Would like to take my chocolate lab out with me this weekend for grouse hunting, but don't want to see him run in the other direction when I shoot! We live near City Hall in Vancouver, so not much opportunity to practice with a starter pistol.

Good news is that living downtown means that screeching brakes, bus noises, car horns and assorted bangs and clashes don't bother him in the least. Maybe a gun won't either? Thanks!

[835]

have your partner go along way down a road while you hold your dog on leash. When you are ready have him shoot. while you wach your dog.
if all goes well have your partner close the distance by some repeat process. do not push your dog if he doesnt like it. But i have never had that problem. This is how i have trained my dogs and have learned it from my family.

[303Brit]

x2 on 835, or if you don't have a buddy thats avail for that go to your local R&G (when someone is using the range of course) and park 150yds or so away and watch the dog and walk closer to the range

303

[303Brit]

Nice to hear Marc, thanks for the pics Marshall sounds to be and looks to be a great hunting dog. Can't wait till I got the space and more importantly the time to have another hunting dog.

303

[Camp Cook]

Thanks for the link Chessie's are such beautiful dogs... :)

[Marc]

Might as well toss this picture in here as well. This was from the heritage day hunt at the beginning of the month. He loves to hunt and is great around the kids.

We're headed out tomorrow for geese / ducks so hopefully some pictures and a story to follow as well.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Heritage_days_4th_October_2009.jpg

[una]

Attached is my (wretched) puppy, Frank the Tank. Think I can turn him into a good birding dog? :D

He's pretty good about sniffing out rogue socks and bringin' em back...