How would you guys deal with this?

[Rascal]

Re the secret , i started that with Bertie this week and he is on it but giving it up is taking an age but i just keep encouraging him.!!

If he's "happily" taking it then I'd be tempted to try a much heavier dummy, maybe a 2 or even 3 pound one and wait till he offers it I think....Don't say any thing until he offers it and then say your release command then quietly praise him, rinse and repeat...

that should have been at the end sorry....

No worries...But next time start your own thread...

Rascal

[Rascal]

Okay we have another hitch.......Flags apparently, has anyone on here experienced the same and succeeded in getting a dog over it and if so how?

I've not seen the level of fear myself yet as I can't get over to see him easily at the mo but I'm going to try my damnedest to see for myself later in the week or at the weekend.

Any ideas gratefully received...

Rascal

[Rascal]

Finally managed to get over to see Hank the Tank this afternoon and I took a couple of my dogs and my knew toy.....http://youtu.be/XRcf6-1sIyo (please no oooh arhh me hearties, pirate, eye patch or parrot jokes, trust me I've heard em all. ) A friend took this and it's her giggling in the background, she thinks I'm bonkers.......But I was soooo fed up at the prospect of not getting out with my dogs I had to do something radical... I think Hank thinks "what the hell is she gonna come up with next?" He was still pleased to see me though and I him....

Balancing on me knew leg has taken a bit of practice and you really do have the potential to rearrange your face if you aren't careful and on rough ground I still need a crutch too. Going for a simple walk just got soooo much more complicated but it's worth it... My dogs are getting used to it but a certain pirouetting cocker I know can be a bloody nuisance....

My mate has gotten Hank a lot happier with sticks he can now carry it in the normal manner and with the glorious 12th not being far away he'd suddenly thought "I wonder if he's going to be ok with a beaters flag?" Well he wasn't, and when we spoke earlier in the week my mate wasn't sure if was to do with the stick or the cracking of the flag TBH....My only telephone suggestion was, my mates kennels has a little room on the end where he stores his dog food, boots, sticks, dummies and stuff...It has a sink and running water and he prepares their food in there.

The dogs know full well if he goes in there something good is about to happen be that out training or just grub up time. I suggested that he start there, Hanks kennel is the furthest away from it. The other dogs aren't bothered at all by flags so I suggested initially he cracked the flag a few times as he was preparing grub inside and gradually move it out sooo a cracking flag indicates food for now.. He's just going to slowly move it nearer and nearer till he'll hopefully eat and ignore it.

He's also attached some to fence posts dotted around the place and I have to say it looks rather festive as you drive in and he's been hunting him in and around those. TBH when I watched this afternoon he was ok with that so he's possibly been clouted with a flag too..

It was nice to see him and to get out with mine too finally... I won't be hunting em in any rough stuff nor tossing dummies but I can think of other ways of working around it....

Rascal

[Stacia]

Very impressed with your balance Looks a great invention! Very pleased that Hank the Tank is adjusting to life and is much happier.

[Rascal]

Went to see Hank last night and although I was ever so slightly hurt that I didn't get my usual ecstatic greeting, I was also pleased. He's well and truly totally in lurrrvvv with my mate now.

We took em both for a swim and then I limped along on my new aircast boot on a hunting mission and me and another couple of mates carried flags, he's not bothered by them at all now... He is some hunting machine that dog....He's now totally steady to flush, shot and fall and was happy to sit and watch Rascal retrieve a hare that we disturbed. Neither dog had flushed it but both were steady to shot (she's obviously sickening for summat .) I was dead mean and made her carry the bloomin thing for a while too and then took it and happily gave it to a mate...

Hank got a retrieve of a rabbit that he had flushed and was totally steady to the flush shot and fall and he delivered that straight to hand with no problems whatsoever. Rascal was steady to that one too....She's deffo sickening for summat..

This dog has totally fallen on his feet, he's as fit as a flea, well muscled and most of all happy and confident doing what he's bred for....he'll be out shortly after the twelfth! I'm hoping to tag along and watch even if it's at long distance...

Rascal

[Stacia]

That is such excellent news and all down to you. Rascal the dog saver

[trekmoor]

Just noticed this ..... what the hell is wrong with your leg Wendy ?

Maybe you should wear one of those things on your other leg too in order to balance you out a bit ? Will that contraption be off you in time for the pheasant shooting ?

Wullie

[Rascal]

I broke my foot Bill, a jones fracture which is a break of the fifth metatarsal. I was on crutches and totally non load bearing on that foot and couldn't move without em for four weeks, that seriously restricts everything.....You can't even make a coffee and move it to the table or sofa for instance, sooooo in my desperation to get out with my dogs I bought that contraption so I could move about hands free so to speak...

It's called an iwalk2.0 and it helped me when I was non load bearing and it did allow me to get out with the dogs although in a limited way but was a pain getting it on and off to be able to drive the car....Thankfully I drive an automatic and it was my left foot I broke

Springfield Pointers would hate it, having an aversion to anything that starts with a lower cased i.......

And one on each leg definitely would not help!

As for the shooting season I'll know more when I get the latest aircast boot contraption I'm currently modelling off. I'd say the early partridge duck days will probably be out while I build up the use of my foot again but I'm hopeful for the pheasants.. I will delay my other two ops till after the season now....

Rascal

[trekmoor]

Och well...........at least you can now cook, clean, do the dishes and do the ironing

Get well soon Wendy.

Wullie

[Rascal]

Now why on earth would I when I've got a perfectly good bloke to do all that......

And thanks Bill I'll be doing my level best...

Rascal