Is this fear or joy?
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
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Beau&Luke'sMomn
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:56 pm
- Location: North Carolina, USA
Is this fear or joy?
Our dog Beau is a Brittany who will soon be 6 years old. When a storm is brewing, he takes off running back and forth across the yard or around the yard. He absolutely flies. Between thunder claps he stops and seems to be watching for the lightning and chasing it. If we do not get him inside before the storm starts it is impossible to do so until the storm is over and he is totally spent and sopping wet. If we get him inside or if he was already inside he starts to pace and pant and go to the door as if he is frantic to go ouside. I can get him to go in his kennel if I do so early enough with a "cookie" but he will intermittently whine. We have divided opinions whether this is fear or excitement. Opinions? Ideas on getting him to calm down? He has been this way since he was a puppy and we brought him home. Thx.
Re: Is this fear or joy?
Really almost impossible to say - I would work on the principle that it IS fear - regardless of how joyful it might look.
The reason for this is, you are highly unlikely to make the problem worse or do any harm by treating it as if it IS fear, if it is not.
On the other hand, if you treat this as joy/excitement, and it is fear.... you could make things worse/do harm.
It would make sense that a bird dog would find things happening in the sky extremely stimulating, whether thats fear or excitement.
Can you give us a good idea of your dogs typical day, a good insight into his life with you. Tell us about training, walks, food, whether he is left alone at all and if he is, how long for and where he is left. As much detail as you can give us will be really helpful.
Modifying his behaviour in reaction to a storm coming or actually happening will take more than just one or two 'things' - so the more information about him you can give us the better.
The reason for this is, you are highly unlikely to make the problem worse or do any harm by treating it as if it IS fear, if it is not.
On the other hand, if you treat this as joy/excitement, and it is fear.... you could make things worse/do harm.
It would make sense that a bird dog would find things happening in the sky extremely stimulating, whether thats fear or excitement.
Can you give us a good idea of your dogs typical day, a good insight into his life with you. Tell us about training, walks, food, whether he is left alone at all and if he is, how long for and where he is left. As much detail as you can give us will be really helpful.
Modifying his behaviour in reaction to a storm coming or actually happening will take more than just one or two 'things' - so the more information about him you can give us the better.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
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Beau&Luke'sMomn
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:56 pm
- Location: North Carolina, USA
Re: Is this fear or joy?
Thanks EmmaBeth,
I think we will treat it as fear. Here is Beau's story. When we brought him home at approx 3 months of age (July 2005) we began crate training for night=time and he learned this well. During the day while we were at work he stayed on the closed in porch and later affixed to a tree out of doors within reach of his dog house and in the shade. (I wish we could have a do-over on that.) We later moved his dog house to under a former RV shed (which is under a magnolia tree so plenty of shade. He was affixed to post of shed. (I wish we could have a do-over on that too.) One day while "working with" my husband on brush clearing in the yard he took off across the road to chase something (bird, squirrrel, rabbit??). At that point he was approx 9 months old. We had pet safe fence installed the very next week. My husband and I grew up in the country and now live on the outskirts of town. We both lost too many animals in the road while growing up and my husband lost one shortly before we met (Dec 2004).
I recognize that almost everyone on this board is against electronic pet containment fences. We found an excellent dealer who taught us how to train Beau. We took our time with him (over a month) with the red flags installed and walking Beau along the fence line just inside the warning tone line and feeding him tiny cat treats as we walked with him on a leash and gave lots of praise. We did this several times a day. One day when we were not sure we could hear the tone we were near the fence boundary at the barn and Beau crossed the correction line. We would like a do-over on this incident also as it scared him and caused a nosebleed. Scared us too because we thought we had done irreperable damage to our precious dog. However, he has NEVER attempted to cross the barrier again.
Beau takes full advantage of the 2 and 1/2 acres available to him on a daily basis. There is another 2 and 1/2 acres in mostly woods but some open area not accessible. While we are at work Beau and his brother Luke (English Springer Spaniel, almost 5 years old) are outside unless bad weather (too hot, too cold, or stormy). In that event they stay in their crates in the kitchen. My husband comes home for lunch daily and I get home around 3:45.
They have a yard dotted with trees (magnolias, oaks, pecan), the RV shed with dog house under it, a storage building to crawl under if they choose, a 2nd storage shed to crawl under, a large water tub and wading pool in warm/hot weather, a heated water bucket in cold weather, grass in the shade or sun, pavement in the shade or sun, and woods. They chase squirrels, rabbits, birds and the occassional deer on the outskirts of our woods. They greet (bark and wag tails) when my mother-in-law comes and goes across the road as well as her guests. They "help" my mother in law gather pecans during winter months. They have an assortment of toys (chew floss, tire toys, etc). After work we play fetch the tennis ball with a tennis ball launcher/retriever. This is probably their favorite game.
In the evening they are inside the house with us with free rein of the house (they mostly velcro us with Beau being the more independent of the two). They have beds in the den and spend a lot of time with us there. Beau sometimes likes the solitude of our bedroom and will go lay down in there. Both of them will follow us to our home office. Luke is generally underfoot in the kitchen hovering for dropped food. Beau drools when he sees the peanut butter jar. Luke signals us when he is ready to go to his crate (between 8:30 and 9:00) and in they go with a "cookie". Cookies are defined as doggie treats, heartworm pill monthly, cheese, etc, but mostly cookies. They both are highly food motivated.
On the weekends we sometimes go to the very large public state park at the nearby lake to hike. If the weather is decent the dogs go in the lake for a swim. We walk them with collars on and off leash. They return to us very readily when we call which we do when we see or hear people/animals approaching and at that point put on the leash. Sometimes on weekends, we go to a nearby town public park and walk them with Gentle Leaders. Sometimes on weekends we walk in our woods and nearby woods of neighbors (off lead here too so they can explore).
When Beau was little and before we had the e=fence I walked him every morning and evening. That was before we knew about the Gentle Leader. I have the "war wounds" to show for it. He was and still is a puller unless we are using the GL. I developed tennis elbow and had months of PT. Currently my left hand/arm is in a cast. I had CMC thumb joint replacement surgery 3 weeks ago. I had developed traumatic arthritis in that thumb from wrapping the leash around my hand to get better control. I suffered for 4 years before biting the bullet and getting the surgery. Despite this I absolutely love this dog.
Between a regular collar and the GL we tried prong and choke collars. We hated how uncomfortable they looked so got rid of those. I went shopping for a halter and PetSmart recommended the GL. We have been very pleased with that.
When Beau was little we went to PetSmart for puppy training and practiced daily with him. He has a beautiful sit, down and roll over. He comes to us when we call him. He goes in his crate readily. He tolerates gettiing brushed, getting a shower in the basement bathroom, getting his ears cleaned, and getting his teeth brushed by us. He does ok at the groomers for thorough bath, nail clipping, anal sac cleaning and coat trimming. He does well at the vets where he goes two X year for routine check up (every other one dental cleaning). He is well known to the vet as he has had his share of injuries ( cut his side on a piece of tin that blew off the barn roof, tore his knee ligament on old fencing, and got a spider bite once.) He acted like a mother hen toward Luke when we brought him home and basically taught him how to be a dog. He enjoys going to his home away from home (local boarder) when we go on vacation. He has had several long weekends with us in the mountains and one week at the beach and loved all those vacations too. He readily jumps in the back of the SUV to go anywhere!!
Until he was about 2 years old his energy was totally incredible. At night we would throw toys down the basement stairs over and over for at least 30 minutes so he could retrieve them and use up his energy. Hr still is definitley high energy but settled in more for his age. He runs fast when he wants to (chasing those critters, first thing out the door every morning, and playing fetch), plays with his brother and plays with us. When he gets tired he lays down. When he gets hot he lays down in his wading pool. He is just overall a great dog. We got Luke so Beau could have a companion. I was concerned about him being alone while we were at work.
Beau is the first dog I have had as an adult (I am pushing 60). Never before had I had an inside dog because when and where I grew up on a farm, dogs were considered outside animals with a dog house to live in. My husband also did not have inside dogs until his 1st marriage and has kept his dogs inside ever since.
We feed the boys half of their dog food at breakfast and half at dinner. The dog food bag recommends a total of two cups per day. We give Beau a little more because he is so active and Luke a little less because he is not as active. They both are classified as at ideal weight by the vet. They get cookies for treats daily, a few times a week they get rawhide chews and several times a week table scraps as a treat (usually the fat off meat).
I think that sums it up about Beau. Thanks for any help.
Beth (Beau & Luke's Mom)
I think we will treat it as fear. Here is Beau's story. When we brought him home at approx 3 months of age (July 2005) we began crate training for night=time and he learned this well. During the day while we were at work he stayed on the closed in porch and later affixed to a tree out of doors within reach of his dog house and in the shade. (I wish we could have a do-over on that.) We later moved his dog house to under a former RV shed (which is under a magnolia tree so plenty of shade. He was affixed to post of shed. (I wish we could have a do-over on that too.) One day while "working with" my husband on brush clearing in the yard he took off across the road to chase something (bird, squirrrel, rabbit??). At that point he was approx 9 months old. We had pet safe fence installed the very next week. My husband and I grew up in the country and now live on the outskirts of town. We both lost too many animals in the road while growing up and my husband lost one shortly before we met (Dec 2004).
I recognize that almost everyone on this board is against electronic pet containment fences. We found an excellent dealer who taught us how to train Beau. We took our time with him (over a month) with the red flags installed and walking Beau along the fence line just inside the warning tone line and feeding him tiny cat treats as we walked with him on a leash and gave lots of praise. We did this several times a day. One day when we were not sure we could hear the tone we were near the fence boundary at the barn and Beau crossed the correction line. We would like a do-over on this incident also as it scared him and caused a nosebleed. Scared us too because we thought we had done irreperable damage to our precious dog. However, he has NEVER attempted to cross the barrier again.
Beau takes full advantage of the 2 and 1/2 acres available to him on a daily basis. There is another 2 and 1/2 acres in mostly woods but some open area not accessible. While we are at work Beau and his brother Luke (English Springer Spaniel, almost 5 years old) are outside unless bad weather (too hot, too cold, or stormy). In that event they stay in their crates in the kitchen. My husband comes home for lunch daily and I get home around 3:45.
They have a yard dotted with trees (magnolias, oaks, pecan), the RV shed with dog house under it, a storage building to crawl under if they choose, a 2nd storage shed to crawl under, a large water tub and wading pool in warm/hot weather, a heated water bucket in cold weather, grass in the shade or sun, pavement in the shade or sun, and woods. They chase squirrels, rabbits, birds and the occassional deer on the outskirts of our woods. They greet (bark and wag tails) when my mother-in-law comes and goes across the road as well as her guests. They "help" my mother in law gather pecans during winter months. They have an assortment of toys (chew floss, tire toys, etc). After work we play fetch the tennis ball with a tennis ball launcher/retriever. This is probably their favorite game.
In the evening they are inside the house with us with free rein of the house (they mostly velcro us with Beau being the more independent of the two). They have beds in the den and spend a lot of time with us there. Beau sometimes likes the solitude of our bedroom and will go lay down in there. Both of them will follow us to our home office. Luke is generally underfoot in the kitchen hovering for dropped food. Beau drools when he sees the peanut butter jar. Luke signals us when he is ready to go to his crate (between 8:30 and 9:00) and in they go with a "cookie". Cookies are defined as doggie treats, heartworm pill monthly, cheese, etc, but mostly cookies. They both are highly food motivated.
On the weekends we sometimes go to the very large public state park at the nearby lake to hike. If the weather is decent the dogs go in the lake for a swim. We walk them with collars on and off leash. They return to us very readily when we call which we do when we see or hear people/animals approaching and at that point put on the leash. Sometimes on weekends, we go to a nearby town public park and walk them with Gentle Leaders. Sometimes on weekends we walk in our woods and nearby woods of neighbors (off lead here too so they can explore).
When Beau was little and before we had the e=fence I walked him every morning and evening. That was before we knew about the Gentle Leader. I have the "war wounds" to show for it. He was and still is a puller unless we are using the GL. I developed tennis elbow and had months of PT. Currently my left hand/arm is in a cast. I had CMC thumb joint replacement surgery 3 weeks ago. I had developed traumatic arthritis in that thumb from wrapping the leash around my hand to get better control. I suffered for 4 years before biting the bullet and getting the surgery. Despite this I absolutely love this dog.
Between a regular collar and the GL we tried prong and choke collars. We hated how uncomfortable they looked so got rid of those. I went shopping for a halter and PetSmart recommended the GL. We have been very pleased with that.
When Beau was little we went to PetSmart for puppy training and practiced daily with him. He has a beautiful sit, down and roll over. He comes to us when we call him. He goes in his crate readily. He tolerates gettiing brushed, getting a shower in the basement bathroom, getting his ears cleaned, and getting his teeth brushed by us. He does ok at the groomers for thorough bath, nail clipping, anal sac cleaning and coat trimming. He does well at the vets where he goes two X year for routine check up (every other one dental cleaning). He is well known to the vet as he has had his share of injuries ( cut his side on a piece of tin that blew off the barn roof, tore his knee ligament on old fencing, and got a spider bite once.) He acted like a mother hen toward Luke when we brought him home and basically taught him how to be a dog. He enjoys going to his home away from home (local boarder) when we go on vacation. He has had several long weekends with us in the mountains and one week at the beach and loved all those vacations too. He readily jumps in the back of the SUV to go anywhere!!
Until he was about 2 years old his energy was totally incredible. At night we would throw toys down the basement stairs over and over for at least 30 minutes so he could retrieve them and use up his energy. Hr still is definitley high energy but settled in more for his age. He runs fast when he wants to (chasing those critters, first thing out the door every morning, and playing fetch), plays with his brother and plays with us. When he gets tired he lays down. When he gets hot he lays down in his wading pool. He is just overall a great dog. We got Luke so Beau could have a companion. I was concerned about him being alone while we were at work.
Beau is the first dog I have had as an adult (I am pushing 60). Never before had I had an inside dog because when and where I grew up on a farm, dogs were considered outside animals with a dog house to live in. My husband also did not have inside dogs until his 1st marriage and has kept his dogs inside ever since.
We feed the boys half of their dog food at breakfast and half at dinner. The dog food bag recommends a total of two cups per day. We give Beau a little more because he is so active and Luke a little less because he is not as active. They both are classified as at ideal weight by the vet. They get cookies for treats daily, a few times a week they get rawhide chews and several times a week table scraps as a treat (usually the fat off meat).
I think that sums it up about Beau. Thanks for any help.
Beth (Beau & Luke's Mom)
Re: Is this fear or joy?
Oooh lots of detail!
Ok, yep, e-fence, bad thing - doesnt stop anything coming INTO your yard and if the incentive is good enough [either fear of something or instinct to chase something] is great enough they will cross the boundary.
If you can't fence off the full property with solid fencing then fence off a small area with access into the house so they can go out safely without the fear of the fence [and there MUST be fear of the fence because otherwise it wouldnt work].
From reading through your post it seems though your dogs have a lot to do most of the time - the vast majority of it is self rewarding entertainment, outdoors, wtih toys, as opposed to working closely with you. That means the bond you have with your dogs whilst clearly there, is not strong in the right way and so in times of crisis such as storms, he isnt really going to listen to you [which is hard enough for a fearful or overstimulated dog to do anyway, even when there is a bond of trust/confidence in the owner].
I would arrange for there to be regular, daily walks off the property - clicker training sessions as well, it doesnt really matter WHAT ou train, its the process of the training thats important.
Once you are doing that regularly, consider what you would LIKE Beau to do when there is a storm brewing - thinking 'id prefer it if you didnt do that' isnt very constructive [though it IS our natural instinct!], instead think 'I would like you to do this' and then train what 'this' is.. be it fetch a toy to play wtih, lie in a crate quietly, get a Kong toy filled with something lickable and work on that.... You could call this behaviour 'settle down' or 'quiet time' or whatever name you like and teach it him first, away from thunderstorms.
The next step might need to be using a sound effects cd of the noises of a storm and practice the 'settle down' behaviour/routine then, and build up the volume until you can do this during a real storm.
Ok, yep, e-fence, bad thing - doesnt stop anything coming INTO your yard and if the incentive is good enough [either fear of something or instinct to chase something] is great enough they will cross the boundary.
If you can't fence off the full property with solid fencing then fence off a small area with access into the house so they can go out safely without the fear of the fence [and there MUST be fear of the fence because otherwise it wouldnt work].
From reading through your post it seems though your dogs have a lot to do most of the time - the vast majority of it is self rewarding entertainment, outdoors, wtih toys, as opposed to working closely with you. That means the bond you have with your dogs whilst clearly there, is not strong in the right way and so in times of crisis such as storms, he isnt really going to listen to you [which is hard enough for a fearful or overstimulated dog to do anyway, even when there is a bond of trust/confidence in the owner].
I would arrange for there to be regular, daily walks off the property - clicker training sessions as well, it doesnt really matter WHAT ou train, its the process of the training thats important.
Once you are doing that regularly, consider what you would LIKE Beau to do when there is a storm brewing - thinking 'id prefer it if you didnt do that' isnt very constructive [though it IS our natural instinct!], instead think 'I would like you to do this' and then train what 'this' is.. be it fetch a toy to play wtih, lie in a crate quietly, get a Kong toy filled with something lickable and work on that.... You could call this behaviour 'settle down' or 'quiet time' or whatever name you like and teach it him first, away from thunderstorms.
The next step might need to be using a sound effects cd of the noises of a storm and practice the 'settle down' behaviour/routine then, and build up the volume until you can do this during a real storm.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
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Fundog
- Posts: 3874
- Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:31 am
- Location: A little gambling town in the high desert
Re: Is this fear or joy?
Just to support what Emmabeth says about the e-fence: Brittanys and ESS are both hunting breeds, and thus the drive to seek and chase tasty little animals (including the neighborhood cats!) is VERY strong-- so strong, that these dogs are willing to wriggle through the most harsh and unforgiving terrain (lava rocks with sharp edges, cactus, brambles, thorns, scorching temperatures, and snow/ice, and those horrible burrs) to get the game and put food on your table. An electric fence is nothing to them. You would do better to have them on a long-line, anchored to the cellar door, or the front porch swing.
Just curious: do these dogs actually hunt with you? or are they "just pets?" Do you play "pretend hunting" games with them? If they do not hunt, and you don't currently play hunting games with them, there are threads with lots of fun ideas for facilitating that need for your dogs. It doesn't really have much to do with the storm anxiety thing, but it might help overall.
Just curious: do these dogs actually hunt with you? or are they "just pets?" Do you play "pretend hunting" games with them? If they do not hunt, and you don't currently play hunting games with them, there are threads with lots of fun ideas for facilitating that need for your dogs. It doesn't really have much to do with the storm anxiety thing, but it might help overall.
If an opportunity comes to you in life, say yes first, even if you don't know how to do it.
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Beau&Luke'sMomn
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:56 pm
- Location: North Carolina, USA
Re: Is this fear or joy?
color=#8080FF]Thanks EmmaBeth,
If Beau is home and we are away and a storm comes up I would like for him to go in his dog house if outside. That is what Luke does. If we are home when a storm comes up, I would like for him to seek the comfort of his crate. Again, that is what Luke does.
I think we can train on seeking the comfort of the crate indoors when a storm comes up particularly if we keep a Kong stuffed with peanut butter in the freezer to pull out in these times. He drools at the sight of the peanut butter jar and if we put some unfrozen peanut butter on the outside of the frozen Kong I think that along with our bond will lure him into the crate. I think we can call it quiet time.
This "quiet time" might be a little confusing because they have learned several cues for going in the crate. When we got Beau we did not know to "treat" him into the crate and that was sometimes a struggle. With Luke from the very beginning we used treats to get him in the crate. Later I started calling this process "Go night-night and get a cookie" and Luke would absolutely tear off toward the crate to get his cookie. Beau would non-chalantly trot to the crate to get his cookie. We gradually shortened the cue to "go night night." My husband started saying "kennel up" and that is usually what we say. Luke starts begging to go in his kennel and all I have to say is "OK" or nod my head and he tears off. Beau continues to non-chalantly amble to the crate when Luke goes in.
A few months ago I bought a CD designed to soothe pets (I think I saw it on Dog Age) and have played that for soothing when he is inside in the crate during a storm. It looks like we need to get a CD of storm sounds and desentisize him with that.
The daily walks are going to have to wait until my Beau induced need for surgery is healed. That is expected to be at least 6 months and I am only a little less than one month in still wearing a cast.
I am not certain how to begin on the outside training as Beau does not generally go in the dog house unless it gets very very cold. Occassionally we will misjudge the temps and he will go in the dog house and cuddle with Luke to get warm. But that only happens a few times a year because we really pay attention to the weather predictions and put them in their crates before we leave for work. If a storm comes up and they are outside while we are gone Luke lays down in the dog house while Beau runs around like a totally crazed canine. Sometimes (non storm times) Luke lays in the dog house and Beau lays down just outside it just to rest. They like to hang out under the RV shed where the dog house is located and that is near the door they come in and out of the house.[/color][/color]
I willhave to find my clicker again and review how to train with that, I have been doing somr training in the house with treats to work on their "stay" and "wait" commands.
Thanks very much for your input.
Beth AKA Beau & Luke's Mom
If Beau is home and we are away and a storm comes up I would like for him to go in his dog house if outside. That is what Luke does. If we are home when a storm comes up, I would like for him to seek the comfort of his crate. Again, that is what Luke does.
I think we can train on seeking the comfort of the crate indoors when a storm comes up particularly if we keep a Kong stuffed with peanut butter in the freezer to pull out in these times. He drools at the sight of the peanut butter jar and if we put some unfrozen peanut butter on the outside of the frozen Kong I think that along with our bond will lure him into the crate. I think we can call it quiet time.
This "quiet time" might be a little confusing because they have learned several cues for going in the crate. When we got Beau we did not know to "treat" him into the crate and that was sometimes a struggle. With Luke from the very beginning we used treats to get him in the crate. Later I started calling this process "Go night-night and get a cookie" and Luke would absolutely tear off toward the crate to get his cookie. Beau would non-chalantly trot to the crate to get his cookie. We gradually shortened the cue to "go night night." My husband started saying "kennel up" and that is usually what we say. Luke starts begging to go in his kennel and all I have to say is "OK" or nod my head and he tears off. Beau continues to non-chalantly amble to the crate when Luke goes in.
A few months ago I bought a CD designed to soothe pets (I think I saw it on Dog Age) and have played that for soothing when he is inside in the crate during a storm. It looks like we need to get a CD of storm sounds and desentisize him with that.
The daily walks are going to have to wait until my Beau induced need for surgery is healed. That is expected to be at least 6 months and I am only a little less than one month in still wearing a cast.
I am not certain how to begin on the outside training as Beau does not generally go in the dog house unless it gets very very cold. Occassionally we will misjudge the temps and he will go in the dog house and cuddle with Luke to get warm. But that only happens a few times a year because we really pay attention to the weather predictions and put them in their crates before we leave for work. If a storm comes up and they are outside while we are gone Luke lays down in the dog house while Beau runs around like a totally crazed canine. Sometimes (non storm times) Luke lays in the dog house and Beau lays down just outside it just to rest. They like to hang out under the RV shed where the dog house is located and that is near the door they come in and out of the house.[/color][/color]
I willhave to find my clicker again and review how to train with that, I have been doing somr training in the house with treats to work on their "stay" and "wait" commands.
Thanks very much for your input.
Beth AKA Beau & Luke's Mom
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Beau&Luke'sMomn
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:56 pm
- Location: North Carolina, USA
Re: Is this fear or joy?
Thanks FunDog,Fundog wrote:Just to support what Emmabeth says about the e-fence: Brittanys and ESS are both hunting breeds, and thus the drive to seek and chase tasty little animals (including the neighborhood cats!) is VERY strong-- so strong, that these dogs are willing to wriggle through the most harsh and unforgiving terrain (lava rocks with sharp edges, cactus, brambles, thorns, scorching temperatures, and snow/ice, and those horrible burrs) to get the game and put food on your table. An electric fence is nothing to them. You would do better to have them on a long-line, anchored to the cellar door, or the front porch swing.
Just curious: do these dogs actually hunt with you? or are they "just pets?" Do you play "pretend hunting" games with them? If they do not hunt, and you don't currently play hunting games with them, there are threads with lots of fun ideas for facilitating that need for your dogs. It doesn't really have much to do with the storm anxiety thing, but it might help overall.
Beau and Luke have never been hunting. My husband's late grandfather kept hunting dogs and my husband thought he might like to hunt with a dog. But we mostly got Beau because my husband had a Brittany when he was in the Air Force and lived in Alaska. He was transferred to Arizona and was told (he later learned inaccurately) that a Brittany would not be able to tolerate the heat in Arizona. He gave that dog away and has grieved that action ever since. We got Luke because we wanted a companion for Beau. Beau is orange and white and stays pretty dirty. We wanted a liver and white dog and could not find a Brittany that color so got Luke who is an ESS and liver and white. I had not had indoor/outdoor dogs before. My husband wanted a dog breed with docked tails to keep objects from being swept off coffee tables. etc. For a time my husband tried some scenting work with Beau but gave it up. He had made the mistakre of playing tug of war with Beau and Luke and I don't think Beau or Luke would ever willingly give up some prey they retrieved.
All that being said I think the idea of hunting games with them is great. They definitely will hunt in the house or yard for things of interest to them. Sometimes they will dig and I have considered making a dig pit for them to keep them away from my flowers.
I am glad you included the part about being myself. We are highly unlikely to give up the e-fence as the boys have so much freedom and there is only one near by dog that ever comes in the yard. He is a tiny thing and they play with him. We don't have any predatory animals around (bears, foxes, wolves, etc) so feel secure about that. Beau has paths worn where he puts on his brakes and Luke seems only interested in other animals (rabbits, squirrels, birds) if Beau is interested. As I mentioned Beau taught Luke how to be a dog and Luke tends to copy Beau often with no idea of why.
Thanks again for your input.
Beth AKA Beau & Luke's Mom
