Mountain and Gideon and I had a good day in the field -- very nice weather, hard ground, and all the critters I could dig on this day.
This picture was taken after the first dig to a possum, which was dispatched due to damage from Mountain who spent about an hour underground while I cut through the hard-baked soil.
Possums are "meals on heals" for every kind of predator in forest and field, from Red and Gray Fox to Bobcats, Coyotes, hawks and owls, and their amazing fecundity (as many as 20 young a year) reflects that.
7 comments:
That is one happy looking dirty dog there! I don't think he would look that happy if he were clean :-)
Now, that's a happy looking dog! Its good to see that Gideon has such a great teacher as Mountain.
Last night my two treed a possum up a Mountain Laurel in the back yard. My husband made them come inside. He said they were NOT happy but it was 10 PM and he didn't want the cops on our door for a noise complaint. Suburban life sucks like that but its the way of civilization.
Debi and the TX JRTs
Are you hunting Gideon with Pearl, also? Or do you let one dog mentor the new kid as a routine?
Great weather this weekend, though the ground still looks as hard as concrete.
Seahorse
It's all I can do to keep up with two dogs in the field, and three is just asking for trouble. Another pair of eyes, and it will generally work out with three dogs on the ground, but three working terrier loose dogs with just me is too hard to control. It's not the best or average situation you work against, but the worst, which is two dogs underground with a skunk in the hole and a loose dog on top trying to get in, and just me to dig them out before the die. Nightmare! I have not lost a dog underground yet, and I aim to keep it that way (knock on wood).
P
Sorry, I wasn't clear. What I meant was do you alternate Pearl and Mountain with Gideon, or do you take him out with Mountain only at this point? Just wondering about the training method/progression, etc. Just ever-curious, but ignore if it's more "in the weeds" than you care to explain.
Seahorse
I've only taken Gideon out with Mountain so far -- she's a very good finder (though she ranges a bit), while Pearl likes to stick a bit close. Gideon sticks pretty close so far, and I want her to watch Mountain find and to ranger a bit, as finding is 70% of what it's about.
P
Thanks for the explanation. No question the best teacher for an animal is another animal. This is all very interesting!
Seahorse
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