You can't count your chicks before they hatch, as they say; neither can you count your new pup before it's born. Fortunately we knew that.Mike had put in an advance "order" for a German Shorthair female out of a highly recommended line, and we were preparing for the new pup. However, we recently learned that the litter was born last week -- five males and one female. The owner of the mother dog plans to keep the female. So -- no pup for us this go-round. And I have to say that I'm relieved. We have never had two dogs at one time. I wondered how we would manage with all we want to do this year.
And then there's Nellie. Having Nellie is really enough for me. I think she's a rather special temperament for a bird dog -- willing to be a pet as well as a sporting dog. I just know another dog will change the dynamics of the person-to-dog relationship. We can't predict how that will go. So, another year -- or even two -- without that new pup is just fine.
On Easter Sunday, Mike gave Nellie a bath and cleaned her kennel. I washed her pillow and vacuumed.
Yesterday Ken took Nellie along on an outing to Chief Timothy Island on the Snake River. Apparently he found ticks on Mac, so he called and told us to check Nellie. I found a tiny one on her shoulder this morning. Time to apply the Bio-Spot. KW
7 comments:
My only experience with two dogs was back when we got Duff. We knew Ranger was getting old, so when we had a chance to breed him and get one of the pups, we did. Ranger never did adjust to having Duff, even though we had the two of them for two years. He'd been our only dog for many years and I think he never "understood". I think your comments were right on.
Hmmm. Something to consider...Nellie is the dog she is because she is the only dog. If you get another dog, especially a puppy, Nellie just won't be the same. If Nellie & another dog had been together since puppyhood, she would have grown up knowing that her pack had 2 dogs & one leader (Mike or Kathy, whomever happens to give orders).
Yes, dogs do adapt to new living arrangements, but since Nellie has a "part time pet" occupation, a puppy would be hard for Nellie to understand. After all, Nellie knows that she is an "only pet."
Puppies are like babies. A puppy sees themself as the center of the universe. And since humans have to send a huge amount of time caring for this needy creature for several months, an older dog just doesn't see the whole picture. Why should they?
And who knows, Nellie could turn out to be warm & nurturing to a little one.
Thinking from the standpoint of hunting, the pup supposedly receives some training through the example of the mature dog. The energetic pup then takes an increasingly productive role in the field as the older dog slows up. From that standpoint, it makes perfect sense to have two dogs. It's more problematic when considering the social roles within the home. Of course, if they were kennel dogs, the question would be moot, but we have allowed Nellie quite a lot of time with us.
Kathy, you're exactly right. Dogs act differently inside & out. My son had 2 dogs, a miniature greyhound & a miniature dachshund. They were given away by families that no longer wanted them. Brian, having a soft heart brought them into his home.
These 2 dogs had very different personalities inside the house. The 1st dog (greyhound) wasn't happy when the new energetic dog (dachshund) came to live with them and he lost his "only dog" status.
When I asked my son which one of them was the "pack leader," Brian told me that when they were getting ready to go outside for their walk, the 2 dogs ran to the open door. The greyhound would put his paw on the dachshund's shoulder to keep him from running out without his lead.
Who taught Nellie how to hunt when she was a pup?
Hi Leah! Hunting dogs come with a certain skill set. (Well, sometimes there's a dud, but Nellie wasn't one of those.) And that skill set was further honed and reinforced by her firm and loving master. An owner can hire a trainer, and sometimes that's helpful, but the owner still has to establish the field relationship. Mike says Nellie is very good. Nellie knows to whom she answers, but she asserts her opinions from time to time.
From Mike's detailed hunting posts, I can tell what a good working dog Nellie is. They're a great team. Did Nellie learn from an older dog when she was a puppy or was Mike her sole teacher?
Our previous dog, Nobie, died in August 2003 and we got Nellie, born 9-11-03, in November when she was six weeks old. She was too little to hunt that first year, and Mike borrowed a dog for that season. So, no, she didn't work with another dog -- just Mike. The shorthair point and retrieve instinctively. Mike says that working with the dog is more a matter of practice than training.
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