You know, I've worked out what my trouble with Squish is. It's not that he's dumb - far from it. It's not that he's rebellious. It's not that he's batshit insane (he is, but that's not actually a problem). It's not even that he's easily distracted. It's just that his brain, when outdoors, reverts to its default mode of "will only accept input through nose".
The only training aid I really need with that dog is the ability to emit particular odours at will. If I could just master the art of smelling like a squirrel I'd never need to use his long line again.
(he's spent the morning leaping round the flat like a loony trying to catch a fly that came in. I've spent the morning trying to photograph it. I have five or six nice pictures of his tail and one of a blurred white thing that might be a dog.)
The only training aid I really need with that dog is the ability to emit particular odours at will. If I could just master the art of smelling like a squirrel I'd never need to use his long line again.
(he's spent the morning leaping round the flat like a loony trying to catch a fly that came in. I've spent the morning trying to photograph it. I have five or six nice pictures of his tail and one of a blurred white thing that might be a dog.)
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Thank you for the laugh today. I needed it!
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the dogs caught a rat trail the other night and they were both somehow under the impression that they could find the rat (nowhere in sight) - you should've seen maggie's tail, it was like up between her shoulderblades....BOINNNNNNNGGGGGG.
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WE NEED SMELLAVISION.
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Oh yes. Because asking the dogs questions makes Spike go batshit. *sigh*
Spike doesn't understand the concept of "rhetorical". If I ask what something is or where it is he either goes and gets it for me, points it out, or goes nuts at me because he didn't understand the question.
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I think it's a scent hound thing. Our beagles have the same problem. It's why they're never allowed outside a fenced area without being on leash and harness. When the nose goes down, the ears turn off, and no matter how obedient they want to be, it's simply beyond their capability to ignore instinct. Drives my dad mental; he's already sworn our family will never own another beagle again.
It's pretty obnoxious, sure. Will it keep me from owning another beagle, or another scent dog? I don't know. *smooches and hugs to Squishy*
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Example: Spike can jump the back fence at Grimmauld Place effortlessly, and in the two years we lived there he only ever did it once: that was the time Mum and I left the house without shutting the back door and he escaped to come looking for us. We came back and found him waiting outside the front door. If that had been Squish he'd have been two counties away before he even noticed I wasn't in sight.