If you’ve been following along with the adventures of the Sand Spring dogs you know that John and I are known for jumping the gun with it comes to entering tests. We figure we have a 50/50 chance of passing so why not take a gamble.

The first couple of photos my camera was on the wrong setting, figured it out after that.

Slammer turned 5 months old on June 20th, that weekend on June 22 & 23 we had him entered into his first UKC HRC Started Hunt Test. Any age dog can enter this test. We knew we weren’t ready but we liked the judges and the club so we thought we would donate our money to the club and give it a whirl since we would be there running Slammer’s grandma and watching Gambler’s daughter Red run.

Slammer has really good marking skills right now. He has been making some nice long retrieves for a puppy. He has learned to use his nose when he doesn’t line the mark, it’s fun watching him work. On Saturday the land series was the first series to run. Slammer marked his birds well he picked up the birds and brought them back half way to me, he then started plucking the birds so I went out and got him. In HRC you are not told if you passed or failed the first series, they welcome you to come back for the second series even if you know you failed. We did not go back and run the water series on Saturday.

On Sunday the water series was first. I knew he would do better on water if the birds were thrown into the water and sure enough he did his slam dunk jumps into the water and off he went to retrieve the birds. The first bird he brought back pretty close and the second bird he brought back to the area I was in. The judges were smiling and told me he passed his first water series.

It’s not over until the fat lady sings and the fat lady sang. Slammer marked his bird great, ran out there and then stood over it looking at me like what do you want now. I called him in with here and he looked at me again so I tossed my hat up in the air and the little guy came a running. Once he came back he wanted to take off again so I had to leap to grab him so I could put his leash back on.

The whole goal in running this hunt test was to get Slammer in the hunt test setting. He needed to learn how to load and stay in the truck, how to be quite in the truck box, how to behave in a holding blind, how to walk to the line with a loose leash, how to not be distracted by the crowd, how to listen when out in the field.

This little guy is a joy to run and puts a smile on my face even know we didn’t pass.

Slammer thought this pink hat should be his after I used it to get him back. All I wanted from him is to come back to me and he did. It was a win-win day in my book.

Slammer did great in the new environment. Nothing bothered him. He got lots of pets from peoples, and he gave out lots of kisses when he was out and about.

We are back in training and working on our returns with a duck. We have until August to train before we will be entering anymore hunt tests. He turns 6 months old the end of July then he can start running AKC hunt tests. The next HRC isn’t until the first week of August. We are in no race and what ever happens happens we will take one day at a time and enjoy our time with the Slam Man.