A week in the life of a young ESS (or trials and tribulations of a novice gundog owner)
Apparently I've been good and bad this week.
The pesky little call ducks were in the garden and mum didn't know, my Staffie sister and I ran after them and I caught one in the corner, then Mum caught sight of me. The minute I saw Mum I remembered my training and ran straight to her with the little duck. I was very gentle, just like I've been taught, even though Staffie was telling me to bite harder and run and shake! I sat in front of Mum and as soon as she said 'dead 'I let the duck go. It was totally unharmed, just a little shocked. Mum threw it back over the hedge and onto the pond. I don't understand how it's still ok and happily swimming around when Mum told me it was dead. My oldest sister, goody two shoes Labrador sat in the garden smirking, she's so lazy! Mum did say I saved the ducks life because if Staffie had caught him she would have shaken him. I'm clever and know never to shake things.
On Sunday I got to visit The Three Tuns, I like the pub. Neil the landlord makes special carrot and peanut butter dog biscuits and there is a big jar on the bar. They love dogs and there is always a big bowl of water. It was a nice day and lots of my friends were there, 2 Labradors, 2 daschunds a Springerdor and a tiny pug puppy. And a horse, I’m not sure about horses, they're a bit big and have huge teeth and hard feet. Some of the other dogs were a bit boisterous, but I was a good boy and sat quietly while the humans had drinks. Sometimes we walk across the fields with my sisters to the pub.
Wednesday is my favourite day of the week. I get to go in the car and visit Angie for 1-1 gundog training. Today we practiced hunting in a big field with long grass and bushes. I'm very good at hunting and retrieving, I sometimes have to sniff things out myself and sometimes Mum will hold her arm out and show me which way to run. I always bring everything I find straight back to her (sometimes it's yucky rotten dead things that I find). I'm good at finding pheasants too (mum has some in the freezer with their feathers on, she hides them in the garden and wood and I find them for her. Today they had the noisy starter gun with them. I like that, I stop still when I hear it and wait. Sometimes a dummy gets thrown and I have to wait until I'm told to fetch it. This is my favourite game. Mum says my recall has gone on holiday though so I'm on a long line until it comes back. Hopefully it will be soon as I'm really starting to grow up now.
I'm ready for a snooze in the sun now.
Laters!
Beans (Aka BarleyCourt Jellybean)
