Otto is a "Proper" dog now!!

[kirstyhen]

Today he had his very first proper retrieve!!

Ok, so it was a half dead bunny (very mixy

so I put it out of it's misery) BUT, he brought it back to me!!

AND let me have it!!

AND left it alone after I threw it into the undergrowth and told him to leave it!

He was actually an amazingly well behaved dog today! He was staying close, coming back, walking perfectly at heel (off the lead!!) and just generally very good!

But now he has a sore leg, and on closer inspection of his paw he has a raw looking patch, not sure what he has done, but I'm spraying it with the stuff the Vet gave me for his tail, so it should clear up soon

ETA - Perhaps there is hope for working him, especially as his tail is almost completely healed and covered with hair

and the strapping stays put perfectly

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

For a minute I thought you were going to say he had been SWIMMING!!!!

Well done Otto!!!

Obviously he will have made a note of where the dead stinky body is so he can roll in it in future.....

 

[kirstyhen]

Well we walked back past it and he didn't go near it again!

He went in for a paddle, and his friend (who we went for a walk with) who is equally scared of water actually swam!! Otto was very interested in what he was doing, but not enough to follow

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Hopeless spangle!!!

Sweep went on a huge walk with his friend the lurcher today - managed to get in 4 swims on the way round - now snoozing on 'his'sofa chasing sticks....

 

[kirstyhen]

Otto's friend is a big tough AkitaXBoxer

His other friend the CollieXMalamute was supposed to be coming too, but she had buggered off down the farm somewhere so she had to stay at home

She would have got him in swimming!

 

[Wigglypigs]

Mt terriers would love to find a half dead animal but i suspect they might just eat it......

 

[MurphysMinder]

I'm very impressed. I am spending all my time at the moment diving down my dogs throats retrieving half eaten bunnies the cats have left. "Leave" does not seem to be in their vocabulary at times like this

 

[CorvusCorax]

Gee, thanks boy!

Bodo delivered a live Diver or a Grebe or something to my hand on his first ever trip to the beach. I'll never forget my mother's piercing scream....he swam halfway to Scotland to catch it too, bless him.
I'm hoping it was ill already.....

 

[kirstyhen]

He did try and take it back once I had taken it off him

But as my Mum says that can be worked on, the fact that he brought it straight back is the most important bit!!
He looked pleased as punch with himself when he emerged with it, I'm just pleased no one was about, I can hear the cries of "Bunny Killer" now

 

[kirstyhen]

[ QUOTE ]
Gee, thanks boy!


[/ QUOTE ]

My OH couldn't understand why I was heaping praise on the dog for bringing such a manky thing back

I was just chuffed that he was coming to me and not even considering buggering off with it! The most impressive bit was, he was gone for ages, so he must have trekked miles with it just to bring it to me

This Bun was very ill, poor wee mite, I would say it was going to die very soon anyway, it's eyes were completely stuck together and bleeding and it was just skin and bones

I do hate Mixy

 

[MurphysMinder]

Yeh its a horrible disease. Interestingly I find that my dogs tend not to try and eat mixy rabbits, I have often wondered if they have a strange smell or taste.

 

[kirstyhen]

There was one dead at the side of the path a few weeks ago and Otto sniffed it and left it with no arguments, so I wonder if you are right!

Although the Terrier and Lurcher at the yard don't seem to agree, so perhaps our dogs just have good taste!

 

[Spudlet]

Wow - am very impressed...

Is Otto available for lessons as Henry does not do retrieving, Henry will return the favour by teaching Otto to swim!

 

[GinaB]

Whooooo! Go Otto

What a clever bouy

I bet you were grinning from ear to ear. I am keeping fingers firmly crossed he will be able to be worked...

 

[kibob]

Yaay, well done Otto - clever boy

 

[Lucy_Nottingham]

ahh fab!!!! You must have been well chuffed!!!

Ye mixy rabbits I dont think are particularly appealing to any species!!!

Beau has to urge to work, even the advert on tv for the trains with sheep on, he stands and stalks the tv!!! (not smart!!! just sheep orientated!) and he herded a pigeon the other day (was hilarious!)
unfortuantly despite the desire to chase sheep, control of the desire to chase sheep is lacking its either one extreme or the other!!!

 

[kirstyhen]

I think picking the rabbit up has kicked Otto's working gene up a gear!! He has always worked the cover, but with no real purpose, now he is quartering like a good'un!

Do you find with Beau that if there is temptation (ie. sheep, in Otto's case Chickens) they either obay your every wish, or go nuts?? Otto is either amazingly well behaved or a nightmare!

We used to have a LabXCollie that would herd stones

So goodness knows what a proper collie is like!!

Unfortunately, despite being fine this morning, his paw has now inflated like a ballon

I am guessing that something has gone in through the pad and is now trying to escape out the top, as the swelling is all on top of his foot. So yet another excursion to the Vet's needed