I jumped Roper last weekend out at the lake - he did great, we had the boat launch and dock all to ourselves. We don't have "the chase" method down completely yet but we are working on it. Using the "place and send" method he gave me one half-ass jump 2 really GREAT jumps and the next two were looking weaker so I wrapped him up in a towel and called and end to practice. He of course had a blast and wanted to keep jumping, but I dried his cold shivering ass off, wrapped him up in a wool blanket and threw him in my warm truck. When we got home I trotted him around the yard a few so his muscles wouldn't get stiff then brought him inside for awhile. The practice and exercise seems to be paying off I think he is dropping a little weight. I have high hopes for him in the Rookie Category.
The local radio station is running a contest and will have all the Rookie Dogs on there, the winner gets to be the official "Cat Country Dog" (Cat Country 94 would be one of the local Country Stations) and gets free tickets to the event and blah blah blah - so when the site is up I will post a link here, and hope you take a couple seconds to shoot over there and cast a vote for Roper. They wanted video - but all I had in a pinch was pictures, so anyways I will give it my best shot.
7 comments:
Tails wagging all the way down. How great is that?!
I think Comet would looove to try that.
Glad you got to practice some!! Definitely post the link!! I will go vote!
Awesome video - those dogs are super!
Glad you got a few practice jumps in with Roper. My lab dog doesn't really jump off docks - he is a bit of a chicken that way. He gets all four feet together at the edge of the dock like a bird on a perch, then after some whimpering he'll jump. Kinda funny.
Has Roper's tail ever gotten hurt while jumping? One day a few summers ago, Max's tail was all limp (after jumping into the water all day) and you could tell he was sore - it was fine the next day though, but a bit weird...
They call that "cold tail" or "dead tail."
There is alot of speculation out there about why it happens, alot of people think that it's because the dogs tail gets cold, numbing it. But my family has bred labs and raised labs for years - and we've always known that it is in fact a "muscle soreness" issue. No amount of drying off, warming up, or fish oil is gonna prevent it (I've heard it all). But proper conditioning - and just flat out making them lay down and rest every now and then will.
Labs use their tail as a rudder when they swim to steer and navigate. Then when they are on land they are wagging it a million miles an hour. If the dog is not conditioned for a long day in the water or on land playing he might strain those muscles and come up with "dead tail."
The next day their tail is all limp but it goes away in a few days (if it doesn't you should call your vet) and the dog is none the worse for the experience.
we always watch that stuff when it comes on espn or what have you!
Love to watch those dogs FLY!
LOL-Breathe noticed the same thing I did...their tails were wagging as they were flying through the air.
And do post that link...Roper has my vote.;)
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