Cove Mountain Kennels

Some of our good friends and their new dog. Nothing like kids and a lab. Note 2 year-old Brooklyn holding her dog, happy as can be.

 

My last post got me thinking about unlikely hunting dogs. When I was a kid hunting in Rexford, Kansas, one of my hunting mentors, (Mr.) Carol Gould had a great little cocker spaniel that would shag doves as long as you would shoot them. He was like a ferret working up pheasants, though Carol didn’t take him too much because his coat would get so tangled with cockle-burrs.

A friend of mine recently took up hunting and converted his mongrel dog, Tyson, to hunt grouse and rabbits. There’s no telling what breeds Tyson descends from, at least not from any hunting stock I recognize. But he does a great job.

The funniest though, was a guy we ran into duck hunting along Farmington Bay near the Great Salt Lake. He was hunting with an Australian Heeler. It was bitter cold; he had a neoprene vest on the dog, and the dog seemed to be loving the outing. The owner, I never did catch his name, had shot a merganser and it had sailed way way out on some thin ice, where he was still up and alive. (My favorite part was the dog’s name, “Kowalski.”) Kowalski was sent on the retrieve. He blasted out there, then when confronted with a large hissing duck, instead of picking it up, he started circling and driving it back to the blind. I can still hear the owner yelling, “fetch it up, Kowalski!” He looked at my hunting partner and I and said, a little sheepishly, “He doesn’t exactly come by it naturally.” We still laugh about that today.

The fact is that all dog are canines and are related back to wolves and wild dogs, so it shouldn’t be suprising that with some work, they all can hunt. On the other hand, hard-wiring (genetics and breeding) can’t be overlooked. It’s what makes a cow dog circle the herd and a retriever fetch.

Send me your stories about your unlikely hunting dog.

We are used to larger breeds, mostly hunting dogs, so it is a fun twist for us to have a cute little toy dog (Shih Tzu) boarding with us for two weeks. He came complete with a pink faux aligator-skin hand bag to tote him around in. (I thought I’d really look good with that accessory. Maybe I’ll try it out at the trap range.)

Jackson is a bold little dog and after a minute gets right down to playing with the big dogs. When they get too close or too rough, he lets them know in no uncertain terms that it’s enough. I wonder how these little guys would do shagging doves on a dove shoot?

This morning, Pioneer Day (a State holiday here in Utah) was a beautiful morning. With the cloud cover it stayed in the sixtys until almost 8:30. Chris and I took the dogs for a five mile run and had a great time. They were hot when we got back and enjoyed a cool dip in the snow sled/dog bath.

After exercise, dogs are always so much happier. They really respond to regular exercise. I guess people do to. I know it clears my head and makes me feel more alive.

Happy 24th of July.

Sarah loves puppies. Of course, who doesn’t. These were a litter of pups at Rooster Valley Pheasants. Here are some ideas when picking a puppy: When choosing the litter, look more at the parents than the puppies. Look at the pedigree, but almost more importantly for the average hunter, talk to the owner about how he hunts the parents. Better yet, talk to some of his hunting partners about his dogs, as they are less biased. Best yet, go hunting with him a time or two. If you are wanting a puppy right now this is not practical, but if you are doing your homework a year or two out, it is possible.

When picking the individual puppy, here are some recommendations: visit often and observe all of the puppies. With only one visit, you may catch one in a sleepy mood and another well rested and revved up. Over multiple vistis you will get a better feel for all the individuals. The breeder is likely spending lots of time with them, so ask them about individual traits. Wait until the puppies are six weeks old or older to do some simple puppy tests. Younger than that and they aren’t consistent.

1.) Watch how the puppy interacts with its siblings and try to determine where it fits in the social order. You can often tell the ends of the spectrum, but I find it difficult to break it down from there. You are looking for a puppy in the middle, one that is confident, but will give up some control.

2.) Take a puppy out of sight from the others and place it on the grass and walk 5-10 yards away, get down on your knees, pat the ground and call the puppy to you and see if it comes. You are looking for a friendly social puppy that seeks your company.

3.) While away from the others observe the puppy as it investigates a new place. You are looking for an interested, animated, confident pup.

4.) Gently roll the puppy on its back and pin it to the ground and hold it and watch its reaction. You are looking for a puppy that will struggle and show some independance, but not fight you forever showing total independance.

5.) Clap your hands around the puppies and watch their reactions.

6.) Finally, hold the pup in air with one hand around its chest/belly and watch its reaction. You are looking to avoid a fear reaction.

Overall, what I look for, is a puppy that exibits confidence, enthusiasm and an interest in life. Also a pup that seems to like my attention and seeks my company. I also try to avoid puppies that demonstrate fear and those that seem too head strong or independent. Describe to the breeder your training experience, what you really want in a puppy and what your plans are for the pup and he usually help in the decision.

These ideas came from Richard Wolters “Game Dog” book and from “The Art of Raising a Puppy” by the Monks of New Skete. I highly recommend both books for new puppy owners. 

I had the pleasure of working with two beautiful weimaraners today, one from Washington state and the other from Salt Lake City. They both were very well socialized, well mannered dogs that had a strong desire for birds.

We got as early a start as we logistically could. It went very well, with each dog working quite a few birds, but by noon, it was HOT and we had to call it quits. We had a great time and you could see the dogs loved getting out and working birds.

Training birds during the dog days of summer is possible, but you have to start early and plan on finishing before noon. Another challenge with training this early in the summer is that birds can be difficult to obtain. Birds are typically too young to train with. I try to keep some older birds on hand for summer training before the young ones are fully feathered and ready to go.

Fouth of July and fireworks are fun – not so for dogs. Be careful over the next few days with your dogs outside when there a lot of fireworks going off. Even a steady gun dog can be made gunshy from fireworks. When hunting, there is the excitement of the flush and reward of the bird, but fireworks are just loud. It may be best to bring the dog in the house for the next few nights.

Enjoy your 4th. 

 Happy Birthday America!

Some dogs are just fence climbers. This particular German Shorthair, Daisy, is a 30 pound bundle of energy. She is as sweet as they come, but you have to watch her; she climbs fences better than my 5 year old boy (who climbs like a monkey, by the way).

We have to have a lid on the kennel and have it tightly wired down. Daisy hadn’t been in the kennel 10 minutes and was out again. I was dumbfounded as to how she got out, because there was a top on it. I put her back and watched her leap 6′ in the air, cling on and climb to the top and push her way through the roof fence panel edge. Needless to say, we have wired it down tight all the way around now. Now she climbs around the upper section of our kennel about like a gibbon, but can’t get out.

As for the 4′ property fence, I don’t think she really sees that as a barrier. She will leap up to where her body is 1/3 the way over, then land her front and back paws on the top of the fence and propel herself the rest of the way.

How do we deal with a fence climber, you ask? For starters, we have her kennel top tightly wired down so she can’t push her way out. The floor is wooden, so she can’t dig her way out. Then we stay out in the yard with her when she is out. Typically we have all the dogs out, so they are busy romping and playing with each other and she doesn’t have any desire to leave the yard. Daisy is a very social dog that loves to be with you. Usually when she climbs out, she is looking for you, so as long as you are around, she sticks close.

I’ve talked to several others with fence climbing dogs and the three solutions I have found are Kennels with a top, tie outs, and electricity. As for electricty, folks I talked to either used a pet containment fence, or a pet electric fence. If you use the electric fence, I suggest using the pet series rather than one for livestock, as the voltage is much lower. I also suggest using the white ribbon tape rather than a wire, since it is much more visable so dogs and kids can see it more easily. As for us, we use the roofed kennel, supervision and lots of exercise.

Let me hear your stories of your fence climber.  Cheers, …