Proving unsteadiness – 12th July 2008

Isn’t it strange how little things can send you off course.  The hare event last week has made me doubt her steadiness…actually, in truth, she has now proved her unsteadiness.  This has dented my confidence in her hugely and with August fast approaching I am quite concerned.  I can keep banging away with the drop, but unless I am testing this against a flushed bird or a hare, I will never truly be testing her.  Its one of those circular conundrums where I can’t take her counting until she is steady but will never be steady unless I take her counting.  Maybe I worry too much.  She will be counting in August and I will just have to get on with it.

We went down to the river today.  It was wet and the river was high.  I have seen it nearly empty at this time of year in the past…not this year.  We practised recall and the drop over and over again with no problem.  My only other concern is that without game birds she has started pointing blackbirds…why blackbirds I will never know, but blackbirds were her focus today.  I hope she will forget about songbirds when she is re-exposed to grouse.

Onwards and upwards as they say