RE: dog with a mission
re: All you can do is keep working on your recall commands and spit it which is a term I use to get my dogs to leave their nylabones in the house when they try to take them outside where the lawnmower chomps them up! thanks Rose, we will keep doing this, she will come with her 'new toy' when called as she is quite proud of herself! However her command give it seems to be said much too quitely - that selective hearing thing, so we will work on that. She has been trained by the cattle around us not to go too close to big animals so I think the local deer will be fine, they pass through our garden a lot (just to eat our new trees). Hens are kept by pretty much everyone around - not fenced apart from their land, just free range inside the boundaries but the boundaries are all fenced and guarded by dogs (mostly hunting dogs)! When we go past other people's she is on leash, but at my parent she had to learn leave it with regards to the ducklings and she was okay with this once she realized we were serious! She is wormed regularly and I keep an eye on the poop just to check if she needs it before the scheduled time! We will think about what we plant where with regards to a balance between Tatty and the wildlife. I suspect next year the birds will nest in the oaks and not the base of the rhododendron! The swallows are safe in the pig shed eaves... Emma and Tatty (but aren't I clever) in France --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.474 / Virus Database: 272 - Release Date: 18.04.2003
RE: dog with a mission
This didn't make it to the List yesterday: Rose, Berners can catch those cheeky chipmunks! Maggie caught one! All right, so Luther chased it right at her and she sort of caught it by accident. But she was so pleased with herself! Then she got confused enough when I gave her my happiest GOOD GIRL! Drop it! command, that she actually dropped it! Then there was the time a squirrel fell out of a tree onto Vesta - who caught it. She was terribly hurt when I asked her to drop it, but I did praise her effusively. However - she sat under that tree for months looking up in excited anticipation... Then of course there was the famous cow tongue in the park with Hannibal incident... Pat Long ( Luther) with memories of the amazing Berner hunters Berwyn PA
Re: dog with a mission
Then of course there was the famous cow tongue in the park with Hannibal incident... Pat Long ( Luther) with memories of the amazing Berner hunters Berwyn PA thinking of all these wonderful hunting dog stories, I believe that Daisy never really hunted anything -- unless you count human food. On the other hand, I remember many times witnessing Buddy's Lizard Launch method of hunting. He would simply sit there, not anticipating anything. A moth would flutter near him. In a flash his VERY long tongue would whip out, snag the hapless moth and whip back -- all this without him moving or changing expression. Then, of course, there was that toad he swallowed in one gulp. Ever palpate your puppy's tummy and FEEL the poor thing fluttering around? Maria Crifasi Catoctin Mountains - home of every toad in Maryland
RE: dog with a mission
Hi Emma, Mature roundworms are easy to see if they are shed in the faeces but tapeworm can be difficult to spot. You might see tape segments that look like a grains of rice at the anus on in the fur near the anus other than that there is no long piece of spagetti! Advanced tape infestation can make a dog's coat very dull, ravenous appetite and a general look of unthriftiness with a potty belly (which can have other causes). When I had cats and a flea problem many moons ago I routinely gave my dogs Droncit in the fall, now I don't because touch wood the dogs haven't had fleas for a long time. Tape is not easily spotted on a fecal float, it's one of the environment assessment choices. When treating for tape you want to make sure you pick up after the dog, then you can have a nasty shock! Rose
Re: dog with a mission
Hunting in our back yard takes on a group effort.Ben, the 6 1/2 year old German Shorthair, is so fast and he frequently will get a mouse, or a mole, or a groundhog, or a bunny. Both Winston before, and Nicky now, are always in on the chase, but are nowhere as quick and agile as Ben is, so Ben usually catches the prey. That's when the Berners jump in for the 'treasure.'A few years ago, Winston was sitting on the hill, with a mole's tail hanging out of his mouth and as I approached him to get it, he gulped it down!!!Yukno kisses from him for a day after that Last week, Ben caught a mouse and Nick grabbed it - there was mouse hanging out of both sides of his mouth.YUK..I finally got him to release his death grip on it and disposed of it. No kisses again from Nicky. Ben caught two bunnies over the past several weeks - they come into the yard to dine on our beans and other plants. Teamworkthat's what it is. Joye Neff and Nick the treasure seeker (and Ben, the hunter) Mt. Lebanon, Pittsburgh, PA --On Tuesday, July 15, 2003 8:15 AM -0400 Maria Crifasi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:r Then of course there was the famous cow tongue in the park with Hannibal incident... Pat Long ( Luther) with memories of the amazing Berner hunters Berwyn PA thinking of all these wonderful hunting dog stories, I believe that Daisy never really hunted anything -- unless you count human food. On the other hand, I remember many times witnessing Buddy's Lizard Launch method of hunting. He would simply sit there, not anticipating anything. A moth would flutter near him. In a flash his VERY long tongue would whip out, snag the hapless moth and whip back -- all this without him moving or changing expression. Then, of course, there was that toad he swallowed in one gulp. Ever palpate your puppy's tummy and FEEL the poor thing fluttering around? Maria Crifasi Catoctin Mountains - home of every toad in Maryland
RE: dog with a mission
Hi Emma, All you can do is keep working on your recall commands and spit it which is a term I use to get my dogs to leave their nylabones in the house when they try to take them outside where the lawnmower chomps them up! Mice are likely to have fleas hence a risk of tapeworm, birds are notorious for lice so no you don't want her getting into those either. Chasing hens will get her into huge trouble and I'd keep her on leash in the forest in case she spots a deer. A couple of my dogs have bagged themselves birds in the past, the best one was Zulu bringing home a partridge, she has a soft mouth and could work in the field:-) The other incident was a young crow and at that time we weren't overly aware of West Nile, now I'd have sent it for analysis because I suspect it was low flying if not actually dead in the yard when three of my youngsters decided to play fly birdie fly with it! Two of them had it by the wings and ran in tandem with the third nipping at the tail feathers. Poor thing was a bit tatty when I retreived it. I had two bushes by my front door that birds used to nest in and then the parents would get hysterical everytime we moved so when the babies flew I chopped down the bushes and now they nest in a big spruce far out of reach. My dogs are particularly animated by the cheeky chipmunks and they don't stand a hope in hell of catching them but it provides some entertainment and gets them exercising as the little creatures zoom along the top of the chain link. Rose T.
dog with a mission
Once again I am looking for some advice with regards to Tatty who has just discovered her prey drive big time. Yesterday a mouse - no problems with that one though she seems to think she is a cat playing with it and making it squeak! Today it was a bird. which died in her mouth. Now we are happy to have her hunt mice, and would like to know is it possible to train her to know which things she can hunt and which she can't? Also showing my ignorance here is it safe for her to eat the things she catches (we did not let her either time)? There are a lot of birds nesting on the farm in the bushes and we don't want her to go after them particularly not before they are old enough to fly away. There are plenty of kites around so they are used to being prey but Tatty is a new predator! any advice gladly taken, can't see how she has the energy in this heatwave Emma and Tatty in France (40°) --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.474 / Virus Database: 272 - Release Date: 18.04.2003
Re: dog with a mission
In a message dated 07/13/2003 3:08:29 PM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Also showing my ignorance here is it safe for her to eat the things she catches (we did not let her either time)? I would suggest NOT to allow her to eat her catch as wild things carry parasites, both internal and external, that I would rather not have my dog get. As for training her that some wild things are OK (mice YES, birds NO) and others are not, that is asking a lot of discernment in a dog in the heat of the chase. I would think it best to either train not to go after things at all, or just let her hunt at will. Anne Copeland (Flash CGC, TDIA, 9 yrs. old, Berner; Gypsy CGC, TDI, 2 yrs. old, Cavalier) Northern Illinois [EMAIL PROTECTED], Corr. Sec. BMDCA
