American and French Brittanys as companion gun dogs. Hunting, training, trialing and more.

This writing is a follow-up to my previous article about having the best bird dog.  It got me to thinking this evening about common things I hear related to “my dog does this and that”.  LIke everything in life, there is cause and effect.

Every bad habit your dog has, assuming you brought the dog home at say 8 weeks of age, is probably your fault.  Yep, your fault.  You may not have done anything to start the bad habit but perhaps you haven’t taken proper action.  

Let’s review a few examples:

1.  My dog bites/nips.  Did that start the day you got the dog or soon after?  It was cute at first and now the dog is a problem. 

2.  My dog chews my shoes and potties in the house.  Hmmm, why has it been allowed to continue?  Why didn’t you begin corrective action immediatley?  If you did begin corrective action, why are you still allowing it?  If you can’t fix it, then you must take action that makes YOU feel better even if it means making the dog an outside dog.  There is a solution to every issue.

3. My dog busts birds.  You’ve shot some birds for the dog that weren’t held properly?  Perhaps you haven’t corrected the dog properly?  You continue to hunt the dog regardless of the problem thus reinforcing the problem?

4.  My dog chews his birds up (hard mouth).  Did you begin corrective training the moment you noticed it or did you continue to hunt the dog hoping the problem would ‘get better’? 

Any time a dog is allowed to continue a behavior that is unacceptable is actual reinforcement that the behavior is acceptable.  Every passing day that it is allowed makes it much more difficult to repair.

While you may not have asked for the bad habit, you have reinforced it by not taking proper corrective action.  That is why you are at fault.

This reminds me of the old saying that every indecision is a decision.  The dog has an issue but you take no action that actually corrects the problem thus you are reinforcing the issue.

Pro trainers are pros because they have solutions.  Solutions for the most common issues.  What is tough for the new dog owner is recognizing that it IS an issue and seeking help immediately at the onset of the issue.

Here’s a rule of thumb.  If your bird dog is doing something at home or in the field that makes you uncomfortable, unhappy, or dissatisfied in any way, it is an issue that you need help resolving immediately.  I mean NOW, the very second it rears its ugly head.

All is not lost!  Seek help from a professional or very experienced Brittany owner.  Be willing to accept advice.  You will be happier and resolution to the issue will forever make you and the dog very happy.  Your Brittany wants a structured life where it understands the rules.  It is our job to make sure we have presented a simple / logical way for it to understand what we want and to not let something go uncorrected / untaught to the point to where we are both unhappy.

That’s it for now.  God bless you and America!  Give your dog a treat for me and tell ‘em “Dave says you are a good dog!”

Cordially,

Dave Jones, HMC, USN, Ret

“Doin’ it right.”  That’s what I say about someone who has a well bred bird dog and makes every effort to bring that pup up right.  That’s a broad statement so I’ll put it this way: After good genetics, It all begins with proper socialization followed by proper formal training and lots of bird contact, especially in the first 3 years of the pups life. 

Often times, we get busy and the pup gets set on the back burner.  By the time we get around to making time, critical socialization and bird introduction opportunities are gone.  Yes, gone.  There are narrow windows of opportunity for developing pups to their max potential and much adult ability & behavior for your pup is ‘turned-on’ in the early months of development. 

A more severe form of not socializing your pup daily (more than filling the food pan) results in the pup becoming ’kennel sour’.  A ‘kennel sour’ dog is one that always acts like its been beaten.  Folks will swear you have beaten your dog.  Good trainers will spot it immediately.  This young pup / dog won’t interact with any human and is often very shy of all humans.  It rejects human companionship and won’t even eat its food if you are near (It won’t even take a treat from your hand).  It will get along with other dogs but that’s about it.  When your pup gets to that point, usually around 6 months of age (notice how quickly it happens!), it is too late.  It’s a long, long row to hoe to repair that pup, much less train and hunt it, which now has to come after you repair the socialization problem.

To be good at something, a dog has to have practice.  A few minutes of socialization here and there, yard work and a few birds every now and again does not make a good bird dog.  Little work and high expectations on opening day is a good prescription for lots of disappointment.

For your dog to be very good, like a surgeon in their residency, it means lots of practice and exposure to the multitude of variables that may occur in different scenarios which renders experience and seasoning.

Dogs really blossom when it is done right.  Socialization, exposure to good training and lots of bird contact makes the bird dog and you can take that to the bank.  I’ll sign my name to it!

This year, as in every year that I travel to Montana for two months of dog work, I saw dogs blossom right in front of my eyes.  Some had never been to Montana while others had returned from a previous year where they did learn fundamentals and were ready for more advanced work.  First time dogs became good and returning dogs became truly awesome.  Veteran dogs that have been to my Montana camp more than twice are simply incredible.

I’m not trying to sell my camp though I am quite proud of what it produces.  I am telling you about it so you can draw parallels with what you are doing with your dog.  If you can work your dog 10 minutes just 3 times a week for a couple months on wild birds or strong pen raised birds prior to bird hunting season every year, you will be amazed.  I promise you that!

“Doin’ it right.”  That’s the owners who treat their dogs like family from puppy day number one, they take them afield and get them on birds wild and/or pen raised at a very early age, they properly trained their dogs in a logical step by step fashion and are avid bird hunters.  That’s the secret to having the best bird dog your dog is genetically capable of, plain and simple.

Give your dog a treat for me and tell ‘em “Dave says ’good dog’ !” 

Cordially,

Dave Jones, USN, Navy, Ret, owner, Chief’s Brittanys

I get asked that a lot.  What is the right temp to run dogs?  It really depends on what I am trying to accomplish.

If I am conditioning dogs and will run them for just a short period of time to further their stamina and physical abilities, I will run them on days as warm as the 70’s.  I must say though that on days that warm that I like the dogs to be shaven and lots of cool water available.  I may not run them but 30 minutes on a day like that.

Let’s say that it is in the 60’s and I am conditioning a dog.  I will look at the dog and make a decision based on experience as to how hot the dog really is at that moment.  Are they hot or simply out of breath?  There is a difference for sure.  On that kind of day, I will let them catch their breath and drink but may ask them to run a bit more.

Warm days not only make the dog breathe hard but they also overheat internally.  You MUST keep them cool.  It is imperative.  Warm day runs, I stop the exercise at ‘out of breath’ and/or  at the ‘hot body temp’ moment.  I cool them with cool water (allow lots of drinking and splash water on their tummy plus a bit on their ear flaps (not in their ear).  I will stay with that dog until their breathing returns to normal, then I place them on tie-outs that are located on the side of my trailer.  This way they can get free air movement as well as freely drink and splash water on themselves if they wish.

As you can see in the photo above that there are dogs tied out alongside the trailer on the shaded side.  They have run and are cooling off after they have run.  Meanwhile, I am running other dogs that will take their place when they return. By then, the dogs you see will be cool and are ready to go in their respective dog boxes located in the trailer.  Note the vent on the side of the door in addition to windows as well as a vent on top of the trailer.  On warm days, there is an a.c. unit on top of the trailer, run by a generator, to keep the dogs cool inside the insulated trailer.

On days in the 50’s and below, I run the dogs until they are tired.  Dogs can overheat on days like that but with plenty of water they cool rapidly.

Keep in mind that I am a firm believer that Brittanys in warmer climates should be shaved.  This helps tremendously in keeping the dog cool and to help them cool.

Hope that helps you out!

Take care!

Here’s a pic of me after running dogs this year, 2008.

So went my expressions this afternoon while riding big Mike, a nearly 16 hand Tennessee walker.  I was running Gunner and Tula in some big canyon / badland type country.

“Buzzzzzz” HUH? ….that sounds like…. oh crap!  The sound stopped as fast as it started on big Mike.  I reined Mike quickly to the right and circled carefully back.  There it was, dead as a doornail.  I noticed the pinkish white guts first then saw the underbelly.  Mike’s big hoof, shod with horseshoes had expertly disemboweled AND severed the head in one fatal step.  It was a prairie rattler in Montana!

This was the second prairie rattler I have encountered in less than 3 weeks.  The first one was a whopper.  Prairie rattlers don’t get as big as western diamondbacks but they have a terrible temper.  While a western will warn and stand ground, a prairie will warn and chase!

The first prairie I saw was huge by prairie rattler standards.  He was at least 2 foot long and thick bodied.  He stood up tall as he threatened me.  Funny, I have two horses and both times I was on big Mike!  I think Mike has rattler attractant built in.  LOL  (Big Mike stepped on a 3 1/2 foot western diamondback on my farm last year too!)

I was tempted today to get off of big Mike and go fetch the rattles off that little prairie rattler (he was about 12 to 15 inches long) but then thought about what I heard on a snake documentary about venomous snakes “70 percent of snake bites are on the hand”.  I counted the rattles while sitting atop big Mike (about 6 or 7) and left.  Moments later (less than a minute), Gunner stood on the side of a canyon nearly 1/4 mile away on point.  It was awesome.  Fresh on my mind was that little rattler as I dismounted and had to walk several hundred yards to get to the dog.

So, the high today was 80′ish.  If you come here and it’s warm, watch out!

Now I should say that the first snake encountered was by Jason Francis dog ‘Champ’.  Champ gets desnaking by me every year prior to coming to Montana (Champ goes every year!  Thanks Jason!).  Champ was running full tilt, skidded to a halt and jumped backwards 6 feet!  I rode big Mike over and there was the aforementioned big rattler ready to take on big Mike.

Two things made me feel good then about Champ and today about Gunner / Tula.  All are desnaked and all have had snake vax.  In my first aid kit at the truck was emergency meds to take care of an accidental bite.  On my cell phone was the emergency number of the nearest Vet.  Are you prepared?

Tell you Brittany “Good Dog!” and make sure you tell “Dave told me to say Good Dog!”.

Take care,

Dave

Get a well bred bird dog! That’s my number one tip and absolutely the number one best tip I can give. I hear stories of how folks ‘walk em up’ and ‘jump shoot em’. If you have the bird numbers to do that, consider yourself lucky!

The problem with that is inevitably someone will cripple a bird. Cripples are almost impossible to find without a bird dog. Heck I don’t even dove hunt without a dog! Bird dogs not only make fine companions but they have a job to do so why not gainfully employ one?!

IMHO, hunting without a bird dog is unethical. The person without a bird dog permits and participates with wanton waste of lost cripples. If you can’t own a dog, hunt with someone who does.

This is similar to another pet peeve of mine which is shooting a autoloader / pump / any gun for that matter and choosing not to pick up your empties! (this could be labeled as Upland shooting rule #1). When you choose to not pick ‘em up you are agreeing that it is ok to do something irresponsible. It will take hundreds if not thousands of years for those shells to decompose. It’s just flat out wrong. There are a few things we have complete control over that we must do to project the image of being a responsible upland hunter. IMHO, the first one is to pick up your empties! Personally, I shoot 2 hole guns and my empties go directly into my pocket and if I see empties on the ground, I pick them up! I digress…sorry, off the soap box.

Back to why we need a bird dog…So many times I’ve seen dogs track down birds hundreds of yards away from where they were originally shot! Yes, sometimes the best of bird dogs can’t find that cripple but the odds are that it won’t happen very often. There are unique circumstances where maybe a flushing / retriever breed is better than a pointing breed and vice versa but this blog entry isn’t about that; we’ll save that for later.

I fondly remember my old dog Rocket that found a cripple rooster pheasant for clients of mine on a guided hunt. The birds wing was busted but his legs worked well!

Rocket tracked the bird 50 yards through heavy brush and chest high native grasses to a creek bank and seemingly lost the trail. Back and forth Rocket worked the dry creek bed when suddenly his head disappeared as he dove into a small hole in the high water cut-out of the creek bank. He dug to widen the hole like his life depended on it and within one minute was able to force his upper body down into the hole. Soon all that stuck out was his rear legs.

His athletic well muscled body flexed and contorted while buried in the hole and I just knew he must have found a varmint or something! Seconds later he put his rear legs in reverse and plowed the earth in the opposite direction in an attempt to get out. When the back of his front shoulders reached the opening of the hole he was temporarily stuck like a breach baby thus having to work harder to extricate his upper body and head. With the fury of a animal stuck in an unwanted position he fought his way out!

There in is mouth was was the cripple pheasant, still alive and beating / spuring Rocket’s head. I quickly took care of the bird while Rocket sat back with a look of “Oh my gosh daddy, did you see that? Am I good dog?” Knowingly I looked at him and told him “Rocket, you are a good dog!” I offered him water and before I could say “hunt ‘em up!”, He was off doing his job once more. Meanwhile my clients were high fiving one another and I was proud, proud as the day my boys were born onto this earth! Folks, THAT is a bird dog and I would say THAT retrieve is in the top 3 of my all-time favorites. BTW, the top two were by the same dog but that’s another story too.

Yes owning a dog is a huge responsiblity. Yes it costs money. Yes they are a huge investment in time and effort. So be sure you are ready. Assuming you are ready and that you have a safe place for a dog with a way to ensure it gets plenty of daily exercise, go for it!

Remember this about any breed of bird dog: They don’t get good until they have been properly trained and put on lots of wild birds EVERY season for at least 3 years. At age 4, most dogs that were bred well, trained well and hunted often turn into awesome brag dogs!

Give that future dog a treat for me when you finally get it and tell ‘em “Dave says it’s about time I got a dog!”

Happy hunting season,
Dave

Well, my blog is about what I want it to be about so today as I sit through the rains and wind, I’ve decided to make my plug for Senator (Navy Captain) John McCain and Governor (Mayor) Sarah Palin.  I consider myself to be a good ole boy with somewhat of a practical thinking brain.

I’m an old retired Chief Petty Officer and I’ve seen and experienced all kinds of leadership.  I’ve suffered through green Navy Ensigns all the way up to experienced Admirals.  I’ve had to work with officers who were incompetent and didn’t make it in their Naval Career and I’ve worked with those who were darn hard workers and terrific Naval Officers / Leaders.  I believe John McCain to be one of those great Naval leaders.

One thing that is common sense to anyone should be the answer to this question.  Who do I want at the helm of my ship with a finger on the button to launch missles?  I don’t want the ‘green’ ensign with fresh book smarts but no practical leadership / executive decision making skills that’s for darn sure.

McCain knows the ravages of war.  He’ll be far more likely to try to work things out diplomatically because he doesn’t want anyone to go through what he went through at prisoner of war camps in Vietnam.

Executive split second decision making is what makes a leader, not a committee.  McCain / Palin has fundamental experience of LEADERSHIP.  Leadership experience is completely different.  It is something that you need to bring with you to the presidency.  “On the job leadership training” scares the HELL out of me about Obama and hopefully it scares you too!

Folks say that Senator McCain is just a senator too and that he too lacks the executive experience.  Well, uh, wrong.

U.S. Naval Captain McCain was a Navy leader (Navy Captain is the equivalent of a full bird Colonel which is an O-6 in the armed forces) .  In the Navy you don’t get promoted unless you can lead.  As a Navy Captain, you lead.  Navy Captain’s make executive decisions consistent with their rank.  Many Navy Captains are given large commands to lead.  A command can be a sub, ship, flight squadron, shore facility, etc.

Navy Captains have the experience to run a facility, sort of like a mayor of a town except with BIG GUNS.  The buck stops with the Navy Captain.   They are the decision making work horse rank of Naval Officers just prior to admiralty.

Though a Navy Captain has the chain of command to follow as well, he is at the rank where HIS finger is on the trigger and under maritime laws, he can and does make decisions consistent with the intentions and the wishes of the commander-in-chief of the United States.  If he makes a wrong decision, he’s fired.  Run a ship aground? FIRED.  Mishandle a multi-million dollar airplane?   FIRED.  Shoot something with your airplane that your not suppose to shoot?  FIRED.  Make any off duty mistake inconsistent with being a Naval officer and a gentleman? FIRED.

Yeah, McCain’s a leader.  Some of our best U.S. leaders have been Naval Officers.

Now say what you may but I’ll take a retired Navy Captain at the helm of the United States than someone who has made decisions by committee, written memoirs and spent his entire senatorial term of 4 years planning to be the president!

Yes, I’ll take a small town mayor and Governor that is ‘a heart beat away’ should something, God forbid, happen to McCain.  She’s got guts and she’s very smart.  She’ll surround herself with the best of advisors but won’t run our government by committee.  She’ll step up and make decisions like our youngest ever president (Kennedy, another former naval officer) did at the Cuban Missile crisis.

Today it was reported that Russia sent missles to that tyrant down in South America for “exercises”.  We have to be tough to maintain a balance on our continent.  God forbid we make decisions based on whether the United Nations approves!  Remember, Russia and China have full veto authority in the U.N..

Say what you may about how fresh Obama is and how he brings change but I assure you that a democratic president with a democratic congress is a prescription for trouble.  I don’t mind a democratic congress as long as I have a republican president or vice versa.

The way I see it is that they off set each other and real progress can and will be made.  Think about it.  With McCain / Palin being mavericks, they’ll work with democrats on issues that cross the lines of political parties yet they’ll be tough on terrorism and tyrants.  Our government will have a strong leader, not someone who leads best like a coach in a committee.

I’m no political authority but I have good ole boy common sense.  I want someone that has actually been in charge of something!  Someone who already has experience with: Signing off on or denying budgets, work orders, purchase orders, security measures, maintenance orders, troops, covert military missions, having pulled the trigger LITERALLY, etc.  Someone that has commanded both armed forces AND office staff.  You know, that’s what Navy Captains and Mayors / Governors do.  I ain’t no rocket scientist but I have a brain…folks, this is a no brainer.  John McCain and Sarah Palin.  A breath of fresh air and actual real life leadership experience.

Give that Brittany a treat for me, pat your dog on the head and tell ‘em “Dave says good dog!”

If you follow my message board perhaps you have read my posts regarding bird numbers this year.  If not, here it is:  below average, excluding pheasant numbers in some areas of Montana.

I don’t know why this has occurred with a rainy spring.  Everyone says how terrific the spring was and how everything is green and there is grass etc. 

From what I can gather, the unrealized predictions are multi-factorial.  Here’s why:  Number 1, statewide approval for emergency grazing of CRP lands due to winter drought.  Number 2, ill timed rains combined with cold spring/early summer weather resulting in high chick mortality.  Number 3, Montana F&W means of estimation for public release (more later in this writing).

Anyone who hunted here in Montana last year will tell you we had a banner year for sharpies with average hun numbers (above average is some areas!).  There were no doubt sufficient adult bird numbers headed into the spring nesting season.  It was nothing for me to flush HUNDREDS of sharpies in just one day last year!  It was awesome.  Big broods of sharpie chicks were seen literally running up and down the roads.

What I am discovering is that Montana is no different than Texas and Oklahoma.  You can’t “save up” your birds by not hunting them.  Mother nature will have her impact on bird numbers each year based on some simple factors: rain, temps, severe weather, farm/ranching practices, predators, etc.

It seems that this year we were dealt a double edged sword.  While the late spring rains were welcome, the cold temps didn’t do well with the chicks.  I think the cold June temps played the most significant role in reduced numbers.

I believe that pheasant numbers may be up.  Not around here but in many areas of the state.  Sharpies, a very durable bird of many thousands of years do and will rebound from tough years.  I’m not worried about that.  Huns, non-native to our country seem to live vicariously through the most subtle whims of mother nature here in Montana.  I would guess that one year in five is good for huns in my part of Montana (region 7).

It seems that the biologists in Montana base there upland bird predictions on spring bird counts prior to actual chick production.  This information is disseminated through the media and soon becomes ’presumed fact’ by the unknowing hunter.  Because Montana has a large scale ‘big game’ program, the biologists must turn their time and efforts to big game for a good part of the year.  It can be said that sharpies take a back seat to big game and pheasant, whether it is true or not, I don’t know.

I am hearing reports of folks calling biologists working for Montana F&W at various offices scattered all across Montana and all having their own opinions with no apparent widespread communication among each other.  It seems that once the pre-nesting prediction is made, that’s it.  Period.  On to big game.

One office told a client of mine “Didn’t you read the prediction on our website” to which he replied “Yes I did but a person that is there right now running dogs is not finding the predictions” (paraphrasing).  That statement made the  person rethink their reply and state that the bird numbers actually seen afield are down despite predictions.

Predictions are just that, predicitons.  No one should base their hunting trip simply on predictions.  It is always helpful to know someone in the area and hear what they have to say.  As I was once told in the Navy, its where the ship meets the water or where the rubber meets the road is where things are really happening.

So, no matter whether it is Montana or Texas, it is always helpful to know folks that are actually there and reporting from the trenches.

I really like the Texas Okalahoma approach to a late summer roadside survey.  It has always been accurate and is a great way to further define early predictions. 

I’m having a blast up here in Montana no matter the bird numbers and I do hope you feel the same way when you are in the field.  It’s not about the kill, it’s the comraderie and great dog work afield.  Of course a fine Brittany is an awesome fireside companion!

I suppose my message to sum it all up is for you to do your homework carefully.  This means do more than read a magazine or a web site.  With the high cost of fuel nowadays, it would be a shame to spend a lot of money only to arrive and find out predictions were wrong.

Happy hunting this season and give your bird dog a treat for me!

Dave

With just a few minutes to relax in the a.c., I thought I’d bring things up to date.

I have been quite busy for the last couple of months getting dogs trained and getting my ‘nused’ trailer ready for my annual Montana training trip.

I found a gooseneck trailer for a really good price on craigslist a couple months back and have since been busy getting it ship shape for the long trip.  No trailer is ever ready I suppose as I am always trying to find a better way to do things.

This year, I have decided that the dogs will travel with airconditioning as opposed to previous years in which my trailer had large exhaust fans that keep the air flowing over all the dogs.  It worked fine but the dogs were still warm.

For a fair amount of money I found a nice new RV airconditioner and heater combo.  With the help (ok, I helped) of my friend Pete, we got it installed.  Since the goosneck already had a standard RV sized air vent in it, it was not too bad as the A.C. fits right into the same size hole.

Pete also installed (I’m a good helper!) new lights for the trailer so that with the flip of a switch, the entire area around the trailer is lit up.  That should prove to be terrific for those days when I arrive back to the rig with tired horses, tired dogs at the same time it is getting dark!

So the a.c. is set-up, the generator is working and it does a nice job!  I have a wireless thermometer I bought from Wally-World and have tested it out too.  For 17 dollars, it tells the time with alarm clock, monitors inside temperature at the base unit plus remote temperature.  This thing even has temperature alarms to let me know when it is getting too warm or too cold for the dogs back in the living quarters of the gooseneck as I travel.

The other day I had my a.c. running via my generator and within a reasonable amount of time, my carrier rv ac unit dropped the temp from 100 degrees to a cold 66 degrees.  

As I travel to Montana this August, the dogs are assured to have comfortable accomodations in the living quarters of the gooseneck.  But you never know when things can go wrong so as a back-up, I installed pop-up vents on the top and side of the quarters plus I have an inverter to operate high velocity fans which run off the goosneck battery.

My wife Debbie, whose father is a retired professional cabinet maker, made me a nice set of steps for getting up into the sleeping quarters.  It looks professional and store bought.  She also painted the inside ceiling of the quarters…her suggestion.  The living quarters came insulated but the paneling was dated and a bit dirty so Debbie made all the cuts on the new paneling / trim and I installed it.  Looks pretty good.

I decided to go with airline approved plastic dog crates for kennels at the urging of my good friends Jim and Mary Crawford.  They have a very nice custom trailer for their horses and dogs but use plastic dog crates in a special built rack.  Mary says it makes for easy clean up rather than installing permanent kennels which can be difficult to clean.  I agree.  I’d much rather pull out the plastic dog crate and hose it down OUTSIDE the trailer than try to clean up a stinkin’ mess INSIDE the trailer!

‘Nuff ramblin’ for now.  I better get back at it! 

Take care and give your dog a treat for me.

Dave

Hi all.  WOW, it has been a long time since I wrote my first story.  I am now 7 years old.  I had 2 litters of puppies and had a uterine infection with my third pregnancy.  I had to be spayed.  Woohoooooooo!!!  I am so glad I don’t have to nurse and clean puppies anymore. 

My current job is Puppy Daycare Specialist.  Pretty impressive, huh?  This means that I run around the front yard keeping 6-10 week old puppies busy while their Mom gets some relief time.  My job is fun!  Isn’t that the way it is supposed to be?  They chase and chase me, but can’t catch me.  If I get tired, I just jump on top of the picnic table and they run around it trying to find the non-existent ramp to the top.  Hee hee!  They don’t understand how I get up there, but they will learn when they are older.  Younguns…… what are ya gonna do with ‘em?  I really have a lot of fun with them.  Mom says it’s kinda like having grandkids.  You get to love ‘em and spoil ‘em and send ‘em home.  You just get to have fun with ‘em.

Mom and Dad have included 2 more girls in our “in the house” family.  Tula was the first.  She was the sweetest little girl when younger, but something happened.  She has always liked to run far and fast.  Well, Dad took her to Montana and when she came home….she turned into a cinderblock.  That’s what Mom says.  She is so muscled and hard bodied that she isn’t easy to hug anymore.  She tears the stuffing out of all the toys just to find the squeaker.  There is stuffing all over the floor most of the time.  But, Mom hasn’t learned her lesson.  She just keeps bringing toys home.  And…Tula is sooooo selfish.  When Mom brings home a new toy, Tula gets it and won’t let anyone else play with it…..except Mom.  She takes every toy she can find to Mom, just so Mom will throw it. 

The other new girl is Thelma Liz.  Yes, I said “Thelma Liz”.  My Dad and his names!  He named her after a country western song where the guy says his wife’s name is “Betty Lou Thelma Liz”.  And….Dad stuck all 4 of those on her.  Mom said that Thelma Liz was enough for us to say, so that is what we call her.  She is Mom’s little sweetheart.  She is small like Peanut and already 9 months old.  She likes to play and take naps.  She also likes to run like the wind.  When Mom and Dad let her out, she runs off.  They call and call and call her, but the only way she will come back is if Dad shoots his training cap pistol in the air.  She comes straight to the house looking for whatever Dad shot.  She is such a youngster.  I really like her.  Tula is a little more spastic. 

The fun begins when Tula and Thelma Liz are both in the house with me.  Well, fun for them.  I just get out of the way.  They run and race and fight over toys.  They have a routine of running across Mom and Dad’s bed (it’s also mine), through the bedroom door, across the Living Room, on the sofa rounding across the back cushions, back to the bedroom, across the bed, back to the Living Room, then this time going around the sofa into the kitchen racing around the island, and repeating all this several times.  It just wears me out watching them!  I only have to make sure I am out of their path.  THEN….at night….they get on the bed and start wrestling for anything and everything.  I don’t even attempt to get on the bed until they have settled down.

Once they have settled down, whether they are tired or Dad has had enough, I get on the bed between Mom and Dad, wait for Dad to hand out the vitamins, and settle in for the night.  Life is good!  I truly am blessed to have it so good!

Sarah

Wow, has it gotten hot!  The heat got me to thinking about what I do to keep dogs in training cool. 

As I sit here the dogs are all sprawled out on their concrete slabs absorbing the cool energy stored up from overnight lows.  The huge oak trees present on the farm prior to construction were carefully saved and really has been an awesome blessing when it comes to keeping summertime dogs cool.  The south facing kennels receive a good breeze from the open pasture of nearly 40 acres.  Of course my ‘inside Brittanys’ are inside with me enjoying the a.c.

To supplement the existing shade and to cover my newly constructed kennels, I planted more trees in key locations to help provide more shade.  For this area, the fast growing semi-arid climate loving afghan pine works well.  I planted 3 five to six footers 3 years ago and they have nearly tripled in size.  They started as Christmas trees in a plant pot.

In the summer, I have fans installed that take advantage of the predominantly south blowing breeze.  I have a 4 foot fan with add on mister blowing down the line of kennels.  Half way down, I have second high speed/high volume fan that pushes the air further down the line.  On the far end a nice cool breeze can be felt. 

My automatic lickets are fed by cool well water.  The water in the lines warms up due to hot ambient temps so to offset that issue, I have a thermal popoff valve that opens when the water lines above the ground reachs 85 degrees.  It closes when the cool well water rushes forward lowering the temperature in te lines to 70.  I have a drip line on the warm water that was expelled and move it about the yard watering different plants so there is no waste. 

To help keep dogs cool in summer when working out, there is a 6ft round galvanized stock tank that is strictly for the dogs.  I keep it clean and sanitized with chlorine tabs for pools.  Test strips are used to make sure the water doesn’t get overtreated for the safety of the dog.

Short of building an indoor kennel with airconditioning I think my system works fairly well. 

Guess that’s it for today.

Take care and tell your buddy that Dave says ‘good dog!’

Dave