Chasing After the Dogs

Al Forbes, rural Neosho, has been interested in owning, training, and competing with German shorthaired pointers since the mid-1960s. But after his first dog was trained, he set aside his dog enthusiasm for raising kids and making a living.

Most of his working life, Forbes worked in fire departments in California. After retirement about 15 years ago, he returned to Missouri and once again took up German shorthaired pointers. Since then he has raised and trained pups for his own use, run them in many field trials, trained them for other people, and just enjoyed being with his dogs.

Forbes was born on Big Sugar Creek near Powell. He and his family lived there until his high school years. "All I knew was horses, dogs, and cows," he said about his growing up years.

His life took a turn while he was in high school, as his father took a job in Colorado. Then when he turned 21 years of age, he headed west to California and became involved with fire department work. Later, he met a man who was a horse trainer and silversmith.

 Forbes decided he would like to learn silversmithing and spent time watching the man work. Then one day they attended a field trial. Forbes was not familiar with dogs that are trained to hunt so precisely. Watching the dogs work, he instantly found his true passion.

In time he befriended two men he considered to be among the best dog trainers in the country. Forbes got himself a German shorthaired pointer, and the experts "taught him the ropes."

Although he could not stay with his passion for dog training because of family responsibilities and attention to his profession, he did not forget his lessons. In 1985, he retired and returned to Missouri. At first, he and his wife lived in McDonald County, but now live west of Neosho.

Forbes says there are several steps in training a good bird dog. First, he says, you need to select a dog with good bloodlines. He prefers a dog that is not timid, but is also not the bully of the litter.  Most important, the trainer must learn if the dog has a "good nose" and "desire." Without these two qualities, a dog and trainer will not succeed.

There are three keys to actually training a dog: absolute consistency, spending time with the dog, and having a place to train.

According to Forbes, teaching a dog four simple words: "Here! Come! Whoa! Help!" is enough. He said, "I don't ever teach my dogs 'sit.'"

Forbes said the greatest reward of dog training is selecting a pup, raising it, training it, and winning a field trial with it. "That's the whole package," he said.

Like all professions or hobbies, there are downsides. Cleaning up after the dogs, being committed to them every day, and being tied down are negative aspects of dog training and competitions.

"You have to take care of them every day," he explained.

Field trials are held during the fall and spring; not in the heat of summer or the frigid days of winter. Although he has competed in field trials over much of the Midwest, most of his competitions are held in the Four-State Region.

During the last year, Forbes has not raised and trained any pups. He has enough good dogs to compete with for several more years, His youngest dogs are two-year-olds and most field trial competition dogs can do well until they are ten years old.

The look in Al Forbes' eyes as he trains, tends, and works his dogs shows his care for these animals. He now has the dogs that he dreamed having of since the mid-1960s.

He summed up his thoughts, "I have nice young dogs. They will probably last me as long as I can keep up with them."

If not, he will select another puppy to raise, train, and "chase after."