Holywear Briar Rose at Gaytonwood
(Dukes Wood x Birdsgreen Amazing Agatha of Holywear)
DOB 23/02/08
Hip Score 21:8
Elbow Score 0:0
BVA Clear Eye Cert 15/05/10
Briar at a training weekend (photo by Sharon Rogers of Woodmist Labradors)
After a long time waiting my first working bred puppy, Briar, has arrived at Gaytonwood. Jennifer and Gordon Hay trusted me with one of their lovely puppies and I hope to make them proud of us. I only hope that I am able to keep one step ahead of her (so far she's only outwitted me a couple of times - it's early days though and we haven't started training her yet!!!!)
She has a lovely biddable nature, will to please and is very quick to learn - all skills I need myself. We will be playing this summer and training over the winter in order to come out in puppy classes next year and see if we can have some fun.
She visited the Game Fair and spent the day in the Sporting Dogs tent where she met lots of people and other dogs and really enjoyed her day out.
In 2009 after a season picking up game and showing me that she was very capable without my help I decided that in order to get the most from her we needed a trainer. Luckily Gaynor Gent of Mistigri Gundogs took us in hand and we went back to basics and started to learn to work as a team. We ran in a few puppy tests over the summer, gaining in experience and on August 9th we won our first Puppy Test run by The Golden Retriever Club. The following weekend we were awarded a 5th at the Eastern Counties GRC Special Puppy Test and on the Sunday we won the GRC of Northumbria AV puppy test, beating her litter sister in a 4 dog run off. We now look forward to gaining in experience and hopefully running in a few trials.
Briar had an excellent season picking up and we got runs in a couple of trials. My nerves got the better of me and so it wasn't that sucessful as in gaining awards but the experience was invaluable - here's to next season!!!
2010 started with me 'undoing' all the faults we'd picked up during the winter and with Gaynor's help got back on track in order to start going to tests again. We started with Dove Valley's Novice test and completed 6 out of the 8 tests OK. I was also invited to start training with a group of experienced trainers at Andrew Wright's ground once a month and gained some valuable advice and the opportunity to work Briar in the company of Open standard dogs and to push us both. I also took advantage of a URC training day with Ricky Malone where Briar showed everyone she could make me work harder than she had to!!! So the following week Gaynor made us both work hard and Briar came back to form. We then went to the GRC Novice test where she was awarded 4th place and the following week at Berkshire Downs and Chilterns GRC was also awarded a 4th. We were also asked to run in the GRC team for the Interclub Working test to be held at Holway in Dorset on 27th June. We are very proud and honoured to have been asked - lets just hope we don't let them down!!!
Briar is confirmed in whelp to Scherzando Pisces (Timmy) who qualified for the Retriever Championships in 2009 and pups are due around the 10th August 2010.