I’ve had a number of requests for an update on Henri now that he is in his first real season (last year he was in gundog-kindergarten).

So I’ve drawn up a list of the good and bad:

First the bad:

• Henri somehow got the idea that he is allowed to sleep ON the bed, UNDER the covers....just like Souris. Sorry H, not going to happen.
• In the last three weeks, he's chewed up my cell phone, two credit cards and three pairs of glasses.
• He's learned how to escape from his crate in the back of the truck (but not from the back of the truck...yet. The cap is pretty sturdy, but I think he is working on a solution).
• He took off after deer the other day. When I saw him jump the doe, I figured "Great! now I can give him some e-collar juice and nip this in the bud". Unfortunately, the batteries in my transmitter were dead! He eventually came right back to the truck on his own after leaving me there for nealy an hour to bite my nails and get even more grey hair.
• A week later, he did it again!!!! And I was once again too slow to get on the "light him up like the Las Vegas strip" button and missed my chance to convince him that deer emit lightning bolts and should be avoided. Grrrrrr. Serious deer breaking lessons start tomorrow.
  

Now the good

• He can run. My GOD can he run! He is the smoothest running, highest headed, floating-over-the-ground Weim I have ever seen. I could watch him for hours just covering a field.
• He is all hunt, all the time. Put him on the ground and zooom, he's in hunt mode until you call it a day.
• His points are super stylish and intense (but usually a bit short...he still wants to pounce in)
• He handles well (...if there are no deer about...) and hunts for me, turns when I turn, usually without any command or whistle.
• He has a nice medium gundog range. He is not (yet?) a super big runner. In the open he's generally 75 to 200 yards out. He will make bigger casts out to 300+ yards but not that often. In tighter cover, he does shorten up a bit but needs to come in a bit more. 100 yards out in the thick grouse/woodcock stuff is a bit much for me. I prefer 40 to 60.
• His duck search is great! With almost no training, he hits the water and just flat out searches till he finds something.
• He's a horny son of a gun. If/when I ever decide to breed him it will NOT take any sweet talk or K9 Viagra. He would hump the crack of dawn if he could. And his girlfriend Maizie is more than willing (but waaaaay too young!)

Stay tuned for Part ll Uma and Souris, the dynamic duo and Part lll Zeiss and Vinnie, the boyz from the hood.