The Spaniel Annals

working and living with performance spaniels

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about

I’m a retired English instructor, now devoted full-time to training, showing and enjoying my spaniels in many sports.
I’m an English college instructor by trade, a dog trainer by vocation. And lifelong baseball fan.

Month: August 2020

  • First Things

    First things in a dog’s life should be commemorated.   So here is Brian’s first toweling.  Toweling is pretty typical for spaniels after a bath, to tighten down their coat while drying.  I haven’t done it before with Brian, since it involves horse pins.  I figured this first time he might wear it for just a…

  • Back to tracking again!

    We’ve been tracking twice a week all summer, and Robbie is starting to show improvement on his turns, although his start is still a work in progress.  Meanwhile Brian is running tracks of about 125-150 yards with one turn.  He loves it and shows a lot of drive!  Thanks to my tracking partner Martha for…

  • Second Dinner

    Brian is getting Second Dinner right now (some of his dinner in a food toy), so we can have a quiet dinner to ourselves to wind down our evening. But Rozzie, at 12 years and nearly 11 months, thinks she also should get Second Dinner. I have promised her that if she will make it…

  • Toy retrieve is back!

    Brian’s play retrieve went on hiatus the last few weeks, which I chalked up to teething issues.  It’s back this morning!  The lighting is awful for this video, but he’s picking it up and bringing it all the way in.  Yay!  He did 3 of them, and I included the one where he falls over…

  • 14th week!

    Brian hit his 14th week birthday this Wednesday, and has had lots of adventures that I have been lax about posting!  A play visit with his sister and a haircut, some spaniel training parties, more tracking and his new online obedience class starting.  This weekend he’s off to a hunt test training event, where he’ll…