Buddy - report card

[golfer]

Well all it's been almost a year since we got Buddy, (I liked the name Gus or Festus but got over ruled by the wife and kids.) I was pretty apprehensive about getting a hunting dog as I have no idea of how to train a hunting dog. So here it goes. Hope this doens't get too long.

January 07 - March 07 - Let's go get the pup. In the back of my mind I'm thinking its not too late to back out, but for $30 for a purebred lab....pretty reasonable. Things go well.

April 07 - June 07 - He's chewing and eating everything. Start to work with him with pheasant wing and fishing pole in the back lots. Hide it from him and he can find it by following the trail left by dragging it. We work a little bit on pointing. Well I guess this dog is going to need some excercise. After ~2 to 3 months of riding my bike and him running twice a day...wow he looks good and he is getting strong. Hmmm I feel pretty good myself...wonder if I lost any weight....holly cow I've lost ~20 - 25lbs. I can't believe it. He's got me in better shape than I've been in 10 years.

July 07 - September 07 - Well we'll keep up the excercise routine, he absolutely loves this running thing twice a day. Hmmm...I'm playing pretty good golf, I wonder if being in a little better shape has anything to with this. We keep working with the wing and he keeps finding it. Maybe there is some hope that reading a little bit and applying the concepts can allow even me to train a dog. We get a shock collar. Wow... this thing is like a cordless leash in the back lots. We begin to work on keeping somewhat close as if hunting. We find a few spots around town where cars can't go like the saddle club or the softball fields to work on this. Again he just loves it.

October 07 - Present - Showtime!!! Go to the Minnesota opener. First rooster we see, we shoot it. Wow those things are tough. Go to where it went down. Nowhere to be found. There's Buddy 30 feet away. Hey get over here, the birds over here. Then a voice in the back of my mind says....trust the dog. I follow him where he wants to go...which was back to where he was. Sure enough here comes the bird running with Buddy in hot pursuit. You've got to be kidding me...Buddy found the bird. Beginners luck. Well this happened two more times that day and he hasn't stopped. He has found at least a dozen birds that we would not have found without him. He will even point on occasion. He did whisper something in my ear the other day. He wants his own shotgun. I think he figures he finds the birds, points the birds, flushes the birds only to have me miss. I could just as well do it all!!!!

I guess to sum it up, it's like someone said, "You're gonna get out of the dog what you put in."

I'm glad I followed through and got the dog. An added plus is he seems to be good with the kids.

Tim

[LABS4ME]

Good Job! How proud were you when he flushed and retrieved that 1st pheasant? Like watching your kids take those 1st few steps walking... and even better you did the work yourself training him! Give yourself a big ol' "atta boy"!

Good Luck!

Ken

[setterguy]

I'll give you 35 for him.

Seriously, congrats. Sounds like you have a hunting buddy for a long time.