Contact for John Cauchi?

[Judy Pannett]

Could someone please pass on to me John Cauchi's phone number or email if he is on the net. I have lost his contact details, I bought a puppy from him & thought he might like to know how he is going (it is all good!!).
My email is: topdog@dodo.com.au
Thank you.

[Peter Betteridge]

Judy
john lives at St Marys in sydneys west. his number is 02 9623 8084. Like you I have featherhunt pups.John Palmer also trials a Featherhunt pup in NSW. One thing they all have in common is huge retrieving drive. I for one have my problems with them but I love all that firepower.We Featherhunt owners would all be interested in knowing how how your pup is progressing! could you fill us in?

[Judy Pannett]

Hi Peter,
Thanks for your reply. I will phone John in a couple of days I can't phone tomorrow night as we have our meeting regarding the proposed rule changes then. (I'm in W.A.)
I would have to agree with you my boy ( Featherhunt Joshua NRD) has great retrieving drive. My dog was born 23-8-02 and is by Blackie from Featherhunt Karra is he related to your dog? Do you know who have his litter mates?
I have had my problems with him but he has come a long way this season,
he has had 1 novice win & several novice places, then won 2 Restricted & a couple of restricted places. I couldn't be happier with him as he isn't 2yrs for a couple of months.
Thanks again, I would like to hear about yours & other Featherhunt dogs.
Judy Pannett

[Peter Betteridge]

Judy
I have a litter mate to your dog (featherhunt Jet Black)and another bitch from a previous litter(featherhunt justlikegabby)
Rtch truclass Untouchable x Kamajae dasha (your boys granny). Jet has had 8 novice trials and has just had 1 restricted trial for 1 win.I have found that it essential to be very meticulous with peg work,creeping, and mouthing.jet is very high desire without being a looney, she is also very tractable and obedient,but at this stage is alittle lacking in the marking department although she has an excellent 2nd and 3rd bird memory.my other Featherhunt bitch "Abbey" is an extremely talent .She is a wonderful linerunner and marker and handles well,however she is very complex and excitable.I am still in the process of attempting to iron out all her other issues.Most of which revolve around the pegs.She has had 5 all age starts for 1 place and 2 finishes and is 2 years old.
Josh's litter mates?
John Palmer has one and his dog is a huge talent with amazing drive.He is a big goodlooking dog and marks beautifully."Sam" has breezed thru novice and is about to start restricted Geoff Cole also had one but I dont have any details except she was quite small and marked well
I think one of the pups went to Queensland and you would have to ask John about the rest
Good luck with your training I'm sure you'll show the WA trialers what a really stylish retriever can do
regards peter Betteridge

[Judy Pannett]

Hi Peter,
Great to hear you have Josh's litter sister& that John Palmer has the only other male from the litter ( thats how I understood it).
It is interesting to hear how alike they are in as much as my problems have also been at the flags. Control in the field hasn't been the issue but control at the flags has been & is something I continually have to work at. Josh is a good marking dog and like Jet his memory of 2nd & 3rd birds is excelent.
You can see a photo of him when he won his first Restricted under WA results for the Labrador Club May 23rd 2004, he is trying hard not to look at the line of goldies next to him He is quite a big strong dog.
I find him very challenging to train,he keeps me thinking all the time. There was a time when he had tried my patience to the limit, escaping from my yard & disappearing for up to 4 hours at a time, coming home foot sore & exhausted after I had searched & called for most of this time.
I would spend the first couple of hours hoping nobody had shot him & the second 2 hours hoping they had!!!

[Jason Ferris]

Hi Judy

I had a Featherhunt bitch, a sister to Peter's, from Nat RTCH Truclass Untouchable x Kamajae dasha. I had the same problem as you with escaping and roaming - including chewing through chainmesh fencing to get out. She was a nice worker, particularly between the pegs, but was quite soft and lacking drive. I ended up moving her on after her she had her NRD and had done a season of Restricted.

Cheers, Jason.

[Peter Betteridge]

Jason
your featherhunt bitch was I think out of dasha but by NRTCH truclass ruff'n ready not RTCH Truclass Untouchable.Touch and Ruff are full brothers so I guess it makes our bitches genetically full sisters but only half sisters on the pedigree.What appealed to me about featherhunt dogs was the mix of bloodlines that John Cauchi has engineered.I am a big fan of Kadnook dogs and particularly their Scottish import "Monty" He has been put over some fine bitches and has done alot for working Labs' in Australia.Jill and Wayne should be congratulated for their foresight.I have tryed in the last couple of years to purchase a "Monty" pup from them but they seem to have a long waiting list of people wonting the same thing. Maybe I should have been more patient. I am very impressed by Joe Vella's dog RTCH Kamajae All Black and "Dasha' is a litter sister to 'Blackie" "Blackie and "Dasha" are out of Monty.
Geoff Cole's dog "Touch" is in my opinion a super dog.the best blinds I've ever seen have been done by him.I had many great battles with geoff and Touch in the 1990's,hence ny enthusiasm for purchasing a Touch puppy.
jason ,I'm suprised that your bitch lacked firepower,your the first case that I've heard of a featherhunt pup that was'nt a flying machine.John Cauchi's pups can be complicated and do recquire an experienced trainer but boy o boy they can be spectacular when they get it right and i'd rather drive a porshe than a VW,

[Jason Ferris]

your featherhunt bitch was I think out of dasha but by NRTCH truclass ruff'n ready not RTCH Truclass Untouchable.

Hi Peter

You are right of course, my bitch Sandy was from Ruff not Touch. I know that others who had pups from the same litter found them a bit soft, so it is great that later litters of John's are proving to be more enthusiasic. Like you, I would rather be trying to harness the potential of an enthusastic dog, than encourage one without much go.

Cheers, Jason.

[Kerry Webster]

Hello Peter and Jason,

I too have a "Truclass" dog (Truclass The Swagman), who is a son of R.T. Ch Truclass Untouchable, and his grandmother is Noel Eltringham's Tess.(R.T.Ch Firefield Yankee Bell) Both very good dogs.

My fellow doesn't look anything like either of them, and Gareth Tawton said on his recent visit to our farm, that Swaggy looks like his Grt Grandfather, Russ. (Ntnl R.T.ch Bambillay River Sands). I only saw Russ once at a very ripe age, and can't remember him too well.

Swaggy has not been an easy dog to train, and several times I have been on the verge of giving up, but what is life without a challenge, so I have persevered, tried to keep my cool, and kept the mutterings under my breath (well, most of the time).

He has two Restricted wins and had a second place, without ever winning a Novice, although he placed several times. There is hope yet !!!!!
If nothing else, he is a character, and, if he ever fulfills what several triallers have told me he will, one day, then maybe I will look back on these years of frustration and laugh. Heres hoping.

Kerry