# Winter contradictions!



## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

During this time of the year, I find myself in a state of contradiction!

On one hand, I totally enjoy the season of winter ... I like the holidays that it brings, I love to duck hunt, I actually enjoy the coldness of the season (okay, there's a limit to that one!), I like how it opens up the view of the countryside when the trees are bared of their leaves, I like how it gives me a view of theretofore undiscovered potential training ponds, I appreciate the opportunity to cut heavy brush without the fear of encountering snakes ....

HOWEVER, on the other hand, I disdain the rainy days, the coldness and the shortened daylight hours, one, two or all of which restrict my bush-hogging and brush-cutting, which make it difficult to cook outside on the grill, and which preclude me from doing any significant amount of dog training except on weekends (I have a youngster and two derby-age dogs that need water work and a ton of marks; I put floodlights on the back of our house so I can do drills when it's dark), ....

... and how many more months of winter do we have left?

FTGoldens


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

LOL you are not alone! I realize E TX is a long way from a winter in the North East but .... I sleep great when it's cold outside but 22 degrees is a little extreme and I turn off the heat at night! So as I lay there under the covers waiting for the house to warm up, being very happy I can turn on the heater via google home without having to get out of bed. So quick dash from the covers I threw some clothes in the dryer to warm them up for the early morning doggie walk. If I could only get them to wait until daylight!!

Ahhh, FL is in my dreams... too bad it's not in my budget!


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

Only 24 days until the Winter Solstice.


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

hollyk said:


> Only 24 days until the Winter Solstice.



OMG, it's going to be getting WORSE for the next 24 days!!!


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## Edward Lee Nelson (Jan 2, 2017)

I really hate winter, the weather and training wise: My young dog will have missed out on the last 4 months of the Derby with having to scratch earlier in the month because of a nail injury. Now my schedule is:
Get home from work by 4
Air all dogs
Load up the young dog ( luckily training is only 5 min away)
Set up 3 blinds and a winger (s) and run marks as singles
Weekends: Triples and retired guns
Monday is a off day


Cmon Spring!!!!!!


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

Here's a funny....so usually I'm lacking for water. Right now its so cold that I'm actually lacking on training LAND because most are all water! This time last year we were doing water work until I think end of December and now its just too bitter cold. For GA having a low of 28 and a high of 48 doesn't make sense! Today I wore three pants, two socks, three shirts, two hats mittens and waterproof boots plus the ARMY issued winter weather gear I got from my husband to keep warm. Proof on the other hand is in HEAVEN. He is so frisky and happy....


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

The only good part about winter are the pheasant shoots we get to go to. Those are like dog cocaine. I have been already wearing my insulated pants and several layers of clothing for a couple weeks. Holding back on the long johns - it will get colder!


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

[


ftgoldens said:


> omg, it's going to be getting worse for the next 24 days!!!


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Well I am conflicted in the following way. I really like training but during hunting season I feel that the dog should have fun hunting, take the pressure off of training. So it is training vs. hunting. And as for continental shoots that we do, time for the dog to cut loose.


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## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

good for you George. This winter we are going to break out Proof to hunt. I feel like he's finally trained to the point I think he can handle the excitement of hunting. We have a gazillion geese on our pond so as soon as it opens again we will go. I can't wait to see what he does!


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## Edward Lee Nelson (Jan 2, 2017)

Don't do to much hunting, so its train,train and more training and try to hit our goal of the Q's by May. We are lucky to have a young dog who loves to work. She is so happy when she gets a bird on a blind and completes it.. She does the Golden dance when she gets back  She runs harder back from a blind than marks.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Being in Alaska, we have winter like no other state. the darkness gets rather old. We'll be down to 4.5 hours of daylight by winter solstice. Nothing like seeing the sun rise at 10:45 am at go down at 3:30 pm. 

I try to sneak out at lunch during the week. I take my dogs to work and my commute is only 5 minutes to my house. I try to get to a park and train. Some years the snow is too deep. Some years not. This year it's ice and more ice. I have to wear huge cleats everywhere on the trails to stay upright. This time of year I'm also working on running my dogs with our fat bikes. We have studded tires and get the dogs out for miles and miles. By spring time when tests/trials begin, my dogs are in excellent shape. But water is the tougher part. We did lousy last summer with such a long cold spring. I do get tired of the trudge through the snow to throw marks or place blinds. Then have the bumper land in snow that the dog will never find and you have to go dig it out.



I haven't hunted my dogs this year at all. I really should get them out for some ptarmigan and grouse. I've learned I can only take one dog at a time, because they end up playing and not working. So then I'm left trying to figure out which dog to take. The older reliable slower methodical dog, or the younger wilder dog that gets very easily distracted but can cover so much more ground?


We're not bothered by the cold or the snow or the wind. It's just the darkness that slows you down. Oh and the occasional earthquake or two.


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Alaska7133 said:


> Oh and the occasional earthquake or two.


Did the quakes mess up the road to Turnigain Pass?

FTGoldens


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

FTGoldens said:


> Did the quakes mess up the road to Turnigain Pass?
> 
> FTGoldens



Yes. Lots of rock slides on the Seward Hwy on the way to Turnagain Pass. The road was closed for a day or so to clean up. But the aftershocks are constantly happening, so more rocks continue to come down all the time. You have to pay attention if you drive that highway. The DOT has equipment there all the time waiting to clean up the rocks as they continue to fall. A lot of the rocks are the size of cars. It's pretty ugly. Now if these dang aftershocks would stop, we'll be very happy. The dogs are starting to get upset about the aftershocks. The DOT is telling us all to stay home if we don't have to go to work. The roads are not in good shape right now.


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