Stellar Retrievers News and Updates Blog

The Battle at Bryan College Station

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-03-08T20:23:40-06:00

The Bryan College Station Hunt Test held this weekend, turned out to be a pretty big challenge for the team. With eight dogs entered in the Master stake, only Tim Buck's "Laurie" made the grade. Tough day for the group and the way the chips fell, I know we have to get to work this next week!

In the Senior stake, "Emmy", owned by Fernando Somoza, tested for a qualifying score and brought home a Senior pass in a test with only eight other qualifying scores.

In Junior, "Nip", owned by Ron and Tammy Johnson, passed both tests. Congratulations on a consistent performance Nip!

Port Arthur Retriever Club Hunt Test Results

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-03-02T18:14:45-06:00

Loaded up the crew on Friday and headed to good old Port Arthur. It was a long weekend and I came home with a cold, but there's no crying or being sick in dog training! Here are the results:

Master passes :
Lorie owned and handled by Tim Buck
Cody the Chessie owned by Penny Watkins
Cody the Lab owned by Steve Hoppas
Jet owned by Sean Hale

Senior:
Sway 2 passes for Senior Title-Congratulations to Doug Bishop
Emmy 1 pass

Junior:
Nip 1 JR. Pass

So the team came home with eight orange ribbons and one Senior Title ribbon. Not a bad weekend! Continue checking in for hunt test results and I'll keep workin' those dogs!

-Jack-

In Memory of Chris Martin

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-02-23T16:04:29-06:00

I have the misfortune of letting everyone know that Chris died yesterday in an automobile accident. He was my right hand man. Chris always came to work early and took pride in taking care of the dogs.

Chris had the best memory of anyone I've ever seen and known. He always remembered what every dog needed. Not only did he take care of them, he also noticed if any of them needed something else. He was a true friend of both man and animal alike.

In thinking about my time with him, I also thought about his service to the sport. Chris was so proud about being one of the flyer shooters for the open stake at Dave Rorem's. He shot for 90 dogs and allowed zero "no birds". Two weekends prior, he also shot for the derby and the amateur stakes at the Coastal Bend Retriever Club Field Trial with similar skill. This from a kid that 4 months ago didn't know how to load a starter pistol. He was a good student of the game and learning in leaps and bounds. His enthusiasm for discovery was infectious.

Everyone who met him loved/ liked him as I did. This was a great person who seemed happy in life. I will miss him. I don't understand the term, God works in mysterious ways.

Remorsefully,
Jack

For those interested in joining the family for the funeral services, here is information that will be useful:
The viewing and service will be on Saturday the 27th. The viewing will be from 10-12 with the service from 12-about 1. The burial will be private, but there will be a lunch at 1:30 to follow. The funeral is at Niday Funeral home in Houston, Tx. DIrections can be found on their website: nidayfunerals.com The lunch will be at Pearland First United Methodist church. The church's website can be found here: First United Methodist Church, Pearland The family welcomes all interested parties to visit.

Congratulations to Steve H. and Cody!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-02-14T08:02:40-06:00

Here is great news...Steve Hoppas came by Friday afternoon, picked up Cody and headed to Tennessee Colony for the Rose Country Retriever Club Hunt Test. He and Cody did a great job on both series on the Senior test. This was Cody's 5th pass for his Senior Title.

Congratulations to you both!

-Jack-

Idgie x Willie Pedigree

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-02-03T12:00:58-06:00

I have received a hand full of requests for a printable version of the pedigree so I threw one onto the Downloads page for your pleasure.
Click here to go to Download Page
-Jack-

Idgie x Willie - Repeat Breeding!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-02-01T08:15:25-06:00

I am happy to announce that we are preparing for another litter of great pups from Ms. Idige. The Bee Charmer is hard at work on another litter that we expect on the ground late in March. The puppies will be whelped by Ms. Nancy Niepert and I am excited about this special litter. As you know, we bred Willie, the 2008 National Field Champion to Idgie last year. The puppies have turned out to be fantastic and we are hopeful that round two will be just as rewarding. Take a look at this pedigree:

Idgie x Willie Pedigree

If you are thinking about a puppy and want a line in on a great performance dog, give me a call or email and we can reserve a pup for you. Some of the pups are already spoken for so don't delay in reserving your opportunity for one of these special retrievers!

Flyer Friday = Cold and Wet!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-01-30T08:01:17-06:00

A hard, blue Northern front came through Thursday night and brought rain and a LOT of wind for Flyer Friday. Since it has been mild over the past two weeks, this found the group a little ill prepared for such a tough day for training. That being said, we loaded up and headed out to run a setup that reminded us of the River Runs Through It series of the 2009 Master National.

Our long bird was out about 200 yards through a rushing spillway from a large tank. All running water with lots of ups and downs along the way to throw the dog off the area. Two other control birds were placed tight up a hillside and we threw in a double blind to make sure we covered all training bases. Call it a "kitchen sink" setup!

The big dogs ran a double up the hill, long single, and then the blinds that made them handle either near an old fall or passing under the arc of one of the marks. Plenty of meat in this one!

Tim Buck ran his dog, Lori, and she smoked all of the test. The Stellar dogs all ran a strong set, and Mike Meek and Zoe even made it out to run with the big dogs. We had a great time, just wish we had all remembered gloves!
Winter/Spring training is underway and remember, amateurs are welcome on Fridays. Just give me a call and let me know you want to come out! See you next week!
-Jack-

2010 Spring Hunt Test Schedule

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-01-27T19:32:56-06:00

Winter break from AKC tests is about up and it is time to load up and head out. Mark your calendars for the events below. I've also provided the entry closing dates so that we can be sure to get your dog entered.

Event Date	Entry Deadline	Hosting Club	Location
February 27-28th	February 18th	Port Arthur Retriever Club	Hamshire, Texas
March 6-7th	---------------	Bryan-College Station RC	Bryan-College Station
March 13-14th	March 3rd	Brazosport Retreiever Club	Montgomery, Texas
March 20-21st	March 11th	Waterloo Amateur RC	Manheim, Texas
Apirl 24-25th	April 13th	Dallas Fort Woth RC	Ravenna, Texas
May 1-2nd	------	Tejas Retreiver Club	Northrup, Texas
May 8-9th	April 26th	Heart of Texas RC	Buckholts, Texas

Frozen in Giddings and a New Training Discipline!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2010-01-11T19:56:13-06:00

Stellar Retrievers is now training dogs to walk on water, reserve your spot NOW!

Seriously folks, it has been cold...really cold! And everybody had a good time running around the frozen pasture, and well, yes, the technical pond. Test season starts soon, meanwhile, we have work to do!

Please note: No canids were injured during the photographing of this blog!

Dallas Fort WorthLabrador Retriever Club Hunt Test

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-12-06T18:00:53-06:00

We had a wet, windy and cold weekend in Bonham! Lee Telling joined me for the trip and we left with snow flurries falling on Friday afternoon. Saturday morning found us shuffling retrievers at the Master test and the cold would show no mercy. Anyway, on Sunday, we had three Stellar Senior dogs score qualifying tests. Here they are:

Sway, owned by Doug Bishop of LaGrange, secured her 3rd Senior Pass!
One to go for a Senior title.

Cody, a chocolate lab owned by Steve Hoppas, smoked out his 3rd Senior pass.
He too, just needs to pass one more test for his Senior title.

Cody, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever owned by Penny Watkins, passed for his Senior Hunter Title! Congratulations to both Penny and Cody! This Chessie has already scored his two majors in the show ring and is just a few points away from a big show title. As promised, here is his Stellar Retrievers mug shot:

Click Here or on the Photo to See More of Cody!

Saturday and Sunday had Lee and I slogging away in a difficult master test . The field of thirty was cut to seventeen in the first series. The test was run on stalwart technical water with cold, miserable weather. That being said, three master dogs managed to make the grade. Congratulations to:

Blackie
Idgie
Ray, owned by Bill and Lee Hanes of North Carolina. Ray is still on her game after the National!

That gets us wrapped up for the holidays so everyone stay tuned for more news and have a happy and safe holiday.
-Jack-

Happy Holidays!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-12-07T19:28:00-06:00

Click here to see a few more of Ethyl!

2009 Master National Results

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-11-03T19:27:44-06:00

It was a wild week weather wise and the Master National came with a twist or two this year. That being said, the Stellar crew did a great job! I had a fantastic run with five passes! One was a second Master National pass and Master National Title for Blackie. What a great dog!

Many thanks go out to all that supported our effort at the test. Wendy, Lee, and Debbie worked behind the scenes training and getting to and the from the test so that we could do our best at the test, and special thanks to Bill & Lee Hanes, Robert & Molly Rascoe, Marty & Jan Thompson, and my mother, Loa Morris for their help through out the week. They stuck with us through the whole ordeal and were greatly appreciated. I couldn't have done it without you all!
Don D. was kind enough to send photos from a few of the series. We had a ton or rain and then some beautiful bright days for this marathon retriever test. See the photos here:

2009 Master National Photos

Now for the dogs! Congratulations to:
DREAMMEYER ELWOODS BLUE ECHO MH, aka "Echo"-owned by Leslie Vieau

THE BEE CHARMER MH, aka "Idgie"-First Master National pass!

STELLAR'S BLACK JACK MH, aka "Blackie"-His second pass and now a MN title!

STELLAR'S SUNNY RAY MH, aka "Ray"-owned by Lee and Bill Hanes-First Master National pass!

JUMPIN JAZZMIN MONTGOMERY MH, aka "Jazz"-owned by Lee and Debbie Telling-First Master National pass!

Master National Kick Off!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-10-24T19:14:31-05:00

Friday morning marked our first big Master National training day. Our group of handlers were assigned to Wizz's Pond on the Eckett property so off we went. Robert Rascoe, Marty Thompson, Linda Baily, John Blackbird and a sweet gal named Marty from Tennessee gathered to run their dogs on a deluxe version of Jack's Ye Ol' Steadying Drill.

That's right, the one where the wipeout flyer lands at the dog's feet after a long bird across technical water goes off! We all had a great time running a walkup single, the wipeout double run after a blind, and finally a great water blind across one point. Here are some pictures from this great day of training!

Leslie Vieau's "Echo" staked out after running the land water setup.

We are all very excited about the start of the event Sunday and some of the group may even run late Sunday afternoon. Most of the Stellar dogs will be running in the B flight on Monday morning so send all the good luck you can. Here is a link to check on the progress of the event.

Master National Website

I'll report more later,
Mike Meek

Oh, one last shot...Linda Baily handling her golden on the water blind.

Port Arthur and Tejas Retriever Test Senior Report

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-10-12T20:17:45-05:00

Last weekend at the Port Arthur Hunt Test, Mary Tatum's Party titled as a Senior Hunter. Congratulations to Mary on another great dog!

This weekend at the Tejas Hunt Test, Forest broke on Lee again so no pass for Forrest. Louise, however, passed for her Senior title! Cody ran very well for his 3rd pass with his owners watching and cheering him on to success. Stella got her 4th pass and needs 1 more for title.

We are working hard at the property in preparation for the Master National event later this month and the Master dogs are all working towards a good showing at the event. The rain has been kind for both the tanks and cover so the grounds are looiking great!

See you all soon!

-Jack-

Brazosport and Port Arthur HT Results

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-10-05T06:26:33-05:00

I ran five dogs in the Brazosport Senior test two weekends ago and have congratulations going to three dogs!

Passes were awarded to:
Louise...one of the Idgie Puppies!
Sway-owned by Doug Bishop
Party-owned by Mary Tatum

It was a tough Senior test with a water series that found most handlers blowing whistles and casting like mad men!

This weekend, I ran a few dogs in the Port Arthur Retriever Club Hunt Test.
In Senior, Louise, Cody, and Stella managed to secure passes. Mary Tatum's Party passed both Senior tests and was on fire for the weekend! In Master, Ray, owned by Lee and Bill Hanes, Blackie, and Jazz, owned and handled by Lee Telling, passed for another test towards the 2010 Master National. Tough weather weekend for the dogs, but the all handled it well.

Back to training on Monday as the Master National draws near!

Have a great week!

-Jack-

Big Weekend at the Rose Country Hunt Test!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-09-22T20:38:13-05:00

I loaded up the truck on Saturday morning and headed over to Palestine, Texas. We had tweleve stakes entered and the boys and girls cleaned up at the Rose Country Retriever Club Hunt Test. Of the tweleve entries, Stellar Retrievers brought home eleven passes with the only disappointing result coming from Blackie in a Master test due to a double handle in the first series. The judges threw a well placed quad that proved to be a tough test for everyone!

First off, Congratulation's to Fernando Somoza and his yellow lab Emmy! On Saturday, she secured her fourth Junior pass to title as a AKC Junior Hunter.

Other great news and congratulations go out to:

Stellar's Southern Exposer (Louise) completed her Junior Hunter title on Saturday and then ran and passed her first Senior test on Sunday.

Doug Bishop's- Sway JH, for running and passing her 1st Senior Hunt test.

Nancy Meyer's Stella passed her 2nd Senior test after being back with me for just a month after a 1year break!

Steve Hoppas's chocolate speed demon Cody, for his 1st Senior pass.

Bob Owen's Casey SH, 2nd pass in Master, as both of the master tests he has run, have been difficult.

Forest passed his 1st Senior as well with his owner, Lee Telling as the handler. Rumor has it that Lee was so nervous that he had to change hsi shorts after the first series!

Congrat's to the Master dogs that passed their tests:
Ray -Lee and Bill Hanes
Sky- Robert (Bob)/Molly Rascoe
Idgie -Tim Mahady.

Heading to Montgomery, Texas this weekend to run Junior and Senior stakes. Updates to come!

-Jack_

Fall Hunt Test Schedule

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-09-04T07:05:34-05:00

With the Master National going on at the end of October, the hunt test schedule is compressed into September and October. Here is what I am planning on running with all the dogs at Stellar Retrievers. Meanwhile, I am gearing up to head back to Texas next week so I'll see you all around Giddings very soon!
-Jack-

Fall 2009 Hunt Test Schedule

Sept. 19-20 Rose Country Retriever Club Entries close 9-9-09
Tennessee Colony, Texas

Sept. 26-27 Brazosport Retriever Club Entries close 9-19-09
Montgomery, Texas

Oct. 3-4 Port Arthur Retriever Club Entries close 9-24-09
Hamshire, Texas

Oct. 10-11 Tejas Retriever Club Entries close 9-28-09
Northrup, Texas

Oct. 23-Nov.1 Master National Retriever Club Entries close 9-15-09
Manheim/Giddings, Texas

Dec. 5-6 Dallas/Fort Worth Retriever Club Entries close 11-25
Revenia, Texas

Northern Flight HT - Great Results for Stellar Dogs!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-08-29T12:31:38-05:00

Some of the Usual Suspects...

I loaded up the trailer and headed to the Northern Flight Hunting Retrievers Association 2009 Fall Hunting Test in St. Croix, MN. All 5 of our master dogs passed, including Casey on of our recent up and comers to Master! 36 teams started in our flight with approx 6 scratches. Rumor had it that one team scratched out because he said he wouldn't run under the judges because they were to hard! Anyway the judges passed 11dogs and and 5 of them were from our truck! It was a tough test, but the Stellar dogs hung in there like good Texans do!

We had nice results in the Double Senior event. Party owned by Mary Tatum, racked up 2 passes towards the Senior Hunter title. Congrats to Party and Mary Tatum!

Forest, owned by Lee and Deb Telling, passeed only one senior test. It would have been another double, but after doing very nice work in his test, Forrest broke on the Honor. Forrest and I will be working on controlling that drive in upcoming weeks! Congratulations to Lee and Deb on Forrest's pass.

In the Double Junior, Sway, an Idgie pup owned by Doug Bishop, scored 2 passes for her Junior title! Hurray for Sway and congratulations to Doug! Emmy scored to 2 passes-Congratualtions to Fernando Somoza. Emmy just needs one more pass for herJR title. Louise, another Idgie pup, passed both Junior tests! Way to go Louise!

To some it up, I ran 11 dogs in 17 tests for 14 passes. Not a bad weekend for Stellar Retrievers!

To rub it in it is a warm day of 75 here on the Upper Penninsula. I don't know if we're ever coming back LOL.

Cheers!
-Jack-

Snapshot of Michigan Training-Jack and Louise

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-08-18T20:03:00-05:00

So while everyone sweats it out down South, I thought you might like to see where I trained today! The fine lady in the photos is Louise, one of Stellar's students. She is from one of Idgie's litters and has a huge heart! Everything here in Michigan is lush and COOL! The dogs are all doing well in this climate and I am certain none are home sick. That being said, the Summer trip is about over.

See you all in September!
-Jack

Tripp and Mildred-A Victory Lap!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-08-19T16:51:03-05:00

I just got these photos of Dave with Tripp and Mildred and Bernie with Mildred after the field trial. Tripp is the big boy on the left and Mildred is the little gal on the right. Congrats to both dogs and their handlers in their recent field trial awards!

-Jack-

Stellar Dog's Field Trial Report

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-08-16T20:53:28-05:00

As you may know, Stellar's Full Throttle ( Mildred ) Won the Amateur at Minnesota Iron Range Retriever Club. Handled by owner, Bernie Carey, two weeks ago. This weekend Stellar's Roughneck ( Tripp ) got Second in the Qualifying, owner Rian Burkes handled by Professorial Trainer Dave Davis of Chiefton Kennels, to qualify him all-age, at the Duluth Retriever Club. Then to top it off Mildred took second in the Open ( Handled by Dave also ) at the Duluth Club. That gives Mildred a total of 8 all-age points as a three year old. Pictures to follow, in the next few days.

Lee and Bill Hanes visit the U.P.!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-08-09T07:57:00-05:00

In an effort to beat the summer heat, Lee and Bill Hanes took time to visit Stellar Retrievers this week. Ray and all the dogs just love having these two up for marks and blinds. Lee brought her iPhone along and snapped some cell phone photos of the new Ainley trailer and a cool technical pond we train on here at Chieftan Kennels. I hear it is way hot down in Texas! Sorry for you folks sweatin' it out down there.

Hunt Test Report: Fargo, North Dakota

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-07-12T17:33:58-05:00

Went to Fargo North Dakota 350 mi. away and had a beautiful drive. I pushed off on Thursday and the first stop was Duluth, MN just two hours away. I ran 13 dogs on a double water blind with my good friends/client Burnie Cary and his son Burnie JR. Burnie bought Mildred from me 2 years ago and since that time has jammed an amuture field trial as a 3 year old. The blinds took all afternoon so I spent the night in Duluth and resumed training at 7am with Mike Marmon.

Mike bought his second puppy from me out of the Idgie/Willie litter and it seems to be coming along very nicely. Mike threw a poison bird across a channel, then we ran a blind under the arc to the corner of the water and then up field 100yds through mowed strips to bumper pile. When the dog returned to line, it was sent on a second water blind past the mark, on point then cast off to the next channel and up and out to cover strip to retrieve second bumper. When dog returned to line, the RETIRED poison bird was retrieved. I was proud of the work put on by our dogs and by how well they performed. It was noon time and I had a dough nut with Mike and took off for Fargo (5hrs).

Saturday I met up with Sean Hale (from TX) and we started running the Master test at Fargo. I have always heard about the famous FARGO DITCH, but now I can say proudly our dogs handled it very well as all dogs got through the first series.

2nd series was the longest series I ever run in a hunt test. The judges put on a challenging cold water blind 1st, then marks by invitation. The test required 15-18 minutes per dog. The second series took its toll as 17 dogs were dropped. All Stellar dogs still in after the second!

Last series was a delayed triple. Double was thrown, after your dog picked up 1st bird, a diversion bird was thrown, which most dogs picked up 2nd, then pick up the 1st bird thrown (memory). All Stellar dogs did a Stellar Performance for a 100 per cent pass rate!

I also spent some time at the Senior stake with Bob Owne's Casey. Casey also did a Stellar Performance for his 3rd leg toward his Senior title. This was a memberal experience to go to this club with excellent, hard working, NICE members and phenomenal grounds.

-Jack-

Congratulations to:
Idgie owned by Tim Mahady: MASTER PASS
Sky & Blackie owned by Robert & Molly Rascoe: MASTER PASS
Ray owned by Lee & Bill Hanes for Master: MASTER PASS
Casey owned by Bob Owens: SENIOR PASS

The Summer Trip is ON!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-06-06T17:02:38-05:00

With full truck of retrievers, trailer, and four wheeler, I said good bye to Central Texas and pushed off for Michigan this last week. We met up with Lee, Bill, and Robert in Arkansas to pickup Ray and Sky. These are two Stellar graduates that are coming North for tune up training in front of the Master National. After a nice dinner with these good friends, we all set out for our summer home and made it just about on time Wednesday. Training started on Friday and I have been making my Southern dog training friends jealous with reports of weather in the mid 60's during the day. I had forgotten how wonderful the weather is here and if would get dark before 9:30 at night, it really would be hog heaven!

I'll post test results as we gather them this summer. I am looking forward to getting a lot of great work volume done with weather that is better than what we enjoy most of the Fall and Spring in Texas. I love hearing from everybody so be sure to email me updates of how you are doing down in Texas where I know the blast furnace is getting cranked up!

Best regards,
Jack

Spring's Final Flyer Friday

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-05-31T07:37:35-05:00

Big group for the final Flyer Friday of Spring 2009. Bob & Nancy Niepart from Lexington, Shawn Hale, Marty Thompson and of course Eric Fuchs joined me for training. The north wind and cloud cover kept the temps down. Young dogs were up first with singles and a double mark training drill ( 2 short) for the older dogs. The big dog set-up consisted of 4 guns in field, left two marks were short retired bird (60yds) thrown to the left and go bird (140yds) thrown to the right (pinched in or converging marks). The right hand set of marks reinforced or taught the same concept again. Short retired ( 60yds) thrown left to right in front of long gunner in white coat at 100yds, then they threw the go bird left to right also.This was a much tighter set of marks.some dogs did really well and some not so good so we back and taught it to them. Lunch was over at the kennel in the shade with Nancy evaluating puppies, after they attacked a live duck. Then it was off to do water work on technical tank. The marks (3) consisted of outside left mark thrown left to right which a teaching mark for young dogs, angle entry 20yd swim, on point, then off point, then angle across h2o (15yds) to another point, angle out of water then to bird in field. Total mark 120yds. right hand mark was 100yds requiring the dog to swim across water, go across the end of J-point, re enter water swim 20yds out of tank and re enter no seeum water which is the swim bye pond. Older dogs did the marks as a double. Then followed up with a single in the middle,110 yd mark requiring the dog to swim down a channel then out of tank and run up a mound.

In other news, two more Idgie puppies went to new homes. One female went with Marty and one female went home with the Neiperts. Congrats to the new owners!

I am off to Michigan in the morning. Updates from up North to follow. Have a great summer everybody!

Jack

Stellar's Sunny Ray's Vacation

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-05-23T08:19:39-05:00

Stellar's Sunny Ray has been in North Carolina for a little over two weeks and has become a Tarheel again in no time! We flew her from Austin To Charlotte with no problems, just a lot of of anxiety on our parts.

The hunt test season is over here, and the training group is only meeting once, maybe a twice a week. But, I am very happy to report that Ray and I are doing quite well together. Each time we run, our rhythm and commmunication are better. Jack will be happy to know that I am remembering to give silent casts. (That's an attempt at humor. Jack told me I only gave verbal casts at the Tejas Hunt Test - talk about being nervous!) Ray is really fun to work with - so enthusiastic and definitely knows what she's doing - she's a pretty good substitute teacher when Jack's not around.

Ray has been an excellent house dog - no "housebreaking" issues at all. She and our older female Lab, Katie, have had one or two skirmishes, but nothing unexpected. They are actually getting along quite well now. I'm not sure Ray really understands why she has to walk on a leash "in town", but she has adapted well to that aspect of city life.

Robert & Mollie Rascoe and Bill & I plan to meet Jack in Arkansas in about two weeks to give him Sky and Ray for the summer trip. That is going to be one hard good-bye. But, I think the dogs will be glad to be back to full-time jobs. I know that they will be ready for Master National when they return to Giddings!

I never finished my blog entries during our week in Texas. In short, we had a wonderful time, saw beautiful country and technical water. We made a wonderful new friend in John Blackbird - what a prince of a guy - can't wait to see John at Master National in October. We also enjoyed catching up with Mike Meek again, one of the Friday Flyers and creator of the Stellar Retrievers web site, one talented guy!

I will never be able to express our gratitude for the positive influence Jack has had on our experiences with retrievers. Jack is such a good teacher. He had me run Blackie as "test dog" before each session with Ray, even at the actual Hunt Test - what a confidence builder. We had a great time and learned so much. There is nothing like Stellar Retrievers' and Texas hospitality.

"Talk" to you soon, Lee

Four Snakes and Some Water Work

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-05-16T08:11:06-05:00

We had the Houston crew and Mike Meek of Austin out on Friday for a day of cheating singles and a hip pocket land double. Marty Thompson brought the sandwiches, Sean brought Jet and a cool sun shade, and Mike had his camera. Emme and Louise were the stars for a brief photo shoot and it was off to run dogs. When we arrived at the tank, snake control had to go into action and the Benelli Super Black Eagle took care of four snakes to help ensure a quiet and safe training day on the water. Here is a a little sample of the photos that Mike took of Emme and Louise:

For more of Louise
For more of Emme

Sweet Puppies! and the Return of Eric!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-29T12:46:17-05:00

I am happy to report that the Idgie puppies are doing great and Lee emailed me a little photo that I knew you all would get a kick out of seeing. Give me a call if you might be interested in having one of these well bred pups!

Other news...Big thanks to John Blackbird for helping me out while Eric was in Germany. John loaded up his truck and headed back north on Sunday and I'll miss his help. Meanwhile, Eric Fuchs has returned from his trip and is back in the field with me working. Its good to have our kind friend back with the pack!

The weather has started heating us up and the rain has filled our technical pond. Higher temps and higher humidity make me start thinking about the Summer Trip. If you would be interested in having your dog trained for Master National this summer, give me a call. The boxes on the truck are filling fast!

-Jack-

Tarheels - Day 4

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-24T06:25:36-05:00

Another day, more new training grounds. Our training group today was the same as yesterday - Jack, John Blackbird, Wild Wind-Up Willie (not William), Bruce and me. We decided that Bruce should join our little competition, he is the "Field Trialer",

Our first series was on the water. Let's put this out front - Blackie, handled by Lee, won hands down. Now remember, Blackie is a Tarheel, but we have to give Jack the credit for the training. Blackie is like the bull yesterday - magnificent!

Anyway, the first series consisted of a mark on a peninsula (a poison bird). You had to pick-up a blind where the line to the blind was downwind of the poison bird - tough stuff - and you had to set the dog up for a left hand cast off the peninsula, to keep him off the peninsula and the poison bird. Did I mention that there was an island involved? A strong left hand cast was required to keep the dogs off the island and poison bird,

The next single was across a piece of water with a point of land 3 yards off of line. The line to the bird was parallel to the shore, Bird landed up the hill with a 25 yard exit,

Third and last mark (single), required the dog to get on the opposite side of the point that the dog was not allowed to get on on the second mark, then parallel to the shore, @ 6 feet from the shore line. More tough stuff. This ate up the young dogs and a few of the older ones too.

After these two singles were picked up, all Tarheels, one Go-For, and one Long Horn (Forest) got to pick up the poison bird. The Field Trialer chose to run the test differently.

Jack let us eat lunch today while Remi taught Jade how to retrieve the larger dog dummies. (For those that don't know, Jade is John's 12 week old pup - she is a black beauty. Remi is 11 years old, the "youngest living Master Hunter" and Jack's pride and joy.)

The second series was a land triple and double blind. The Go-For's won this one, with the Field Trialers close behind. The Go Bird was a short breaking bird coming out of a thick to the right. The middle bird was 85 yards with the thrower exposed (then retiring) into thick cover in front of a tree line. The memory bird was an exposed blind thrower throwing at a dyke @ 130 yards. The first blind was in line with the Go Bird @ 75 yards. The second blind was between the long bird and the middle bird - @ 140 yards. Special mention needs to be of the first dog to run, Bella. No scent, no drag back, and a very clean run.

Pretty good day today. I did a little better and did remember the whistle. The red Beef Master bull did find his cows!

Lee Hanes

Jack, John and the Red Bull...

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-23T20:26:47-05:00

We'll tell you about the dogs after we tell you what happened at Stellar Retrievers today. We woke up, looked at the windows to greet the day and saw - a HUGE 2,000 pound beefmaster red bull! Where did he come from? The neighboring farmer was contacted about his magnificent bull being in Jack's training field and he came to begin to persuade his bull to go to to the right side of the fence. John and Lee had to block the bull's way to the kennel - and it was "Game On"! The bull looked at us, we looked at him, and you can guess who won the staring contest.

Meanwhile our training day started with young dog drills including poison bird no-no drills . Forest beat-out Louise! We were joined by one of Jack's & John's training friend, Bruce Bachert. Our first set-up consisted of three water marks done as singles. We had WWW (Wild Wind-Up-William) throwing the first mark consisting of a right to left flat throw @ 90 yards of water past one point of land. No cheating on the point allowed. The second mark was thrown at @ 110 yards which required the dogs to go over the point (which they were just not allowed to get on) and get out and run 50 yards through the scent of that first mark. Some dogs caved in and hunted the old fall. Young dogs were encouraged out of the old fall with hey-heys. The third mark required a sharp angle entry (which caused some to cheat) over a penensula, re-enter the water and run 120 yards to the edge of a tree line. Most dogs flared, the path was the tree line and the wind did not help them.

The blind was @ 175 yards, behind #2 thrower, through the first piece of water, over a peninsula, through a second piece of water, up al hill, and over a brush pile. Most dogs tried to cheat the brush pile or circle the tree line. Tarheels 2, Long Horns "Zero", Go-Fors 2. (You ask, who are the "Go-Fors"? These are Minnesota dogs that "Go For & Get" the bird! It's now a three way contest!)
In our second set-up. we wanted to repeat the "tree-line" test. The set-up was three marks with an indent scenario with the two long marks. One long mark being thrown parallel to a tree line and the other long mark being thrown from a tree line. The middle indent bird being thrown from a small group of trees., Depending upon the age and level of dogs running, some ran as a double with a single, some ran all singles, again, the level of dogs running, some ran two long marks and a short, or one long mark and a short and then a single long mark. Once again the Go-Fors stepped-on the tree line marks, Long Horns tried to skirt the tree line, and the Tarheels hunted the tree line. Final Score - Tarheels 2, Go-Fors 2, Long Horns (Louise) 1

So how did Lee do today? Well. she remembered the whistle (at the line) and was required to carry a gun on the marks - Blackie and Ray saved her, She was one Hell-of-a Birdgirl under the tutorlidge of John Blackbird. The test looms ahead this week-end......
-Lee Hanes-

Lee and Bill's Training Day 2

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-22T07:59:15-05:00

Second day of "training" and did I get a wake-up call. Our birdboys were John Blackbird and Rick Greer- both previous Master National Judges. Talk about pressure! We also had Marty Thompson from the Friday Flyer group with us.

Our first set-up was on a tank covered with cut cattails. The dogs did not want to get into the cattails, so this was a real test of perseverance. The first mark was parallel to the shore across 35 feet of water, the bird landed behind the bank into another piece of water. The second bird was across the open water about 40 yards through a mess of cut cattails. 60 yards under trees in an open field, the last mark to be picked up was approximately 80 yards through 2 different groups of those darned cut cattails - approximately 10 yards across each. Then, of course, a combination water/land blind - a thread the needle blind between five trees, an opening approximately 3 feet wide. This was Rick Greer's donation to the first set-up. He likes tough blinds! Believe it or not, Jack let me run Blackie and Ray (Tarheel dogs). At the end of this set-up, the Tarheels were slightly ahead of the Lone Star dogs.

We then moved to an open field to run a land double with a poison bird blind. Jack had not let me eat lunch and my stomach created a diversion. Jack showed me the test while I was attempting to make sandwiches. The set-up consisted of a 100 yard mark parallel to the edge of a woods - this being the poison bird. The blind was run under the arch of this poison bird, approximately 70 yards deeper than the mark. Upon returning from the blind, another bird was thrown parallel to a tree line perpendicular to the first mark, approximately 70 yards. This was now our Go bird.

When I took Blackie to the line, not being prepared, my whistle was under my shirt. When Blackie started on the blind, his first cast was too late - he was already at the poison bird (whistle still in shirt). Needless to say, Tarheels down due to gross handler error!

Probably learned some great lessons today. John Blackbird advised that as he takes the dogs off the truck, he has his whistle in his mouth. I will try to make that a new habit. He also reminded me that as long as I'm in the holding blind, I can ask as many questions as needed.

Another great day in Giddings! Can't wait for tomorrow.

Amateur Report: Lee and Bill Hanes

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-21T18:45:51-05:00

My husband, Bill, and I are in Texas training with Jack this week. Jack has trained Ray, our 3 year old Master Hunter. Ray has again qualified for Master National and we are excited that she went 5 for 5 for the 2009 Master National which will be held in Giddings, TX in October.
Today, we trained with John Blackbird from Mora, MN. (John will be one of the judges at the Tejas Hunt Test this week-end.) We started the day with the young dogs - handling drills over brush piles and logs. Jack advised me to run Ray on the drill - for my training, not Ray's. This gave me the opportunity to work on some basic obedience.
Next, we went to the Blackwater South training grounds. Since it rained 7 inches last week-end, the tanks are full and we had wonderful water! We started with the right hand technical single thrown angle back from one peninsula to another peninsula which required the dog swim by the first point & gunner. Second left-hand single was poison bird thrown across the water with a 50 yard exit. Dog was "no'ed" off mark and required to run water blind. The water blind required the dog to swim by the first point and gunner, get on the second point and then cast-off the point into the wind. After completing the blind, the dog had to pick-up the poison bird. Great stuff for a novice handler, can't express how exciting it was to complete this successfully with "my dog". Finished-up with a long center bird about 175 yards across the water, up a hill. Whew!!! (For the record, Jack also let me run "Blackie", another NC dog. The Tarheel dogs were leading the Long Horns at this point in the day.)
There was a brief diversion when we received a call from Dave Davis. Dave and his wife, Sandy, are wintering here in Texas, their home is Ironwood, MI. The heavy rains have created a little mud and quicksand. You can guess what had happened to Dave's truck!
Second set-up consisted of a water double. Memory bird was thrown 160 yards out - angle in & out at 15 yards - 50 yard run on land before hitting the water the second time for mark thrown down the shore. Go bird was another angle entry, then parallel to shore, up & over point, re-enter water and swim to next piece of land to the bird thrown by wild, wind-up Bill. Many of the dogs had trouble - lots of repeats.
Can't tell you what an exciting day it was for us! I'll try to include some pictures tomorrow. PS, Tarheels and Long Horns tied at end of day.

Lee Hanes

The Idgie Litter Background Info & Willie's Pedigree

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-13T19:49:42-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know that Idgie's litter of black puppies is thriving. Still just little puffs of black fur, they are getting bigger everyday. I'm excited about the breeding and wanted to post some background info on the pups, so here it goes:

Puppies Birthday: 3/30/09 Ready to go home: May 18, 2009!

Information on the Dam: "Idgie" The Bee Charmer, MH QAA
Eyes Clear. CNM clear, EIC clear, Hips Good, Elbows Normal

Idgie has an outstanding field record that includes:
Master Hunt Tests: 21 Starts with 20 Passes!
QAA at 29 months.
Jammed a 106 dog Open Field Trial stake at 36 months

See her pedigree in next blog entry below.

Information on the Sire: 2008 NFC Two Rivers Lucky Willie (BLK)
EIC: Clear Eyes: Clear
Hips: Excellent Elbows: Normal
CNM: Clear

His record speaks for itself!

Click here to see Wille's pedigree at another site!

"Idgie" The Bee Charmer, MH QAA Pedigree

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-11T11:59:12-05:00

		Sire:	Sire: CFC Rascal's Super Spud
The Bee Charmer MH QAA "Idgie"	Sire:	CNFC CNAFC Waldorf's High Tech	Dam: Itch's Flying Tiger
OFA: LR Good	2X NAFC FC 2X CNAFC Ebonstar Lean Mac
CERF: LR		Dam:	Sire: Trieven El Conquistador
CNM: LR		Ebonaceae Princess WCX	Dam: Skookum's Sky Raider
F-PIV
EJC: Clear		Sire:	Sire: FC AFC Webshire's Honest Abe
Full sister to 2007 NAFC FC AFC	Dam:	FC AFC Candlewoods Rebel Ridge PDQ	Dam: 3X NFC FC AFC Candlewoods Tanks a Lot
Good Idea's Whoa Nellie	Waterdog's Trida Stop Me MH
		Dam:	Sire: NAFC FC AFC Trumarc's Zip Code
		Cody's Tazmanian Huntress	Dam: Maera's Dixie

Flyer Good Friday-Indented Triples

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-10T19:30:25-05:00

Good Friday came with the Flyer Friday group greeted by a crisp North wind. We set up an indented triple water series. The go bird landed at 160 yards, middle "short" bird at 140 yards with the gunner retired, and the last mark at 200 yards with a standout gun. Stellar's Black Jack "Blackie" and Stellar's Sunny Ray picked it up clean but the rest of the truck and the amateur's dogs all found elements to train with this setup.

Two marks required crossing a wide point and the go bird was a swim past the same point. Long exit lines from the tank to the marks gave the dogs plenty of time to declare their line. It was a meaty setup for the big dogs and the freshman retrievers ran the marks over the point as singles!

Our afternoon land setup was another generalization of the indented concept. Go bird on the left at 110 yards, indented retired mark at 140 yards, and the flyer out at 180. The dogs all had a great time stomping this setup with the youngsters running the three marks as singles. As expected, many had a hard time resisting the siren song of the stand out flyer station and had to be called back or handled to the short retired bird. The weather stayed cool with a few sprinkles of rain. It was a great day!

Thanks to Bruce Bachert, Marty Thompson, and John Blackbird for helping out!

Idgie x Willie Puppy Update

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-08T09:14:24-05:00

I wanted to share a sweet snapshot of Idgie nursing the little pups and let everyone know that two little black dogs are spoken for already. As you can see, they are all good ol'black dogs, but they are tiny little packages at just over a week old. Check back with my blog to see future updates and photos as the puppies get to romping around.
-Jack-

Flyer Friday - Hip Pockets and Wipe Out Birds

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-04-03T19:49:15-05:00

The morning started out brisk in the low fifties and with the dog truck loaded, we made our way to Blackwater South to run a land setup and water singles. We agreed to run a tough morning setup involving a technical single thrown into a distant drainage slough and a hip pocket with the short flyer thrown as a "wipeout".

The wipeout bird on the hip pocket proved to be a tough task for most of the truck and the dogs gave all the handlers opportunity to teach. It was a great way to start the day and we then moved over to the technical pond to throw a water double with long exits to the marks. Once again, all the dogs were challenged on their line to the mark and this kept us all on our toes!

The morning light was so nice that I whipped out my camera and snapped a few photos. I threw together a gallery of today's land setup and some of the usual suspects working the marks. Photos of Blackie, Ranger, Mary Tatum's Bonnie, Leslie Vieau's Echo, and others can be viewed here: www.mightydogphoto.com

Special thanks to Bruce Bachert and Sean Hale for throwing birds with us!

-Mike Meek-

Thanks Jack...

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-03-30T21:42:46-05:00

Hi Jack,
Thanks, and thanks so much for Echo’s training and passes at Big D!
Leslie V.

Idgie Puppies have Arrived!

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-03-30T21:44:07-05:00

That's right! Nine little pups! Seven females and two males are now on the ground and Idgie is working hard to raise them right. Lots of nursing for these tiny little pups. Bred from Willie, the 2008 National Field Champion, we are excited to get these dogs up and running. If you would be interested in one of these finely bred dogs, give me a call.

-Jack-

Stellar Retrievers and the Big D HRC Double Master

www.mightydogphoto.com — 2009-03-30T21:41:59-05:00

I loaded up the truck and headed up to Dallas this weekend for the Big D HRC Double Master hunt test. Four dogs ran the event and we had a long weekend of retired marks and double blinds. Ribbons came home with Bonnie and Echo-both really great Chocolate Labs. On top of that, Echo, owned by Leslie Vieau, qualified for the Master National event with this Master pass, and so did Dr. Mary Tatum's Bonnie! Congrats go out to both owners for the great work from their dogs! In Junior, Chili pounded out two Junior passes to finish out his Junior Hunter title! All things told, it was a windy weekend with great results from the crew!

-Jack-