I finally was able to get a good shot of Chance! The boys will be six months in a few days. Wouldn't trade 'em for anything, but they are a lot of work. I stopped at Kittery Trading Post on the way home from my Boston doctor appointment, and the staff were friendly and extremely helpful. A young fellow in the hunting section called over a fellow who trained bird dogs and he gave me a number of pointers and assured me that my idea of working them on faux birds was a great way to take the edge off their energy. Cuz, man, they need the edge taken off. I also got a 50' lead so I can work them safely until I can trust them on recall, and some scent and a decoy. Can't find that stuff locally.
My impression that they are sharp is underscored by how quickly they learn commands. They turned a corner last night and "saw the light", e.g. They got the sit/stay and have come when called today. It hadn't sunk in entirely until then. There was an almost audible click, lol.
But, word of caution, don't try training 2 dogs at once for retrieval. It becomes a competition and then a game of grab ass, which is not supportive of retrieval as the 'birdie' languishes, forgotten.
Yeah, I would imagine trying to train two pups at once would be a nightmare.
Posted by: Charles Gramlich | April 06, 2011 at 12:53 PM
Yeah, a really bad one, with drippy Scream masks and everything, Charles! But solo they are SO sharp!
Posted by: writtenwyrdd | April 07, 2011 at 03:13 AM
And SO big now! Amazing how they grow in those first few months.
Posted by: mckoala | April 07, 2011 at 05:09 AM
They've been close to the same weight for over a month, though they've grown some. Chance was 38.5 yesterday.
Posted by: writtenwyrdd | April 07, 2011 at 07:16 AM
He's a handsome fellow!
Posted by: fairyhedgehog | April 07, 2011 at 07:40 AM
He's the pretty one. Luger is still a nice looking dog, but he's not breed standard. Technically, although they are pureblood English Setters, their mother is a Llewellyn Setter, which is the line of English Setters developed by a guy of that name, and they are the shi-shi type of hunting line setters. (Or so I'm told.) A field champion is a field champion, is a field champion...and papa and countless relatives are field champions without being Llewellyn setters, so it seems a silly distinction!
Posted by: writtenwyrdd | April 07, 2011 at 08:52 AM
What a beautiful dog.
Dogs rule!!! :-)
Posted by: Nancy Beck | April 08, 2011 at 01:51 PM
WW, did you know the Koala smacked you down last month? What's she going to do to you this month... Maybe you should visit...
Posted by: mckoala | April 09, 2011 at 01:49 PM
I guess I'll get the hammer dropped on me, eh? I haven't written a lick!
Posted by: writtenwyrdd | April 09, 2011 at 06:17 PM
great looking pup, d! :)
and yeah, i can't see ANYone training two at the same time... like you say, too much grab ass potential :O lol
Posted by: laughingwolf | April 10, 2011 at 01:08 PM
It's bad enough when walking them, but they ARE doing vastly better than they were. And I even have them playing fetch in the house together, although it's not what you could call serious training. But it's hilarious when they both come running back, holding the dummy between them. :)
Posted by: writtenwyrdd | April 10, 2011 at 03:54 PM
you ok, d? not 'seen' you for a long time! :(
Posted by: laughingwolf | April 29, 2011 at 02:47 PM
Yeah, just lost the years' long enthusiasm for blogging. I'm short of sleep, have a lot of work silliness as we go into new building construction mode, and my life is focused on a major yardscaping project (e.g. digging up half the yard, literally, by hand, and filling back with gravel and pavers, then moving the dirt I dug up into new locations on the bank and in a new series of beds.) I simply could not care less about blogging or others' blogs at this point. I won't drop the blog yet, but I'm sorely tempted.
Posted by: writtenwyrdd | April 30, 2011 at 06:30 PM
yeah, i get that way... at least you're ok
Posted by: laughingwolf | May 01, 2011 at 01:37 PM