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hucklburry said:
I got kinda lucky at the time, a trainer out of Sorensons would set a time, and show with his dogs and the frozen ducks, a bunch of us would show, setup tests, throw ducks, and run our dogs, taking turns throwing, and the trainer would run his dogs as well. It was a great time, a junior title is fun. We trained at busch wildife or Sorenson property or friends properties.

I agree, beyond the JH, getting into blind retrieves, is a lot of work, beyond what I wanted to commit.

I could see doing it again some time with a future pup, like in retirement....

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We did the same with a trainer. Obviously, it was good work for the dogs but it was very good for me to have gone through some mock runs, land and water. He explained how it all would go down and we ran as if we were at the hunt test. When I finally got to the actual test, there was very little worry about what was going on and what to do. I was especially thankful I wasn't given the #1 spot. After watching a few, it was a piece of cake. My wife, on the other hand, nearly gave herself a stroke, worrying that her baby wouldn't pass...

There was quite a bit of mumbling about one of the land retrieves. Apparently, at the Junior level they have a 100 yard limit on the retrieves. We had one that was downhill and 135 yards (per google earth measurement). Very few dogs didn't have to hunt a little for that bird. A few dogs did not pass that one. I'm not sure if the owners protested or not. I'm told some judges/marshals get pretty testy if you question how they set up the test. Had that happened to me, I would have at least asked for my entry fee back.

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"Hunts are best measured by the endurance of the memories they produce..."

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