Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

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BaronessBL May 2016 8:32am, 6 May 2016 5,470 posts	0 BaronessBL I got a whistle soon after we got Wanda with the same idea that if she was too far away to hear me calling she might come back to that holds sides laughing Admittedly I didn't seek any formal advice just made sure that when she learned to recall to it she got the very best treat not given for anything else (usually liver cake). On our local playing field she only has to see me put it to my mouth and she flies back to me and sits perfectly at my feet. Across the fields and most likely on the beach if she is chasing a bird or rabbit I can whistle all I like and it makes no difference. She'll come back when she chooses and ideally (in her mind) that will be when she has a rabbit in her mouth. Her prey drive is SO strong that in some areas it's safer just to not let her off at all. She hasn't caught a seagull on the beach when we have visited, but again we would only let her off on a beach when there are very few people/dogs about because if she knocked into an older person or child at the speed she goes she could easily send them flying. But of course Charlie may be completely different
BaronessBL May 2016 8:34am, 6 May 2016 5,471 posts	0 BaronessBL By the way Alice, meant to say good luck with the Bronze test - is that the KCGC test or a different scheme you are doing? He's done so well to be taking his Bronze test so quickly if so
FergusG May 2016 8:41am, 6 May 2016 79 posts	0 FergusG Hope the picnicking family weren't too upset. I had to apologise profusely to a family when our whippet once leapt across picnic rug and deftly stole (mid-leap) a biscuit from the hand of a child before scarpering off at high speed.
Sharkie May 2016 8:52am, 6 May 2016 9,187 posts	0 Sharkie Another sandwich thief here. Jess once snatched the tasty snack from the hand of a defenceless infant. 'Well' said Jess, 'If they will wave food about in that enticing way, rather than gobbling it up quick, what do you expect?' And I agree about Charlie's progress. Well done that dog and owner to have reached bronze standard so quickly!
LazyDaisy May 2016 3:01pm, 6 May 2016 14,097 posts	0 LazyDaisy Those tales of thievery made me laugh. I tried a dog whistle but Floss was as oblivious to that as she was to shouted commands. There is 'special whistle' (very complicated, involves 5 notes!) I can do though which Flossie interprets as 'OMG I'm about to be abandoned I'd better get a shift on back to Mum'. She had her annual jabs and MOT yesterday. The vet gave her back leg and hip a really good pull about and prod as she increasingly has this very transient unwillingness to put her paw down after a post-walk rest. The vet couldn't feel any problem - she has full range of movement and no painful bits - so it's possibly a ropey cartilage, but it's not worth further investigation yet. However, as I suspected (and OH refuted) Flossie has put some weight back on so her food rations have been reduced.
Helegant May 2016 3:36pm, 6 May 2016 3,062 posts	0 Helegant Jet is on antibiotics for conjuctivitis, and now my right eye is sore. Warning to me to take more care over handwashing after dosing the dog! Jet stank yesterday - there is no other word for it. He discovered cat poo in the garden - it really doesn't digest well - mega eugh. He also discovered cats. We were 'not at home' and unusually I let Jet into a previously dog-free garden - hence the cat poo. And the cats. They teased him by standing on the other side of the french doors, and when I let Jet out they jumped up onto the fence to look down at him. Being a spaniel he never looks up, so got very agitated when the end of the scent trail yielded no result. He even started scrabbling in the grass to find the missing moggie. We kept trying to get him to look up where said moggie was grinning down from a height of six feet, but Jet was on a mission and wouldn't be deterred. Daft dog
Sharkie May 2016 3:47pm, 6 May 2016 9,188 posts	0 Sharkie They're all a bit daft aren't they? Even the cleverest ones ( and of course I count Flossie, Jet and Wanda in that company) There was an 'Pass Notes' about labs in the Guardian yesterday: theguardian.com Poor Floss - back on the iron rations. Jess 'daft dog' story naturally follows Helegant's...
Sharkie May 2016 3:55pm, 6 May 2016 9,189 posts	0 Sharkie Jess loves chasing but, although her intense RAGE when she spots a c*t might suggest otherwise, I don't think her prey drive is that strong. She does however have a very good 'nose'. When she sees a rabbit or fox out in the open she will tear after it at what I think is lightning speed. But they always get away by plunging into the nearest bushes or undergrowth. She recently ran 50 metres ahead of me and then another 50 in pursuit of the rabbit she had spotted. Rabbit wisely takes cover ... and Jess stops dead. She won't pursue it any further although she obviously knows where it's gone. What she DOES do - and it was so obvious on this occasion - is pick up the sent the rabbit had left behind... and retrace its steps. So she frantically zigzags and loops around a field following the scent of the departed rabbit. She likes the game not the prize!
FergusG May 2016 3:56pm, 6 May 2016 81 posts	0 FergusG I've never known a Lab (my own included) that isn't totally ruled by its stomach! Stella (Lab) can comfortably a devour a chew-stick in two seconds flat - rather defeating the teeth-cleansing properties that they were bought for. Cleo (Whippet) takes about 20 minutes for the same chews.
Alice the Camel May 2016 4:15pm, 6 May 2016 2,692 posts	0 Alice the Camel The only thing Charlie chases is other dogs. He's pretty well behaved now around everything else that we've come across. But - see a dog and he's off, and completely deaf to my calls! Having said that, we've been out for a couple of hours this afternoon and he was extremely calm off lead, no chasing or picnic snatching. I think it was perhaps a bit too hot for him to be bothered (and we only bumped into other dogs when he was on lead luckily). I hope your sore eye doesn't develop into anything nasty, Helegant...