My middle guy, Delta's Iron Hammer, call name "Hammer"
just passed his second Grand test in Madison, GA.
This makes two Grand dogs in the family. My older guy
"Pete" came from nothing but had the potentional and drive
to make the cut. Hammer came out of Tiger and from day one
we knew he had the right stuff.
This is the first Grand test I was able to see all five days
of the event. The fifth day is an upland test and the trainer
had kept telling me how good Hammer was on upland.
Had know idea what I was about to see. 85 pound black
Lab quarter the field like an English and lock up on point
about twenty feet away from the bird like a marble statue.
Thanks to John Wilson of Wax Lake Retrievers.
A Grand title is a big thing in the Retriever world.

Brad,

Congrats to both you & Hammer on that accomplishment!

Few things better than working with & hunting behind a well trained dog.

Jim

A BIG congratulations !
Most folks do not know what a Grand title is, much less what it takes to earn one ! A true accomplishment of HUGE magnitude.

Outstanding! I used to train with Carrol Miller out of Sommerville, Tx. He had the very first Grand Dog, Sonny.....I bet the tests are a bunch different these days.

Congrats!


.

Thanks guys.
I was never nervous till the upland.
Four days of competition and it all goes
to shit if the dog doesn't sit on the flush.
Also thanks to Carolyn Elam of Blazing Red
Kennels. Training partner for the last year.
Carolyn dropped Ace on the upland but she passed the other four
dogs.
The Grand is not a spectator friendly event.
But Mark Atwater was there taking pictures. It might
be a month but I'll post some pictures when he gets
them up.

'Not a spectator (or spectacular) friendly evevt'.
Quite the understatement Brad ! The Grand has changed monumentally over the years ! The UKC weekend events have always been fun and more like a large group of friendly hunters w/ their dogs doing what each love. Since the early 90s, the Grand events have been anal and nothing like the weekend fun.
UKC is losing huge numbers of members rapidly and better get their crap together or they are done. People will only put up w/ so much bs !

Texas
You speak the truth right there.
There was only 290 dogs entered compared to the usual
425-450. 113 were going to the upland instead of 30-40
out of 450 like it had been the last few years.
The land tests were grand tests, but the water was about
what you would see in finished. The Grand control of the dog
was there in all tests.
Don't know why so many got thru. My thoughts are there wanting
the Grand to be able to finish by an owner instead of by only
being a pro event.
I don't mind the pro's having there own event. They work very hard
at what they do. But it would be nice seeing some single dog owners
being able to pass at that level.
I hope HRC gets their head out their ass.
There are some things going down now that have people worried. Hell, this
Grand was almost cancelled. The original club that was putting it on backed
out about six months ago.
HRC is s great club. Hope it can continue.