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out with the pup


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Well Alfie is nearly 8 months now and training wise he's doing real fine. Ive got him to a good standard of obedience and im confident i can now start to put a bit of presure on his young mind.

Anyway this afternoon i took him,along with the Falcon to do a bit of shooting and hopefully get a couple of retrieves for him. walking tight against the hedge into the first field with him nicely at heel i soon spotted our first shot sat out about 30 yards away. A click of my fingers and young Alfie was now in the sitting position. I raised the gun putting the cross hairs where i wanted them,then slowly pressing the trigger let the first pellet go. Almost as soon as id did this i heard the sound of the pellet making contact and then seeing the Rabbit hit the ground. I sent Alfie out with the command to find, and he was off searching just like he does when out with the dummy. This time though it was not a Dummy,but something totaly New to him. I was confident hed find it because he will search like a spanial,but even though he retrieves realy well in training i still had that feeling of that something might go wrong. I then seen him stop and his head go down,and then almost as quick come up. No rabbit though,just that look of though someting just wasn,t right and he was looking back at me. "Good Lad...Good Lad....Fetch him up" i shouts and his head goes down again,only this time it comes back up with a nice half grown rabbit in his mouth. I kept praising him as he came back into me with it and then went down on my knees with my arms out. He came right in and put it right in my hands. I didn't take it from him straight away,i just held him and praised him all the time letting him get used to this new feeling of what he was carrying.

Right,.. off now into the next field and again i have him at heel as we creep along looking for another victim for the falcon. 40 yards or so ahead of us i could see a family of youngsters sitting just over a warren. Alfie too had seen them and i had to give him the stay commmand because i knew if i never he would run them. I know some people might find it strange that im encouraging a Pup not to chase,but trust me i know what im doing. All that hard work put in the training field will make Alfies entering to this game a lot more easier,no matter what it is. Anyway..Alfie is now steadied up and has got his eyes set on the same bunny im seeing through the scope. Again a good shot is made,only this time its one of them that start doing cartwheels. I give the pup the command and hes off,only this time he can see and knows what hes after. Another Good retrieve is made of an ideal sized rabbit for a young pup, and now me and alfie are both wagging our tails.Again i let him hold it for a while,praising him all the time.

We move on again once more,only this time i didn't have to give alfie the heel command,He just did it. He's a clever dog and he is alreading understanding what this little exercise is all about. Another couple follow the first 2 and again Alfie does well for a youngster.

Next one i spot is right against the side of a hedge and not the best of shots to take on at about 40 yards. Like young Alfie though im feeling top Dog at the moment so the gun is lifted and the shot is taken on. The pellet makes contact but it is not a good shot. The rabbit runs down the hedge with alfie on his back and then crashes into a thick hedge,with Alfie crashing in after it. I wait a little while and half expect the Pup to just come back,but he doesn't.I walk down towards where they went into the next field but i cant see anything. Next thing i hear the sound of Horses in the field the other side of this hedge, galloping along not sounding too happy at all. I start to whistle the pup and call his name hoping to give him direction to where i am. Horses can panic pups and the last thing i wanted was alfie running off into the wrong direction. Just as i was thinking about busting through the Hedge i look up to see Alfie about 100 yards further up the Hedge running back towards me. The fecker had only got the rabbit in his mouth. I took my camera out of my pocket and managed to a snap of him bringing it back. I took the rabbit from him and dispatched it,and then gave him a pat on the back for his efforts. A quick inspection revealed it was the one id hit with the falcon and i was realy pleased that Alfie had done realy well to find and catch it.

A couple more were put in the bag on the way to the car.

The Pup had done more than id expected during our couple of hours out with the gun,but what pleased me the most is how for a Dog so young he managed to keep his head. Even when Rabbits were always available he still focused on the ones i wanted him too.

Another step for the youngster......but still plenty more to be taken ;)

 

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Lamps..

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Guest LEARNER

well done lamps, i have on vidio ,a collie greyhound x collie greyhound , just 7 months ,retrieving shot hares and rabbits to hand, this was at thetford, we was going to go on the lamp that night ,not run the pup, just shoot a couple for the crack, the old bill ,came to the van, after a tip off , so made us depart, i was just training this pup up ,to sell on, as at the time ,i had just got midge, she was 15 months , and her potential was to promising to miss, i ended up selling the pup ,to a couple ,who did the pony and trap lark, heard later ,it was a cracking lamping dog, training is the most inportant part , of the lurcher working partnership, next to natural hunting ability of your lurcher, the combination can be lethal ,as well as having piece of mind when on hunting forays, good luck ,and keep it up.

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