Good day with the pup

[The Duncan 802]

Hi folks,

 

today was a day well-spent with my 6 month old pup, Roxy. On a new permission

I've picked up I took her out to get used to ignoring lambs running around

(theres about 1000 of them), more time getting used to gun fire and hopefully

retrieving shot quarry. A bit of fence jumping practise too, if enough time.

 

Started the day helping out another permission owners wife with her errant

border terriers (Roxy takes everything in her stride and was a great training

aide for the poorly socialised terriers) and spent a bit of time doing some

remedial training with her.

Then onto my planned day - gun, fences, sheep/lambs etc.

After stalking the edge of a wood together, a hare jumped up 30 yards away

and sprinted away uphill across oat drillings that had come through. Roxy blased

after long ears in hot pursuit. I've never seen her run like it!

Despite horrid wet, cloying mud and her weight disadvantage, incredibly, she

was closing the gap on Mr Long Ears. He started with a 30 yard head-start and I

watched her close it to 15-20 as she ran uphill after it. The sheer weight of

her feet caked in wet clay started to take its toll though and I could see her

tire and slow as race horses do in heavy soft going. The gap started to open

back out after 150 yards and I could just make out her 'cutting the corner' to

head it off as she disappeared from view.

The hare would have made it to the woods safely and I certainly didn't expect

a catch from her, being a pup after all. She did impress me though and I could

see she was disheartened from the chase, more elated if anything.

When that hare first erupted from the undergrowth several things went through

my mind. Call the dog off, so as not to spoil her? Surely one accidental run

wouldn't ruin her as a hunting dog. Being so target fixated, I'm not convinced

she would have broken off pursuit anyway and this may have made her question my

authority.

Surely a speed run would help her co-ordination ?

Anyway, I was really chuffed with her (not just for this speed run and the

guts and perseverence she showed) and my faith that she will make a decent

hunting dog as she grows up has been reinvigorated tenfold.</P>

I'm made up

Naturally, as a 6 month old I must stress that this was strictly an

accidental pursuit - ordinarily I stamp along to warn rabbits we are coming, so

they disappear before we get there. Don't want her to keep chasing bunnies she

isn't mature and canny enough to catch yet. That'll come at the end of summer

with Paul and some 'easy' bunnies on the lamp to get her started and give her

confidence.

I certainly won't be letting her loose on running quarry if I can avoid it

before then.

 

ATB

 

Duncan

[BEARINATOR 2,923]

She sounds like she is coming on good Duncan