Rookie is obviously a different kind of working dog and she showed me her skills while I was visiting her owners in California. Since I had the luxury of not having Bob and his noise phobia along, I went out hunting with Rookie and her owners.
In a similar way as our border collies, Rookie was born with her skills and just needed some guidance. Having a trained dog really makes for easy hunting. She's a real step-saver and you hardly have to work at all.
She finds the bird and points them out to you
You shoot the bird (or have a friend do it for you if you are gun impaired)
I barely had to get off the couch.
Just in case they were having too much fun, I thought perhaps they might start training for cliff diving (you never know when that might come in handy).
Sure it's all fun and games until it's your turn!
For you agility enthusiasts, Tag tried out his first time in jumpers excellent
He would not walk on that weird green stuff for love, leash nor money. This created a little problem. Where was he to poop? I decided to wait him out. He couldn't hold it forever. Could he? We'll never know 'cause after 48 hours I gave in and drove him to the local park where he felt much better about letting go, so to speak. This dog has pooped all across North America but for some reason, he had his issues.
but other than that and a few potty breaks we just kept heading south. Two long days of driving and one night in a hotel. I am happy to report that both Skid AND Hemp kept the hotel in an un-urinated state. Laddie has already had the no peeing in the hotel lecture so I knew he'd be ok.
We are now at Mom and Dad's house in Orange County. The bad news is that tomorrow will be very boring for the dogs. The good news is that I am going to DISNEYLAND!
He was so small when we left and I didn't think about the fact that as he grew, so would his ability to tear things up. He and Salem must have been working on it for days because they were quite exhausted when they were finished.
He was my first Border Collie and at age 9 he's now retired. He had some sholder problems that caused him to limp occasionally when he worked, and a stroke last year that left his face a little lopsided but really it's his mind that is his big disability. He has an absolute and uncontrollable fear of thunder and gunfire. However, unlike most dogs, Bob doesn't hide in the back of his crate or under the bed, wishing the noise would go away. No, he takes matters into his own hands or teeth, to stop the noise himself. If Bob is contained during a storm, he will rip his way out of whatever crate he is in no matter the damage to his teeth, and bark at the offending noise. Out of fear that he will hurt himself or our new dog box (the crates that the dogs travel in on the truck) or teach the other dogs to be afraid, I drop everything at the sound of a loud noise and run to get Bob out of his crate and on a leash where I can talk him down from his proverbial ledge.
They met her at the Kentucky Bluegrass trial in the Punkin' Patch vendor tent and although she lives in Kentucky, far away from the Canadian north, each boy thought it was true blue and tried to win her heart. Lad had a polished and elaborate soft shoe dance that he performed and Skid had only his childish pouncing.
In the end, she chose Lad as her champion and he posed with his lady prize with all the class and grace he could muster.