Steve Sutton
Well-known member
The Beastie is now approaching 6 months....it's amazing how time flies by and how quickly you realize that while you know you can train a Lab you don't have a clue what you're doing with a new breed...several people that I respect had answered my questions on how bad I was handicapping "B" by her not having been introduced to birds before we head West in Sept. by saying that she'd be fine.....others said anything that I could do before then would shorten her learning curve once there...since I don't have the ability to keep Quail or Pigeons and since "B's" only contact with birds was with the Doves in the yard...and Lizards the child loves Lizards....I finally decided she needed to spend some time with a trainer who could give her that early exposure to birds and that would work with me when I picked her up so that we'd both know what the heck we were doing...or at least sort of know....when we got to Montana.....
I picked Hunter Payne in Tennessee after talking to several people who had had heir dogs with him and then started working on trying to convince Debby that a month with him was the best thing for "B" and that we weren't abandoning her and that she'd still be "B's" Mom when she got back.....took awhile but she finally gave in and we took her up to Hunter in June for Doggie Summer Camp.....first time I've ever not been the trainer on a dog and that stung my ego but I really didn't want her not to have been introduced to birds and I knew I wasn't going to be able to do that..at least not to the extent of unlimited birds for 30 straight days......Cost me a week at the beach with Debby as "penance" but both were time well spent......
Picked her up in July after her month and spending the morning with her and Hunter and watching her on birds proved the value of the decision.......
Here she is at five months....the Devine Miss B......
Let me out and I'll show you what I learned......
And she's off........
that smells good.....
lemme get a little closer.....GOT HIM....
off to find another.........
Got that one too....
Quail are so much better than Doves and Lizards.....
One last one before we have to leave...
This is Hunter....Hunter hates dogs...dogs hates Hunter....can you tell?....
How about a HIGH FIVE for that performance.....
Back at the kennel there was this cage full of cuteness and future potential.....
Had Debby not been with me I'm pretty sure this on would have come home with us......
Debby had been worried that "B" wouldn't remember her when she got back and that she wouldn't be a sweet little dog anymore.....I believe this answers that.....
She's currently all legs and deep chest and wasp waist and silky hair......a gem in the rough that we'll start polishing in September in Montana.....
Steve
I picked Hunter Payne in Tennessee after talking to several people who had had heir dogs with him and then started working on trying to convince Debby that a month with him was the best thing for "B" and that we weren't abandoning her and that she'd still be "B's" Mom when she got back.....took awhile but she finally gave in and we took her up to Hunter in June for Doggie Summer Camp.....first time I've ever not been the trainer on a dog and that stung my ego but I really didn't want her not to have been introduced to birds and I knew I wasn't going to be able to do that..at least not to the extent of unlimited birds for 30 straight days......Cost me a week at the beach with Debby as "penance" but both were time well spent......
Picked her up in July after her month and spending the morning with her and Hunter and watching her on birds proved the value of the decision.......
Here she is at five months....the Devine Miss B......
Let me out and I'll show you what I learned......
And she's off........
that smells good.....
lemme get a little closer.....GOT HIM....
off to find another.........
Got that one too....
Quail are so much better than Doves and Lizards.....
One last one before we have to leave...
This is Hunter....Hunter hates dogs...dogs hates Hunter....can you tell?....
How about a HIGH FIVE for that performance.....
Back at the kennel there was this cage full of cuteness and future potential.....
Had Debby not been with me I'm pretty sure this on would have come home with us......
Debby had been worried that "B" wouldn't remember her when she got back and that she wouldn't be a sweet little dog anymore.....I believe this answers that.....
She's currently all legs and deep chest and wasp waist and silky hair......a gem in the rough that we'll start polishing in September in Montana.....
Steve
