Happy New Year everybody

 As the sun sets on 2013

 and rises on 2014

 we, and all the Rectoryreserve residents wish you the very Happiggest and Healthpiggest New Year.
We'll be looking forward to keepig in touch and bringing you all our news and adventures.  For now though we going to sleep.... perchance to dream.... of a bright and beautiful future for us all. Happig New Year everybody.... xxxx

So, here's what I do

"So this is what we do on a workin day. Firstly, I always knows it's a workin  day cos She (who must be Obeyed) packs that special bag. Early. Dead giveaway that.
All the anipals get sorted quick; mostly that doesn't include most of the pigherd.
Then we off. I never know where. I just half-doze in the car.
We arrive. She gets out. Leaves me in. I wait. And wait. Ages goes by. She lets me out. Then I see where we are & goes & greets the yard and some of the peeps and some of the dogs. Those I know. Others I ignore. We move off in the transport to first drive* (see notes at end) and I waits quietly. We gets out. I waits quietly. Shakin all over tho. My nose twitches lots. I waits. And waits. Then She say  "Seek on" and I off; huntin here and there, lookin for anythin' but s'posed to be birds. I frighten them up into the air and then goes off lookin some more. Into brambles and bushes and ditches and kale and anythin' really. She tells me where to go with her whistle and her hands. Mostly I know what She sayin but sometimes She's wrong and I have to use a bit of elastic thinkin --- She know She wrong cos mostly She say I'm a "good boy" when I come back, either with a bird in my mouth or just with a smile on my face . After what She say is about 20 minutes someone blow a big horn or whistle and She say "All done" and I know to stop lookin so hard and go back to her side. Then, best of all, She sometimes say "Go find them" and I off, hither & thither followin my nose to find any fallen or lost birds. Even tho' She say so myself, I am quite good at that bit. It my favouritest bit. I loves lookin for birds. Sometimes I don't wait for the big whistle or horn; sometimes I see the chap with the big bang* and I see the bird drop to the ground and I just has to go fetch it --- well, if I don't somedog else will or even a human will have lost it and then She'll tell me to "go find" so best I find when I see it drop. Badly, She don't share that opinion and often growl at me when I high-tailin off. But I know's what's best.

After the 'drive' we get back on the bus (see this one - it not the best
but luckily it were not rainin on this day and everyone had a good laugh despite the fact that it was smelly and the humans had to climb up a ladder to get on it and we dogs had to be hefted up cos it too high to jump too.... and that meant all the humans got dirty cos we dogs does get very dirty when we at work..... ) and the bus takes us to the next drive. Often we walks to the next drive. But mostly the bus takes us. I's always very quiet on the bus. I dozes. I thinks.
And when we get there - not that we all always get to the same 'there' at the same time.. often one or two get out at a time..... instructions are issued by the human in charge and all the other humans with and without dogs listen and hopefully know what they supposed to do. But often they don't. And often someone gets told off. Often too we dogs get told off for not understandin what we s'posed to be doin'. I don't get told off very often cos mostly I do what I s'posed to and even when I don't I try to get away with it.
Not all the humans have dogs. Some have sticks and some have sticks with flappy bits on them that they call flags*. They wave these in the air frantically to make the birds fly in a certain way - up and away mostly. Over the men with the bang things hopefully. Though not always....
This chap here's got all three - not sure about the outfit  (never seen another like it)- the dog's called 'Tom'; he say he a Jack Russell but I never seen another like him. He funny tho. Till a couple of months ago he'd never had more excitement than runnin across the lounge from one lap to another and now he doing a thousand laps a day out bush-beatin. He don't half puff but he gettin fit fast!
Anyhow..  we does do three or four 'drives' then the humans stop for a break to eat. She puts me in my coat and then in the truck and give me my lunch. I don't eat it. I not happy to stop work so how can I eat. When She come back she give me a bit of her lunch. Sometimes I eat a bit but mostly I don't. I not happy till I get out the truck. Then she take my coat off and we off again. In the bus, to the woods or the fields or the sugar beet - wherever they think the

 birds gonna be. All we gotta do is find the birds and make them fly over where the men with the big bangs are. Sometimes the birds hide deep in the bushes and the sticks and without us dogs the humans would just walk over them. Good job they got us. See how deep this stuff is where only my head stick out? Sometimes it worse than that. Sometimes it tall stuff where I only can see the bottoms

of tall sticky things; other times it bramble-pricklies so high I has to jump with every stride. Often I gets bloodly nose and legs and belly. I don't care but She frown and pat me all over to check for deep prickles and thorns. How I hate that. Hates bein' fussed by Her. Not necessary I try tellin her (you know, I crawl away or go under a table or chair or anythin just to stop her  - it don't). I have to say, I loves my work - sometimes it very hard and tire me out and I footsore at end of day and don't wanna go home and don't wanna go out help with the anipals at night. Don't even wanna go pees n poos. But we has some fun too; sometimes there's a cute lady dog out with us (This one here's called

Kimmy and she the wife of my pal Joey) and we have some dog chat and some fun when the humans aren't watchin..... Personally I quite fond of black labs too but quite  honestly, if there's a lady about and she smell good, I ain't too fussed what family she come from.... all in the course of a day's work and a bit of light hearted banter can't do no harm can it? Nah, that's what I thought.You might ask what the humans are doin' whilst we dogs is lookin for all the birds - well, to be honest, it pretty wierd. Most of you would admit that when you go out with your peeps they fairly quiet. Well, on our workin days the peeps not at all quiet. They walk slowly in a line, meant to be straight but often it very wobbly, and they pokes and waves their sticks at bushes and stuff and they makes funny noises. Wierd. You'd think the birds'd be scared enough by us dogs and peeps wavin 'flags' but to make all those wierd noises too? Well, what's the point I often wonder.... some whistle and some 'brrrrrr' and some 'oooop, oooooop' ----- can't believe the birds are that deaf but what do I know... can tell you tho', it do make it hard to understand what She tellin me to do sometimes with all that whoopin and hollerin..... (NO! I am not makin excuses......)

 After each 'drive' there's quite a lot of hangin around while the chaps who s'posed to be pickin up all the shot birds do their bit. As I said, sometimes I asked to help but often I not. Then I looks at them and thinks I could do it better and faster..... sometimes if one bird's really lost they call me to help cos of my excellent nose but often I on the side line. When I older, I want to be a pickin' up dog* - it more fun and not so hard work. Some days I do just pickin up and it great fun.....
Anyways, in a day's work we does do 6 or 7 lots of 'drives' and then it the end and we go home. That the worstest bit. I never want to go home. She say, I like the last human to leave the party. Often She have to drag me off the beater's bus or pull be out the wagon...... I give Her dirty looks but still we has to go home......

Then She put my coat on again and She give me kibbles to eat. I never eat them till we gets home. Then I eats them before I get out the truck cos otherwise the pesky pups are going to get them and that just won't do.
And the pesky pups are always full of questions and bounces when I get home.... they haven't a clue. They sniffs me all over and tries to guess what I been up to, but, as I said, they haven't a clue. I can't tell them cos it somethin' they just gotta learn in their own growin up....... but one day maybe they come out with me and share the fun and then they understand why I so quivery before I goes to work and so whacked when I gets home.  Do know it the bestest job in all the world and She say I the bestest at my job. And that make us both very happy."

* Drives = Driven shooting consists of groups of beaters walking across fields and through woods and cover strips which could be kale, maize, mustard, elephant grass etc. driving the birds towards and over the guns
*men with bangs = Guns. Most driven shooting (in our experience) consists of 7 or 8 people with guns who are invited or pay for a day out shooting
* flags = bits of plastic sacks attached to hazel or blackthorn (or similar) sticks which are waved up to encourage the birds to fly up or in a certain direction. Unfortunately not many gamebirds are trained to understand the language of flags so can be a bit crude
* picking-up dog = Dog, usually spaniel or labrador, used to collect all the shot and wounded birds at the end of each drive. During the drive they sit still and wait - unless a wounded bird hits the ground and runs - in which case they have to catch it as quickly as possible - unless it is going in the direction of the next drive in which case it is to be ignored and 'found' later - often by a "Beater dog". "Beater dogs" (which is what I am) are trained to run in a controlled (!?! who put that in?) fashion hunting for the game and to flush it up for the Guns to shoot. They are not supposed to pick up birds unless asked at the end of the drive. Humans wrote this rule. We beater dogs often reinterpret it.

Victoria spongelets

Victoria gave birth to her, and Black Banana's, second brood last weekend..... early ...and they were tiny.... a week later they are still tiny and have not ventured outside the ark.
That may be something to do with Victoria; Her last brood didn't leave the ark for ages.....  and they grew up to be very round and sleek. This lot may be the same..... we shall see. In the meantime, Victoria is eating for the whole herd, as ever. At least, since the little ones arrived she has been quiet..... before that she was always the first awake and the loudest at suggesting it was feed time..... it won't be long before she back to normal I'm guessing..... meanwhile the little ones are soaking up all her love and attention..... they'll do well for it..... little sponges..... aaaahhhhhh

Weanlings... again....!

 "I been lookin after this lot for weeks it seems - they been in and out the barn, snaffling the food sacks and then runnin' home to mum as if they were starvin and demandin' milk. She rolls over and gives in to them. They are really spoilt chaps and here they are standin' up to me and suggesting I could be in the wrong..... Pfft. They don't know I been doin this for years....
Anyway, time has come and their mum now gettin fed up with them and the milk bar's dryin up and it time they were weaned away...so that been done this week and now they all in the barn eatin food as if they never been fed before...... and their mum now back with her bestest boar - they ran her up this afternoon and you know what? Surprise. Surprise. She almost got there before the humans...... and Now Samson's havin a proper Christmas with is wife instead of on his own.... and the little ones are in the barn bein spoiled and mollycoddled. What's not to like little chaps? Merry Christmas hey?

Soooo? Where's the news?

"So here I am again.... She say She gonna give you all the news..... but just at this moment She ain't got the time..... Well..... pfffft to that... She say She gonna get on to it soonest but there's stuff to do and wrap and write and cook and --- Hey? Is my dinner in there somewhere cos my tum's definitely rumblin..... Oh well, if my food is causin the delay, what can I say......  I also been waitin...... I still  waitin...... h-u-r-r-y  u-p  p-l-e-a-s-e..... I a workin dog - I aint got all day..... Well... today I has but not always............   "

(p.s. I gonna nag her to get on with the news soonest.... Well... who's the boss round here??? Yeh.   Right!)

Normal service bein resumed shortly.....

"Evenin' all: just wanna apologise for bein out of pawfeel for a while but Her 'puter been out of action and so She not been able to broadcast my news .... not to mention news of the porcine herd and the other anipals here on the Reserve......
However.... She now had the technology issues mended and - I believe -- things'll be back to normal soon --- cos we got ooodles of news -- and new weaners (almost) and new piglets - just this mornin..... and I been so busy beatin.... and the pups are all growin.... and my boy Bugler's been so norty........oh --- so much news ----m be back sooooon.....Watch this space.... " Wags tail and departs stage left.........

So many questionss to answer....

 "Hello all: my boy Bugler & the Understudy keep askin questions: they so nosey: Where do I go? What do I do?  Why's I out all day? Why I so tired when I comes home? Why I suddenly get so much stuff in my bowl?.... they can't imagine. Thank Dog...... But I s'pose in the interests of educatin the next generation, I gotta give some explanation....

So, here I go::::
Well --- we go out early, we hang around a lot, we hunt a lot and then we comes home late. And I very hungry.
That's it.
What? Not enough detail?
*Shouts* - hey You Who is to be Obeyed - they say there not enough detail.... Good Dog, what they want? Blood?!!

 OK .... listen, I'll give it more thought --- then I come back and tell's all... well, mostly all, after all, don't want to scare the youngsters.... don't want to put them off you know...
so I'll give it some thought & be back later..... when I's had a bit of shut-eye and had time to think a bit.... and when my paw feels better.... and when I got time... and have thought about it..
Goes off hummin to self..... Night all.... for now....

Pup Chat

"Hey bruv" said Bugler, when he and Jaunty were messing about on the kitchen sofa one evening: "What d'you think my dad gets up to when he goes out all day with Her?"
"I dunno little pal" said Jaunty, trying to extract his ear from Buglers sharp teeth "but they both come back smellin' of all sorts of strange stuff..."
"He smell like he been runnin' round lots, don't he, but he don't want to run round with us when we bounce at him..... "
"Nah: he can be a bit serious at the best of times - but after he been out all day he just go off into the corner and sleep"
"You're bigger than me - you ask him will you? Ask him next time he come home....."

"Nah, little buddy - you his Bug eyed baby boy, you snuggle up to him and ask him nicely - bet he'll tell you....."
"Ohhhhhhhhhh, I don't know...... he Very Important Person.... I a bit shy you know......"

"Well, if you want to know what goes on when he go away, little fella, nobody else gonna be able to tell you.You got enough courage when you pushin me around - if you want to learn what your Dad does, you just gonna have to get his ear when he in a mellow mood........"

"Now shove over there and let me get some shut-eye will you"...............

Fireworks!

Five fireworks getting ready to go off!

Ginger & Mangal are an amazing pair. For a start, Mangal has never 'got on' with any other female. Ginger is his "one and Only". For seconds, whenever we say they are 'over the hill' they prove us wrong. This last litter are their 13th. That must be some record. Each 'season' we question whether we should put them back together again and then we say : "Well, Ginger will let us know if we are right or wrong." Meaning if she doesn't have any piglets, or just one or two, that'll be the end of the line.  So far, she's winning - but how many litters can a lady sow have? Certainly in the commercial world she'd be well past it..... But that's a different world from ours here......

Who's more suprised - spaniel or squiglet?

This time round she had 7 - but sadly, being a large lady and having built a deep nest, she squashed two. The remaining 5 are very lively - at odd hours of the day. They like early mornings and late afternoons (most piglets like the middle of the day for running around!) and are amazingly courageous for their size - see here, one little chappie coming out to talk to Jaunty - I don't know which was the more surprised... Ginger was not in the least bit bothered..... mind you, all of a sudden, she gruntled and all the piglets ran back into their house..... quickly.... they're two weeks old and behaving like piglets at least a week older...... maybe well named as "Fireworks"... I sense they are going to be trouble...... They will be out on the bridleway in a day or two.... much to the delight of the walkers.....

Deja Vu

 When you've got a dog and his son you keep looking for similarities and differences, things the youngster inherets from the father. It is tempting to romanticise and see 'the future' star in the young dog... clearly the  youngster is going to be Oh so much brighter, faster, cleverer than the father. That's why we breed them.... There is absolutely no logic at all. We humans just want it to be that way. We breed 'the best' to 'the best' to get 'even better'.
Obviously.
Well... maybe once in a million times....
So, of course, we all asume we are that one in a million.
And obviously the son of The Bestest Gundog is going to be The Very bestest Ever Gundog. We wouldn't have bred him otherwise.

In order to achieve that status he has to inheret much from the father.
We look for signs.
There are some....... (we grasp at straws)

On 6 September 2007  this very blog reported on an incident which could have been Ghost or Gundog. Look back to see the story. It was smart. Tv's switched on in the night and all that.
Just this weekend a similar situation occurred.
We had visitors. One of them retired after dinner to the computer room. Some moments later a large volume of noise erupted. Obviously from the computer room. I thought. At first.
Or!
Maybe not. It gradually dawned that it was totally uncharacteristic of that visitor to make so much noise.
I went to investigate. I discovered the large volume of sound emanated from the kitchen. More precisely, the TV in the kitchen. Actually, now I think of it, a larger volume than I'd ever been able to conjure up from that TV.  There on the floor were the Boy Bugler (son of Gunner) and a few pieces of plastic which, when gathered up, remotely resembled the remote control! Bugler was grinning from ear to ear. "Look what I got, look what I got!" he seemed to say "I switched on the TV".
Jaunty was looking very guilty on the settee with, at his feet, the case which had once contained my specs..... "Nothin to do with me" he seemed to say as he looked at me, pleadingly. "Honest - just a game....I think" his eyes said.....
Back in 2007 I was prepared to think the ghost might have guided Gunner's actions. Here in 2013 I knew no ghost was involved. Something else had guided the pup's actions. Surely it is more than coincidence that the son should replicate his father's 'misdemeanours'....... Did Gunner pass this particular experience on to his son? If so... how? Is it something transmitted in the genes?A kind of family fetish?  Or just coincidence? I'm inclined to think it has to do with the genes ........
I hope it has to do with the genes. I hope that those same genes will manifest in good ways as the months go on..... Obviously I want the baby dog to be a perfect, but slightly enhanced, replica of the grown up dog..... It won't  happen. I can see that already..... There is only one Bestest Gundog.
But let's hope the son comes close....... eventually....   Meanwhile, we have these instances of Deja Vu...    

Stop press

To Ginger and Mangal this sunny November afternoon - between 2 and 4 pm - a bunch of squiggly piglets - their 13th litter.

Mother & babies seem to be doing well.

Father totally unconcerned!

Full story and photos to follow.

Sausages, storms & squigglers

Lunch time & not a sausage left!

It's been a busy weekend. The Bestest Gundog and I were hard at work on Friday bushbeating and picking up birds whilst the Big Boss dealt with packing up pork for our most recent Pig Partners and for Lincoln's famous Sausage Festival at the Castle on Saturday. All against the backdrop of the 'biggest storm since 1987' anticipated to be coming our way "sometime over the weekend......".  It's not easy forecasting demand at the best of times; the vagaries of the weather only add complications. Complexity was multiplied by the fact that, whilst The Big Boss was selling 'prepared' products, Yours Truly was cooking hot dogs with wedgie 'tatoes and onions.
Last year's Sausage Festival attracted a crowd of 10,000 or so on a very cold day.
This year numbers were up by at least 10% - in no small part due to the day turning out to be rather mild with only occasional gusts of wind - which strengthened as time progressed but by then people had already turned out. Not just locals either - many had come from far afield to sample and/or buy some of the best sausages in the country. There was one memorable gust which threatened to blow the whole gazebo away but luckily the combined weight of the Big Boss & I held it more or less in place. After that we fixed it to gas bottles and similar heavy accoutrements and had only minor disturbances! Demand steadily increased from 1000hrs (opening time) onwards. Fortunately I had someone helping with serving because the trickle turned to a torrent. We quickly sold out of every last scrap of food. I looked at my watch and was amazed to discover it wasn't even 1 o'clock. Sadly we turned the remainder of the queue away and posted up a notice advising that we had 'Sold Out' except for Pure Apple Juice and Sparkling Mineral Water. At that time of day it was good in a bad way, or vice versa! By 4pm - the  end of the event - we'd not only sold all the drinks but The Big Boss had done likewise on prepared food too! (Most of the traders reported similar stories) A very successful day - and not a drop of rain from beginning to end. The Gods were certainly smiling on Lincoln Castle and Cathedral.

Delila & Samson's latest offspring

Sunday was quite different. Strong winds from the outset seemed to bear out the forecast. Delila was imminently due to farrow; Monday was 'the day' in the diary. Linda's day off. Well, fed up with frequently being absent on 'the big occasion' Linda had decided to swap her day off to later in the week. Delila must have known.
She was out for her breakfast as usual. Afterwards she started tidying her ark. "Hmm" I thought, giving her a few extra sticks and branches. Then thought no more of it.
A couple of hours later, after exercising The Bestest Gundog's Understudy, I thought I'd just go check she was OK....... and noticed a strange object outside her ark. It quickly registered as a tiny piglet. Quickly I leapt over the fence and went to check on the little thing. It was still warm and half covered in blood; it squealed when I picked it up so I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly tucked it back in the ark between its brothers and sisters, keeping my fingers crossed it would get to a teat in time.
We all had a bit of a laugh about Delila making all that effort to have the piglets a day early just so Linda could be there to see them from the start!!! Sense of humour in a sow? Why not?
Two days later all 9 are alive and squiggling happily. I think the tiniest one on the outside of the others in the photo must have been the one that went outside.... he (or she) is probably going to be trouble.
As for the predicted storms. We had rather too much rain over Sunday night/Monday morning but luckily not the high winds endured by the more southerly counties. The Gods smiling again perhaps.....

Woolly Jumper

Meet Big Red. He's one of Ginger & Mangal's 12th litter born on 8 May this year. He's always been a favourite - something to do with his colouring I expect but he's also a bit of a character and very fond of people.

He learns quickly too. At least, I think he does. After watching the spaniels leaping and bounding he got the idea that he could do that too. Especially at feeding time. A little leap and he could bound over the fence into the next-door pen where the pigs were being fed earlier than him. Handy.
 But Why stop there? If he could bound over a fence or hurdle into the next door pen, he could leap over any fence whether there was food on offer or not.  It was amusing - at first. But being greeted first thing in the morning by an energetic young boar running riot - and causing the whole herd to grow restless - is not amusing...................
These curly coats mature at a young age. There was a very real possibility that one of the young gilts would come into season and Big Red would be over the fence and into her pen quicker than a rat up the proverbial drainpipe!!!
Reluctantly, on Monday morning when he was gallivanting around the place, I dangled a feed bucket in front of his snout and led him to the barn for breakfast. He was happy enough - he was ready for food after running around for however long!
After breakfast he decided to jump over the barrier between him and his fellow hogs next door. They didn't appreciate his company and set about telling him so in no uncertain manner. Did I mention that young boars are also quite territorial?
It was 5 against one and Big Red didn't stand a chance. But he was too worn out to leap back - at least without a considerable incentive.
After he'd been bullied by the 5 for a couple of hours I fetched some more feed for him. That renewed his spring and he leapt up over the barrier - and got his back trotter stuck as he tried the spaniel kick-back method of gaining extra impetus...... A few nasty squealing moments followed. Lucky that he's a good natured chap because he let me heave him up off the ground to get the weight off, and thereby release, his back trotter.
He hasn't tried it again since. We've kept the barn doors to the outside world shut though just in case he gets the notion to try another leap.

I suspect he won't try: he's happy to have lots of human attention - loves having the top of his head or the back of his ears scratched and he doesn't have to squabble with anyone for his food. He's also well out of the mud now that the rains have returned....... A nice clean woolly jumper... just right for this time of year!

Training & surprises.....

"I'd not been lookin' forward to it. A Training Day? "Wash your mouth out" I felt like sayin' to Her. Am I not The Bestest Gundog, 5 full seasons under my Equafleece? Training's for youngsters - The Understudy & His Understudy - not for me? I was mortified. I did not wag my tail when She put me in the car. I did not wag my tail when I got out of the car - after a lot of faffin about I'll have you all know. What is it with Humans that they have to fiddle n faddle and gossip and chunter and then they expect us to get out the car and be "Seek on" and "Get out" and "pip pip" and "sit/stay/seek/fetch" all in an instant. Good job we spaniels are switched on ..... But that doesn't alter the fact. I was not lookin' forward to a Training Day.

It was a cold and windy morning and She forgot her jacket. I'd have laughed if I'd thought about it. But then I met the other chaps - all Pint sized spaniels - Cockers I think She called them. Things started to look up. We went out to a wild and wasted field with huge ditches - Oh my almost favourite...... and I could smell all sorts of good smells. This was no ordinary training. And then He-the-Trainer was carrying a gun... I've always been a bit wary of the chap - but a gun? Well that made him almost my best mate --- I Love people who have guns...... Guns with people are what makes my switch really turn on..... And then I could smell some wonderful strange bird smells..... the wind was wafting them right up my nostrils.... Ohhhhh bliss ... almost better than my favoritest dinner.......

Well, let me tell you  the morning got better and better and it was nothin' like training. Well, actually, now I think of it, She was a bit naggy at the start & He-the-Trainer did yell at me when I was off and away. Then it occurred to me that She really wanted me to listen, so I listened, (I'm not insensitive to her wishes) and from then on it all just got wonderful and whizzy and I Oh so loved it. Up and down the dyke sides, up & down the bankflanks, to and fro, wonderful smells and birds everywhere - and then gunshot and retrievin'.... only I was stopped from goin' out instantly - and then another bonio dropped - She don't always want me to dash out straightaway ---- Well, why the Dog didn't She say so before..... I very amenable you know....

 There were four of us dogs and we all got to work in turn and inbetween She and Me had a few earnest words and she gave me good vibes and then on one of my turns, He-the-Trainer said something that made her jump up and down - I stopped dead in my tracks, I thought She was going to do somethin' embarrassing...... she went quite silly.... I've never seen anything like it.  Seems he admired my energy and style and the way I was workin'. He never seen me at full tilt and on song before: "I've never seen him work so stylishly" he said "if he could keep this up He could be a Field Trial dog" .................... This from the man who said I was too steady to catch a cold...... who always said I'd never amount to much.....
Well, as I said, She very nearly flipped. The biggest compliment anyone, 'specially He-the-Trainer, ever paid me.............. well, I was already enjoyin' myself but now She was over the moon. I've always been the twinkle in her eye but for He-the-Trainer to say I could be good enough to do Field Trials...... well, that makes her not so crazy after all................. Me? I've always known I was better than he thought!     I actually think I almost enjoyed this training day more than some of my workdays - it was so much more focused & I could really concentrate on what I was doing. In fact, now I think of it, the training was actually for Her not for me - to teach her how to help me do my job better............. Do you know what? I think I'm all for training days. The more she can do to help me the better I can get on and do my job and the more fun we both have.
Now, that's what I call a good lesson.  Training and surprises don't often happen together....... We're off to work tomorrow.... let's hope She can keep it up....... *goes off humming 'me a field trial dog, me a field trial dog.......*

New pens and running sows!

 Had we known when we first moved here many moons ago that we would one day keep a herd of pigs we would probably have moved to a farm instead of an Old Rectory! In the past 6 years (coinciding almost with the arrival of the curly coats) I have found myself almost lusting after other people's farm buildings or vast fenced acreages.... Silly really, but there we are.
Last year we converted the area formerly known as 'The Playpen' (so named for putting ponies in when the weather was too dire to put them out in the field) into three 'new' pig pens. We thought they would keep us going for a while.
Wrong. It didn't take long till they were fully occupied!

Last winter when some of the gilts were almost swimming in gloopy mud (in mitigation - it was the wettest one for decades) we realised we needed to make some more new pens and give some of the old ones a really long rest.  'Men' finally came last week and constructed two in a section of the Church Field opposite the existing ones.

And on Friday our amazingly versatile 'gardener/ handyman ' made a most salubrious ark. So, without wasting a moment - Victoria's weanlings (the Famous Five) were moved across the way (via a temporary hurdle-channel) to their new home. It's all shiny & new & wonderful and they love it - so much so that they promptly chased out Andromeda's piglets when they went to visit! The latter now think the new pen next door is theirs!  They'll find out differently when they are weaned in a couple of weeks - although the 3 girls might well end up there......!

The Famous 5 had actually been temporarily living in one of the sow pens. It needed to be vacated because Delila is in her third trimester and had to be moved away from Samson.

As you can see, she was happy to go! We simply gave Samson a bowl of feed, opened the gate and watched Delila run down the field behind Linda.

Regular readers will recall that not all sows are as well-trained - Mrs Merkel (now known as Ruth) gave Linda a fine old run-around when she was moved away from Black Banana a few weeks ago, ahead of going to her new home to join Moses! I seem to recall the words "never again" being spoken but there we are - Delila is Linda's special sow and accordingly beautifully behaved!

Arriving at her destination, she could be forgiven for behaving as though she'd not been fed in weeks - Samson has probably been helping himself to the Boar's share. Which is another good reason for moving the sow - she'll need feeding up for the next few weeks to give her piglets the best start in life..... I don't suppose Delila will object to that!

Flashback

On 12 September 2007 Gunner, at the age of 6 months, went for his first assessment with Rory-the-trainer. It was noted in the blog at the time that he could walk to heel, on and off the lead, sit, stay, wait, go find (chew sticks) and come to voice or whistle.
(Smarty pants)
Rory-the-trainer noted that he was almost too steady for a young dog! Visions of winning Gundog trials across the country wafted cross my subconscious. (Ignorance was such bliss!)

Last Thursday, 3rd October, at the age of almost 6 months, his son Bugler followed in his footsteps and went for his first assessment with Rory-the-trainer. It was noted (by me) that he was fond of water, could retrieve a ball, enjoyed hunting and would come to call - and that he was very much his own 'person'.
It was noted by Rory-the-trainer that he was a good deal sharper than his father - and already far too independent!
It's all a matter of perspective!
Gunner's first lesson was over an hour of varied activities to test his aptitude. I thought he passed with flying colours but we came away with
(now familiar) instructions to sharpen him up in all respects and return in a month or so.

In contrast, Bugler's first lesson was just short of half an hour. He demonstrated his independence by happily hunting further and further away from me and choosing when he wished to obey the return whistle or call. His retrieving was keen enough but he does have the habit of dropping the ball either at, or just short of, my feet. Rory frowned! And demonstrated both how to get a sharper response from the pup and how to encourage him to hold the ball till asked to 'give'. It looked soooo easy when he did it; proved so very difficult when I had to do the same! There is a reason why he is the trainer.
For the next few weeks my task is to continue playing with the pup to keep him happy but only to give him the ball to retrieve as a reward - either for coming straight back to the whistle or giving it back to my hand instead of my feet.
Easy then.
We shall see.
"Come back for another half hour in a month or so" said the trainer as we were leaving. What he meant was clear: 'come back when you've got these two things sorted'........

Father & son

So cosy snuggling up with my dad....

Eek.. didn't realise his head was so heavy - daren't move though

We don't know whether or not dogs have a sense of family. It is possible, I suppose, that where a pup is retained in the same family as the bitch that whelped it, a mother/child relationship is conceivable. However, where the pup goes to the family of the sire there is no such obvious link. Why should the sire relate to the pup? The pup to the sire? The pup moves away from its mother to a strange pack. End of story.
But here with Gunner and Bugler we see instances where a possible emotional/familial father/son link might exist.
There are other options for the pup to bond with pack members - Jaunty and Bugler, for instance, frequently play rough and tumble together. They are great pals. It would be natural for the two to snuggle up together. But they very rarely do. On the contrary, Bugler will often put the (older) Jaunty in his place. Bugler and Gunner never play together - except in those instances where the pup is trying to play and the older dog 'puts up' with it. But when it comes to snuggling up, Bugler and Gunner are an item. Bugler and Jaunty, or Gunner and Jaunty are never seen snuggled together. As for Pilot in any of those combinations - forget it....
So, does this prove a familial consciousness between dogs? Who knows. Certainly there appears to be a greater degree of ease or relaxation between Bugler (son) and Gunner (father). Who knows what dogs perceive or feel but surely this shows some bond may exist between father and son? It will be interesting to see how it develops as the pup grows up ...........................

....Contentment

The epitomy of contentment..........................
Every afternoon around 3pm Rocco is on full alert. As soon as he hears the sound of the little tractor and trailer he is there...... it's not the tractor, of course, that draws him.... it's what's in the trailer...... and he makes sure he gets his fill. We fetch the vegetables for the pigs of course but he's convinced we get them just for him - he doesn't care what's there - brocolli, cauliflower, cabbage, green leaves, globe artichokes..... he just eats them all. In the time it takes to feed 60 or so pigs he follows the wagon and probably eats 2 or 3 kilo....... if not directly from the trugs then from leaning over the fencing & pinching some off the pigs.... Cheek.
"5 A day?"  Well, he probably would eat 5 Kg if we let him!

Mrs Merkel goes to Moses

 She's been indoors waiting for a couple of weeks - she got pretty fed up too cos she didn't know what she was indoors for. After leading Linda a merry dance down from the woods a while back, she just looked at us and rumbled and grumbled and patiently lay there looking at us.... we tried to explain to her that it was 'all in a good cause' and 'sooner or later' all would become clear. Mrs Merkel just believed us and lay in wait.................... We didn't mind; whilst she was in we got to know her better. We already knew she was a good looking sow and we knew she could be a good mum..... her first litter was possibly the healthiest, bonniest bunch we have had in 7 years.... she kept them indoors for almost 2 weeks - but when they were allowed out they soon made up for lost time ....  quickly becoming the top bosses of the three litters running around at the time........
When the call came that Moses needed a new wife we had little hesitation in suggesting Mrs Merkel....  He left us not long after he was weaned .... we remember him as a handsome, gentle ginger hog..... Apparently he is now a handsome, gentle, dark coloured boar...In need of a new lady. She and he will start a new dynasty.... Accordingly she will be renamed Ruth..... She's in pig to Black Banana at the moment, but after she's farrowed and weaned she will be introduced to her new beau.

They'll get on well and she'll have a good life in the not-too-wilds of Notts near Newark! We shall miss her but she's gone to a good place where she'll be very contented...... aaahhhhh.   She'll fel at home in no time at all....... supposing pigs think like that...... Moses and Ruth - what a lovely couple.....