GSPIN
Newsletter
of
The German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Indiana
President’s Message by Charlie Edwards
Howdy, everybody and what a great spring it is turning out to be….if my hay fever will ever subside!! We just concluded our very successful spring hunt tests and I just want to thank everyone once again for all their hard work in conducting these events, in particular Char Rutar, Becky Feigh (especially Rick Feigh, the grillmeister!), Larry Sowinski, Jason Barile, Ron Ferris, Larry Harris, Dave Bertram, Chris Snyder and anyone else whose names I may have missed. We all should offer individual thank-yous to Char for her diligent work as hunt test secretary. It is a LOT of work to fill out all the paperwork required by the AKC and to make sure everyone receives his or her awards correctly and to be isolated in the clubhouse on such beautiful days. The weather overall was kind to us although it started out a little dicey on Saturday. Sunday was absolutely beautiful. Now if the weather had been bad, Char may not have complained to have to stay in where it would be warm and dry. There were many of the hunt test participants that stopped at the clubhouse to tell us how much they enjoyed our hunt tests this time. Our judges, Jeff Englesman, Cassie Allen and Rob & Cheryl Smith were all complimented for their judging. I so very much appreciate everyone’s efforts in putting on an event without disputes and discord. These outings are supposed to be fun and a great way to spend our leisure time with our dogs. I can only hope all future GSPCI events come off as well. We had several new members join the club and several people participated in hunt tests for the first time. One newcomer, Ronnie Knox, and his brace mate had their junior dogs both score perfect 10’s!! What a great way to get started.
We had our booth at the Boat, Sport and Travel show at the Indianapolis Fairgrounds in February and we made many new friends. This time, however, we spent a lot of time educating the public about what German Shorthairs are really like since Carlee had just won Best In Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. It is great that our breed got some good publicity but it is important that the general public understands the GSP may not be the right dog for everyone just because they look really cool. We don’t need any more dogs turning up in rescue or at the shelters than there already are. There are plenty of irresponsible breeders out there who will be happy to try and profit from Carlee’s good fortunes and we will all be burdened with unwanted pets when they turn out to be more than their owners can handle. Andy Giegold and Ron Ferris again put on some great bird dog demonstrations for the show attendees. Very impressive work and it is a credit to them both for how well their dogs perform in difficult circumstances. My thanks to everyone who helped man the booth over the ten-day show and thanks to Phil Rutar and Larry Sowinski for getting everything set up.
We have more activities coming up and as we get the details worked out, we will try to contact you either through another newsletter or at least by posting information on our web page, www.gspcindiana.org. Lisa Stovall is doing a great job keeping it current and it was really helpful for disseminating information and entry forms for the hunt tests. The only challenge is educating everyone to keep checking it as it gets updated. The running order was posted in plenty of time but I still had calls from panicky entrants. It was very handy because I just printed the brace sheets off the web page.
On a personal note, I am really excited because there are a lot of really nice young dogs from several litters bred (one of whom I own) or sired by our members’ dogs that will be starting to participate in our events so the possibilities are limitless. That is what keeps us going and helps keep us feeling young and energized. I hope you share my excitement and maybe I will see you out there somewhere at the shows or field events.
Membership List
A current membership list is attached to this newsletter. Please forward any additions or corrections to our Secretary, Becky Feigh.
Boat, Sport & Travel Show by Phil Rutar
February 18th through the 26th we had our usual booth at the Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show. Renfro Productions graciously gives us our booth at no charge; but since there is no such thing as a free lunch, during the first weekend our club is obligated to present several dog demonstration programs featuring GSPs. This forum gives our club a unique opportunity to introduce ourselves and our dogs, and to help educate the public about GSPs and their training. As BS&TS’s go, the Indianapolis show is considered a major and is one of the largest in the country.
As in previous years the first three days our booth was located at the demonstration area in the Deer and Turkey Expo. We presented two programs, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. The heavy lifting for these was done by Ron Ferris and Andy Giegold. Ron typically began the program by giving a talk describing the breed and its history, and introducing the dogs used in the demonstration. Andy then used a puppy to demonstrate an effective method of teaching a pup the all important heal, here, and whoa commands. He used my brilliant 4-month old pup in his demonstration which made his job a lot easier (editorial comment). This was followed by a demonstration of pointing, honoring, and retrieving using more experienced dogs. Andy is a very accomplished professional trainer who uses soft training techniques, and is a trainer I would readily recommend. At the Sunday program Ron and Andy were joined by Tim and Casie Conley. Casie focused on junior showmanship and Tim used his dog in a retrieving demonstration that was truly amazing – he had the dog retrieve a 20 lb. dumbbell. You had to see it to believe it. Both of the demonstrations were very well attended. On Saturday all the bleachers were filled and people were standing 5 or 6 deep around the area. This was the first time I had seen the program Ron and Andy had put together, and I felt our club could be proud of the presentations.
On Sunday evening we moved the booth to Tackle Town for the remainder of the show. I have been involved in our BS&TS efforts for a number of years and without a doubt, this year we had more club participation than ever before. I would like to thank the many club members who manned the booth.
Club Picnic by Phil Rutar
Our annual picnic and meeting will be held on Saturday, June 12th at the Glenn’s Valley Conservation Club. The GSPCI will provide sandwich fixings (hamburgers, brats, hotdogs, and chicken), buns, and soft drinks (Glenn’s Valley does not allow alcohol so don’t bring any). Attendees are asked to bring a dish to pass. Meeting to begin at 11:00 AM followed by picnic and water tests. We would like to have some idea of how many people plan to attend, so please let Becky Feigh know your intentions. Her phone and email are on the masthead. If you don’t have a reservation, you have to go to the back of the food line.
Besides the water retrieve mock test described below, Andy Giegold has agreed to be available to demonstrate training the all important whoa, heal, and here commands. If you have a pup and are not an accomplished trainer, it would be worth the price of admission to attend.
Club members have expressed a fair amount of interest in the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America’s Water Tests. These allow dogs to earn a water retrieving rating at three levels which can then be permanently associated with the dogs name similar hunting titles. The tests are increasingly more difficult as you move from Novice Retrieving Dog (NRD) to Retrieving Dog (RD) to Retrieving Dog Excellent (RDX). As a fun activity we plan a novice level mock test the day of the picnic. At the novice level a dog is expected to perform a water retrieve. At a real test ducks, game birds, or pigeons are used and shot; we plan to use launchers and retrieving dummies instead. Participating dogs will be judged by club members on how well they met novice requirements. This should be a lot of fun so if your dog likes to swim and retrieve, plan on participating. Contact Ron Ferris for more details.
NRD – Novice Retrieving Dog:
A. Requirements for dogs competing for NRD follow:
1. Water retrieve.
a. Dog is required to retrieve a single dead bird in the water with a minimum swim of 20 yards, a shot will be fired. At a judges’ discretion, a bird drifting more than 40 yards from shore may be declared “out of bounds” and be re-thrown. If a bird is declared out of bounds, the dog should be passed over and another dog run before the former dog returns for judgment. Bird can float out of bounds only one time due to drifting and dog not entering water to complete retrieve.
B. Scoring – All scoring is on a pass/fail basis according to the official result forms.
C. Procedures:
1. A circle of rope, hose, or other material is to be laid out with a radius of six (6’) feet (12’ diameter) clearly defining boundaries. Circle must come no closer than three feet (3’) from water’s edge. Handler must remain within the circle until the retrieve is completed. Dog must deliver bird to circle.
2. No dog may be sent to retrieve until the bird has hit the water and handler has been directed to send dog by judges.
3. Steadiness on line is not required, and dog may be restrained by: 1) holding dog; 2) holding collar; 3) both 1 and 2; and 4) leashing dog.
4. Disqualifications:
a. Hard mouthing (both judges agree bird unfit).
b. Excessive delay of over 2 minutes to enter water
c. Loses interest, wanders around aimlessly.
d. Refuses handlers commands to handle over 6 times.
NRD – Water
----------40 yards maximum----------
----------20 yards minimum----------
Ed Note: Casie wrote the following article for the GSPCA Juniors Bulletin. Since many of us do not qualify for subscriptions to that publication, I got an exclusive advance look for GSPCI members. cr
All for the Love of Dogs!!! by: Casie Cameron Conley
My name is Casie Conley and I am from Knightstown, Indiana. I just turned twelve years old, and I have a heart full of love for dogs. I first started showing dogs in 4-H in 2003. I did very well taking some top honors with our family pet and hunting companion, a GSP, named Miss Molly. I loved the thrill of “showing” my beautiful dog. Showmanship was very exciting for me. I found my love for dogs gave me a special bond with them, in the show ring.
From my 4-H experiences, I then decided to try showing in AKC. At my first AKC event, with Miss Molly, I won a first place in Novice Junior Showmanship, Best of Opposite in the breed ring, and in the B Match, my GSP won Best of Breed, Best of Group, and Best in Show! I was very excited and my love for dogs and for the GSP breed grew even more.
I then decided to breed my dog so that I could hopefully produce a top quality, dual purpose, show/field puppy to train on my very own. At the end of 2003, “Argosy Von MontgomeryCreek”, was born, and I loved him instantly and knew he was going to be awesome in the show ring. I love the idea of being a breeder, owner, and exhibitor of a future CH/MH dog.
In 2004, I continued to show Miss Molly in AKC shows and in 4-H with much success. Just a few days before County and State 4-H competition, my Miss Molly was injured while in pursuit of a bobwhite quail. She had severed her Achilles tendon and would require immediate surgery and much recovery time. With no other choice, I decided to show my 7-month old puppy, Argosy (Molly’s son) in the 4-H competition. With him, I placed first in Junior Showmanship and was also Reserve Grand Champion. I loved Argo so much for doing so well at his young age with very little training. I knew he was ready to move on.
While Miss Molly has been healing from her injury, Argo and I have been working long and hard at show events. I have a goal and dream to qualify for all the big Junior Events with my own dog that I have bred! Over the past few months, Argo has received his AKC JH title, a Best of Winners Major, several AKC points, a Prize 1 (perfect score) in NAVHDA Natural Ability Test, and with him I have placed first in several Open Junior Showmanship competitions. I do love my dogs and all the experiences we are sharing together.
In 2005, I continue to be busy with Argosy in AKC. I also took Miss Molly back into the show ring in February of this year, and received a first place with her in an Open Junior Showmanship competition. It was a very special time for me when I brought her back to the ring after her injury. I loved showing my beautiful, faithful Miss Molly once again.
Along the way, I have been helped and encouraged by so many people. My 4-H leaders, Kelly, Laura, and Staisha Vaught, an AKC judge, Steve Serine, and GSP club of Indiana members, Becky Feigh, Char Rutar, and Dr. Ron Ferris have all influenced me and helped me in many ways. Through it all, my Dad has always helped and guided me and been there for me. Together, we have learned many lessons about dog showing and about life in general. My Mom and brother support me too with all their love. GSP’s and loving dogs is a family affair for us.
My other interests include being involved in church choir, junior high cheerleading, and I am on the honor roll at my intermediate school. I am looking forward to attending the GSP nationals in May of this year and continuing the pursuit of my goals for my dogs. I am in love with dogs and dog showing.
Happenings And Brags
Ron Ferris reports that twenty-two month old Dena Vom Ferronhaus, “Indy” out of his Arko and Dee Dee’s first litter has been kicking bootie on the Tournament Hunt Circuit this spring. She won the 2 year and under division in February at the MENZ Tournament, and at the end of March qualified top ten in both Singles and Doubles division at the Classic Invitational. Indy went on to win the Singles and was on track to win Doubles as well before being disqualified due to a firearms infraction on the part of one of her gunners. This was a hi stakes (i.e. mucho moola) invitation only Tournament attended by several world event winners. It will be televised on cable later this spring. Indy is owned and handled by Bernie Berkinholtz from Wisconsin. She will be featured as an “up and comer” in the nxt issue of Tournament Hunter magazine.
Congratulations to Mike and Lisa Stovall (and The Editor) on their new Champion White River WP AllMale Revue. Chip finished in style with his third major win at the huge Louisville Dog Show cluster in mid-March. Proud parents, all in the GSPCI family, are CH White River Shot of Tobasco, JH owned by the Bariles, and Ch White River Reason to Dance, JH owned by Char Rutar, Becky Feigh and Sarah Barker.
Spring Hunt Test Results
The success of our Spring Hunt Tests has already been described in glowing terms, and I can just echo the kudos for the crew, the weather, the handlers and dogs. We had some unique and special moments: Never in my experience have I seen a dog lock on point on a big crawdad, but that is exactly what happened in a Master brace on Saturday. The thing was of a size it could have been served up at Red Lobster! Everyone experienced a moment of pure pride and joy in the sport when former member Jack Brandt’s weimareiner “Bogie” completed his Senior Hunter title on Sunday. Jack has been experiencing some health problems lately, but that has not deterred him form getting out and working with his dog to get him ready for this accomplishment. Jack has been working the dog off his ATV, oxygen tanks strapped to his back. Sort of dissolves most of the excuses the rest of us might come up with for not spending that quality time honing the inbred skills of our wonderful gun dogs. It was also wonderful to see the community of folks helping Jack with this project. Bogie was handled by his breeder, Chris Grisell; transported to and from Glens Valley by fellow “Weim person” Terri Borman.
GSPCI members and their dogs dominated the Qualifyers Board, as it should be. Hearty congratulations to all!
Knox’s Fantastic Feathers, Ron Knox JH Q Sat and Sun
Willow Run’s Dock of the Bay, Sowinski JH Q Sat & Sun
Rossco, Chris Snyder JH Q Sat & Sun
Evvy Von Ferronhaus, Jay Lamcke JH Q Sat & Sun
River Bottom’s Ornery Otter, Tim Conley JH Q Sat $ Sun
Gunshot’s Pied Pixie, Justin Hinkle JH Q Saturday
Smokin’Quailfield Pepper, Ron Knox JH Q Sat & Sun
Habenero V White River Mz Fire, Nesbitt JH Q Sat & Sun
Moesgaard’s Kelsey Cillie, C. Hedge JH Q Saturday
Willow Run’s Violet Moon, Sowinski JH Q Sunday
Geneva Vom Ferronhaus, Chris Fines JH Q Sunday
Gari Vom Ferronhaus, Ron Ferris JH Q Sunday
CH Tri-Sett Midnight Matrix, Johnson-Edwards JH Q Sunday
Gunshot’s Radical Rascal, Giegold MASTER Q Sunday
“Noble, steady dog showing power, endurance and speed, giving the immediate impression of an alert and energetic dog whose movements are well-coordinated.”
Conformation Standard – Brittain
“ That of a noble, harmonious dog, whose proportions give a guarantee of endurance, power and speed”
F.C.I. (Germany)
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