Colorado’s newest champion bird dog literally is one in a millionmaybe more when one considers the pride and prejudices involved in the coloration of Labrador retrievers.
A bundle of raw energy named Grits last weekend earned the American Kennel Club’s master hunter status at a test in Platteville. Grits is the first Colorado dog to be an AKC master hunter while also holding the title of grand champion through the United Kennel Club’s rigorous series of tests.
The first thing one must know about this remarkable dog is that he is the color of a chocolate milkshake. This may be a highly desirable feature for everyday hunters with an eye for the unusual or someone looking for a warm, fuzzy house pet. But when it comes to field champions, it long has been the equivalent of a plowhorse in the Kentucky Derby.
“Having a chocolate grand champion is about as rare as a coyote running in a field trial,” said Tom Herman, the commoner who keeps company with this canine royalty at a home in Highlands Ranch.
How this came to be is a story of a dog’s raw energy and the equal determination of an amateur trainer to draw that rough energy into harness.
The feat becomes more remarkable when one considers that Herman didn’t gain possession of Grits until the dog was 4 years old, when the previous owner died.
What he found was a supercharged animal with a funny name and little tolerance for control.
“It was a lot like handling a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse and you’re trying to get hold of the fuse with wet fingers,” Herman said with a laugh.
“When I got him, I quickly realized my ability as a handler was not equal to him as a dog. He’s still hard to handle.”
The difficulty, and reward, comes from all those hot-wired traits of an alpha personality that, when channeled, translates to excellence.
“Grits has all the desire in the world. Where other dogs are shy about thick cover, he’ll run into 8-foot cattails. There’s just no stopping him,” Herman said.
Then there’s the equally noteworthy matter of age. Grits earned these pinnacle ribbons, after three years of hard training, at age 7. In dog years, that’s roughly the equivalent of a 49-year-old man winning the Olympic 100-meter dash.
“The judges at Platteville kept commenting on how fast he is. When I told them he’s 7 years old, they couldn’t believe it,” Herman said.
How Tom and Grits finally merged on a path to mutual success is a tale of ultimate resolve.
“I knew I had something very special, so I bought a boatload of books and videos and went begging to every trainer I knew,” Herman said. “It dominated my life.”
As it turned out, Grits’ unbridled energy became a saving grace.
“You can train him all day long. We’ve trained 365 days for three years. There were many times when I just wanted to leave him on the side of the road. It never stops with this dog,” Herman said.
“No dog is perfect, but top dogs have a characteristic that outweighs the rest. Grits’ drive outweighs everything else.”
Another thing that makes Grits distinctive is that Herman used him as an active hunting dog, rare at this level of competition.
“It takes about six weeks to get him back out of the hunting mode, to get him to turn off his nose and use only his eyes,” Herman said.
Among Herman’s biggest challenges was the considerable matter of color.
“The comments about chocolate dogs not quite being all together probably is correct as far as I’m concerned,” Herman said. “There probably have been less than 100 dogs in the entire country who ever achieved both titles, and none of them has been chocolate.”
Now that they’ve crossed that hurdle, Herman can laugh about it.
“I joke that there’s a mirror in his kennel with the picture of a black Lab on it, that he thinks it’s him,” Herman said.
Anticipating the all-too- brief careers of working dogs, Herman has chosen his next project. Preacher is a tall, rangy pup of 15 months who already demonstrates a world of promise.
“He’s running training trials and making 3-year-old dogs look silly,” the owner said.
In case you haven’t guessed it, Preacher is black.
Charlie Meyers: 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com
