231. He Finished His Master Title — But Then Something Weird Happened

Welcome to Standing Stone Kennels! In this episode of the Standing Stone podcast, Ethan breaks down a packed AKC Master Hunter test weekend with two dogs, Cass and Shock, covering what went right, what went wrong, and what it all means for your training program.Cass wraps up his Master Hunter title, going 6 for 6 on the season, a flawless performance across multiple test weekends. But on his final optional brace, a skipped pre-run routine revealed just how much structure and consistency actually matter. Ethan breaks down what that looked like in real time, and why your warm-up routine is more than just a habit.Shock turns in a massive rebound weekend, going 3 for 4 after a tough 1 for 4 start in her first testing experience. Ethan digs into what changed, including brace mate energy, stop-to-flush situations, handling under pressure, cold callback preparation, and the one fail she had and why it was still an "okay fail." She now sits at 4 for 8 on the season with 2 passes still needed for her Master Hunter title.In this episode you'll learn:00:00 — Intro & Weekend Overview00:30 — Cass Finishes His Master Hunter Title: Season Recap01:25 — Shock's Season Stats & Splash Update02:16 — Why Brace Mate Energy Changes Everything03:12 — Shock's First Brace: The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon05:15 — Navigating the Course: Back Course Birds & Bird Field Setup06:28 — Going Birdless in the Bird Field & Callback for Honor09:20 — Cold Callbacks vs. In-Field Callbacks: Why You Must Practice Both12:10 — Shock's Second Brace: The Field Trial Dog Energy Disaster13:34 — Stop-to-Flush Situations: What They Are & Why They're Hard to Train16:25 — The Bird Flushes in Her Face: The Gray Area Fail19:35 — When a Fail Is Still an "Okay Fail": Handling Under Pressure21:28 — Sunday Morning: Shock Rebounds with Back-to-Back Passes24:45 — What Test Readiness Really Means Before You Enter28:12 — Training for the Unexpected: Healing Away from Birds29:30 — Shock's Final Stats & Outlook for Spring Testing31:11 — Dog Age, Mental Demands & Master Hunter Expectations32:51 — Senior Hunter vs. Master Hunter: How to Prepare Either Way33:56 — Moving Into Cass: 6 for 6, Clean Runs, Safeties & Long Retrieves36:30 — Callback Preparation: Do These After Every Single Training Day39:05 — The 50-70 Yard Retrieve That Got Applause from the Judge41:48 — Cass Becomes a Master Hunter: The Final Brace42:26 — The Optional Brace: No Routine, Different Dog45:06 — The Proof: How Structure & Routine Drive Performance47:34 — What's Next: Utility Prep, Spring Testing, Upcoming SeminarSplash is sidelined temporarily due to coming into heat. Look for Shock, Splash, Dual, and Pocket to begin testing again in the spring, with utility attempts on the horizon for Dual and Pocket as well.Send Us Mail5919 W Pleasant Valley RdPretty Prairie, KS 67570LinksStep-By-Step Dog Training Course: https://www.standingstonesupply.com/coursesJoin our Patreon Community - https://bit.ly/SSK-PatreonOur Store - https://bit.ly/SSK-StoreSocial MediaFacebook: www.facebook.com/StandingStoneKennelsInstagram: www.instagram.com/standingstonekennels/Website: www.standingstonekennels.comEthan and Kat Pippitt are the proud owners of Standing Stone Kennels. They breed German Shorthaired pointers and train all types of dogs for the hunt and the home. Their training strategies are easy to follow and are flexible to meet the needs of individual dogs. They are avid outdoorsmen and when they aren't training dogs they spend their free time hunting all kinds of game across the United States.We use affiliate links to help support the channel. If you would like to support Standing Stone content we appreciate you using the links in the description of this video.Subscribe to our channel here: http://bit.ly/2Dyy9DW