I'm Dun
Well-Known Member
For anyone who followed my saga of Cooper just point blank refusing to entertain the idea of racing/race training/anything race related, I had a hare brained idea that he needed to learn to do things he didnt want to do and realise it was actually fine, so I took him swimming. He was horrified. He loves water but wont allow his feet to leave the floor, and I realised he had done eveything with floyd his entire life. So I went to a pool with a good instructor and we very slowly and very positively worked through it. And now he does this:
and this
and this
he is still a pain in my behind though!
Its his second favourite thing to do in the world now. His first favourite thing is racing! I didnt actually believe that taking him swimming would fix the racing issue, my mad cap ideas dont often work out, so with much trepidation, we returned to the track. He was like a different dog. Engaged and interested. I still didnt think he would go. He showed me! Did 2 training runs and had a huge amount of fuss made. He was slow which surprised me as I know how fast he is, I've seen him playing with the whippet national champion and he looked faster to me. But it didnt matter as he enjoyed himself and thats all that matters. So back we went the next week, and he nailed it. Top 4 time, top in his height, he did 250ms at 16.09 seconds which averaged at about 30mphs. I've clocked him at 34mph when hes already a bit tired, so hes got more to come. Next steps are to run him with another dog and see if he digs in like I hope he will or we have a relapse into "no, not doing it!". Given the new improved Cooper I reckon hes got this though. He gets it now, although we did have to let him bite the "rabbit" so he realised it wasnt real and that he needed o stop trying to flip himself round at the start and go to where the rabbit comes from. I think he thought I had lost my mind at first.
And here he is, finally doing the job he was bred to do and absolutely loving it!
Hes still growing and filling out at just gone 3yrs old so he might end up too heavy to do really well, at the minute he walks a very fine line of being huge, but having enough power to compensate. It helps that it runs over 250ms, and he is super fit. You can see here just how broad and strong looking he is.
I dont think I have ever been more proud of a dog in my life!
Hes not easy and he never will be, as an adolescent I would have cheerfully given him away. He was awful! In a normal pet home I think he'd be a very different dog, but i work hard to give him a job and keep his body and mind tired, and we just understand each other now and I am absolutely his person. No one else will do.
and this
and this
he is still a pain in my behind though!
Its his second favourite thing to do in the world now. His first favourite thing is racing! I didnt actually believe that taking him swimming would fix the racing issue, my mad cap ideas dont often work out, so with much trepidation, we returned to the track. He was like a different dog. Engaged and interested. I still didnt think he would go. He showed me! Did 2 training runs and had a huge amount of fuss made. He was slow which surprised me as I know how fast he is, I've seen him playing with the whippet national champion and he looked faster to me. But it didnt matter as he enjoyed himself and thats all that matters. So back we went the next week, and he nailed it. Top 4 time, top in his height, he did 250ms at 16.09 seconds which averaged at about 30mphs. I've clocked him at 34mph when hes already a bit tired, so hes got more to come. Next steps are to run him with another dog and see if he digs in like I hope he will or we have a relapse into "no, not doing it!". Given the new improved Cooper I reckon hes got this though. He gets it now, although we did have to let him bite the "rabbit" so he realised it wasnt real and that he needed o stop trying to flip himself round at the start and go to where the rabbit comes from. I think he thought I had lost my mind at first.
And here he is, finally doing the job he was bred to do and absolutely loving it!
Hes still growing and filling out at just gone 3yrs old so he might end up too heavy to do really well, at the minute he walks a very fine line of being huge, but having enough power to compensate. It helps that it runs over 250ms, and he is super fit. You can see here just how broad and strong looking he is.
I dont think I have ever been more proud of a dog in my life!
Hes not easy and he never will be, as an adolescent I would have cheerfully given him away. He was awful! In a normal pet home I think he'd be a very different dog, but i work hard to give him a job and keep his body and mind tired, and we just understand each other now and I am absolutely his person. No one else will do.
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he looks great!
