Very, very excited!

Clodagh

Clodagh

Playing chess with pigeons
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OH has agreed, probably in a weak moment, that four dogs is doable - he has always said no more than 3 - so the hunt for another begins! Yay!!
I love dog shopping. :-) It isn't something I get to do very often - no more than once a decade normally.
So, an adult ex trials dog or a pup related to our older bitch...decisions, decisons...
 
All I can offer is that four dogs are easier than 3 - you can take one or two out and the remaining ones still have company, I really didn't notice any difference getting an extra one. Good luck in your search, exciting times :)
 
That's super exciting :D

Can I ask how you managed to convince him? Dog #3 is coming home the second we buy a house, by mutual agreement, but OH is unconvinced by a fourth. I am trying to negotiate by saying that #4 will be a small one. :p
 
I don't really know what changed his mind. I am picking up 2 days a week now, and our son is shooting more, I use his (sons) dog as my main one but he is now making noises about wanting her on his peg. He (oh) is worried that his older bitch, now 9 and with dodgy elbows, won't go on forever. We like different types, he is a traditional fan and I like my pocket rockets, so in the interests of marital harmony i may have to compromise.
So, BC, make sure they all have a job! I think best friend is a good job.
 
How exciting, 4 dogs are fine, although sadly we'll be down to 3 sometime not too distant.

There have been some lovely looking dogs on a few of the FB pages I use, can you see which groups I use?
 
Thistle said:
How exciting, 4 dogs are fine, although sadly we'll be down to 3 sometime not too distant.

There have been some lovely looking dogs on a few of the FB pages I use, can you see which groups I use?
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Our older bitch has a younger sister still with the breeders who they hope to breed from this year, so I have put my name on there. Depends how many people they already have though. They also have a couple of trials dogs who won't go any further, we could have one of those, but I do worry that trials dogs lose their initiative and would you be able to get them to think for themselves?
 
Clodagh said:
Our older bitch has a younger sister still with the breeders who they hope to breed from this year, so I have put my name on there. Depends how many people they already have though. They also have a couple of trials dogs who won't go any further, we could have one of those, but I do worry that trials dogs lose their initiative and would you be able to get them to think for themselves?
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I have an ex trials dog, he is nine now and I have had him for 5 years.

You have to ask yourself what is the most important atribute to you, as there is no such thing as a perfect allround gundog. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

However I have just realised that you are probably talking about a Labrador for picking-up?

I do think they are like horses, the more you train them to listen and wait, the less they can think for themselves - there are of course exceptions to the rule :)
 
LJR said:
I have an ex trials dog, he is nine now and I have had him for 5 years.

You have to ask yourself what is the most important atribute to you, as there is no such thing as a perfect allround gundog. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

However I have just realised that you are probably talking about a Labrador for picking-up?


I do think they are like horses, the more you train them to listen and wait, the less they can think for themselves - there are of course exceptions to the rule :)
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We are, and have decided probably not an ex trials dog. I was picking up today - and actually getting paid to do it! - the ability of my two dogs now to just be sent into the wood and come out with game is fantastic, I can't think like them so would rather they did the work and I coordinated. I like trials bred dogs but need a bit more independence in their work, so maybe not trials trained.
I am so proud tonight, they are very different and work in different ways but really do come up with the goods.
 
Lévrier;13425192 said:
Nah, just ditch your OH, then there is no unreasonable **** to say no :p
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Mine does a fair bit of the dog walking so I'd best hang on to him. ;)

I would like a new racing dog while mine are still able to show it the ropes and also another agility dog - the likelihood of having another Siberian that can do both is so slim that I'd resigned myself to having multiples. Four bigguns might be asking a bit much of poor put-upon OH though. I am vaguely considering a schipperke as #4. :o
 
I wouldn't rule out a dog that didn't quite make the grade for trials - they learn to adapt to picking up quickly. I pick up with dogs are currently trialling (alongside some "rougher" dogs in my team!). I'd struggle to pick up with out 4 dogs minimum - with less an injury or a bitch in season and multiple days working back to back can get tough for the dogs if you're on commercial shoots
 
druid said:
I wouldn't rule out a dog that didn't quite make the grade for trials - they learn to adapt to picking up quickly. I pick up with dogs are currently trialling (alongside some "rougher" dogs in my team!). I'd struggle to pick up with out 4 dogs minimum - with less an injury or a bitch in season and multiple days working back to back can get tough for the dogs if you're on commercial shoots
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A friend also said that last night. Maybe I will go and meet them. Now we have our own shoot and picking up on two biggies I think that did make oh realise that two will struggle.
 
Sorry to take the thread slightly off track, but it is interesting to hear that some of you consider trials bred gundogs are less able to think independently and need more in the way of management and instruction. My husband is forever bemoaning the lack of good hill (sheep)dogs nowadays and after either using a trialling stud dog on a working bitch, or buying from mainly trialling stock he now has two sibling male pups from an unregistered litter where the majority of ancestors are purely working dogs, rather than triallers or dual purpose. They are showing real promise at the moment, so he is very excited to think he may have got back to a line of strong dogs that can think for themselves. Time will tell.
 
Any keeper you ask (well, the ones I know) don't have a good word to say about FT dogs. Both our labs are trials bred though, the younger is much more full on modern type, but both their breeders FT at top level. Trouble is the non registered type litters don't tend to have any health tests, and having seen a friend have to PTS a 12 month old pup because of his hips I just wouldn't risk it. That is, I imagine, less likely with working collies as any weaknesses would not survive the work load?
One of the shoots I am picking up on now got rid of their trialling man who picked up for them last year as apparently it took so long for every bird to be collected that they had all lost the will to live. That does worry me a bit with a trained dog, but no doubt my general lack of knowledge would enable it to go a bit wilder quite soon!
 
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