Water Dog

Mello-Yello · 11-24-2003, 10:09 AM

Well, Riley turned 11 wks this past weekend. He's been doing great with his kindergarten classes, and this weekend was to start 'real school'. I took him down to the local boat ramp. The parking lot has a huge low spot, which creates a huge mud puddle (~100'x100'). We did a bunch of retrieves in the puddle. Once he realized it was no more than 4" deep, he really got into it.

Next, while enthusiasm was high, we went down to the ramp. I tossed a stick into the water in about 2' of water. He cautiously walked out till he was on his tip-toes. A little bit of coaxing, and off he went to get the stick. Picked it up and promptly brought it back to me. We did this a couple times, each time he was more aggressive than the last. This is the first time I've ever seen a puppy swim like an adult first try. No splashing, head down flat in the water. I was so proud. We then did a much longer retrieve. No problem!

He really got into this. He kept trying to get up on the dock. I kept telling him "No, you're not ready for the dock". Then I decided, hmmm, why not. Let's see what he does.

While not overly aggressive (more like a stealthy Navy Seal), he slipped right off the dock and got the stick. Unbelievable! At 11 weeks?

I think he's gonna be a true Water Dog. He's getting so big I keep forgetting he's just a puppy yet.

skein · 11-24-2003, 10:17 AM

What a handsome dude! It's soooooo much fun to work with 'em and see those genetics come to the fore.

You've got a lot of fun times in store for you - and it looks as if you're smart enough to REALLY enjoy it! Congrats!

And keep those pictures coming.

Skein

jokester · 11-24-2003, 11:37 PM

Man, I remember you telling us about him when you first got him and showing us pictures. What a good looking pup!! He's gonna make a fine bird dog one of these days!! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

-jokester

Lured In · 11-25-2003, 08:02 AM

Look at the size of the 'wheels' on that dog. He definitely is going to be a big'un.

Congrats!

BigFish · 11-30-2003, 08:16 PM

Great dog...

Love those Lab ears in the air, can't get enough of it!

Fishfaced · 11-30-2003, 09:18 PM

Nice Job!

ScottD · 12-01-2003, 03:17 PM

Wow! He's a big boy. Good looking too.

Beaver93 · 12-01-2003, 03:23 PM

Great looking dog!

MadMerganser · 12-01-2003, 06:33 PM

You might want to stick to dummies and ducks rather than sticks. Embarrassing when your dog can't immediatly find the bird and starts grabbing at sticks. Wastes time too. Good lookin dog. You gonna start him on birds soon?-Lem

justcastn · 12-01-2003, 07:10 PM

That is a great looking dog,Nice work [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] :grin:

Get Bit · 12-01-2003, 08:03 PM

Nice Pics!

Mello-Yello · 12-01-2003, 10:04 PM

Thanks for the nice comments guys. I'll pass them on to Riley (he's actually sitting beside).

Lem, I know what you're saying, and your absolutely right. Unfortunately, Riley will likely never be an ace bird dog. It won't be his fault, but mine. Between all my other hunting and fishing, raising a family and holding down a job (look at that, I even prioritized them

), there's just no way I'm going to have the time to bring him up to meet his potential. So, I'm going with plan B. Making him the best darn family dog a guy can have. If he brings me birds, great. If he screws up from time to time, it won't be his fault.

My retiring Golden Retriever never did do any hunting with me, at least not where I actually shot anything. She can sniff her "fetchin stick" out of a woodpile and catch a long-bomb frisbee on the fly though. She'd never quit on a retrieve. Last summer, I took her grouse hunting. Had no idea if she'd even begin to comprehend what we were doing. We jumped a grouse, I actually hit it and she sat there waiting for me to let her go. I told her to "get it", and off she went. She ran right up to where the grouse bit the dirt, then bailed off the hill like she was leaving town. "Oh well" I thought. What do you expect for a dog who's never done this before? I walk up there, and about 50 yards downhill, there she is sniffing in the ferns. Who'da thunk? Low and behold, she grabs up this grouse, which had apparently also bailed off the hill, and delivers it to my hand. I couldn't believe it. She went on to retrieve 2 more that day, just as if she'd been doing it all her life. There had to have been a cuzillion sticks available, but she chose the bird.

I hope Riley will have those same instincts, but either way, he'll be my best buddy. Besides, plucking a stick is so much easier...

To Riley