Spanaffy Mantenga Le Fe with Druidale

"Faith"

D.O.B. 6th May 2006

Hips 12, Eye - Unaffected for Glaucoma

Faith joined the Druidale gang in April 2008. She was a little shy of strangers and reluctant to retrieve. As she relaxed into the household, she began to show the tennis ball obsession that I had been told about and she also began to retrieve other items. Faith has now competed in a couple of starters flyball tournaments and acquitted herself quite well; completing her runs without error, albeit a little on the slow side as yet. She can be a little reluctant to run towards a box loader that she doesn't know, although she is becoming a much more outgoing girl.

Although she always looks to be on her best behaviour, she can get a move on when she wants to and can certainly give Leon a run for his money!

I have recently begun to train Faith as a gundog (favouring a spaniel type role) and she took her Gundog Club Grade One and Two hunting retriever tests on 25th April 2009 and passed Grade One with a Merit, and just missed passing Grade Two by 2 marks. I am very pleased with her, especially as she was happy and enthusiastic throughout the two tests. We have some areas to work one (especially the hunting), and I hope to have another go at her Grade Two in June. She is a very sensitive girl to work and gundog dummies are not her favourite object unless they are covered in fur. She has however retrieved Dokken dummies, rabbit covered dummies and a dead rabbit.

Stop press: Faith achieved a Merit (89/100 marks) on her Grade Two Hunting Retriever test on 1st July 2009! I was very pleased with her as it was a very hot day (I certainly didn't want to work), but she worked her little socks off. We managed to impress the assessor when I stopped and then redirected Faith onto one of the retrieves as some had caught her eye and she headed off in the wrong direction. Well done Faith, I'm so proud of you. Faith's hunting was much improved, but we still need to work on that if we stand a hope of getting her Grade 3 Hunting Retriever award.

Some photos from her Grade One and Two tests in April 2009

Directed retrieve Retrieve

Retrieve Heelwork Enjoying herself

She is reluctant to go into cover, but with time this can be rectified. She was reluctant to enter water, but after a couple of sessions, she is now swimming and retrieving in shallow water.