Well, the dog has been fantastic. I have not had him in the field yet, but he sure seems to fitting right in.
About 1 1/2 hours after I retuned from the PM hunt, I unloaded my truck and wanted to take my new dog out for a walk in the desert by my house.
We walked down this dirt road that leads to a very large wash that runs for about 1 mile, and is about 50 feet acress. When the rains come, this wash is like a river, but is dry this time of year.
ANYWAY, I had him, off leash, and we walked down the dirt road. I stopped every couple of minutes just to see how he'd react. Sure enough, he was out running back and forth in front of me, but whenever I'd stop, he'd stop and make sure I had a chance to catch up. I praised him up, and off he'd go again.
Well, we came to the large wash, and made our way into it. We walked about 50 yards or so, and the washed curves this way and that, but then straightens out and really opens up for about 300 or 400 yards.
I'll be darned! About 150 yards down the wash was a coyote. Next thing I knew, Putt-Putt was off like a ROCKET! I don't know that I've ever seen a dog go from walking to mach 2 in under 2 seconds before, but this dog has definitely got some wheels!
The coyote looked up as Putt-Putt was closing ground fast, and decided that he didn't want to stick around so he bolted out of the wash and out into the desert with Putt-Putt hot on his trail.
The next thing I knew, I was standing in the wash, all by myself, and wondering if this new dog of mine was gone for good chasing this coyote. At this point, I've only "owned" the dog for about 6 hours....I mean the paint ain't even dry on him yet, and he's GONE!
I stood there feeling like a complete idiot.
After about 3 or 4 minutes, I remebered one of the things Duane had told me.
"If he get's out a bit, just whistle him back up". So I did.
About 15 seconds later, Putt-Putt came trotting, in behind me, feeling & looking VERY proud of himself for having run that nasty old coyote off. He just wagged his tail with his tounge hanging out seeking my approval.
I gave him some big praise, and we just walked back to the house.
All in all, I'd say that Duane does one HECK of a job with his training, and I just could NOT be happier with my new best friend.
Thank you loads Duane, I sure am enjoying this dog!!
Sorry for rambling on, but I just wanted to share just how great this dog is and just how utterly thrilled I am to have him!