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Maybe it's because of El Nino.......

jazzgeek

jazzgeek

The Rule Of Thirds.
....but we've had some unseasonably warm weather here in Wisconsin over the past couple of weeks. I'm not complaining - highs in the mid 40s to low 50s, so nice that the town's annual "Ice Fishing Jamboree" has been moved back to the 27th, when hopefully, there will be some ice covering the lake.

And the pond at the park where I run Bo, about 2 miles out of town, has open water as well. This is the first time I've been able to swim Bo in January since I moved out here almost three years ago, and it's just too cool! Bo was genetically engineered to be in the water, and there's nothing he loves more.

To commemorate the event, I brought the camera along. Hopefully, you'll both indulge and pardon me (for the crappy photos, it's only a 2 Mpx camera) at the same time.

You can see just a small thin amount of ice in the far, shallow end of the pond:

Bo010407-1.jpg



Bo reluctantly posed before getting himself all wet. You can see he's not looking at the camera, but at the retrieving dummies I'm holding in my left hand. It looks like he's yelling, "C'MON!!!! Let's get going!!!" to me.
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At the far bank, about to catch air:

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The next two are far bank "splashdown" shots:


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continued next post.....
 
...waiting to be sent for a "double" retrieve. You can see his hackles....he's going NUTS waiting....

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...different retrieve, but the almost identical location. You can see his leaping ability from how far into the pond he splashed down....

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These next two are indicative of the intensity he has when he's doing what he loves...look at his eyes....

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After about a half hour of water retrieves, I'll dry him off and take him to the field for another half hour of land work. When his day's "work" is done, it's off to the local watering hole.
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Thanks for looking!

regards,
jazz
 
Oh lovely! My old girl is half lab on both sides of her mixed parentage, and she used to retrieve from water beautifully. The problem now is that her strength doesn't match up to her 'need to retrieve', so I have to pick the right time (our swimming place is a tidal river) and watch her carefully. She definately resents me cutting her time in the water short, and I have to stop her retrieving sticks etc other owners throw for their dogs :rolleyes:
 
Way To Go Bo!

Thanks for sharing Bo with us! I'm certain that he loves his workouts!! :cheers:
Man can he leap! How long have you been training him? Any competitions? :cool:
 
That's something I've always wanted to do with my dog, but she's terrified of any water that's deeper than she is tall.
 
Tula_Montage said:
What a gorgeous, clever and no doubt cold little pooch!
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Actually, this is perfect weather for him. And outside of a naturally oily topcoat, Labs have a very dense undercoat. The breed was originally designed, along with Newfoundlands, to retrieve fish/fishing nets from the cold waters of the North Atlantic.

tsthompson said:
Man can he leap! How long have you been training him? Any competitions? :cool:
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He's been in "informal" training since the age of 7 weeks, the first day I got him. ;)

I used to belong to a retriever club when I lived in New York, and as a pup, he placed second in the puppy stakes of a field trial. But trials are grueling and time-consuming, not only to the dog, but to the handlers/trainers/owners as well. I was considering entering him in an AKC sanctioned "hunt test", where you compete against a standard and not against other dogs.....we'll see.

But he turns 5 on January 19th. Right now, he's in his prime as a field dog (a "meat dog" as the snobs of field trials would hiss), and that's what he'll remain....my hunting buddy. He just gets to run like this 4-5 times a week so I don't have the sofa chewed on at home. :grin01:


Thanks for the nice comments, everyone, and for letting me share my favorite hour of the day. :cheers:

regards,
jazz
 
GREAT... here comes the blizzard storm now that you've pointed out that the MidWest has escaped winter... thanks ALOT... :twoguns: :santa:
 
Good pics and good lookin lab. I have a 8 month old Viszla that I am working with to be a duck dog mostly. He has a great desire to retrieve and to please me. He just has not yet figured out proper swimming technique. He tries to swim with out using his back legs, they just hang below the water while he trashes wildly with the front ones. Any tips that would help, or is it just a matter of time before he figures it out? And it is unusually warm this year. I could go out right now in shorts if I wanted, granted this is South Texas but I should need pants this time of year. Hearing about "El Nino" Brings back fond memories of this clip.
 
mike17l said:
Good pics and good lookin lab. I have a 8 month old Viszla that I am working with to be a duck dog mostly. He has a great desire to retrieve and to please me. He just has not yet figured out proper swimming technique. He tries to swim with out using his back legs, they just hang below the water while he trashes wildly with the front ones. Any tips that would help, or is it just a matter of time before he figures it out?
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My only advice has been "the sooner, the better". Bo first hit water at 12 weeks, and to me, that has made all the difference. How long has your Viszla been at it?
Hearing about "El Nino" Brings back fond memories of this clip.
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LOL, I miss this guy - he was a student at Marquette University (his student advisor was Father Matt Foley...yep, same name...who was not a motivational speaker), and I saw him a few times getting wild during my barfly days.

It was a shame that he was so dang self-destructive.

regards,
jazz
 
What a gorgeous pooch! He looks great in action too! Always wanted a dog who would fetch for me, but mine have always been too stubbron and the moment they start running they take off and I have to go hunt them down. *sigh* At least I can train my cat to fetch me back the mice she catches.


Jenn
 
jazzgeek said:
My only advice has been "the sooner, the better". Bo first hit water at 12 weeks, and to me, that has made all the difference. How long has your Viszla been at it?
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He hasn't been in the water all that much. Only a month or so, and not real consistant, I probably just need to make sure he gets out in the water a couple times a week. he loves the water, just has trouble keeping his ass up in the water. He wants to drop it and only use his front feet. He has no problem when he is bringing back a bird, just trouble when he is going out to get one.
 
tricksterpup said:
Hey Jazz where are the pictures of you diving into the water playing fetch??? Fair is fair.. :grin01:
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Bo and I have a symbiotic relationship. I scratch his back, he scratches mine, figuratively speaking.

When he learns to pitch the retrieving dummies into the water, I'll be happy to swim after them.

In the meantime, let's give a big shout out to opposable thumbs. :grin01:

regards,
jazz
 
mike17l said:
I probably just need to make sure he gets out in the water a couple times a week.
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Yeah, my mentor in working with retrievers once told me that getting dogs to swim is like voting in a Chicago election.

You gotta do it early, and often. :)

regards,
jazz
 
nice thread dale...........somehow i guessed i missed it. this little time you have with your "best friend" is probably helping you tremendously with your ongoing health issues. thanks for the pics and stories. :cheers:
 
jazzgeek said:
Yeah, my mentor in working with retrievers once told me that getting dogs to swim is like voting in a Chicago election.

You gotta do it early, and often. :)

regards,
jazz
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Reminds me of home in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
 
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