06/09/2025
The juggling of client dog send homes, the whelping of a new litter of pups, and dogs that needed testing left us figuring out the best way to handle everything this past weekend. I couldn’t be more proud and thankful for Braedyn’s efforts this past month taking on the task of learning to handle broke dogs and the details that involve testing dogs in AKC Master tests. Those of you that have tested dogs at this level know the tests aren’t easy and there is a multitude of things to prepare yourself and the dogs for. With the help of some awesome friends we set up a mock hunt test and spent time daily explaining the test as best as possible.
On Friday, Braedyn loaded Shelby and Boone up and headed to Sturgis, South Dakota to participate in the test. Saturday didn’t go as planned, but we discussed how to handle things differently and bounced back nicely on Sunday. On Sunday, Braedyn was able to handle Boone to two Master passes and Shelby to one! Shelby nearly completed a second pass on Sunday as well. She handled a couple birds clean but on the last bird it took the gunners four shots to hit it and she couldn’t stand the last shot.
Thanks to everyone that brought dogs and helped gun at the mock hunt test. You all are an awesome group of friends and I’m thankful for you! A special thanks goes out to the owners of Boone and Shelby for trusting us with their dogs and for giving us the opportunity to test them. Lastly, thanks again, to Braedyn for taking on the challenge of learning the ins and outs of Master tests and how to handle dogs at that level. That’s not a small task especially for someone with less than 5 months experience working with pointing dogs! Boone is now two passes away from finishing his title and Shelby needs four more passes.
