The term "broke dog" is used pretty freely these days. Unfortunately, many don't realize where the term "broke" comes from.
In the old days, a dog was truly broke, it's spirit often broken in forcing subservience to it's handler. The dog's that could accept this treatment thrived and won, the dog's that couldn't, passed to the great beyond.
Harsh treatment is still commonly used to break a dog. Often because of time constraints. It just takes longer to "naturally" break a dog. But, I believe that the results are well worth the extra time and effort!
The average dog will show much more desire, ability, animation, and, love for it's work, after using a more natural breaking process.
Give the pupil enough birds, enough time, and firm and consistent, but also loving, direction, and we are rewarded with a truly natural and spontaneous partner in the field...
And, isn't that what we're all striving for?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
A Thank You
I'd like to sincerely thank everyone for participating and their positive comments. It certainly means alot to me to get the thoughts of so many friends....
Again, Thank you
Again, Thank you
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
One on one with the Black Dog
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It was a beautiful day here yesterday, and I decided to spend a little "alone time" with my Gordon, Holly. The spot we planned to hit holds woodcock in the fall... One of the few places left that haven't been filled and turned into more useless and unnecessary shopping areas. This area is also abutted by little used roadways, but, they're used enough that I couldn't bring Sandy, the big running and hardheaded, English Setter. I just could not assure her safety in this area.
We had a great day. Found no woodcock passin' through, but, it was good exercise for us both. She got to swim a few laps, and run the woods.. I got to behold her beauty and untapped potential..
C'mon Fall.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tick Talk
It's that time of year. Actually, even on warm winter days, ticks can, and will, become active. We've dealt with ticks here our entire lives. As a child, we thought they dropped from the trees in the woods. But, we only had to deal with dog ticks then.
Years later, the deer ticks invaded. Deer ticks are now much more prevalent than the much easier to deal with dog ticks.
Now, a new menace in the vicious Lone Star tick. When they first arrived, we thought they were chiggers. Those of us who frequented the woods in certain areas, were being attacked around the lower legs by something. The itching would last for weeks, and the scars for months.
We have now come to know that these maladies were the result of Lone Star ticks, a new arrival to New York.
Many folks believe that they came up from the South on the turkeys that were reintroduced to Long Island. The timetable does appear to lead credence to that theory.
Here's more info on the Lone Star
Lone Star tick migrates to Long Island
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
An aggressive type of tick known as the Lone Star is raising new concerns about Lyme disease on Long Island, N.Y.
New York state health officials say the Lone Star, which migrated from the southeastern United States, has gained a foothold in parks and woodlands and is increasing in numbers, Newsday reports.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Lone Star is more dangerous than deer ticks because it can detect a host, including humans, at a distance. Deer ticks wait for direct contact to attach to a host.
In recent years thousands of people have contracted Lyme disease on Long Island.
The bacterial infection is most often carried by ticks and can have long-term, devastating effects.
Although it can be cured with antibiotics, health officials say Lyme disease is often overlooked or misdiagnosed due to the small size of tick bites and the similarity between its symptoms and those of other illnesses.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Years later, the deer ticks invaded. Deer ticks are now much more prevalent than the much easier to deal with dog ticks.
Now, a new menace in the vicious Lone Star tick. When they first arrived, we thought they were chiggers. Those of us who frequented the woods in certain areas, were being attacked around the lower legs by something. The itching would last for weeks, and the scars for months.
We have now come to know that these maladies were the result of Lone Star ticks, a new arrival to New York.
Many folks believe that they came up from the South on the turkeys that were reintroduced to Long Island. The timetable does appear to lead credence to that theory.
Here's more info on the Lone Star
Lone Star tick migrates to Long Island
Sponsored Links (Ads by Google)
An aggressive type of tick known as the Lone Star is raising new concerns about Lyme disease on Long Island, N.Y.
New York state health officials say the Lone Star, which migrated from the southeastern United States, has gained a foothold in parks and woodlands and is increasing in numbers, Newsday reports.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Lone Star is more dangerous than deer ticks because it can detect a host, including humans, at a distance. Deer ticks wait for direct contact to attach to a host.
In recent years thousands of people have contracted Lyme disease on Long Island.
The bacterial infection is most often carried by ticks and can have long-term, devastating effects.
Although it can be cured with antibiotics, health officials say Lyme disease is often overlooked or misdiagnosed due to the small size of tick bites and the similarity between its symptoms and those of other illnesses.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Monday, March 10, 2008
On a sad note...
The great English Setter, "Clark's Black Copper", was recently euthanized due to failing health. Blackie did it all for his owners in the Field... One of the great Setters of all time, sire of Stone Tavern Matrix, as well as countless other Field Champions. He will be missed by all who came to know and love him...
Godspeed, Blackie
A bit of History
It was in 1842 that two Gordon Setters were imported by George W. Blunt. These dogs came directly from the Dukes Gordon Castle kennels. Their names were "Rake" and "Rachael". Rachael was presented to Daniel Webster as a gift.
During this period, the other Setter breeds were also being imported, and, most Americans considered all three breeds as one and the same. Just different color variations of the same Setter breed..
Evidence shows that the practice of interbreeding the Setter breeds continued into the 1920's. Some time later, more emphasis was placed upon keeping the lines pure for the three Setter breeds.
Are today's practices good for the breeds??? Or, a recipe for disaster??
During this period, the other Setter breeds were also being imported, and, most Americans considered all three breeds as one and the same. Just different color variations of the same Setter breed..
Evidence shows that the practice of interbreeding the Setter breeds continued into the 1920's. Some time later, more emphasis was placed upon keeping the lines pure for the three Setter breeds.
Are today's practices good for the breeds??? Or, a recipe for disaster??
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Very well done Bill!
Bill, you did a great job on creating this blog! Not that I have any experience as this is the first blog I've visited but the content is very informative on a subject we all love. Dogs and men who love dogs. Super!
Lars
Lars
A Dedication to a Setter Man of the first order..
Dartmouth’s
Rugby Clubhouse
Worth the Wait
By Jack Degange
Corey Ford, who died more than 35 years ago, would be pleased. For several hundred Dartmouth rugby alumni and players who have survived about 20 years of off-field trying, their vision of the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse is a reality.
Designed by architect Randall Mudge and built over the past 15 months by Trumbull-Nelson, the Corey Ford Clubhouse gives Dartmouth rugby players a place they finally can call “home,” a facility that is unmatched in the spectrum of collegiate athletics.
Located less than a mile north of the Dartmouth College campus, the 6,000-square foot clubhouse nestles into a slope of the former Garipay Farm property (now owned by Dartmouth). The clubhouse is destined to be one of Dartmouth’s distinctive buildings. It may be the only rugby clubhouse in the world designed to provide symmetrical, unified facilities that serve men and women.
The Corey Ford Clubhouse gives Dartmouth rugby players a place they finally can call “home,” a facility that is unmatched in the spectrum of collegiate athletics.
The clubhouse is a story of ultimate collaboration involving the College and hundreds of Dartmouth rugby players and parents, including over a dozen leadership donors. It’s also the culmination of years of scrumming, beginning in the mid-1980s. The circuitous route that brought the clubhouse back to its originally intended site included legal action by concerned neighbors in Hanover, the machinations of municipal planning review when the clubhouse seemed destined to be part of a residential-recreation complex proposed by the College at Sachem Field, south of Hanover in Lebanon, N.H., and a Hanover-Dartmouth transaction involving the Garipay property that didn’t happen.
Rugby is an independent, self-supporting club sport at Dartmouth, not one of the College’s 34 intercollegiate teams for men and women. At Dartmouth, football (the American version) evolved from the English game of rugby about 130 years ago. As football grew, rugby disappeared until the DRFC was established in 1951. The Dartmouth Women’s Rugby Club (DWRC) was formed in the late 1970s.
That was also the year that Corey Ford, a Columbia University graduate and noted author, moved to Hanover. It’s uncertain whether Ford adopted the DRFC or vice versa but the story of the rugby clubhouse begins with Mr. Ford.
His home on North Balch Street, near the campus and the playing fields, became the unofficial Dartmouth rugby clubhouse. Ford once wrote, “My own playing experience is limited to a few scrums in the New York subway at rush hour. I am hailed as ‘Coach’ for want of a better title. In the locker room before a match I sit in owlish silence, sucking on my pipe and occasionally nodding my head up and down sagely. I’ve heard the team has a secret maneuver called the Corey Ford play. I haven’t the foggiest idea what it is, and nobody will tell me.”
Ford also saw rugby, with its fundamentally amateur atmosphere, as the answer to creeping professionalism in college athletics. When he died in 1969, his estate included a bequest to Dartmouth designated for the support of rugby. That included the intention for a permanent rugby clubhouse.
Over the years, the sport has flourished to include the Dartmouth women’s rugby team, now over 25 years old. The two programs, men and women, rank with the best teams in the nation. Each has won Ivy League and New England championships and competed in national tournaments. Each spring since 1951, with one exception, the Dartmouth men have made annual tours against national and international opponents. The women’s teams have made similar tours for about 20 years.
Concurrently, the Dartmouth rugby endowment, built from Ford’s original gift, has grown through subsequent fund raising. After being shuttled from site to site, the Corey Ford Clubhouse seemed a reasonable expectation for an organization that did all it was asked to do. About two years ago, Dartmouth President James Wright said, in essence, “Enough. It’s time for this to happen.”
Benefiting from President Wright’s support, the clubhouse returned to the originally planned site. Ground was broken for the building in May 2004. Over the past year, though the construction schedule was plagued in its early stages by uncooperative weather, Trumbull-Nelson’s team has brought the project to fruition.
The building sits in a landscaped bank that creates a natural amphitheater overlooking George Brophy ’56 Field to the south, an emerald expanse that incorporates a state-of-the art irrigation and drainage system and is the competition site. The companion George (Skip) Battle ’66 Field, on the north side of the clubhouse near Reservoir Road, is a pitch where B- and C-side matches will be played and teams will practice.
The overall site is positioned in a hollow, a setting that capitalizes on the beauty of nearby Balch hill to the east and woods on two sides of Brophy Field.
The main level of the clubhouse commemorates the sport’s tradition at Dartmouth. Paneled trophy rooms and a kitchen-serving area flank the Deevy Room, given in memory of Bill Deevy ’47 by his three Dartmouth sons. This large, central area, crowned by a vaulted ceiling and elevated panels where shirts from historic games will be mounted, will be the setting for post-game receptions and other events.
There’s a dramatic stone fireplace and balcony at one end of the Deevy Room. At the opposite end, a glass wall looks onto the John Kilmartin ’75 Deck that provides spectators with an elevated vantage point to watch matches on Brophy Field.
Changing rooms for Dartmouth teams and opponents surround a trainer’s room on the Brophy Field level. A challenge gift by Kelly Fowler Hunter ’83, one of the earliest members of the women’s team, was instrumental among naming gifts for this area of the clubhouse.
And a remarkable, distinctive building it is. The exterior, with its eye-catching western red cedar shingles is accented by the forest green paint on shutters and the forged metal railing that curves around the Kilmartin Deck.
Integrated into the paneling immediately inside the main entrance that has a granite floor, a large granite tablet is inscribed with the names of 400 donors. Many of them were among more than 500 guests who descended on Hanover in late September for a dedication weekend that included alumni games (for women and men who are willing). The Dartmouth women’s A side played Harvard in the first match on Brophy Field, followed by the men’s A side against Army.
As impressive as the tablet recognizing the generosity of the Dartmouth rugby family is another tribute that honors the genesis of this building.
Centered in the exterior wall between the doors that provide access from the changing rooms to Brophy Field is a curved granite tablet. In large, carved letters are four words: Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse.
Ford once wrote, “Rugby is strictly a game of the players, by the players, and for the players.” At Dartmouth, the sport isn’t quite so informal as it once was. Thirty-six years since his death, and after more than two decades of struggle as taxing as any scrum, Dartmouth rugby’s men and women, students playing a sport described by Ford as an “athletic stepchild,” finally have a home of their own.
My thoughts...
Corey Ford, author of what has come to be called "The greatest piece of Sporting Literature ever written, "The Road to Tinkhamtown", is also the man owned by his great English Setter, Cider, and his get.
At his death, his beloved Setter purportedly somehow got into his hospital room and laid across Mr. Ford's body. Although the dog went to a good and loving home, the Setter later died of a broken heart...
Rugby Clubhouse
Worth the Wait
By Jack Degange
Corey Ford, who died more than 35 years ago, would be pleased. For several hundred Dartmouth rugby alumni and players who have survived about 20 years of off-field trying, their vision of the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse is a reality.
Designed by architect Randall Mudge and built over the past 15 months by Trumbull-Nelson, the Corey Ford Clubhouse gives Dartmouth rugby players a place they finally can call “home,” a facility that is unmatched in the spectrum of collegiate athletics.
Located less than a mile north of the Dartmouth College campus, the 6,000-square foot clubhouse nestles into a slope of the former Garipay Farm property (now owned by Dartmouth). The clubhouse is destined to be one of Dartmouth’s distinctive buildings. It may be the only rugby clubhouse in the world designed to provide symmetrical, unified facilities that serve men and women.
The Corey Ford Clubhouse gives Dartmouth rugby players a place they finally can call “home,” a facility that is unmatched in the spectrum of collegiate athletics.
The clubhouse is a story of ultimate collaboration involving the College and hundreds of Dartmouth rugby players and parents, including over a dozen leadership donors. It’s also the culmination of years of scrumming, beginning in the mid-1980s. The circuitous route that brought the clubhouse back to its originally intended site included legal action by concerned neighbors in Hanover, the machinations of municipal planning review when the clubhouse seemed destined to be part of a residential-recreation complex proposed by the College at Sachem Field, south of Hanover in Lebanon, N.H., and a Hanover-Dartmouth transaction involving the Garipay property that didn’t happen.
Rugby is an independent, self-supporting club sport at Dartmouth, not one of the College’s 34 intercollegiate teams for men and women. At Dartmouth, football (the American version) evolved from the English game of rugby about 130 years ago. As football grew, rugby disappeared until the DRFC was established in 1951. The Dartmouth Women’s Rugby Club (DWRC) was formed in the late 1970s.
That was also the year that Corey Ford, a Columbia University graduate and noted author, moved to Hanover. It’s uncertain whether Ford adopted the DRFC or vice versa but the story of the rugby clubhouse begins with Mr. Ford.
His home on North Balch Street, near the campus and the playing fields, became the unofficial Dartmouth rugby clubhouse. Ford once wrote, “My own playing experience is limited to a few scrums in the New York subway at rush hour. I am hailed as ‘Coach’ for want of a better title. In the locker room before a match I sit in owlish silence, sucking on my pipe and occasionally nodding my head up and down sagely. I’ve heard the team has a secret maneuver called the Corey Ford play. I haven’t the foggiest idea what it is, and nobody will tell me.”
Ford also saw rugby, with its fundamentally amateur atmosphere, as the answer to creeping professionalism in college athletics. When he died in 1969, his estate included a bequest to Dartmouth designated for the support of rugby. That included the intention for a permanent rugby clubhouse.
Over the years, the sport has flourished to include the Dartmouth women’s rugby team, now over 25 years old. The two programs, men and women, rank with the best teams in the nation. Each has won Ivy League and New England championships and competed in national tournaments. Each spring since 1951, with one exception, the Dartmouth men have made annual tours against national and international opponents. The women’s teams have made similar tours for about 20 years.
Concurrently, the Dartmouth rugby endowment, built from Ford’s original gift, has grown through subsequent fund raising. After being shuttled from site to site, the Corey Ford Clubhouse seemed a reasonable expectation for an organization that did all it was asked to do. About two years ago, Dartmouth President James Wright said, in essence, “Enough. It’s time for this to happen.”
Benefiting from President Wright’s support, the clubhouse returned to the originally planned site. Ground was broken for the building in May 2004. Over the past year, though the construction schedule was plagued in its early stages by uncooperative weather, Trumbull-Nelson’s team has brought the project to fruition.
The building sits in a landscaped bank that creates a natural amphitheater overlooking George Brophy ’56 Field to the south, an emerald expanse that incorporates a state-of-the art irrigation and drainage system and is the competition site. The companion George (Skip) Battle ’66 Field, on the north side of the clubhouse near Reservoir Road, is a pitch where B- and C-side matches will be played and teams will practice.
The overall site is positioned in a hollow, a setting that capitalizes on the beauty of nearby Balch hill to the east and woods on two sides of Brophy Field.
The main level of the clubhouse commemorates the sport’s tradition at Dartmouth. Paneled trophy rooms and a kitchen-serving area flank the Deevy Room, given in memory of Bill Deevy ’47 by his three Dartmouth sons. This large, central area, crowned by a vaulted ceiling and elevated panels where shirts from historic games will be mounted, will be the setting for post-game receptions and other events.
There’s a dramatic stone fireplace and balcony at one end of the Deevy Room. At the opposite end, a glass wall looks onto the John Kilmartin ’75 Deck that provides spectators with an elevated vantage point to watch matches on Brophy Field.
Changing rooms for Dartmouth teams and opponents surround a trainer’s room on the Brophy Field level. A challenge gift by Kelly Fowler Hunter ’83, one of the earliest members of the women’s team, was instrumental among naming gifts for this area of the clubhouse.
And a remarkable, distinctive building it is. The exterior, with its eye-catching western red cedar shingles is accented by the forest green paint on shutters and the forged metal railing that curves around the Kilmartin Deck.
Integrated into the paneling immediately inside the main entrance that has a granite floor, a large granite tablet is inscribed with the names of 400 donors. Many of them were among more than 500 guests who descended on Hanover in late September for a dedication weekend that included alumni games (for women and men who are willing). The Dartmouth women’s A side played Harvard in the first match on Brophy Field, followed by the men’s A side against Army.
As impressive as the tablet recognizing the generosity of the Dartmouth rugby family is another tribute that honors the genesis of this building.
Centered in the exterior wall between the doors that provide access from the changing rooms to Brophy Field is a curved granite tablet. In large, carved letters are four words: Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse.
Ford once wrote, “Rugby is strictly a game of the players, by the players, and for the players.” At Dartmouth, the sport isn’t quite so informal as it once was. Thirty-six years since his death, and after more than two decades of struggle as taxing as any scrum, Dartmouth rugby’s men and women, students playing a sport described by Ford as an “athletic stepchild,” finally have a home of their own.
My thoughts...
Corey Ford, author of what has come to be called "The greatest piece of Sporting Literature ever written, "The Road to Tinkhamtown", is also the man owned by his great English Setter, Cider, and his get.
At his death, his beloved Setter purportedly somehow got into his hospital room and laid across Mr. Ford's body. Although the dog went to a good and loving home, the Setter later died of a broken heart...
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Alexander, the Fourth Duke of Gordon
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni
Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon (1743 - 1827)
1764
Alexander Gordon, who became the 4th Duke of Gordon at the age of nine, went on a Grand Tour of Europe to complete his education. This portrait of him was painted in Rome by Batoni, the fashionable portrait painter popular with the British aristocracy in Italy. Usually Batoni's Grand Tour portraits make references to the antiquities of Rome, but here he has emphasised Gordon's passion for hunting. The young duke was not particularly interested in the ancient sites or classical learning.
My thoughts..
Alexander was the Scottish nobleman credited with developing the Gordon Setter as a distinct breed. The Castle's kennels, however, kept many dogs that today would be unrecognizable as Gordons. Many colors abounded, as the Duke obviously had little interest in "setting type". The breed, at that time, was a fluid mix of dogs and desired qualities. Bloodhound contributed to the Gordon's superb scenting abilities. It is thought that Collie blood was also part of the mix.. An eclectic breed, indeed!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Bill Brown speaks...
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and, when he does, people should listen! A quote....
"History discloses that the great gundogs come from dynamic, aggressive, prepotent individuals. Without these brilliant, scintillating, spectacular, hard driving, independent performers, consumed with a passion for finding birds, evincing unquestionable fire in the quest, needing restraint rather than encouragement, the splendid shooting dogs of the current era could not have been bred and developed."
Pictured is my "Pocket Rocket" Holly, working an edge...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
A "must read" for Gordon Owners.
THE Bible for Gordon owners, and other Pointing dog folks also.
This book by Norm and Suzanne Sorby tell's all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Written by the gentleman who virtually single handedly brought the Field Gordon back from the brink of being lost to bird work, and the darling of the show ring.
Training tips, breeding parameters, the strengths, the weaknesses. It's all here.
I've got one of the first copies, but, it's currently in reprint. Go to Springset. com to order..
http://www.springset.com/
A little humor
"People injured or killed in the Michigan firearms deer season, include a Bay City man shot in the leg while trying to photograph his dog holding a rifle, which accidentally went off"
from "The Darwin Awards"...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Nice place to hang out!
Thanks for inviting me, Bill! From the short list of names I only see good folks whom I've come to respect from the other boards. BTW, I'm Mike Krol. Why the heck I chose a different handle for this board, I don't know... must be the Polish in me shining through. I look forward to sharing stories and thoughts with my compadres over here!
More thoughts on Breeding
This shamelessly lifted from the Terrierman site, and modified in content to apply to the Gordon Setter.
Working Dogs are working dogs.. regardless if they are working fur or feather. And, the same techniques apply to breeding both, and, working dogs in general....
Of the thousands of Gordon setter owners in the United States, most do not breed dogs, and that is a good thing. I am not particularly enammored with those that do, as most have no idea of what they are doing, do not work their dogs at all, and essentially treat the whole thing as a lark -- or a way to move up in the "pecking order" of the show-ring community. Breeding dogs is not a sport, and if you are not working your dogs a lot, please do not tell me you are breeding working dogs or have the slightest idea of what is needed in a working dog. In fact, when it comes to working Gordon setters, you are probably the problem! You are the reason the dogs are getting too big, do not have good noses, and are (increasingly) stupid, especially when it comes to bird intelligence. Please, do NOT confuse the Junior Hunt test with real work. The fact that a dog can run 50 ft., flash point a planted quail 6 inches in front of its nose does not mean you have a dog worth breeding! I am happy that you are at least doing something with the dog, but this is the most minimum of beginnings. If you were looking to breed a running horse, surely you would ask more than an ability to trot?? The idea that most show-ring Gordon setters are a load on the gene pool of their breed is so alien to the average breeder that they do not understand the words, much less the phrase. If a dog looks fine it is fine -- never mind that it does not use its nose, has no gait, cannot work a running pheasant, and has enough feathering to choke a horse! Never mind that the breeder is a man or woman with so little mucle tone he/she could not plant a dozen tulip bulbs, much less go on a four to eight hour hunt in prime pheasant or grouse country! In the world of Gordon setters, the end result of such selection and breeding are the over-large, brain-befogged dogs we see in the show ring today. Their owners do not take them hunting or trialing (much less anything else), but they will tell you they are great at barking at song birds outside the picture window! Doing it wrong (and lying to yourself) is simply too easy, while doing it right demands a ferocious level of sustained committment.
Working Dogs are working dogs.. regardless if they are working fur or feather. And, the same techniques apply to breeding both, and, working dogs in general....
Of the thousands of Gordon setter owners in the United States, most do not breed dogs, and that is a good thing. I am not particularly enammored with those that do, as most have no idea of what they are doing, do not work their dogs at all, and essentially treat the whole thing as a lark -- or a way to move up in the "pecking order" of the show-ring community. Breeding dogs is not a sport, and if you are not working your dogs a lot, please do not tell me you are breeding working dogs or have the slightest idea of what is needed in a working dog. In fact, when it comes to working Gordon setters, you are probably the problem! You are the reason the dogs are getting too big, do not have good noses, and are (increasingly) stupid, especially when it comes to bird intelligence. Please, do NOT confuse the Junior Hunt test with real work. The fact that a dog can run 50 ft., flash point a planted quail 6 inches in front of its nose does not mean you have a dog worth breeding! I am happy that you are at least doing something with the dog, but this is the most minimum of beginnings. If you were looking to breed a running horse, surely you would ask more than an ability to trot?? The idea that most show-ring Gordon setters are a load on the gene pool of their breed is so alien to the average breeder that they do not understand the words, much less the phrase. If a dog looks fine it is fine -- never mind that it does not use its nose, has no gait, cannot work a running pheasant, and has enough feathering to choke a horse! Never mind that the breeder is a man or woman with so little mucle tone he/she could not plant a dozen tulip bulbs, much less go on a four to eight hour hunt in prime pheasant or grouse country! In the world of Gordon setters, the end result of such selection and breeding are the over-large, brain-befogged dogs we see in the show ring today. Their owners do not take them hunting or trialing (much less anything else), but they will tell you they are great at barking at song birds outside the picture window! Doing it wrong (and lying to yourself) is simply too easy, while doing it right demands a ferocious level of sustained committment.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Gold Standard
Show Breeders take note!!
This standard has been changed to call for a larger and larger, and less "performance oriented" dog, on more than one occasion...
The Standard of the Breed, from 1935.
DESCRIPTION AND STANDARD OF POINTS
(By Courtesy of the Gordon Setter Club of America)
1935
General Impression. – A stylish, rather racy built, medium size, muscular dog of clean setter type, usual length legs and of symmetrical conformation throughout. Strong fairly short back and short tail, a fine head, clearly lined, intelligent expression, clear colors and straight or slightly waved coat.
Size. – Should height for males 22 inches to 25 inches; for females, 21 inches to 24 inches.
Head. – Deep rather than broad with plenty of brain room, nicely rounded good-sized skull, broadest between the ears. The head should have a clearly indicated stop. Below and above the eyes should be lean and the cheek as narrow as the leanness of the head allows. The muzzle fairly long with almost parallel lines and not pointed either as seen from above or from the side. The flews not pendulous but with clearly indicated lips. The nose big, broad with open nostrils and of black color.
Eyes. – Of fair size, neither too dep set nor too bulging, dark brown, bright and wise.
Ears. – Set low on the head, fairly large and thin.
Neck. – Long, lean, arched to the head and without throatiness.
Shoulders. – Long shoulder blades, lying close to the chest and not going above the back line of the neck.
Chest. – Deep and not too broad in front; the ribs well spring leaving plenty of lung room.
Forelegs – Big boned, straight not bowed either in or out with elbows free, well let down and not inclined either in or out.
Hindlegs. – The hindlegs from hip to hock should be long, flat and muscular, from hock to heel short and strong. The stifle and hock joints well bent, and not inclined either in or out.
Feet. – Both fore and hind feet should have close knit, well-arched toes with plenty of hair between with full toe pads and deep heel cushions.
Tail. – Short and should not reach below the hocks, carried horizontal or nearly so, thick at the root and finishing in a fine point. The feather, which starts near the root of the tail should be straight, have a three-square appearance, growing shorter uniformly toward the end.
Coat. – Should be soft and shining, resembling silk, straight or slightly waved but not curly, with long hair on ears, under the stomach and on chest, on back of the fore and hindlegs down to the feet.
Color and Markings. – Deep, shining, coal black with tan markings, either of rich chestnut or mahogany red color. The tan should be shining and not dull, yellowish nor straw color and not mixed with black hairs. Black penciling allowed on toes. The border lines between black and tan colors should be clearly defined. There should not be any tan hairs mixed in the black.
This standard has been changed to call for a larger and larger, and less "performance oriented" dog, on more than one occasion...
The Standard of the Breed, from 1935.
DESCRIPTION AND STANDARD OF POINTS
(By Courtesy of the Gordon Setter Club of America)
1935
General Impression. – A stylish, rather racy built, medium size, muscular dog of clean setter type, usual length legs and of symmetrical conformation throughout. Strong fairly short back and short tail, a fine head, clearly lined, intelligent expression, clear colors and straight or slightly waved coat.
Size. – Should height for males 22 inches to 25 inches; for females, 21 inches to 24 inches.
Head. – Deep rather than broad with plenty of brain room, nicely rounded good-sized skull, broadest between the ears. The head should have a clearly indicated stop. Below and above the eyes should be lean and the cheek as narrow as the leanness of the head allows. The muzzle fairly long with almost parallel lines and not pointed either as seen from above or from the side. The flews not pendulous but with clearly indicated lips. The nose big, broad with open nostrils and of black color.
Eyes. – Of fair size, neither too dep set nor too bulging, dark brown, bright and wise.
Ears. – Set low on the head, fairly large and thin.
Neck. – Long, lean, arched to the head and without throatiness.
Shoulders. – Long shoulder blades, lying close to the chest and not going above the back line of the neck.
Chest. – Deep and not too broad in front; the ribs well spring leaving plenty of lung room.
Forelegs – Big boned, straight not bowed either in or out with elbows free, well let down and not inclined either in or out.
Hindlegs. – The hindlegs from hip to hock should be long, flat and muscular, from hock to heel short and strong. The stifle and hock joints well bent, and not inclined either in or out.
Feet. – Both fore and hind feet should have close knit, well-arched toes with plenty of hair between with full toe pads and deep heel cushions.
Tail. – Short and should not reach below the hocks, carried horizontal or nearly so, thick at the root and finishing in a fine point. The feather, which starts near the root of the tail should be straight, have a three-square appearance, growing shorter uniformly toward the end.
Coat. – Should be soft and shining, resembling silk, straight or slightly waved but not curly, with long hair on ears, under the stomach and on chest, on back of the fore and hindlegs down to the feet.
Color and Markings. – Deep, shining, coal black with tan markings, either of rich chestnut or mahogany red color. The tan should be shining and not dull, yellowish nor straw color and not mixed with black hairs. Black penciling allowed on toes. The border lines between black and tan colors should be clearly defined. There should not be any tan hairs mixed in the black.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Good News
A bit of good news on the home front.
My orthopedic Doc released me this morning for any activities I'd like with my right shoulder. For those that don't know, on August 30 of 2007, I fell and fracured and dislocated it. It caused me to lose an entire season of gunning, but, not working with my dogs..
It will be nice to pick up a gun with the intention of actually shooting it again!
My orthopedic Doc released me this morning for any activities I'd like with my right shoulder. For those that don't know, on August 30 of 2007, I fell and fracured and dislocated it. It caused me to lose an entire season of gunning, but, not working with my dogs..
It will be nice to pick up a gun with the intention of actually shooting it again!
Belmor dogs appear again!
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Here's the late Joel Morris, with whom I think is Sis, or Belmor's Sis. To the left of him is Frank Henderson, of Calico fame, when he still had his eyes open.. i.e. Pre English Pointer days..
Standing, back left, is a young Jim D'Amico, commonly known as the "Guru of Gordons"
This photo is from the early Seventies, at Southaven Park FT grounds on Long Island..
Thanks for providing this, Bill
A nice place to chat with like-minded folks.
Good start to an ego-free zone.
It's good to have no king.
Good start to an ego-free zone.
It's good to have no king.
More from the archives...
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Heres a picture of Belmor's Pretty Belle backing Belmor's Knight. This picture was taken as it happened.. No tails were stroked up, and the dogs were not set up in any way...
This is what Gordons are all about!
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