GSDx juggernaut 1st time on lamp

[skycat 6,174]

Last night I bit the bullet and took the brindle express train out on the lamp for the first time: blowing a good gale: made up for the almost daylight conditions. I'll take the camera up there some time and get a pic of the surrounding lights from the towns. LOL

 

Mog has done a lot of day time work but I've held off and held off from taking her out at night: why? A combination of things: her size and weight on this very fast ground, (32 kilos and 26"), her age (she'll be 2 this December), but since she had her first season back in the summer, went through the mopy fat stage and has finally stopped apologising to every one for daring to exist she has shown herself to be well committed on day time quarry.

 

So I bit the bullet and went up the road with her and A. and Skycat. All our other dogs have kennel cough at the moment. Mog had a touch a couple of weeks back but only had a tickly throat for a couple of days.

 

I though the small amount of rain we'd had would have softened the ground a bit: it had.........a very little bit! Drilling still like wooden marbles underfoot though

 

First rabbit just beat her into the wood: she followed it for a minute then came straight back. Walked into the gale heading for another wood about 1/4 mile away. Mog was getting a lot of scent from this wood which has several small handle bars lurking in it and I walked her up to a couple of squatters who were having a close chat and they actualy jumped before she could take her mind off the smell in the distance. Big strides and she nailed one of the bunnies as it bounced about in the hedge: perfect retrieve live to hand. Told her to sit while I necked rabbit: sat nicely, still with nose and ears trained on that wood

 

Walked on a ways: spied another silly bunny only about 20 feet from the dyke and hedge. Tried to get between it and dyke, Mog had seen it straight away on the dark drilling: took off, rabbit down dyke, and here's where I was really impressed with her: having only seen rabbits disappear into hedges day time I expected her to pull off , but no. She waited and watched like a pro following rabbit's movements along dyke bottom, and as so often happens, it bounced right up into the field again: thank you very much.

 

Dog now well chuffed with herself: me too! Third one ran into her as it tried, along with several others, to beat her to the hedge. Mog didn't even realise she'd bashed it Rabbit flopping about stone dead on the track, dog running back to me saying "Where'd he go?" LOL LOL. Sent her back, luckily dead rabbit does another mighty kick and she says" Blimey, didn't see you there!" and picks it up and brings it to me.

 

Couple of misses, only half chances: rabbits already legging it to trees as we're now upwind of them.

 

Meantime Skycat has nailed a couple, very casually pouncing on squatters (she is 4 1/2 years old after all), then something that needed soldering came adrift in A's lamp: Decided to do a quick tour round back of farm buildings although rabbits would be down wind of us, then back home: A starts work very early in mornings. S. took another running on my beam, ground a wee bit softer in shelter of hedge, then Mog missed one despite trying very cleverly to ambush it.

 

Then she had 3 more after missing one that went into thick hedge: came straight back and on to a group of 3 that were sat well out: made her choice, and nailed it on the run back to hedge> this is getting good and I'm now handling her as if she were a dog that had done it for years instead of a first timer. Quick hiss to get her attention, beam on to rabbit, dog goes: wallop!

 

Its so light and calm back of the buildings that she can hear and see them everywhere, but doesn't go headless chicken. She trotted right past the next one as she'd seen others further on, but I hissed her and she turned and picked it up without batting an eyelid: rabbit thought she hadn't seen it so sat tight: the easiest catch I've ever seen.

 

The last she nailed as it came back out of the hedge after Sycat had tip toed across the drilling after it in a half hearted attempt: she hates this ground: little delicate feet her failing here.

 

I'm so chuffed with Mog: loads of drive, brains, speed, very agile for her size and constantly working things out for herself at the same time as listening to me. Sorry, I've drivelled on a bit, but its not often that you take a dog out for the first time on the lamp and its as good as she is.

 

I reckon big lump Mog might make a decent lamp dog: OK, so she's not going to be as quick on the turn as a little dog like Sparrow, but with a bit more practice and her amazing brain power and drive she should more than make up for that deficit.

[victor 10]

nice night by the looks of it

[wild rover 548]

Last night I bit the bullet and took the brindle express train out on the lamp for the first time: blowing a good gale: made up for the almost daylight conditions. I'll take the camera up there some time and get a pic of the surrounding lights from the towns. LOL

 

Mog has done a lot of day time work but I've held off and held off from taking her out at night: why? A combination of things: her size and weight on this very fast ground, (32 kilos and 26"), her age (she'll be 2 this December), but since she had her first season back in the summer, went through the mopy fat stage and has finally stopped apologising to every one for daring to exist she has shown herself to be well committed on day time quarry.

 

So I bit the bullet and went up the road with her and A. and Skycat. All our other dogs have kennel cough at the moment. Mog had a touch a couple of weeks back but only had a tickly throat for a couple of days.

 

I though the small amount of rain we'd had would have softened the ground a bit: it had.........a very little bit! Drilling still like wooden marbles underfoot though

 

First rabbit just beat her into the wood: she followed it for a minute then came straight back. Walked into the gale heading for another wood about 1/4 mile away. Mog was getting a lot of scent from this wood which has several small handle bars lurking in it and I walked her up to a couple of squatters who were having a close chat and they actualy jumped before she could take her mind off the smell in the distance. Big strides and she nailed one of the bunnies as it bounced about in the hedge: perfect retrieve live to hand. Told her to sit while I necked rabbit: sat nicely, still with nose and ears trained on that wood

 

Walked on a ways: spied another silly bunny only about 20 feet from the dyke and hedge. Tried to get between it and dyke, Mog had seen it straight away on the dark drilling: took off, rabbit down dyke, and here's where I was really impressed with her: having only seen rabbits disappear into hedges day time I expected her to pull off , but no. She waited and watched like a pro following rabbit's movements along dyke bottom, and as so often happens, it bounced right up into the field again: thank you very much.

 

Dog now well chuffed with herself: me too! Third one ran into her as it tried, along with several others, to beat her to the hedge. Mog didn't even realise she'd bashed it Rabbit flopping about stone dead on the track, dog running back to me saying "Where'd he go?" LOL LOL. Sent her back, luckily dead rabbit does another mighty kick and she says" Blimey, didn't see you there!" and picks it up and brings it to me.

 

Couple of misses, only half chances: rabbits already legging it to trees as we're now upwind of them.

 

Meantime Skycat has nailed a couple, very casually pouncing on squatters (she is 4 1/2 years old after all), then something that needed soldering came adrift in A's lamp: Decided to do a quick tour round back of farm buildings although rabbits would be down wind of us, then back home: A starts work very early in mornings. S. took another running on my beam, ground a wee bit softer in shelter of hedge, then Mog missed one despite trying very cleverly to ambush it.

 

Then she had 3 more after missing one that went into thick hedge: came straight back and on to a group of 3 that were sat well out: made her choice, and nailed it on the run back to hedge> this is getting good and I'm now handling her as if she were a dog that had done it for years instead of a first timer. Quick hiss to get her attention, beam on to rabbit, dog goes: wallop!

 

Its so light and calm back of the buildings that she can hear and see them everywhere, but doesn't go headless chicken. She trotted right past the next one as she'd seen others further on, but I hissed her and she turned and picked it up without batting an eyelid: rabbit thought she hadn't seen it so sat tight: the easiest catch I've ever seen.

 

The last she nailed as it came back out of the hedge after Sycat had tip toed across the drilling after it in a half hearted attempt: she hates this ground: little delicate feet her failing here.

 

I'm so chuffed with Mog: loads of drive, brains, speed, very agile for her size and constantly working things out for herself at the same time as listening to me. Sorry, I've drivelled on a bit, but its not often that you take a dog out for the first time on the lamp and its as good as she is.

 

I reckon big lump Mog might make a decent lamp dog: OK, so she's not going to be as quick on the turn as a little dog like Sparrow, but with a bit more practice and her amazing brain power and drive she should more than make up for that deficit.

 

Good effort, yea big dog needs time, now started no reason shouldn't make decent lamper, best of luck