Levels of obsession – 3rd October 2008

I have often been accused of being slightly obsessed with this dog training thing and I have tended not to refute this, mainly on account of my deep seated suspicion that obsession actually runs through my whole personality, albeit in a very light and hopefully unobtrusive way. In many ways, had I not had this slightly obsessive streak, I would have given up on many things long ago. As it is, I am sure it is just part of me, something I try to use it to my advantage when I can.

This afternoon I took Grace out to a patch of moorland that I hadn’t been on since July. It holds no grouse as far as I am aware but, sitting as it does at the edge of a conifer plantation, often shelters a few pheasants. Unfortunately it doesn’t shelter anything else being on a ridgeline in full exposure to the north east winds we seem to get every once in a while. As I stepped from the land rover I realised I didn’t have my hat. Now this hat as no real value other than to keep my head warm but now that it seemed to be lost it took on an almost grail like quality. I couldn’t even remember when I last wore it which made it worse. It felt as if the rain could turn to sleet any moment and I had lost my hat.

I cast Grace off and she ran. She ran really well. Maybe because my wife had been exercising her on lead for a few days this week on account of my work, maybe because she had a howling gale behind her, whatever the reason she ran really well. She covered a long wide beat and covered it fast. It was a joy to watch. Well, it would have been a joy if I had been wearing my hat. I felt as if I had been sent to school as a child wearing one shoe…not fun.

Grace worked steadily for about 30 minutes before pointing a pheasant that was evidently a runner. She roaded in behind it then turned 180 degrees as the bird obviously turned back towards me. There was no way she would pin this bird. She stopped, then moved forward and as she did a cock pheasant rose out of the vegetation. Grace just started quartering again but I dropped her just to try to make a link between the bird and the need to drop. Not a very pretty example of a dog working but the bird just wasn’t co-operating. I gave it another 20 minutes then we headed back. Grace worked ok and ran really well but the atmosphere wasn’t really right. Maybe it was my lack of hat…did I tell you I couldn’t find my hat.

Obsession…its an odd thing.