Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 3:14 pm Post subject: I'm proud of my Ol' Gundog today!
Just having a little 'proud moment' for Zorro - nowt spectacular , but I wanted to post about it because I like to occasionally read back on the older posts I made since he started the Khaki-Malarky as it helps me see how far he's come and inspires me and gives me hope to continue when training go's pants-up! (I ought to really keep a personal log!)
Today at training class, we did 2 things that I thought were quite hard, for Zorro at least as all the other dogs in his class either compete or work and are 'proper' gun dogs!
The first was a mark with a shot, over the brow of a hill and out of sight, but I had to send Zorro on a blind down the hill first, about 70 yrds away. Zorro doesn't like gunshot anyway, so I knew he'd be a bit wobbly, but he went off down to the blind and found it straight away, but then got all worried about coming back up the hill because of the shot. He wasn't being naughty, he just sat holding the dummy at the bottom of the hill, humming worriedly to himself. So I went a little down the hill towards him and called him, and bless his cotton socks, he gives himself a stern talking to and come back up with the dummy, looking all perky again.
I didn't think he'd be happy then going to get the mark, as that was where the shot had been fired, but he must have had an adrenaline boost, and went off like the clappers when sent. Being as he was out of sight, and not the speediest dog, I suggested that we all sat down and shared our life-stories while we waited for his return but we'd barely got beyond discussing our first childhood memories when Zoz appears over the brow of the hill with his dummy, looking very chuffed with himself. It wasn't quite as dashing as it sounds as his dummy was one that I'd tied 2 pheasant wings onto last Autumn, and it seems that they hadn't fared well over the summer months and were undergoing both a vigorous moult and parting of ways with the host-dummy, leaving a trail in Zorro's wake!
The next exercise was a mark over a fence at the bottom of the hill and a mark a long way off to the side (about 70 yrds) I had to send Zorro for the first one thrown over the fence and then the second one out to the side. Mr Reliable did it beautifully. No rush, not flashy but no hesitation either. For the first time ever, I found myself wishing that I could turn the clock back to him being a young slip of a pup so he could have started as a youngster, as maybe he might have been quite good. He really was buzzing today as well - and not just doing it because I'd asked him to. Really great to see.
We ended with a walk-up with blinds again out of sight over the hill. Zorro did his blind and his mark really nice and cleanly. I hardly had to do a thing. I almost felt redundant!
I'm just dead proud of him. 10 months ago he would never have dreamed of retrieving anything other than the washing from the machine and the T.V remote control and gundoggery hasn't come easy for him, but it's such a joy to see his confidence and pleasure growing. I hope he can do it for years to come.
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