The Training of the Brythen

[bunn]

It's been a while since I reported on the This Will Not Do campaign - ie, dealing with Brythen's tendency to disappear over the horizon and come back when he felt like it.

Comments

[inzilbeth_liz]

I feel your frustration. I too am finding that having to accomodate more than one dog means the training isn't all it should be for Max. I'm sure you're right about his feeling more affection for you though, I certainly sense that with Max who is now [almost] more interested in playing than running off. Glad to know Az is doing OK.

[bunn]

Yay, well done Max (and I have to say, it's enormously reassuring to hear you are having the same thing even with a border collie. Maybe B. will become reliable in the end, I keep having to remind myself that he is very young.

(Edited cos I accidentally used an animated icon of Mollydog going boing that I like very much but it is a bit distracting!)

[puddleshark]

I'm so glad Az has come through the bad patch & long may he continue to enjoy the wobbly pursuit of imaginary bunnies!

I had to give up on long lines and flexi-leads with Pip, him being a springer - within thirty seconds there would be a Gordian knot involving three trees, four gorse bushes and a passing stranger... But luckily he is very sossidge-motivated.

Brythen a pointer cross? Oh my. A friend used to have pointers, and they used to range for miles...

[bunn]

That was exactly what Mollydog would do on a longline, only the knot would usually feature three of her own legs and I would be terrified she would be about to fall over and hurt her tissue-paper skin.

I don't know about the pointer for sure, of course. He could be lurcher son of lurcher, lolloping gormlessly back across the centuries, or he could be one of those mixes where two sets of genes produce non-obvious results. But it does seem to fit.

If I ever have a spare 60 quid, I might get him DNA tested, it would be interesting to see what that said.

[smirnoffmule]

From my experience of those DNA kicks, they will probably tell you he's a Boston Terrier ;)

[bunn]

Oh, who did you have tested?

I know they can produce some pretty absurd results, but I still have this sneaking desire to try testing him anyway. I justify this to myself by saying that if the report shows he is Cumberland Spaniel x Pyranean x chi, that would probably really mean that his genetic mix is so random that it really means he is Lurcher Lurcherson. Whereas if it said, IDK greyhound x weimie, I could take that a bit more seriously.

Possibly just admitting I have a case of NEW TECHNOLOGY IS SHINY! would be more honest :-D

[mcmurphy79]

Bloody lurchers. I like a long line but like you say they can get so tangled and it can be hard if you have more than one naughty dog.

Keep going, you know you'll get there.

[bunn]

Most of the time, Az is really really good. It's just that 1% of the time when you ASSUME he's going to be good and he takes you by surprise! :-D

[bunn]

He did an hour and a half walk this morning, followed by a huge lunch - and had to be persuaded that it was time for a nap afterwards! I'm unspeakably pleased.

[endlessrarities]

Glad to hear that Az is picking up! I was wondering...

The picture of an 'unsolvable melancholy greyhound-knot' is a delightful one, mainly because I'm not the one expected to unravel it. Least you didn't try the Alexander the Great Gordian knot solution!

[bunn]

Az is doing really well. He's a tad wobbly, but very determined!

The problem of the unsolvable greyhound-knot was made much worse by the fact that the greyhound component of the knot was so fragile and delicate, so you end up trying to solve the knot in panic at top speed, while chanting - NO, STAY! STAY STILL!!

[endlessrarities]

I now have visions of yourself being incorporated into the greyhound melee, with arms/legs/paws flailing in all directions...