Buff goes up Roxyanne
- Thread starter Todd Duncan Tennyson
- Start date
Hows his drive to fetch? My current little girl was real unsure of water at first too. kind of crazy for a lab, but shes a special one for sure. As her want to retrieve got very intense, I would find a very shallow area of water so she could still touch bottom and throw a bumper in the shallow end. She would tip toe out to it at first, but she would get the bumper. We would do it over and over, every day, in the same spot. Finally it got to the point she was just crashing out to the bumper full force because she knew she could touch bottom. It wasn't anything. Then when she got to that point, I threw it a little further where she couldnt touch bottom. She charged out, and then it was like an "oh shit" moment and she had to swim. Her instinct to get the bumper was still engrained in her, so she swam and got it, but she was unsure. I followed that up with 3 more short shallow bumpers, and then threw another longer one and made her swim. Slowly getting rid of the shallow throws until she built up confidence in going deep and swimming for a retrieve. Now, she has no issues and I cant keep her out of the water.
Todd Duncan Tennyson
Well-known member
Buff (The dog) has been going out on nearly daily romps with me as of late. He is only about 18 months old. He has learned that he likes to pursue anything with fur or feathers. Busts quail and sometimes turkeys, always pursues turkey birds.
He likes deer as well, and I am trying to break him from that. His recall is very good after a flush, he is a close working dog. Almost never out of gun range.
I've never shot over him, but we've gone to the gun range and walked around while guys blazed away... no troubles there. Good around fireworks too. No issues. Quite steady.
Where I live, there are a few upland birds and a fair amount of Gray bushytailed squirrels. I think I will work on them this fall and winter and then branch out from that.
It is so much fun to see him figure things out. There is nothing more exciting to me than to see a dog in its true and natural element. It is mother nature working through him. Like a good song or a beautiful painting, something there is perfect.
The funny thing is that we have a pool. I've tried to get him in there, and have gently carried him in facing the stairs 6 feet away, and he just is terrified of it. He'll wade out to his shoulders for a tennis ball in the river nearby.
Back in the day, I had a flatcoat/ border collie that wouldn't fetch anything, but if I blasted a bluebill on the Columbia out 60 yards, would crush it to get out there and grab the bird. He was unstoppable. Maybe this dog is like him. I suppose only time will tell, but it is exciting and fun to see him figure things out in the mean time.
He likes deer as well, and I am trying to break him from that. His recall is very good after a flush, he is a close working dog. Almost never out of gun range.
I've never shot over him, but we've gone to the gun range and walked around while guys blazed away... no troubles there. Good around fireworks too. No issues. Quite steady.
Where I live, there are a few upland birds and a fair amount of Gray bushytailed squirrels. I think I will work on them this fall and winter and then branch out from that.
It is so much fun to see him figure things out. There is nothing more exciting to me than to see a dog in its true and natural element. It is mother nature working through him. Like a good song or a beautiful painting, something there is perfect.
The funny thing is that we have a pool. I've tried to get him in there, and have gently carried him in facing the stairs 6 feet away, and he just is terrified of it. He'll wade out to his shoulders for a tennis ball in the river nearby.
Back in the day, I had a flatcoat/ border collie that wouldn't fetch anything, but if I blasted a bluebill on the Columbia out 60 yards, would crush it to get out there and grab the bird. He was unstoppable. Maybe this dog is like him. I suppose only time will tell, but it is exciting and fun to see him figure things out in the mean time.