Otter always had a presence about him. You knew immediately when you watched him work there was something different about him. He had a passion for working. He always gave a 100% regardless of the task. His marking ability, drive, and focus created a great deal of confidence in his abilities especially at events. He really loved running tests. I think it was the challenge. Many times judges asked jokingly “would you mind giving us a token whistle so we at least know he will stop and take a casts”. Many times he would line difficult blinds. Otter did consistently well in events and has titles in several venues- 4X Grand Master Pointing Retriever, Hunter Retriever Champion, Master Hunter, Qualified All Age. He also ran and JAMMed several All Age field trials. Over a two weekend period he brought home three titles-MPR, GMPR as well as All Age Qualified. He did this as a two year old.
I stopped running tests with Otter for a while. We still trained because he loved it. When he was ten years old we started running them again. It was what he wanted to do. Otter got six GMPR passes for a 4X GMPR, a couple of MH passes and seven HRC Finished passes and a HRCH title. There were more than a few times when we were one of just a few still standing at the end of the day for the ribbons.
Otter taught me more about training and handling than any trainer, video or book written combined. Off the line he made me laugh a bunch. He had a thing for whipped cream! He taught me how to communicate with a dog at what seemed at times like a remarkable level with him. We had a connection I would hope everyone gets to experience with their dogs at some point.