She qualified for her Junior and Senior title on the same weekend. She was to be a duck dog and house pet, but the first time she picked up a bumper, I could tell she was something special. The eldest of my two labs is 'Cookie' a 7 year old yellow female. Over the years we qualified for multiple Nationals and ran in several. We ran the Junior and Master Hunt Test on the same weekend and we passed them both. Steve came close to winning the National Field Trial with 'Shoot The Moon'.Ībout 23 years ago I ran my first Hunt Test with 'Odder' a black Lab. joined the club and was privileged to have him for a roommate and training partner for 12 years. Pete Lane, who won a National Amateur with his dog 'Cannon Ball Kate', was a member and I would train with him. The best year of my life was in 1975 when I joined the Wild Goose Duck Club in the Butte Sink. From these pros, I learned bird placement and the factors that influence marks and blinds as well as advanced handling. I have trained extensively with John Folsom, Jim Dobbs, Doug Shade, Bill Totten and Billy Sargenti. I have run my dogs in every stake and have judged Field Trails and Hunt Tests. Every Friday for many years, I would drive from the Bay Area to Escalon to run dogs with Rex and learn from the Master. In the early 1970's I was introduced to Rex Carr. “Crystal” was the High Point Derby Dog in 1969 in the Sacramento Valley Retriever Club. In addition to hunting with “Crystal”, instead of attending my classes, we also took time to train and run field trials. My first Lab, 'Crystal', was purchased from Marianne Foote. During this period, I hunted the state and federal refuges in the upper Sacramento Valley. I could see the value of a good dog.įrom 1966 until 1970 were 4 wonderful years at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. To retrieve a wounded bird that was swimming away from you was enough to induce a heart attack. Besides the Wool Growers Restaurant, Los Banos is most famous for its mud.

My interest in retrievers began in 1953 when I was taken by an older gentleman to his duck club in Los Banos. John Schulte to write a Training Blog for this website.

Famous field trial dog trainers