TEACHING NEW DOGS OLD TRICKS POPULAR CHINO EVENT FUN FOR ALL.

Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer

CHINO - Patch leaped through the tall, wet grass. It was obvious the Llewelyn Setter was enjoying his romp through the Prado Recreation dog-training area.

But then Patch stopped. He burrowed in the grass. His teammate and owner, La Canada's Rick Armato, prepared for the sight of a chukkar. Patch flushed out the pigeon-sized bird, Armato waited, and hit the bird with a clean shot. Patch joyously went to the bird and brought it back to Armato.

It wasn't a perfect day for Patch. He found only two chukkar in 10 minutes during the 13th annual Gun Dog Showdown, presented by the San Gabriel Valley chapter of Quail Unlimited last Saturday.

``This really is a wonderful event,'' Armato said. ``It's a chance for the dog-hunting community to come together. It's like a fraternity. You get to see championship dogs and it's a chance for Quail Unlimited to raise money for charity.''

Competitors had 10 minutes to hit three birds, using a maximum five shells. There was a wide variety of dogs among the 28 competitors: retrievers, pointers, setters. Ed Clare of Sierra Madre, and Cameo, a Brittany spaniel, had the two fastest times in the event, 2 minutes, 58 seconds and 7:07. Steve Trammel of Saugus and Hank, a poodle pointer, was second in 7:50 and Tom Hooker of Mission Viejo and Xena, an English springer spaniel had a time of 8:00 for third.

Many competitions have a shooter, dog and dog-handler involved. This competition involves just the dog and shooter, covering about 10 acres of land.

``We're trying to duplicate hunting conditions,'' event organizer Tim Bovard of Pomona said. ``We want them to work hand in hand together.''

The session is a chance for young dogs to learn hunting skills and for older dogs to refine them. Some dogs failed to retrieve a fallen bird, while others, eager to be part of the game, ventured onto the playing field.

``When these dogs see a bird, it is like a kid seeing candy,'' says Dan Huggins of Victorville, who came with Ricky, an English springer spaniel.

The privately run dog-training area has been operating just south of the Prado Dam Recreation Area for 25 years. Owner Don Richardson regularly plants pigeons on the property to help dog owners learn proper hunting techniques.

``It's hard to find places like this,'' Huggins says.

Trammell says the event is important to see how Hank, his 2-year-old poodle pointer, is progressing.

``It's a great barometer to see how he is doing in training,'' he said after knocking down his three birds with three shots in less that 8 minutes. ``A year ago, all he would have been doing is playing with the other dogs. But he did this without distraction. He did great.

Wendell Deppe of San Gabriel helped run the Show Down this year after winning the event in 2000 with a friend's dog - he does not own a dog.

``It takes a lot of work to train these dogs,'' he explained. ``I end up spending too much time working on the job and have too little time to work with a dog.''

Huggins says his 2-year-old springer spaniel goes to the veterinarian once a month and is as much a family member as his teen-aged children.

Saturday's event, run on two different fields, is not the ideal hunting environment, nearly all agree. Armato says his dog, Patch, knows the difference. And Bovard says the fields might not be large ``but then, it's great for spectators, because you don't need a horse to see the action.''

And there were a lot of noncompetitors watching.

``If you have a pointer or a flusher, it does not matter,'' Bovard said. ``It's just a chance to work with your dog.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1) Ed Clare of Sierra Madre and his dog, Cameo, were in the Gun Dog Showdown, presented by the San Gabriel Valley chapter of Quail Unlimited.

(2) Dale Bills of San Dimas prepares to plant a chukkar during the Gun Dog Showdown.

Thomas R. Cordova/Special to the Daily News