Hi, Maggie
I see you have placed all the pups. Congrats.
We are getting along fine with Dakota. She is healthy and growing every day.
As Dakota is now 10 weeks old, we thought we would send these. I would guess she is about 15 lbs. now.
She is truly a “fiery little honey” as you once described her. A honey most of the time, she can take off on a vigorous run and dare you to come after her and get whatever piece of junk may be in her mouth at the time. ‘Will challenge authority on occasion.
Good things: no chewing on destroying anything, yet. Almost poddy trained. She knows how to swim in the pool. ‘Getting better on the leash. Stays “off” people and things about 80% of the time. Has never trespassed onto any furniture or beds. ‘Seems to like her weekly baths.
Not so good things: Likes to sample everything in the yard. Runs too fast. Still wants to take Mom for a walk.
Take care and thank you for the great little friend (Dakota does mean “friend”)
Carla & Wes
M:
Merry Christmas. Thought I’d take a second and tell you about this puppy you begat by the name of Chet.
What a pup! He has all the lovie that Kath was looking for but he is not sickeningly schmoopie, i.e. demanding attention at all times. Rather, he is appropriately lovie. For example, at night he may jump into bed for a goodnight nuzzle but usually just puts himself to bed when he is ready. In the AM he jumps in the bed at about 0600 – then it is nuzzle time. Kath gets her fix. We called it just right in this department when we licked out his personality.
In retrieving he has developed a real nice drive. He isn’t driven to beat every other dog to the bird or to steal it from other dogs but he has developed a high drive to find the bird. Whether we’re playing fetch with the Kong in the side yard, or he is seeking a downed bird in heavy cover – he has begun staying with the search when other dogs have quit and returned empty handed. (Or, empty-mouthed as it were.) This aspect has really just developed in and since our SD trip.
Prior to that, in our first excursions to the field this autumn, he was a bit tentative in his learning style; much more so than Rascal had been at the same age. I wouldn’t call it timid; just cautious and tentative when experiencing new things. After a few reps, or trips to the field, however, he gained confidence and aggressiveness quickly.
In SD he learned much. I think on one day in particular when we really got into them with a party of eleven and shots were being fired all around, birds getting up helter skelter – they couldn’t complete a retrieve without birds falling – he was a bit overwhelmed. But he didn’t shy and he didn’t freeze up – he was just kind of in awe. The next day, our last in SD, he really was a more attentive and focused hunter. It was fun to watch the growth and learning occur.
This last Sunday we went to our local club. Rascal had to stay home because he is struggling with a case of pneumonia that will just not go away and stay away. So, it was just Chet and two other dogs with five hunters. I think a key to the day was that Chet did not have to compete with, or be submissive to, Rascal. He began the day missing out on a few retrieves; being beaten to the bird by a more aggressive lab. Then he had one downed bird, in heavy cover, in particular that the other two more aggressive labs gave up on. For whatever reason, Chet stayed with it. It was well alive and burrowed deep into grass under our four inches of fresh snow. It must’ve been three minutes after the other dogs quit that he came out with that bird. The bird did not appreciate the program one bit but Chet did not shy from the tussle. From that moment on Chet became a nearly dominant retriever on the day. It was like his confidence soared and he figured out he could do this game as well as any other dogs. He dug out several more fighting birds and got more retrieves than the others. Fun to watch – big time.
As a hunter, he is more deliberate and methodical than Rascal or the labs. He doesn’t tear around covering mass quantities of ground like Rascal. He doesn’t work the entire line like Rascal. He ranges out but he stays closer to me – hunts more for me than Rascal has ever done. When he gets birdy, it is not a big display like with some dogs. You have to watch him more closely as his response is to get more focused and directed but not hyper in the way some dogs do. Also, he is very obedient in the field – I do not have to lean on the button. And, he works appropriately close. If he ranges a bit far, all I have to do is call his name and he works back towards me. It is very nice.
Rascal has always been a party dog – Chet is more my dog within the party. It is a nice change of pace. We had several occurrences in SD in which Rascal and the labs were tearing around, covering big ground, and running by birds that Chet came along, scented and flushed.
Lastly, he has a very good nose and he takes the time to use it. And he is very smart – very strong cognitive ability. For example, when doing double retrieves in which I will throw two Kongs several yards apart; he will fetch up the first one and return it, I will then send him for the second one and he gets it (understands it) immediately. Rascal has always struggled with understanding what I want on that second retrieve – like he doesn’t recall or associate the fact there is a second Kong still out there. He will eventually catch on but I have to order and direct him repeatedly for him to make the mental connection. Chet gets it immediately, I point and direct him to fetch it up one time and he is headed back for the second Kong. Very quick cognitively.
A couple – almost freaky - non-hunting stories in this regard. When Rascal first came down with pneumonia in early October, Kath found Rascal on a Saturday morning standing motionless in the backyard with his chin jutted forward, as though he was trying to open his own airway, and breathing rapidly and shallow. It turned out his lungs were severely compromised by phlegm from the infection. Chet went bounding up to him like a puppy that wanted to play but, upon getting close, immediately stopped, stood nose to nose with Rascal for a few seconds and slid up next to Rascal, first cheek to cheek and then body to body; he looked at Kath and began whimpering as he nuzzled Rascal. Kath said it was almost spooky how Chet was communicating that something seriously was wrong with Rascal.
Rascal then spent the next two days in doggy intensive care on antibiotics and O2 having chest-physio performed on him once an hour. Upon coming home he was on an array of meds including prednisone. Of course, the prednisone made him need to pee a lot. Rascal has never been one to go to the door and bark; rather, he is so stoic he will simply stand at the door and wait for us to notice. The problem is the door is on the lower level and we may be upstairs – out of sight. Rascal will sometimes stand for a long time – like he is maybe more stoic than bright sometimes. After Rascal came home from the hospital, on several occasions, Chet came upstairs, got our attention by barking or whining, lead us downstairs to find Rascal wanting to go outside. And then, as we stood outside waiting for Rascal to do his thing, Chet sat next to us – waiting with us as Chet did not have to pee!! He came and got us to let Rascal out. Chet made the connection that Rascal needed to go out, and we were not around to let him out, so he came to get us to let Rascal out. Now, that is cognitive ability.
Lastly, Lastly, Chet is a precocious little guy. Just his manner – you can always see mischief lurking just behind his eyes. He is constantly alert, constantly taking in all signs of his environment and always – always thinking and scheming. Kath calls him “A sneak and a snitch”. He’ll swipe a sock, a shoe, whatever he can swipe and just carry it around the house. He usually won’t destroy it, he’ll just carry it around like a little trophy that he captured.
Well, I guess that is enough. Do you think we love this little guy? He is a blast. He is a great size – just a hair taller than Rascal at the shoulder but will top out probably no more than 65 lbs – just perfect. He is exuberant, fun, full of mischief, sufficiently obedient most of the time, very bright and really developing into a nice balanced hunter. I won’t probably win any competitions with him but I could not be more pleased with who and what he is growing into.
Thought I’d share. Hope all is well for you.
SB
Maggie,
I know the girls sent you a Christmas letter. But I just got back from a hunt in eastern Colorado Mor dog as I call her just produced a limit of 3 roosters. Were I hunted had average pheasant populations at best. She also produced a limit every day I hunted in Minnesota 3 days. She has had 4 days in the field on wild pheasants and produced for the gun and retrieved 9 birds.
A limit on every hunt pretty good for a puppy.
We have also been on 3 preserve hunts were on her first she looked lost. But the second she found 4 out of the five birds that were put out and 5 of 5 on her 3rd preserve hunt.
I am most proud of her New years day hunt in CO. This was a late season hunt on walk in properties. Heavily hunted land.
On her first wild bird hunt in Minnesota the land she got to hunt did not have anyone hunt it for almost a month. So yes there were lots of birds for her to find. You could literally watch her grow as a bird dog that morning. I think she learned more in that four hours on that 80 acres than she will ever learn in any four hour period again in her life.
Not all is perfect though her sent trailing from a pheasant nest needs work. I will save birds from our next preserve hunt. And drag them thru the grass and see if this helps. Any suggestions on this are appreciated.
All in all she is a wonderful dog. All of the dogs I have raised the one thing I’ve noticed is when your dog is finding birds on its own at less than a year old you got the makings of a good dog and Amora is doing just that. Her retrieve is awesome. On yesterdays hunt we got in to a flock of 8 birds a few hens got up first the a rooster I shoot the rooster Mor dog marked and started her retrieve on her way back behind me a rooster got up I shot and missed turned back Mor dog still had the rooster in her mouth. And what a firm light mouth it is.
Do not change a thing with your breeding program it is working just fine. After hunting on Thanksgiving day with relatives they all understand why Mariah and I traveled 1000 miles to get this dog.
Thanks for a awesome friend and companion.
John Doom
Rocky Mountian Interior Construction, Inc.
