The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/60778
Bird Hunters Club has Pennsylvania connection The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, April 4, 2012 A-9 business, donated to the Pike Count Bird Hunters land fund after there dem- onstration of what break- ing, training and campaign- ing 30 or more bird dogs for discriminating owners from one end of the country to the other is like. Included in the 32 dogs Chuck Cooper were the judges for a national point- er trial hosted at the Pike County Bird Hunters Club. The Burgettstown, Penn- sylvania couple not only joined the club, which they describe as having great facilities and features like no other, they also return a couple times a year to train dogs sent to them from all around the country. Alphadog, the couples Five years ago Diane and By James Capozella brought by the Coopers this month were Weima- raners, Vizslas, German Shorthaired pointers, Ger- man Wirehaired pointers and Irish Setters. In an on- going rescue effort by the Coopers, the brace also in- cludes a pit bull and a small terrier. Many others have been rescued and then ad- opted during their journey from one training ground to another. Chuck said he is the Southwestern Indiana has had recently, the dogs are out of their individual ken- nels, only when heat is low enough for activity, which means early morning and late evening. Chuck said, "Normally when we are here we have a coat or two on" but the unseasonable high heat has made a change in the couple's routine. The training regime gen- On the beautiful days erally follows the weath- er according to Chuck, but this year has made a big dif- ference on how the dogs are handled. Diane first started in dog obedience and worked in- to bird dog training. Chuck said his start was bird hunt- ing at an early age. Both share the many tasks and duties in handling 32 or more bird dogs, four hors- es, birds and all the special- ized equipment that goes with training and trials. Birds are released by the couple at the club but none are retrieved. During trials, Chuck said birds are not bagged until the last sever- al top dogs are judged and then a "shoot and retrieve" is judged for just those pointers. The majority breed under "scout in the company" while his wife Diane is "the trainer." Both share duties that include conditioning the animals, riding horse back in training and the driving from many sites including California, New Mexico, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma and of course the mid-west. early morning conditioning on an extra warm April day at the Pike County Bird Hunters Club. The cou- ple has trained seven national champions. James Capozella photo. his and Diane's guidance is the Weimaraner which is nicknamed "the grey ghost" because of the color of the coat. The short haired Ger- man dog ranges from 55 to 82 pounds and 23 to 27 inch- es in height. The dogs were originally bred for hunting by royalty in the early 19th century. At that time, large game such as boar, bear and of few gun-dogs raised to live with the family rath- er than kenneled like most other gun-dogs. The breed is an all purpose family dog which is capable as a guard dog, besides being loyal and very good around children. deer were the mainstay, but more recently they have been trained to hunt smaller animals such as birds, rab- bits and fox. The Weimaraner is one Chuck and Diane Cooper, owners of Alphadog training and campaigning, ready three bird dogs for about 12 miles-per-hour for 30 to 60 minutes while conditioning bird dogs. Diane and husband Chuck utilize the Pike County Bird Hunters club grounds a couple times a year. This time they are traveling with 32 bird dogs in train- ing. James Capozella photo. Diane Cooper of Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, drives the four-wheeler at POCKET netedition fits in your and your budget SIGN UP TODAY Just $4 per year additional to current paper edition subscribers or $34 per year for NETedtion only.* pressdispatch.net/edition Web, Smartphone, Tablet *Introductory Rate through May 4, 2012. Regular price $5 per year for add-on, $35 per year for NETedition only. Try it FREE, go to pressdispatch.net/edition Diane manage for owners from across the country. Their bird dog training takes them from New Jersey to Michigan, New Mexico, California, Oklaho- ma and the mid-west training bird dogs on horseback. James Capozella photo. Chuck Cooper takes care of the watering detail for 32 dogs he and his wife