Page 252 - Showsight March 2013

BIO
Daphne Sto-
ver owns Hadley
Acres Obedience
& Care, a dog
training, groom-
ing, and kennel
in Metamora,
MI. When she is not helping her clients
enjoy an easier life with their dogs, Daph-
ne enjoys competing with her WyldKatz
Field Spaniels in agility, obedience, and
conformation. Daphne has earned hun-
dreds of titles on her dogs in the past 15
years in many venues. She also volunteers
her time helping the Field Spaniel Society
of America with their performance activi-
ties as the current FSSA Performance
Chairperson. Her latest accomplishment
was certifying her field Sabre to be a USA
Therapy dog. Daphne is USA Therapy
Dog’s lead Trainer.
BIO
N i c h o l e
Dooley Bunch
is a longtime
breeder, owner
and handler.
Having either
owner/handled
or breeder/own-
er/handled several different Field Spaniels
(both dogs and bitches) to multiple sport-
ing group wins, top breed & all-breed
rankings, and earned winners at multiple
National Specialties, among other top
awards nationwide, she is one of the most
accomplished handlers in the breed on a
national scale.
Most recently, her dog Hudson was
the #1 Field Spaniel All-systems for 2012
and was the first Field Spaniel to earn the
Reserve BIS award; and her bitch Ginger
was the #1 Field Spaniel bitch in 2012,
both being the only two Field Spaniels
ranked in the top 5 breed and all-breed.
In 2013, Ginger went on to become
the 1st FS Bitch to win Best of Breed at
Westminster KC in 15 years. She and her
mother, Corinne Dooley, breed under the
SandsCape prefix.
The tracking Field Spaniel is simply
amazing and beautiful to watch. They can
follow an invisible trail of scent through
various covers and weather conditions. A
Field Spaniel’s “Nose, Knows!” Tracking is
in their blood. They have been very success-
ful in both search and rescue and tracking
tests. Most Fields can pass a TD level track-
ing dog test with minimal training and
patience. Learning how to read your Field’s
tracking style, is your challenge.
Of course, we can’t forget what Field
Spaniels were originally bred to do! A Field
Spaniel doing what it was intended is truly
a sight to behold. They are eager and will-
ing to find, flush, and retrieve game from
both land and water and they give mean-
ing to saying “form follows function”.
Built for activity and endurance they can
accommodate most terrains.
The Field Spaniels willingness to please
and natural ability to problem solve make
them perfect candidates for field work.
While their curiosity level may get the best
of them in their youth and when early in
training and exposure to the field, con-
sistency, patience and building a good
foundation of good habits is essential.
In the end, this can make any seasoned
hunter jealous of your Field Spaniel as an
all-around hunt test competitor or tire-
less in-season companion. Over the years,
since the breed was re-established in the
second half of the 20th century, we have
to be thankful for the longtime breeders
that have helped move this breed forward
whom have also committed to working
their dogs in the Field. For a small breed,
and to be able to boast Master Hunter
titles from a several different kennels and
many more running at the senior levels is
proof that this breed remains a working
dog at the core.
It is always an adventure training and
exhibiting with a Field Spaniel. Many
experiences with the Fields Spaniel breed
have taught me that the Field will continue
to learn as long as you continue to motivate
and train them. Their active, inquisitive
personality enables them to perform well
into their retirement years in conformation
and performance venues worldwide. Best
of all, their impish nature will always keep
you on your toes!
“For a small breed, and to be able to boast Master
Hunter titles from a several different kennels and
many more running at the senior levels is
PROOF THAT THIS BREEd REMAINS
A wORkINg dOg AT THE CORE.”
252 • ShowSight Magazine, March 2013