Meet my new puppy!

[diamondlil]

A frosty walk to the park today. Rosie could have some running around off-lead, but as the fencing here isn't secure and this is where Bertie had his first run away incident he had to stay on the tracker lead.

 

[MegF.]

Looking neat and beautiful for their morning run!

 

[Nanci]

Rosie is so cute!! I love her little topknot!

 

[diamondlil]

I've never trimmed Rosie's face, and went to great pains to forbid the dog groomer from doing so on her first and only visit last year. She's got her mohawk as well as an impressive beard and set of moustaches and eyebrow tufts that add up to her scruffy good looks. Her mum was a liver Bedlington, a smaller version of Bertie, her dad was a brindle whippet. I'll put Bertie in for an all-over trim in the summer, but to be honest the hand-stripping job she did on Rosie wasn't to my liking. I've got used to shaping Rosie the way I like so it wasn't really worth the money to end up with her not looking the way I wanted! I was horrified when the groomer was explaining which bits she'd clip off, and again had to emphasise no clippers on my girlie!
I plucked and gutted a brace of pheasants today, Bertie has been happily chewing on wings and feet, Rosie has a wing she's got no intention of eating but keeps playing with.

 

[MegF.]

My old ridgeback and lab used to love to eat dove and would go so far as to steal them out of my game bag to eat them.

 

[diamondlil]

My kitchen looks a sight right now! I'll clean it up soon, after the dogs have enjoyed their chewy treats a little longer. Bertie will basically chew up and enjoy eating anything, Rosie is more picky. He'll eat a whole small (gutted) rabbit, skin and all, Rosie acts like I'm a maniac at the very thought but will play with a rabbit's foot. In fact for her to eat rabbit I have to skin and cut up her portion. She'll chase a skin as a lure but not if it has the head on!
That's the end of the pheasant season now over here, the big woodpigeons can be shot all year round though so hopefully I'll get some more of those soon.

 

[MegF.]

I have one dog that is very picky. Don't know if she'd eat rabbit or not. She would only eat pork or chicken when I fed raw. Deer meat..no way...she'd rather eat sticks, leaves and horse manure (which is what she did) so I had to go back to the expensive stuff. The others will eat anything.....

 

[diamondlil]

Out for a 4 hour trek with the dogs today. It's bitterly cold and lightly snowing, so we went to the river. Both dogs were chasing the Brent geese, with Bertie actually swimming after them despite the cold. Then we met up with our friend Joby the lurcher so they had a great time racing away together. Rosie put up a rabbit but it got into the brambles in the nick of time.

 

[MegF.]

Goodness gracious! Looks like fun!! I love the cold so I would have found it amazingly fun!

 

[diamondlil]

Goodness gracious! Looks like fun!! I love the cold so I would have found it amazingly fun!

Great progress on the recall too, Meg. Bertie did a big circuit of the scrub where the rabbits are. I could tell where he was by the blackbirds he was scaring and being scolded by, when he was out of sight. So I let him run free, calling 'this way' as I walked along the paths with Rosie so he would know where we were going. Then when I wanted to turn back, he recalled from the middle of the bushes, very pleased with himself, but ready to zoom off again. So a very firm 'WAIT' command and hey presto, one Bertie waited calmly for me to walk up, praise him and put his lead on.
I have been using 'wait' a lot indoors and out, as a generic command to stay still, either before coming to me for a treat, always before following me out through a door, before crossing roads, and I think it's finally sinking in to Bertie's fizzy brain what I want from him! Wait always comes before a treat or lots of praise, or before being allowed to do what he wants, so it's automatically being paired with good things.

 

[MegF.]

Excellent job!! It's important that you do recall and wait and then allow him to go back to what he wants to do so that he learns that wait or come doesn't necessarily mean the loss of fun. You want him to always come so you want him to know that sometimes it's just to check in and then he can go back to the enjoyable task. Like treats, the nose game or rabbit hunt in Bertie's case is the reward for the come. You call them off what they want badly and when they come...praise and turn them loose again. You'll find that it will help stop any creation of reluctance to come later. Bertie is sharp enough to learn that if he comes he'll be leashed and smart enough to not come if that's the case. I'm sure that doesn't happen every time, but be aware of it so you can practice the recall with huge distraction (rabbits) and reward with return to the hunt!

 

[diamondlil]

Thanks. We're still a long way off from proofing the recall and using the tracker lead is still the safest option unless I'm in one of the few areas I can let him totally free. If this is as good as Bertie ever gets at least I know he's making some progress and that means a positive feedback loop as he really does love to be praised and is definately smart enough to know if I'm really pleased with him or feeling frustrated.

 

[MegF.]

They pick it up fast that's for sure! Frustration will definitely get you nowhere! They notice that even faster than anything....

 

[diamondlil]

A visit to the reservoir with the dogs on Saturday, so some safe off-lead time and a good run. Bertie did a whole circuit of the reservoir before plunging in the water!
Then on our Sunday morning walk, a mishap. We were exploring along ramparts of an old fort, with the dogs on lead and following me, when somehow Rosie slipped and was hanging over the edge and Bertie jumped after her. I threw myself sideways so I didn't get pulled over, pulled Rosie up, then looked over the 5-foot drop to see a puzzled Bertie waiting for us. I firmly told him to 'Wait', got to the steps, repeating the command firmly..........and he stayed! No harm to Rosie or myself and tons of praise for Bertie.

 

[MegF.]

Good lord!!! Suicidal dogs!!! Thank heavens they were all right.....What a mess those two are!! What fun!

 

[diamondlil]

I think Rosie's style of collar probably saved her from getting damaged, it's a wide whippet collar designed to stop pressure on the neck. Intead of trying to use her paws to get back up she was literally hanging there, not distressed at all, just looking a bit puzzled. So I had to bodily lift her back up!
So I wasn't that impressed with her lack of brain power. But on the other hand, I'm amazed Bertie didn't take the opportunity to make a run for it. I think the suddeness and strangeness of the situation with my giving the 'wait' command before he'd actually realised he could get away worked the trick rather than some sudden change in his obedience levels!

 

[MegF.]

He might have recognized a whole different level of energy too. It was an emergency and you were firm and very emphatic that he NOT move. He probably got that. Glad it worked out well!

 

[diamondlil]

As I've had a week off work, lots of time spent with the dogs, either out on our walks or just being relaxed and not rushed for time. The weather was getting warmer, then some rain.....and now back to snow! Bertie has had 2 successful, short off-lead sessions. I've chosen safe places with dogs I know he plays well with, who have good recall. Today a romp in the snow with his whippet friend Ellis and a german pointer bitch.

 

[MegF.]

That's a lot of fun right there!! What type of meat are you feeding?

 

[diamondlil]

That's a lot of fun right there!! What type of meat are you feeding?

That was beef heart, last night. It's been cold and they've had a lot of exercise, so lots of fat on this. Under Bert's thicker coat he's got the same bodyshape and lack of fat on him as Rosie so I do feed them more in winter.
My dogs have to be next to each other to eat, I used to separate them to avoid trouble then noticed they always moved together and ate without trouble. I always supervise just in case. The only thing they do squabble over are bigger bones where they have to really work to get the meat off, so that is in different rooms and I take them away after about an hour. No guarding issues with me taking their food away because they get a treat or playtime for giving up whatever they are chewing on.