And baby makes three!

[diamondlil]

Bertie is all trimmed and smart for the Spring. With coaxing and bribery he actually let me clip his ears too! On Sunday Mick was having a lazy lay-in so I let the dogs rouse him...

 

[MegF.]

Quite the handsome boy.....you might try a flit pole to entertain Bertie.....

 

[diamondlil]

Well I'd never have guessed a bright pink frisbee would be the answer to getting Bertie to play! He never even thought of running off and recalled beautifully!

 

[diamondlil]

And today we ran together and played fetch with a ball. Bertie made one attempt to run off but couldn't resist me calling and flung himself at me for a roll in the grass!

 

[Nanci]

Running dogs don't have stamina?

What works for me with Ella is two frisbees (or flying anything) and I throw one, she chases it, doesn't really retrieve, so I walk in that direction and throw the other, then pick up the first, and keep alternating.

 

[diamondlil]

Running dogs don't have stamina?

What works for me with Ella is two frisbees (or flying anything) and I throw one, she chases it, doesn't really retrieve, so I walk in that direction and throw the other, then pick up the first, and keep alternating.

Nope, not for steady jogging they don't! They can sprint and run fast, then they have to flop and rest. They really are made to conserve their energy then spend it all in a burst of speed, like cheetahs. After a rest and a cool down they are good to go again.
Flash is good at retrieving, Rosie likes to run off with whatever we're playing with and drop it somewhere, but to my surprise Bertie has caught on to retrieving the frisbee right back to me straight away. When I got him from the rescue they said he had no idea how to play with toys when they got him but he seems to have copied the idea from watching Flash retrieve and get praised.

 

[diamondlil]

More fun with the dogs! We took it easy for a week or so as Flash had a slight limp from a sprain, but now we're back on our running program. I don't think I'd trust Bertie completely in a wooded area or where there are animals to chase, but so far he's continuing to improve.
I got hand-made martingale collars for the gang for the summer

 

[MegF.]

Fancy collars although the one on Flash is almost as big as he is Akilah nailed me in the nose this evening...hope I don't get black eyes!

 

[diamondlil]

Well Bertie's improving behaviour has meant we can have a lot more fun these days!

 

[diamondlil]

So as his recall gets more reliable, he gets more praise, his recall gets better.....this is such huge strides forwards. The couple of times Bertie's old behaviour has surfaced, I've just kept my nerve and carried on playing with the others, so he turns tail and runs right back to us!

 

[diamondlil]

So today (May 11th) is Bertie's birthday, and off to 2 different country parks. One smaller, wooded and less people there. Great fun for the dogs and Bertie didn't even think of running away!

 

[diamondlil]

The second park is bigger and busier, but we could have lunch there and then go off along the tracks to the dog swimming pool! As well as that facility, the woods in this park are very boggy, so there were tons of ponds for the dogs to splash through

 

[diamondlil]

Then home with all 3 dogs exhausted and needing a nap before Bertie's birthday tea of bunny rabbits!

 

[MysticExotics]

Fun! I always love your pics!

 

[MegF.]

Looks like a great day!!! Perfect Mother's day celebration for a doggy mommy!

 

[diamondlil]

Bertie's rehabilitation from bolting is going so well! Which means much more fun for us all.

 

[MegF.]

That's awesome! I have a new foster who has a thing for going after cats..Working on that now....got to keep my two safe.....

 

[diamondlil]

That's awesome! I have a new foster who has a thing for going after cats..Working on that now....got to keep my two safe.....

New foster................show and tell!

 

[diamondlil]

As Flash is 11 months now nd his growth is slowing down I'm letting him run more and harder. So he's got those big jhodpur thigh muscles starting to develop! We had a splendid time yesterday playing with Ellis the whippet and Maisie, a german short haired pointer

 

[diamondlil]

Today was much cooler, with rain forecast, so a longer trip out to the river. yes I checked and knew the tide would be out, so the dogs would be muddy, but I had a plan.
So off went Bertie over the mudflats, and as he popped down into one of the creeks a shellduck exploded out of there, which absolutely made his day! Flash only got his legs muddy and Rosie just her feet. The guys sitting by the causeway are big fans of Bertie and have offered him a home if he ever needs one before. He knows they like him and always shows off more if they're around.