FAO anyone who has a dog that bogs off hunting

[CorvusCorax]

I spend most walks doing little recalls and bits of heeling and giving her food and either telling her she's gorgeous/to stop being a d!ck and scritching her ears and all that stuff but apparently that's unusual.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I spend most walks doing little recalls and bits of heeling and giving her food and either telling her she's gorgeous/to stop being a d!ck and scritching her ears and all that stuff but apparently that's unusual.

It makes me wonder why some people have dogs!

 

[Morwenna]

I think the notion that owners need to interact with their dogs is an eye opener for many dog owners and that in itself is a worry.

I was having a conversation about this with another local gundog person I bumped into yesterday. There is a lovely spaniel that I often see being walked. Its owner is glued to her phone with big headphones on. This dog is desperate for her attention but she just ignores it. It’s well behaved for now but I do wonder how long it will last.

I’ve read a few of Simone Mueller’s books and they are interesting and I like a lot of what she does, but I do wonder how well the methods would work for really high drive hunting dogs. I don’t necessarily agree with her advice to let the dog practice elements of the predation sequence on wildlife but then distract them from the actual chase part. If you let a high drive hunting dog stalk an animal and it suddenly moves, then it doesn’t matter how many treats or toys you have, the dog will be gone before you’ve reached for whatever you were hoping to distract it with. Turning hunting into a game you do with your dog is great in theory, and with dogs that are typically bred to hunt small areas or close to their owner (it’s something I do a lot on walks with my Lab), but how would this work with an HPR or similar?

 

[skinnydipper]

I just passed someone walking a Toller which was staring adoringly at her face. Engagement we would all kill for. BURNING her. She didn't appear to notice

A woman has just gone past our house with a little one sitting in a pram facing her and a lab on a lead. Woman with face in her phone.

 

[I'm Dun]

I was having a conversation about this with another local gundog person I bumped into yesterday. There is a lovely spaniel that I often see being walked. Its owner is glued to her phone with big headphones on. This dog is desperate for her attention but she just ignores it. It’s well behaved for now but I do wonder how long it will last.

I’ve read a few of Simone Mueller’s books and they are interesting and I like a lot of what she does, but I do wonder how well the methods would work for really high drive hunting dogs. I don’t necessarily agree with her advice to let the dog practice elements of the predation sequence on wildlife but then distract them from the actual chase part. If you let a high drive hunting dog stalk an animal and it suddenly moves, then it doesn’t matter how many treats or toys you have, the dog will be gone before you’ve reached for whatever you were hoping to distract it with. Turning hunting into a game you do with your dog is great in theory, and with dogs that are typically bred to hunt small areas or close to their owner (it’s something I do a lot on walks with my Lab), but how would this work with an HPR or similar?

And with dogs like whippets where they breed independence into them so they work alone at speed, and return once they have caught the quarry even if they have to go a significant distance to catch it.

I do really want to read the book though as it sounds interestingnow I've read some of the comments here and I'm always looking for things to do to keep my little firecracker engaged and on board. I wish they would do an audio book though as my eyes are bad at the minute and reading normal text isn't going to be happening.

If I remember I'll ask the whippet specialist trainer I work with and get her thoughts on it. I've seen ads on my FB but never seen a post about it from sight hound owners.

 

[Janique]

Haha! You have a basset? I had 2 2 very different characters , one was a ‘good’ girl, the other was VERY naughty the good one was only good by default because the other was so naughty the naughty one was as you describe, if she had a scent (or was just bored of our company) she was off and no amount of calling would entice her back. She was eventually not allowed off lead as she nicked off one too many times! I remember once, she had been lost over 2 hours, i was crawling through undergrowth where she had been seen. I was calling and calling, i spotted her a couple of meters away and she still acted like i wasn’t there!!!! Total disregard for the stress she had put us through! Bloody bassets


Yes, i agree with you ! Having a Basset requires a big sens of humour ! Still, I wouldn't have any normal dog, too boring !

 

[CorvusCorax]

A woman has just gone past our house with a little one sitting in a pram facing her and a lab on a lead. Woman with face in her phone.

To be fair I watched Deutschland 83, 86 and 89 on my phone during dog walks over lockdown but they were Very Good Dogs.

 

[blackcob]

I just passed someone walking a Toller which was staring adoringly at her face. Engagement we would all kill for. BURNING her. She didn't appear to notice

The refrain of my Thursday evenings - "PAY THE DOG!!"

 

[CorvusCorax]

The refrain of my Thursday evenings - "PAY THE DOG!!"

Yep. Yeeep. YEPPP.

REWARD! REWARD! REWARD!