Hunting Retrievers

Although the Windsong Curlies are city dogs, they enjoy a relatively private back yard where interesting critters abound to retrieve . I've gradually learned to accept the occasional gift of an unlucky squirrel or bird which wasn't fast enough to escape from whichever Curly-Coated Retriever was hunting in the back yard.

I'm rarely able to intervene, but once I was successful.

Hunter was prowling for prey when I saw him dash towards the back of the yard. He caught a Chipmonk that tried to escape from him by climbing the fence (dumb move). I yelled at him to "drop it" and he did, for all of two seconds.

Then he snatched it up again, so I started walking towards him and ordered him to "leave it", which he did, for two more seconds.

Then he snatched it up, yet again. You have to appreciate that the critter kept trying to escape each time it was spit out, so the "chase" kicked his prey drive into gear and Hunter would grab it again.

Hunter was so absorbed with his prey that he failed to notice how close I had come.

"HUNTER!!" I yelled. He looked up, strait into my eyes, and I could literally see him thinking, "Oh S#!#!" He spit the Chipmonk out and ran for his life!

The poor thing wasn't dead - I could see its heart beating ninety to nothing through its chest. I picked it up by a rear foot and carried it to safety. It laid there for five minutes before it dove under a leaf pile, never to be seen by us again.

Hunter always had a soft mouth. The Chipmonk didn't have a scratch on him (slobber yes, but no gashes or crush wounds). Afterwards it was funny, but in the moment, I worried about all the unhealthy things that wild Chipmonks might carry.

Q & A for the day:

What should you do when your dog catches wild creatures? First, don't ever try to take a "live" anything out of his mouth, you might get bitten (by either of them) or scratched. Chances are if he doesn't let it go, or chew or crush it to death, he'll get tired of it after awhile and lay it down. If it is already dead, you can tell him to give it to you. When he gives you the prey, a newspaper bag or grocery bag makes a quick glove and disposal unit in one.

"Give" (or any word you use for that action) is a trained action. The best time to teach your dog to "give" you things is well before he catches wild game - using toys and other objects - rewarding him with treats or his favorite toy when he performs correctly.

If your dog was bitten or scratched, you should call your vet to be sure, but if he is up on his vaccinations, including rabies, he should be OK. Treat any scratches with anti-bacterial salve but check with your vet for the best treatment for puncture wounds.