Bluestem Kennels

Celebrating Freedom!

July 11, 2011

Charity Upchurch Bird Dog Training, Kennel Update Dog Training, Gun Dog, Hunting Dogs, Korthals Griffon, Merritt Reservoir, Nebraska Sandhills, Valentine Nebraska, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

This summer is slipping away so quickly! We had a great time up in the Sandhills over the Fourth of July weekend. The first two days of the weekend were spent out at Merritt Reservoir swimming and canoeing with the dogs. (I apologize if some of these photos appear faint, I think my little point and shoot had a dirty lens)

Sam and Sue take a swim

Sam and BB in the water, with Sue on the beach

Charles takes Sam out for some canoe practice

BB is growing, weighing in at 27 lbs at 4 months old

BB takes a swim

Sue follows behind the canoe containing Charles and the kids

My mom talked us into walking in the Fourth of July parade, which was quite the adventure. The dogs and the older kids did well, but I didn’t pack the stroller and Caleb wasn’t very cooperative. It was good lead walking and socialization practice for the dogs.

Lining up for the parade

Charles walking the big dogs in Valentine's Fourth of July Parade

I have a busy couple of weeks ahead of me, but I’ll be back with a couple of videos. I want to have a video of BB doing “fetch” and “sit”, then a second video of me grooming Sam. I get several hits a day for a grooming post that I wrote about a year ago and I’ve learned some new tricks that I want to share.

Stay cool in these hot days of summer!

“B” Litter Puppy Update: Mowgli in Kearney

June 28, 2011

Charity Upchurch Kennel Update, Puppy Update Korthals Griffon, Puppies, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

I was just feeling guilty about neglecting the blog for a couple of weeks, when one of my new puppy owners (2011 litter who went home in April) came to the rescue! I’ve been a full time Girl Scout leader the last few weeks, getting my certifications through the council and the Red Cross so that I can host Girl Scout camps.

But back to the dogs! Joel, Jenn and their girls out in Kearney, Nebraska sent pictures and an update of four month old Mowgli (formerly known as Buster). Looks and sounds like he’s having lots of fun!

We thought you would like to see a few pictures of Mowgli. We love him and can’t imagine life without him. He loves to point any bird he can find. Mowgli and I exercise a lot. He is happiest when he is with us! He has yet to run off from us, when we are hanging around outside he wants to be where we are so he never goes far. Another funny thing is, when I take Mowgli out to exercise people stop us all the time to comment on him. They ask what breed he is and say he is such a nice looking dog. We are having a great time with him and I am certain he is the most handsome boy I have ever seen!

Mowgli and the girls look like they were ready for Easter!

Mowgli cruising on the boat

Tongues wagging!:)

Bluestem Kennels joins the Nebraska Kennel Club

June 15, 2011

Charity Upchurch Kennel Update, Puppy Update American Kennel Club, Dog Training, Korthals Griffon, Nebraska Kennel Club, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

Cordelia and I are the newest members of the Nebraska Kennel Club, with BB at 14 weeks

Bluestem Kennels is proud to announce that we are now members of the Nebraska Kennel Club, Omaha’s AKC all-breed club. Cordelia and I are looking forward to taking conformation handling classes and possibly doing some dog work with Canine Good Citizen and obedience. The NKC does not sponsor hunt tests, so we will work with our hunt testing contacts through NAVHDA once we are ready to begin AKC hunt testing.

The next NKC dog show is at the Qwest Center, Omaha on July 15, 16 and 17. For more information, see the NKC website at http://www.nebraskakennelclub.com Hopefully, the levees will hold and you won’t need a boat to get there.

We’re still working with BB on “sit”, but she’s really doing well with “fetch”. I’ve been meaning to shoot a quick video of our “fetch” work, but it has been crazy busy around here, so hopefully I can get that posted for next week.

Dog days of summer

June 7, 2011

Charity Upchurch Bird Dog Training, Kennel Update, Puppy Update Dog Training, Gun Dog, Hunting Dogs, Korthals Griffon, Missouri River, Puppies, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

I have managed to work daily with “BB” on sit, stay, release (I use “okay” as the release command). She does great on stay and release, but doesn’t have the “sit” pose down just yet. So, after the command “sit” I push down on her rear and lift her chin just slightly, to put her in the position that I want. I then give the “stay” command (you could also use “whoa”) with the stop hand signal. Right now, I’m backing away facing the dog, so that I can catch her if she moves, but eventually I should be able to walk away with my back turned to her and she shouldn’t move. Here’s a shot of her enjoying the “doggy pool” on a hot day this week:

BB cools off at 13 weeks

Summer is here and with it comes so many distractions! All three kids are home, Charles just had a week-long break and the heat and humidity have gone off the charts here! Another glitch in our training is that the private land that we normally use for water and light field work is underwater from the Missouri River flooding. It is supposed to crest around June 15th, after a major release of water from Gavin’s Point Dam and they are projecting a record crest. Our prayers go out to all who are being affected.

Stranded RV on River Road, Plattsmouth, Nebraska

I received a puppy update from Kyle in Nevada, via an e-mail from his father, Stan (who’s as sharp as a tack in his 80’s). Stan reported that “Shady Lady” is up to 24 pounds and did some great tracking and retrieving practice up in Montana with Kyle. Stan says it best, here’s the quote from the e-mail, “The other day in Montana she found and retrieved the hidden pheasant wing from 100 feet downwind! Dropped it at Kyle’s feet! Sign us ………. “Happy”. I always appreciate the great updates and photos from my puppy owners; thanks Stan and Kyle!

Shady Lady from our "B" litter at 3 1/2 months

Spring in the Sandhills and other adventures

June 1, 2011

Charity Upchurch Bird Dog Training, Kennel Update, Puppy Update, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Dog Training, Gun Dog, Hunting Dogs, Korthals Griffon, Merritt Reservoir, NAVHDA, Nebraska Sandhills, North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, Valentine Nebraska, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

We had a surprise visit last night from Kyle and his three month old pup from our recent “B” litter, named Duke. It was a shock to see how large he is, most likely pushing the 30 pound mark. I wasn’t able to get a measure on his shoulder, but he is tall enough that BB can run between his legs. As Duke lives within 15 miles of our house, so we will be seeing the most of him out of any of the pups from our litters. It will be exciting to watch him develop!

BB, Sue, Duke and Sam having a Griffon party

Duke points BB

BB and Duke had a great time playing together

Memorial Day weekend was spent up in my hometown of Valentine, Nebraska. The dogs went for a run out on some public land outside of town and enjoyed the exercise in a change of scenery. Working the dogs in different terrains in the off-season makes for confidence in varied environments during hunting season.

Sam and Sue on a run through the Sandhills

BB and Cordelia also take in a jog

BB swamping in a wet area near a windmill

Our next stop was Merritt Reservoir, a popular local fishing and swimming hole. The dogs and the kids had a great time playing in the water and sniffing around.

BB points the kids playing in the lake

Sam takes a dip

Sue wades deep in the chilly water

Sam surprises us with a treasure: a brand new minnow bucket full of live minnows

In BB news, we took her to the vet for her 12 week shots and she weighs 17 lbs., a 7 lb. gain from when she arrived. We’re getting close to being finished up with housebreaking and I’m going to start a daily obedience training regimen. She has “come” down, but I’m going to work daily on sit, stay, whoa, and heel. We’ve started cap gun conditioning while she’s playing in the kennel with Sue and will continue to work on “fetch” with the pheasant wing.

BB at 12 weeks

BB picks up the duck dummy while Duke looks on

Bluestem Kennels is now an officially registered kennel with the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association http://www.navhda.org/. We look forward to training and testing BB with the local Heartland Chapter http://www.heartlandnavhda.com/.

Pointer Potpourri

May 23, 2011

Charity Upchurch Kennel Update Korthals Griffon, NAVHDA, North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

Sue making friends at the Bark for a Cure Cancer Walk

On Saturday morning, Sue and I hosted a booth at the Bellevue, Nebraska Bark for a Cure Cancer Walk. It was nice to meet and visit with other local dog enthusiasts. Sue did a great job meeting and greeting. The Great Plains Pointer Rescue http://www.greatpointers.org/ also had a booth and they occasionally come across local Wirehaired Pointing Griffons in need of assistance. In the future, I will be posting any available griff rescues from them and work to spread the word in Griffondom.

Deborah and Pete out in Nevada sent some great pictures of Whiskey getting ready for his NAVHDA natural ability test. Whiskey is from last year’s “A” litter and recently turned one year old. He has a new baby “brother”, a lab puppy by the name of “Ruger”. I’m sure they’re having fun getting to know each other.

Handsome one-year old Whiskey!

Whiskey swimming

"I got it, Dad!"

"Woo hoo!!!!"

Many thanks to Pete and Deborah for the photos and the update on how Whiskey is progressing!

While we’re talking progress, BB is doing fabulous at 11 weeks. I took her out for her first hour-long hike late last week and she kept up with the big dogs. No whining, fussing or laying down at all. She’s getting pretty leggy too!

BB at 11 weeks old

Charles is taking some time away from work coming up and the kids are out of school for the summer starting on Wednesday, so I’m sure we’ll cook up some good dog adventures. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

Spring training!

May 16, 2011

Charity Upchurch Bird Dog Training, Kennel Update, Sire and Dam Ability, Trap and Skeet Shooting Bark for the Cure Cancer Walk, Dog Training, Gun Dog, Hunting Dogs, Korthals Griffon, Puppies, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

Happy First Birthday, Bluestem “A” Litter, on April 30th!! Here’s Winston’s 1st birthday picture, he lives on an acreage outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thank you to Kelvin and Nancy for the picture!

Winston from our "A" litter at 1 year old

I also received some pictures from one of my new owners of a “B” litter puppy. “Roxy” (formerly known as Bess) lives out in Utah with Randy and Pam. They are very happy with her progress and surprised at how fast she is learning. Once again, many thanks to them for the photo contribution:

Roxy of our recent "B" litter checks out the wing

Roxy on retrieve to Randy

Roxy points the wing

Roxy on water retrieve

While we’re talking water, Monday and Tuesday of last week were 95+ degree days here, so I took the opportunity Monday afternoon to take the big dogs out for some swimming practice and see if we could get our new puppy “BB” in the water. Water practice is not only fun, it is vital for the dog’s desire to water retrieve waterfowl during hunting season.

Sue and Sam take a dip

BB takes her first swim

BB heading back to shore

The water was still pretty cold even though the air was warm, so our time in the water was limited. Swimming is an instinctual behavior for dogs, therefore you can’t introduce them to water too soon after picking up a puppy from a breeder (weather permitting).

As a follow-up to the wing work that we’ve been doing in the house, BB got into her first live chukar on Saturday. I used the same technique on BB that I just used on the litter of puppies. I put the chukar on a bird harness attached to a leash, I then used my puppy training pen (a 5 ft. x 10 ft. area that I created with metal fence posts and snow fence) to get the puppy to focus on the bird. I first hold the bird in my hand and put it into the puppy’s face, then slowly give more and more leash, until the bird can move about pretty freely (run and flap) within the confines of the pen and my leash. Naturally, at first the puppy is apprehensive about this strange new creature, but the scent from the training wing made it somewhat familiar. By the end of the 10 minute session, BB was chasing and pouncing on the bird with vigor! This is a good first step to get a new puppy excited about birds.

BB a little apprehensive at first

It didn't take long for BB to get aggressive with the chukar

Spring training isn’t only something for the dogs, it is important for humans too! When it comes to upland hunting, we have to do our part to ensure success also. Dog training and handling are very important, but the hunter’s shooting skill and physical fitness are also key. We’ve been spending a few weekends a month at the local skeet range tuning up our skills with the shotgun, in preparation for hunting season (which is only 3 1/2 months away). If you can’t hit the bird, then the dog doesn’t have anything to retrieve!

Charles walking back to station 1 to start a new round

Charles smashes the high bird on station 7

Those are the happenings over the past week at Bluestem Kennels! We will have a booth at the Bark for the Cure Cancer Walk on Saturday, May 21st from 9 AM -12 noon at the Lied Activity Center, 2700 Arboretum Dr. in Bellevue, Nebraska. If you would like more information about the walk or would like to register for the walk please see their website at https://sites.google.com/site/rflthunderingherd/bark-for-a-cure-cancer-walk We will be there to talk Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, versatile hunting dog training and just for some good canine fellowship! Hope to see you there!

Welcome CKC/NAVHDA Bourg-Royal CB Bluestem

May 6, 2011

Charity Upchurch Kennel Update, Puppy Update Bourg-Royal Kennel, Puppies, Quebec, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Leave a comment

Charles holds "BB" following the pick Friday night

A week ago today we flew from Omaha into Quebec City, Canada to begin the process of picking and bringing home our new female puppy. We arrived mid-afternoon, did a little walk about in Vieux-Quebec (Old Quebec City, where we stayed), then drove out to nearby St. Lambert-de-Lauzon, the home of Renee Fortier and Gilbert Tremblay. Renee and Gilbert hold one of the six Wirehaired Pointing Griffon kennels in the province of Quebec, where their shared language with France facilitates the importation of fresh bloodlines from champion European stock. The reason that we chose a puppy from Renee and Gilbert is that their dogs hold both show conformation titles, proving their structural soundness, and NAVHDA hunt test titles, proving their hunting instinct.

Charles and I picked our puppy based on energy level, curiosity, nose-to-the-ground and attentiveness to the bird wing. Her registered name with the CKC and NAVHDA will be Bourg-Royal CB Bluestem, recognizing the names of both kennels. Following registration with the CKC, I will be able to transfer her registration to the AKC. It is interesting to note on her pedigree that even though her sire, Cyr, is a French import, he shares a common ancestor with my current female, Sue. Both Sue and Cyr have Hudson de Rives de L’aure three generations back.

BB Pedigree

Flying with a puppy in the cabin was not as traumatic as I expected it to be. The flight attendants allowed me to sit her in the bag on my lap, with just enough unzipped so that her head could stick out. I had an international health certificate and vaccination record, so customs wasn’t a problem either.

My cute carry-on

We thought that “Bea” was going to be her call name initially, but over the last week it has developed into “BB”. The focus of this week has been on bonding, physical exercise and nutrition. She was just shy of 10 pounds when I took her to the vet for a physical the day after our arrival home and I’ve been working hard at putting muscle on her. This consists of her exercising and eating three times a day. She had no problem with going on runs with the big dogs and kids, but getting her to ramp up her eating was a little tricky. I tried wetting down the dry kibble with puppy formula, adding canned food and then finally I tried different bowls. Her intake is finally up where I want it, so I’m feeling good about that small victory. Here’s some photos of her out exercising:

Check me out!

Partners in crime: BB and Caleb

Intensity

Like a typical puppy, she sleeps most of the day, but her energy level is increasing daily. She’ll get up and play a little with toys on her own during the day and in the evening her friend the cocker spaniel gets to come back into the house so that they can play together. I put the cocker out during the day so that she can have time away from dogs and totally solidify her bond with people.

I don’t want to put too much pressure on her right away, but I don’t want to neglect my goal of having her ready to hunt by grouse opener September 1st either. I brought out a pheasant wing a few days ago and let her check that out:

BB with the wing

Charles introduced her to a live chukar yesterday when he transferred some of our training birds from the transport box into the holding pen. As I get to call all of the puppy conditioning shots when it comes to our own litter, I’m going to let him decide how he wants to continue with the bird exposure. Also, we will be doing NAVHDA training with this puppy and I’m planning on taking some AKC conformation show handling classes with her, so she’s got her work cut out for her.

Welcome, BB, the next generation of Bluestem Kennels!

Puppy Transition Time

April 25, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update Korthals Griffon, Puppies, VV, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 2 Comments

A week ago today, the last two puppies flew to their new homes. Four of them were picked up here at the house the weekend prior to Easter and I wanted to share the pictures of them with their new families. It was such an exciting time for everyone!

It was a rainy Friday afternoon when Ted picked up “Barb”, who will now be known as “Sammie” and live outside of Beatrice, Nebraska. Looking forward to sharing to some great Southeastern Nebraska pheasant trips with Sammie and Ted! Ted and Melody had stopped by on a sunny day a couple of weekends previous, when I took this photo:

Ted and Melody

Kyle and Beth also came by on gloomy Friday, April 15th, but happily took home my “Bart” who will now be known as “Duke” and live in the neighboring Omaha suburb of Ralston, Nebraska. I hope that we can invite Kyle and Duke for a quick trip up to Pheasant Bonanza someday.

Beth, Kyle and Duke

Nate and Emily came by Saturday morning to pick up “Ben”, who will appropriately keep his name, as he will live outside of Benet, Nebraska. Nate’s wife, Julie and their second daughter, Lydia, had business to attend to in Lincoln that day, but I’m sure they welcomed him home with open arms! It will be fun to get together with them to watch the dogs and the kids grow!

Nate, Lydia and Ben

The sun came out Saturday afternoon, harkening the arrival of Joel and his sunny family: wife, Jenn, and daughters Julie (my “pen pal”) and Jaycee. “Buster” will become “Mowgli” and live in Kearney, Nebraska. Joel is a native of Northwestern Kansas, an area that was very well promoted at Pheasant Fest (the National Pheasants Forever Convention held here in Omaha in January). We had already planned a fall trip down there, as we’re able to hunt not only pheasants, but it is the only habitat that holds both the greater and lesser prairie chicken. It will nice to be able to get some “tips” from a local and maybe get together down there at some point.

Jenn, Joel, Julia, Jaycee and Mowgli

Monday, April 18th came very early for me, as “Betty” and “Bess” made the trip to Omaha’s Eppley Airfield. “Bess” was the first to land homeward, arriving in Salt Lake City, to make her final home as “Page” with Randy and Pam in Nibley, Utah. “Betty”, who will now go by the name of “Shady”, touched ground in Sacramento, to make her journey home with Kyle and Kerrie to Sparks, Nevada.

Yet my puppy adventure is far from over. Friday morning, Charles and I board a plane for Quebec City, Canada to pick up a female puppy who is sired by a French import. We are very excited to bring new blood into the Western North American Griffon bloodlines. I will give the full details about the breeder, pedigree and the different North American Griffon phenotypes upon our return, but here is a photograph of the sire and dam that I took when we visited the kennel in Quebec last summer:

Dam Belle and Sire Cyrano with Cordelia and Conrad

Vive le Griffon Korthals!

Pupdate: 8 week birthday is here!!

April 14, 2011

Charity Upchurch Puppy Update Korthals Griffon, Puppies, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 3 Comments

Tomorrow the magic of joining the puppies with their new families begins! This week has been chock full of adventures to ramp up their little hunting brains.

Monday we took a trip over to Willow Creek Recreation Area in Papillion. I knew the terrain to be varied, with a pond and a tallgrass area, so I thought it would be a good spot for us. Last year when I took the puppies to this location, it was completely empty. This year there were many people there enjoying this little bit of the country in the suburbs, and who can resist puppies?

Everybody in Nebraska loves hunting puppies

Yet even with the constant attention, we still managed to get some work done: a little water and waterfowl exposure and some tallgrass practice. Check out the video of what we did and saw on Monday at Willow Creek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QWvmxkcNqc

Swamping!

At this point, I emphasize that there is no pressure or scolding involved in any of these sessions, so that is why I call it conditioning instead of training. Keep in mind in viewing the videos that this is the first time for the puppies to be exposed to any of these conditions or situations. Hesitation and trepidation are completely normal responses and will naturally be overcome with continued proper exposure and training by the new owners.

Also with these videos, I use profuse amounts of verbal praise for the puppies, in a very baby-talk voice. I found myself muting the sound in my final stages of post-production, so I apologize if you find the audio annoying (guess I need to start downloading some country music to dub over).

Tuesday morning had us on the “back hill” of my property in the new puppy training pen that I built out of plastic snowfence and metal fence posts. We began our feather work by playing with a pheasant wing that I pulled out of our freezer and thawed out. Here is the video of our play time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ottTY3N6O4E

From the back hill looking towards the house...things are getting greener!

Ready to retrieve!

Tuesday afternoon we ventured to the veterinarian for first shots and final health clearances. The pups are weighing between 12 and 14 pounds and all look great!

Wednesday was sort of my “final project” day for the puppies. We spent a few morning hours on terrain work (once again including water, waterfowl and tallgrass) on some private land along the south bank of the Platte River, about a half mile west of the confluence of the Platte and Missouri Rivers. Here is the video of our Platte Valley time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjc_OXceE60

The boys have no trouble keeping up with my running, even through tallgrass

The afternoon was spent back home on live chukar exposure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8aKm9T_BR0

Throughout the week, we have also been working on crate conditioning. They’ve driven in town, on the highway and a bit of light off-roading crated up and none of them have gotten car sick or made a mess of their box, so I consider that a success.

Cruising in the dog box

What a week it has been and I couldn’t be more proud of this group of pups. I am confident that they have everything that it takes to be productive hunting companions as well as delightful family pets.