Hoyt, you had a heck of a day in the partridge woods. Great picture.
Is there anything better than spending time in the field with a hunting dog ?
Is there anything better than spending time in the field with a hunting dog ?
Hoyt, you had a heck of a day in the partridge woods. Great picture.
Is there anything better than spending time in the field with a hunting dog ?
Rnovi, Do the Duck Tolling dogs actually call to the ducks?
Glad we got the better half posting. Beautiful dogs.View attachment 588659
Our Rhodesian Ridgebacks
It's called "Unconditional Love"... No matter how lousy a day you may have, they are always happy to see you when you walk thru the door...
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That makes me miss my old girl, Kodiak. She has been gone for.many years now.View attachment 588747
Hurts like hell every time we lose one. We lost two between last November and this January. Both lived long, wonderful lives and were loved. I've had people say "I'm not getting another dog because I cannot handle losing them" - I'm the opposite.. I cannot see going thru life without them!Beautiful and know how hard it is to lose them. I love that look, can't get enough of how attentive they are.
Hurts like hell every time we lose one. We lost two between last November and this January. Both lived long, wonderful lives and were loved. I've had people say "I'm not getting another dog because I cannot handle losing them" - I'm the opposite.. I cannot see going thru life without them!
Beautiful and know how hard it is to lose them. I love that look, can't get enough of how attentive they are.
Yes, it works and not just with foxy duck tollers. Last fall during a break after the geese stopped flying mid day, I walked the dogs to a series of ponds to see if we could jump shoot some ducks. Peering through the cattails I could see a dozen mallards and a couple of teal at the far end. Ordinarily I would slip out into the fields and drop down on them over a hill but the farmer had planted canola that was still standing. That stuff is absolutely impenetrable! Even the dogs can't get through it. I got them in a position where they could finally see the ducks swimming. Worked my Lab up and then released her, hoping the flushed ducks would come my way for a shot (little Fr Britt couldn't see the ducks that far away). Ellie took off but only ran half way. She simply will not range that far away from me, no matter what. So back she comes. Okay, we tried. But wait! What's this? I could tell by the way they acted the ducks had seen her running on the bank. Once she was back in the tulies with me, here comes the ducks swimming straight to us in a beeline! When they were 25 yards away I stood up, released the dogs, and shot three as they jumped off the water.No, not exactly. They are absolutely hardwired for them. My pups lose their minds when they see a duck. Just put the duck hunting channel on TV and they are completely dialed in, looking all around the house for the downed ducks.
”Tolling” means Luring - they have a very distinctive, playful kind of run. The history of the breed goes back well over 100 years. The story is that when the ducks are way out on the water (rafting, as it’s called) a hunter in a blind would throw something onto the beach (like an empty shotgun shell) and then send the Toller out to retrieve it.
From the perspective of the ducks, here’s this red, playful fox-like critter running around on the beach. The ducks get curious and come in closer to watch what’s going on. Of course the ducks know they can get away from the fox, so they don’t mind at all the fox (dog) running on the beach.
At about 30 yards, the duck Hunters open up, slay a few on the water and then send the Toller out to fetch the ducks.
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Dog Breed Information
Is the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever the right breed for you? Learn more about the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever including personality, history, grooming, pictures, videos, and the AKC breed standard.www.akc.org
It’s really funny. I remember taking my first girl, Audrey, to the shotgun range. I introduced her to the gun and got her on my side and she started shrieking and quivering with excitement before I ever did Anything. I pulled the trigger and everything just went nuts. She started looking everywhere for a downed animal.
We managed to get through a few shots and it was crazy, it took a bit to figure out what was going on. As I cracked the action on my Citori, she was following the shells out of the back and catching them. She had a nice little pile of them stacked up and was absolutely thrilled at the game.
Needless to say, she loved birds and loved to hunt…most of all, she loved water and swimming and fetching dockens out of the water.
It’s a wonderful breed.
Here is Indy, a vizsla of the wirehaired variety.
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