…about the luck to own a Retriever!

Lucky is somebody who is fortunate enough to get a Retriever from a real Retriever person, a breeder with passion. The high expectations of this Retriever breeder may seem a little odd at the beginning because the first timer maybe thinks: “…but I just want a dog for the family!?”

Without discounting other dog owners and their love to their dogs, having a Retriever means more than just having a dog.

The Retriever owner becomes part of a community that even brings the Queen to laugh. There are recordings of championships in England, where she gives out the prices. Like everybody she wears earth-colored clothes, a weatherproof Trench coat, a headscarf below the hat against the wind and good footwear.

She laughs and jokes and radiates a liveliness and excitement you rarely see from her. The atmosphere reflects the spirit of the community, the fellowship in love to the Retriever. There are high level discussions and the jokes are insiders, understood only by Retriever owners. But the morale would never leave its elegance.

The spirit of this community came over to Germany with the dogs (but without Queen) and is also imported by our neighboring countries. We are living the English tradition with our Working tests, Dummy exams and hunting exams for Retrievers. Seminars and joint trainings are encounters between friends, among familiar faces. Everything narrow-minded, limiting has to yield for precision and range. It is all about the dogs, the task at hand and the enjoyment of nature and its creatures.

The “I” becomes a “WE” already at the matutinal gathering. A lot of them have known each other for a long time; they compete at working tests often over the course of many dog lifes’, without being envious. Ambition is a part of it. Nobody would spend the whole day without it ,in the pouring rain on the field, maybe even unhappy, because the dog doesn’t go as he is supposed to or the trainer remarks at the missing obedience. Reasons to apologize this behavior are searched in secrecy, but they are not necessary. Everybody in this community knows these kind of days, where nothing goes according to plan or the “little sweetheart” cocks a snook at oneself. We train relentlessly, improve the obedience, and practice the whistling alone in the woods, unnoticed and undetected, just that we don’t outface the dog…!

And then you experience one of these magical days, on which everything goes smoothly. Maybe you had this certain feeling, an impression, and a tingle in the morning when you woke up. The Retriever knows what happens anyway. He exactly knows us and our routines; the jacket, the shoes, a selection of clothes for “every weather condition” and if nothing else the (food) supplies, that indicate if it leads to a more lonely training day in the near area or if something more exciting awaits. He will wait beside the front door, just to be safe, ideally ON the Dummy Bag. His or her eyes will never leave his/her Master/Mistress, even if they run around hectically. He will watch every move, with the goal to be the first in the trunk, even before the trunk lid is fully open.

Now you go up to the start, feeling your dog beside you at your feet. Straight “sit”, looking ahead, the dorsal line of course points towards the Dummy, the hand points the direction. For a brief moment the dog freezes in suspense, to now explode with command. The tension drives him forth to the Dummy. Take it, spin mid-air and in direct line back to his owner.

It rains – doesn’t matter

I get blisters in my boots – doesn’t matter

The Queen wasn’t present…again – doesn’t matter

I’ve got a Retriever – wonderful

I’ve got many Retrievers – fantastic

I decided to live like this – heavenly!