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14981. arkymalarky - 5/16/2005 4:37:47 PM gundogs find it hard to understand why they can't go afollowing that scent or that interesting looking trail.
Exactly. My mistake with Diva was forgetting, over six years, that she was ultimately a hound. Her behavior before running off--consistent as it had been for all that time--was assisted by the fact that whatever she may have been after in the past never crossed the highway or got out of earshot from home.
And Mac, you post away on dogs with whatever strikes your fancy! I love your expertise, especially, since you're familiar with hunting dogs. 14982. Ms. No - 5/16/2005 4:42:16 PM My Stepdad trained his chocolate Labs to stay in the yard and the male only broke the rule a couple of times that I ever saw. Of course it only takes one time for things to go wrong. 14983. arkymalarky - 5/16/2005 4:46:46 PM That collie story sounds like a likely scenario for some dogs, including our old lab. I will probably try the wireless fence, but with the size of this dog I think I may just buy her a large, pre-made pen at first and go from there.
The following story may strike you as funny or strike you completely differently, but either way, it's just what happened, and no dogs were killed (I can't say harmed) in the making of this story.
Our lab was very hyper, to put it mildly, long after her puppy days. She was inclined to go off and to chew things up, etc, so we decided the thing to do was use some old electric fence a friend gave us and make her a pen.
Bob and his pal went to work and soon had a fence up and juiced which gave Sasha plenty of room to play, yet kept her away from all the hazards. Unfortunately, they were not electricians, so the fence didn't work consistently. When we'd come home in the afternoon, we'd know it was working, because Sasha would be in the EXACT middle of the yard. When it didn't work, she'd be out of the yard. Before long she was out of it more than she was in it, so the fence came down.
Then came the stray dog--the one in heat. Bob got the brilliant idea to set the fence back up inside the barn to keep any males from getting to her (our lab and dachshund were both spayed females). He set the fence up, started the juice, and before he could turn around Sasha the lab was tangled up in it, Chili the dachshund had bitten it and was squealing--still stuck to the fence wire by her tongue, and the stray dog had gracefully leapt over it.
So much for that idea.
I don't think we have the electric fence any more. 14984. arkymalarky - 5/16/2005 4:47:51 PM Labs are generally great to train. Unfortunately, Sasha was an idiot. We loved her dearly and she lived over 12 years, but she was an idiot. 14985. Ms. No - 5/16/2005 5:08:27 PM Ha! I thought it was funny!
Yeah, Drake was a good dog and smart, but stubborn, stubborn, stubborn and he was a bit of a chauvinist, as well, if you heard my mother tell it. I think it was only that he didn't think my mother really meant it when she scolded him so he learned not to take her seriously. 14986. judithathome - 5/16/2005 8:37:23 PM The guy across the street got one of those invisible fences and his little lab seems to be adapting to it very well. She doesn't come out of the yard, anyhow. 14987. iiibbb - 5/17/2005 1:14:24 PM Cool site of the day... Cluster Balooning. 14988. Magoseph - 5/17/2005 3:11:48 PM I could never do something like this, iiibbb--could you?
 14989. alistairconnor - 5/17/2005 3:13:33 PM Mago, did you ever see a book called "Pascal and the red balloon"?
Had it in the 60s... translated from the French... that was what happened at the end, Pascal sailed off around the world with a bunch of balloons. 14990. Magoseph - 5/17/2005 3:58:04 PM II didn't know anything about it, Ali, but I found the video here long ago in some school material, but I don't remember where the school was, though.
14991. Ms. No - 5/17/2005 8:56:28 PM That was one of my favorite books as a child, but it made me cry every time I read it. Somehow the magical trip with the balloon hoardes at the end never compensated for the death of a loyal friend. 14992. iiibbb - 5/17/2005 9:03:15 PM Message # 14988
I'm not sure I could devote the funds to soemthing like that. I'm not scared of heights. I think it'd be fun... but maybe with the hot-air variety rather than this.
I've always wanted to try hang-gliding or para-gliding... but it's one of those things I may never get a shot at. I have a friend who's a hang-glider pilot and hung around a few for a month or two when I lived elsewhere. It was pretty cool. We went to an overlook once to watch them launch. It was a really windy day... only 2 guys took the plunge and they didn't stay up long. It was wierd for someone to be standing there, and then not... especially for me who's used to rappelling, but nothing like this.
Apparently you can get into the sport for about $5K... so it's not cheap. It's more the time investment. You have to fly alot to stay good.
If I got a slug of money I'd probably explore the race driving stuff more deeply. 14993. arkymalarky - 5/17/2005 9:22:24 PM Hello all. 14994. arkymalarky - 5/17/2005 9:22:52 PM I am afraid of heights. 14995. arkymalarky - 5/17/2005 9:23:20 PM And depths. 14996. arkymalarky - 5/17/2005 9:23:43 PM And widths. 14997. arkymalarky - 5/17/2005 9:24:26 PM I'm going to get the puppy a week from today. 14998. arkymalarky - 5/17/2005 9:24:48 PM I hope. 14999. arkymalarky - 5/17/2005 9:25:11 PM Or a week from Saturday. 15000. arkymalarky - 5/17/2005 9:25:32 PM Depending.
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