Before I get to the mischief, I wanted to say that I have had trouble over the last couple of weeks adding blogs through Blogger and my Google Reader. I add them and they are there, and then they disappear. Is anyone else having this problem? I went to the help forum and it seems the problem is widespread. I depend on my Google Reader to notify me of new Blogger posts, but if I can’t add new blogs to the reader, then I won’t get notice. So until it is fixed I plan to go back and bookmark the blogs I tried to add and then just check every few days for new posts. So Please bear with me. Maybe someone else has a better work around?
Now to the mischief…
We trained for a bit on Saturday. We were surprised when we got there and there was a lot of wet snow covering the ground. It had been bright, sunny and warm when we left our house. The weather said it was going to be a dry day, with rain moving in later. However, when we got there, you guessed it, it was raining. A cold rain. Only a few people showed up for the training due to the crummy weather. We cut it a bit short, (we were cold), but we did get some handling work in. The trainer set up three piles of bumpers along the side tree line, one closer, one middle length and one long. Simple enough, but the dogs had to push past the middle pile to get to the long pile and that proved a bit of challenge.
Storm ran first and did a decent job. After worrying that she would come into season during hunt test season or hunting season, turned out she waited for all of that to finish and she came into season on Friday. 🙂 She was anxious to work though. (My pictures are a bit dark due to the gloomy day.)
Of course Storm would cross a raging ice filled river if it meant she could get a bumper.
When it came to Thunder’s turn it was clear he did not want to work. He did everything he could to irritate his handler, walking out to the piles, sniffing Storm’s path, slow sits, cast refusals, slow to return.
With Storm being in season, he is bound to have his head in the clouds, but he knows the drill. Of course he is coming off hunting season which meant birds and unlike Storm, he could care less about a pile of bumper laying out in a cold field. He has never been a fan of drill work but he needs to do some of that in order to prepare for Masters. Hopefully he will get back in the swing the more we work with him, but you can really see the difference of enthusiasm between Thunder and Storm’s returns.
This is a Blog Hop. Thanks to Alfie’s Blog, Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Luna, a Dog’s Life, and My Brown Newfies for setting up this hop. Please go to any of the sponsoring blogs to find out who else has been mischievous. 🙂
We visited with the puppies yesterday, so tomorrow new pictures (Day 13). Thursday…we are excited to share a couple new awards that we received from our fellow bloggers. Thanks you!
Snow???? It seems like everyone has snow expect for us!!
Storm and Thunder look great running back with the bumper!!
I think the rain of the last few days has now killed the snow. We might get some icy mix tonight.
Correction…it is snowing now. 🙂
Haha poor Thunder! Looks like he has a case of the Mondays. XD
You can really tell the difference in their returns and I’m not even an experienced retriever person LOL.
The snow looks lovely, although I’m sure the freezing rain was no fun. Here, we just have rain! Poor Kyuss hates the rain and sulks at the thought of going outside.
Chessies are nothing, if not expressive.
Hahaha those pictures are so expressive! Personally, I feel more like Thunder today (unfortunately) LOL. I got chills just looking at that cold, gloomy day! Great photos!
It was really cold out there for people…that is for sure. 🙂
So being in season makes Storm want to work? I never wanted to do anything when I was in season. 😉
Big question for you…..how do you handle the two brown dawgs when Storm is in season, do you have to keep them separated the entire 2 to 3 weeks?
Haha Jodi, nothing deters a Storm from her bumper. 🙂
To answer your question…yes basically. We air Storm in the front yard, and Thunder in the back and Storm sleeps in the bedroom and Thunder downstairs, (might be adding to his orneriness to train). The first couple of days they can be in the vicinity of one another, supervised. So say to travel, they can be next to each other in crates. For the middle part we keep them very separate because it is very hard on Thunder. Then after that they can travel together again in crates, but we still keep them apart.
Tee Hee Thunder – I’m guessing you know your own mind buddy!! I think Thunder was just thinking about getting home and snuggling up in front of the warm fire!!
Glad you’re all having fun though,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
Chessies do have minds of their own and yep I think he would have loved to be cureed up sleeping somewhere. 🙂
Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you don’t. Thunder just wasn’t into that day.
That was for sure. 🙂
I love this reminder that no matter what the breed or how well trained a dog is, sometimes they’re just not as motivated as others. Just like people. 🙂
True. 🙂
those pictures just made me want to hide in my snuggie. we haven’t gotten snow yet here in LI, and i wouldn’t be opposed to a nice coating before christmas festivities, but that is some WET snow in your pix, and that just makes me think of very heavy shovels. ugh. not looking forward to that inevitable event. maybe this is the year we’ll finally get a snow blower…
It rained all day yesterday and today, so I think whatever snow was in those pictures is gone (for now). 🙂
We all have our off days. Training is tough when the dog just isn’t feeling it. I try to keep it as light and fun as possible, but it’s hard not to get frustrated when they just don’t seem to care. Thunder is a pro by now, however, and even if he had one so-so practice, I am sure he will be stellar the next time. Maybe he’s just waiting for the sun? 😉
Storm’s enthusiasm was awesome to see, though! What a great shot!
I think the biggest issue right now is that he will be 6 in a couple of months and knows when there are real birds involved and when there are just plastic bumpers…lol. Storm loves the plastic bumpers, but Thunder could care less. But with retriever “go” means “go” and he may need some reminding. So it might be a trip back to basics. We will see.
I don’t think Storm was excited enough…looks like she was ready to come out of her skin lol
Thunder you deserve to have an off day now and again and you looked good in the end 🙂
Storm does love bumpers (second to kongs). 🙂
Wow, I was reading above your reply to Jodi’s comment – that’s a lot of dog juggling. So glad we don’t have snow yet. Sorry your warm sunny day ended up being rainy. Who can blame a dog for not wanting to sit in the slushy snow? 🙂
Normally they love snow. I think Thunder was just being contrary…lol. Next week we may get howling Thunder and sometimes he goes off his food for a few days. Wish we could separate the dogs more, but we do the best we can. Last time Storm was at the trainer’s place so Thunder had a break.
Could Storm be anymore excited? Thunder I’ve had those days too. I just want to go home and veg. There is always tomorrow.
Goose
True….or next Saturday in Thunder’s case. 😉
Wow, look at that snow! Lucky you guys! Look at those pics! What fun!
We are also having a problem with blogger. I feel like I don’t see new posts on my dashboard either…it is very frustrating!
Glad to hear we aren’t the only ones having problems. Yesterday I got notification of a bunch of old posts and I though maybe it was fixed…no such luck.
gloomy days can bring on the glooms for us dogs!
Thunder has no doubt earned a day feeling off after a good hunting season.
Betcha things will change with the weather!
Hopefully. If they were throwing marks he would be excited enough but a pile of bumpers is just not exciting to him.
Storm looks sooooo happy! Thunder just looks ticked! LOL!
I would say you summed it up pretty well. 🙂
We all have those days. Whats worse is when they throw one of those days that Thunder was having right in the middle of a series of good days. It is so frustrating when they suddenly don’t want feel like working after they have been making such good progress and having so much fun.
I bet Thunder will be back to normal in no time at all.
Storm makes it look like so much fun to get that bumper that I want to do it too.
Haha – there is a definite energy difference between the two coming through in those last photos – great shots!
So, with Storm in season, what kind of routine changes do you have to deal with in order to prevent an upcoming Storm-Thunder litter (that would be adorable, btw)? Or is it not that difficult?
All I know is that when Moses was in tact, he could be preoccupied by an in-heat female for upwards of a kilometre (translation – half mile) after passing her on a walk. Couldn’t imagine having one in the house!
We have to keep them apart. Storm is in the front of the house crated when we can’t watch her and upstairs at night. Thunder is in the family room and outside. It is tough because even though we have them go potty in different places and keep them apart…he knows. We wish we had more space to keep them apart, but we don’t. Thunder will be off training this weekend and Storm will stay home, (that will be the start of the worse time). By about Thursday next week she should be on the downswing so we will still keep them apart, but it won’t be so hard on Thunder.
It looks like you had a good time.
The differences in how they approach the drill is fun to see. : ) Such cool dogs you have.