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This photo of Alder Run Gauge was recently sent to me by his owner, Thomas Prickett, reminding me that I had placed this puppy with him 40 years ago! Tom reminded me that my wife, Ellie, had nursed this sickly pup back to health. He also told me that “Gauge was a spectacular bird dog, who taught him to hunt grouse and woodcock”.
Of course, I was glad to hear such things and was happy to see the kind of conformation in Gauge that was my goal back then; the kind of conformation and tail set of the early Ryman-bred dogs. Seeing the bloody tail tip told me something as well.
Feedback from my puppy placements was always encouraged. This would give me clues as to the pup’s characteristics, abilities, and progress in the field. Such feedback helped guide me in shaping a breeding program. I guess it’s never too late to get feedback – even if it comes 40 years later!
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I also enjoy the feedback that I get from owners of puppies from my litters. One in particular that I look forward to each is the hunting diary log that is one of the best that I have seen. The impressive stat that I am impressed with is the number of bird contacts each fall. The first two years Morgan had over 300 wild bird contacts each year just hunting in the months of September and October. The third year,2021, he had over 700 contacts all in northern Michigan. Points and retrieves are also noted as well as number of birds shot at and kills. Morgan is living an English Setter’s dream life in the uplands. Nice that he is getting spoiled in that fashion.
Feedback from other owners along with questions about their training and progress are also good to receive to help gauge their hunting abilities for many purposes, including info for future prospects. Continuous improvement is the objective.
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