The Wonderful World Of Sporting Dogs, Program #3: A Bird Dog Puppy's First Year

We tried to watch the first program in this series, but since it had more rolls than the local baker in the opening five minutes (which no amount of tracking adjustment would correct) we gave up, and tried out number three instead. Joe Regan, a professional trainer and hunter, is the host for this rather amateur production. For starters, it's a windy day, and Joe's wearing a mike, so the sound is not that good. To make matters worse, he often bends over to adjust a bird trap or merely stroke the dog--a move which buries the mike in the folds of his jacket and results in a total sound dropout. Although there is some actual instruction in the tape, most of it seems screwy. In a segment that David Lynch would surely enjoy, Regan twirls a live bird around on a fishing pole while a pair of puppies jump and snap at it. In what has to be one of the most surreal comments I've ever heard on video, Regan deadpans: "The bird is really o.k." (Imagine someone tying a rope around your butt and twirling you around a den of lions. Does this sound like fun? I assure you the bird did not look like a happy unit.) In another segment, he teaches the dog "whoa!" by having him hooked up to a stationary tractor with a system of ropes and pulleys that would have made the Marquis de Sade lick his chops in envy. Finally, the poor (our adjective) pup is given his first taste of shot bird. Regan demonstrates a simple, quick way to make the dog let go of the bird. Verbally, it consisted of having the dog stand on its hind legs, lay his head on the hunter's thigh, and open his mouth. Visually, it consisted of a dog lifted by his collar until all fours were off the ground, at which time the dog--understandably--released the bird in favor of getting another chance to breathe. Truly, one of the stranger tapes we've seen, this is definitely not recommended.