Well, I thought I should update how Mugi is doing this season.
After losing him in asparagus he has taken to missing some drives when vegetation means I can't keep track of him and alot of the other time he is on flexi and harness as his interpretation of the vibrating collar is taking some getting used to.
He quickly got that vibrate = treat but in the presence of game that is more rewarding than treat so vibrate = err, did I feel something? Birdie ahead anyway and it my job to do this .
Regardless he is having a ball and I am able to let him off at the end of drives so he will sweep for missed game and I also have let him off after a runner which he brought back nicely.
He is fit and apart from coughing in the mornings he is not showing other clinical signs of his heart problems so I will hold off meds as long as he is ok. I can't truly believe a dog that can work a day in the field and run with a partridge in his gob is quite ready for meds. _________________ Sue, Chase and the non-Brittany boys - Brice & Piper. Pets first and foremost.
Good old Mugi keeps on surprising us all. Well done old boy! _________________ Annie
Handle every situation like a dog, if you can't eat it or play with it, just pee on it and walk away
Not only did the old man attempt to peg a duck (well he got it but didn't hold and and once it was re-caught by another beater it was injured although not shot), he totally lost all street cred by his current beating outfit.....
For this afternoons final drive Mugi had to stay in the vehicle as the terrain is not suitable, so he was bundled into his equafleece pyjamas (all 4 legs are in the suit), had his harness popped back over and he was still wearing his vibra collar. You could barely see a brittany in among his layers . Still he is a warm as toast old man who did 4 full drives today so not bad in the rain and cold. _________________ Sue, Chase and the non-Brittany boys - Brice & Piper. Pets first and foremost.
A small Brittany had a ball today. We haven't been beating this week till today (credit crunch?) as for a couple of weeks we are short on sold days.
This morning Piper and Mugi arrived and got out of the car, it has to be said that Piper was wired and wild and sooooo headstrong so he had to go back in the car and he didn't get to beat. We were also short on beaters and I couldn't risk it going wrong.
So Mugi went on his own, on the first drive I did try him off lead and he was so unresponsive - I am not sure if this was deafness or stubborness so lead went on. But the rest of the morning he had a great time, he pointed a couple of times and was really happy out with me. We are not stunning but we don't fluff our job and Mugi so comes to life.
Tucked into his neoprene jacket, wearing a harness and lead and with a collar highlighting he is now deaf we may be a figure of fun but in many ways he is loved so who cares.
Today his vet was shooting and so he had a brief pat and Ken is so pleased he is still getting out, he agrees that for Mugi it would be a crime to stop him getting out even if it does ultimately shorten his days. I am convinced Mugi would be happy to drop in the field rather than 'waste' his days on the rug. We had to miss one drive that is physically too hard for him (I wish I could miss it too to be honest as it is slithering and slipping along a steep bank that has a heap of fallen wood and hanging thorns to negociate) but otherwise he did fine. Next week I believe the one day is partridge only so I am planning on it being Mugi only again - Piper can do some remedial training instead. _________________ Sue, Chase and the non-Brittany boys - Brice & Piper. Pets first and foremost.
Well our day on partridge turned into a very arduous day on pheasant in the woods. He has worked through thick bramble, up hill and down dale slithering through mud and fallen branches and at one point had a fantastic hunt across stubble, turning naturally on the wind and although moderating speed as you would imagine for an old man he was doing great and now he is home he is still raring to go. _________________ Sue, Chase and the non-Brittany boys - Brice & Piper. Pets first and foremost.
You just can't keep an old dog down. Mugi has again had a fab full day beating, he is sooooo keen and happy to go out working and today there has been no concession to his age - we had plenty of long walks and he just kept on working.
He has figured out how to negociate a way through most cover crops with his harness and lead without tangling - he picks his way and I follow and mostly I rarely need to correct him as he seems to instinctively understand where we are heading.
He has had a few free runs and one nice push through cover off lead when we wanted one big flush - while the spaniels flew through Mugi carefully checked the ground to see if any birds had been missed - he found one hen pheasant to flush out.
I am home with two plump pheasants and two ducks to breast out and eat over the festive season - yummy!!! More beating on Friday so will try to get some more birdies for the eating of . _________________ Sue, Chase and the non-Brittany boys - Brice & Piper. Pets first and foremost.
He did some nice off lead work when able (basically where his lack of hearing can't ruin the drives) but his best work was actually when on his flexi lead.
Now I know it is 'wrong' but on his harness and flexi I let him work as freely as possible but our options are limited, either he works the shoot this way or he has to retire and I know which he prefers .
So after a decent drive the horn was blown and we were working our way back to the vehicle.....
First the tail went into the gentle wag that happens normally when is free to coule properly and he very carefully moved into a tussock - letting him work as he wanted a large cock pheasant shot out of the undergrowth and he just stood rock solid as it flew away. We carried on and he went on point on a teeny grass patch, I was convinced he was on residual scent and tried to move him on - guess which of us was wrong ? In goes Mugi and he is stabbing in his nose to the base of the grass, from the other side emerges a rather irritated partridge!!! He then did the same on yet another partidge - so 3 good birds missed by the other dogs - tis such a shame he is so deaf as he can't work freely now.
He will be beating again next week and then his special treat when he gets to work properly the final week of the season in Norfolk. Whereas Chase will be there for learning I am hoping Mugi will just be there to prove what a good dog he is.................
Today he is offically 12.5 yrs old and he spent his day doing what he loves best. _________________ Sue, Chase and the non-Brittany boys - Brice & Piper. Pets first and foremost.
He is our mascot now! Well done Mooj You're a grand old man! _________________ Annie
Handle every situation like a dog, if you can't eat it or play with it, just pee on it and walk away
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