Mangel was absolutely right to be optimistic. Following a three week break from Lessons-with-Rory (rain stopped play last week) Gunner and I returned this week for the next instalment.
The weather was fine and sunny.
"Right" said Rory when we arrived "Let's go off and see if the dog can swim!"
"I'm taking two others for a session as well so just follow me" and off we drove to the river.
On reaching the parking place, Rory's two dogs were left in the car and he took Gunner down one side of the river bank, instructing me to walk over the bridge and go down the other side. "When you reach the spot opposite me, stop and call him. See if he'll swim across to you"
Gunner was so perplexed at being taken away by Rory that he didn't see where I went so kept looking around and back for me. Poor thing!
When he saw me on the opposite side of the river and heard me call him, his little face lit up. I swear if we'd been on opposite banks of the Thames he'd have come across.
As it was he bounced away from Rory without so much as a by-your-leave. Straight into the water and across ...... then suddenly realised his feet were not supported! He hesitated a brief moment before striking out for the opposite bank (the river's about 10 yards across) and rushing up to me gleefully before giving himself a jolly good shake.
So, no problem going into water.
We then gave him a number of increasingly difficult retrieves into the water. Each one was collected - initially gingerly, but with increasing confidence - and brought straight back to me, given to my hand and rounded up with a jolly good shake.
"Clever boy" said our smiling trainer......
"Let's go and try something a little more difficult"
(and there was I thinking we'd done enough for the first session!)
We hunted him through the long overgrowth till we got to the sluice gates in front of which is a deep pool about 15 yards wide, several feet deep and with banks going down at such a steep angle that they are bound with wire and stone filled piping to keep them solid. Certainly a human would only be able to scramble down.... but not this human who seriously hates deep cold water, never mind scary banks......
"OK" said our now-serious trainer "Take him as close as you can to the edge, sit him where he can see the pool and when I throw the dummy in, send him off for it".
Easy then.
Instructions were followed to the letter.
Dog down bank, jumps carefully into water, paddles a bit, then starts to sink..... (I panic - but quietly. Rory panics - silently also - but later tells me he's thinking 'bugger it, I'll have to go and rescue him') head goes under water .... but then suddenly shoots back up, shakes, gulps, turns and - what a star - swims off in pursuit of the dummy. Gingerly grabs it (so as not to get too much water in his mouth?) and returns to the bank, climbs up and delivers dummy and then shakes furiously.
We repeat this another half dozen times in various configurations and even when the string on the dummy gets caught on the wire of the bank, Gunner is not defeated. He persists till he pulls the dummy free and returns with it.
Rory is impressed.
I am over the moon.
"Truly excellent" he says.
"What a star!" we both agree.
"Much, much better than I ever expected" says the trainer. "I don't think we can teach him anything more today".
Never mind the dog, I am exhausted from all the nervous energy of watching him go off time and again into the seemingly bottomless pool. Certainly if I'd been on my own with him, I'd never have had the courage to send him down there. But that's what trainers are for!
On the way back to the car we carry out a number of increasingly difficult memory retrieves. Gunner copes with all of them, even the really difficult one ... thrown-blind-into-the-very-long-grass -a-long-way- off by Rory. By far the hardest task the little chap has had to deal with. Since it was 'blind' he had to follow my instructions to find it; and he did, every single one until after about 10 minutes of directing and re-directing he finally 'found' and charged back to me with it. He was so pleased with himself, but not half as pleased as his owner and The Trainer.
Rory was effusive in his praise. "That was really excellent. He did everything you asked, really listened and worked with you. The training is really paying off. And he's very stylish with it..." He said a lot more but I was so thrilled with the dog that it didn't sink in...
Lesson over ... and back to the car.
"Just prepare yourself though" said The Trainer "you're about due for a bummer of a session.... training is never plain-sailing......and you've had a straight run of three good sessions... it can't last".
Guess he was just trying to stop us getting complacent.
As if.
Gunner told his mates all about it when he got home .... then collapsed by the fireside, then the Aga... and slept all afternoon.....
By the way, as we left Rory he was collecting up pieces of bread from the back seat of his truck. "One of my dogs won't go into water" he explained "so I'm trying to encourage him with bribes!"
No. I didn't gloat.
(well, maybe just a teensy bit)
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