Alan Kalal Coon Hunting Veteran... - Huntinghoundsmen.com

Alan and wife, Kristi
Alan and Kristi, (the love of
Alan’s life) were married on
December 11, 1998
pete on the national level with extreme success. She was a
natural to train and she had that big booming male dog
mouth, and she could stand the pressure on the tree. Destiny
was accurate as can be, and you never wondered if she had
the coon, because you knew she did. As a mother, she was
the best as she never lost a puppy. And as a reproducer, she
threw everything from big game dogs and coon dogs to Dual
Grand Champions. She was a dog that had it all rolled
together in one animal, and I was blessed to be the lucky guy
to own her for her entire life.”
“What were your most meaningful wins over the years?”
“This is another one that will be hard to say, because they
all mean something special to me. And I’m talking way back
to that first hunt that I ever won with my dad’s old female
and winning the first hunt with my very own female. Maybe
I could say that winning four State Hunt Championships and
seven State Show Championships were most meaningful, or
winning other breed sectionals.
“And, placing in Walker Days, the Lee Crawford
Invitational and the UKC Winter Classic all are extremely
meaningful, but I have to admit that winning 2001 Walker
Days has to be the Highlight of what I have done to date. I
remember that night like it was yesterday, and I will never
forget the feeling with thirty minutes left to hunt and I felt
that we had enough points to possibly win Walker Days.
Man, that half hour seemed like two hours to me!”
“Thanks. Now, talk to us about your feelings on bench
shows, since you do both so well.”
Alan didn’t have to think on this. “Okay, well, I think
bench shows are important for the hounds. They should be
of the breed standard to be able to perform in the woods, and
a dog must have the correct conformation and movement in
order to be able to hunt hard and keep hunting hard. They
need correct angulation and reach to really fulfill their potential
in drive, stamina and speed.”
Pictured are
Alan with
Kristi and his
ready-made
family, Kylie,
McKenzie
and Logan
A picture of Alan’s family, sister, Darlene, brother,
Gary, Alan and Kristi, his mother, Jane, and sister,
Karen.
“How about special bench show
moments?”
“Vickie, basically the entire year 2000
would answer that question, with
Destiny winning Queen of Show at Ada,
Oklahoma Walker Sectional, Winning
Supreme Female at the Lee Crawford
Invitational, Winning Queen of Show at Walker Days, dominating
the PKC circuit the entire year and being the very
first PKC Silver Champion. This sticks out as a special
moment, but winning State Championships are very special
too.”
“How do you prepare your dogs for the bench?”
“When you approach training a dog for shows, it takes lots
of time working and training you dog to gait properly, and
then in getting the dog to pose and hold while being judged.
As for tips for beginners, always remember to read and know
the breed standard for your dog.
“Work you dogs everyday at least once, if not more than
that, when you’re first staring out. As your dog gets more
comfortable with the training, make sure you still work
them at least once a day for a period of fifteen minutes or so.
And, always give your dog a bath before every show. Never
show a dirty dog.
“The biggest and the most important piece of advice is that
whatever you do, make sure that you learn how to be a good
loser. And this is because you’re going to lose a whole lot
more that you’ll ever win. If you’re good at losing, then you’ll
be great at winning.”
“And this brings me to the next logical question. What are
your thoughts on competition hunting?”
“Vickie, I love the competition. To me, there’s nothing
more enjoyable or exciting than going hunting with two or
three other handlers and their hounds. And special
moments? They include everything from winning backyard
club events to State and National levels. It simply doesn’t
matter what level … in order to get a dog ready for competition,
you must hunt hard and have your dog ready to perform.
“And this doesn’t happen by sitting in a kennel or on the
end of a chain. If you take them and expect to do much with
them, it always helps for both you and your dog to be in
shape and ready.
“Things you want to look for in a competition dog are that
you want one that has some independence. If nothing is