I had to give her up for my safety. I spend alot of time hunting waterfowl. I had her steady to kill from a canoe, but not when on dry ground. For six years everything is fine, then she decided to break on me and rolled the canoe in January. She did it two hunting trips in a row. Second time I got smacked in the face and it cost me a tooth. Won't take a third chance at loosing my life. Since I'm way too old to change and whatever got into her head may get into it again sometime in the future, even if I was to put the effort into reinforcing her training. As long as you don't shoot out of a canoe she is a great dog but like I said I'm not likely to give up my hunting style after 30 years of doing it this way.
To see a picture of her go to
www.vancouverislandpointingdogclub.com. She is the black and white dog making the retieve on the live pigeon. Bird was unharmed and used for further training exercises that day.
If I ever get a scanner I could post more pictures but that will come some day in my progression of confusor skills. Don't know the lineages of the parents so can't help there but I did see both the parents and both were obviously pure breds.
Best retrieve I ever saw her make was when I was guiding for birds. One of the clients doubled on Canada geese. She broke and got the close one, 80yrds out and slightly alive. I stopped her at distance, got her to drop that bird and go for the second bird which was very much alive and several hundred yards out. Both birds were retrieved.That retrieve got me and her invited to Mexico to hunt pheasants with the clients...a truely awesome experience. Not many dogs will drop a bird at distance on command.
She handles travel well from vehicles, boats, and planes. Also good around horses and livestock....except chickens/fowl...she is a bird hunter. To her bang means bird and her whole attitude will change from play to all business.
Thanks for the interest guys.