Ruger, our German Shorthaired Pointer
Ruger is our 6 year old German Shorthaired Pointer. We got him from a local breeder as a puppy. He is a sweet loving companion who can be exasperating at times!
We have never trained Ruger for bird hunting due to the fact that he is gun shy, actually should say he is horrified of gun shots, thunder storms or any loud type noises. (Dump trucks dumping loads etc.) Despite not being trained for hunting he loves to stalk the Mourning Doves at the bird feeders! He will go into a point mode and stay still, then he slowly creeps up taking one step, point, one step, point, until he gets to within the range he feels it is time to charge! Off he goes and off goes the Mourning Doves! It is really fascinating to watch his movements and try to get inside his head as to what he is thinking. But dogs aren't suppose to think you say, well I disagree with that entirely. I believe Ruger can read my mind, he knows my movements before I make them and will lead the way, or I suppose you could just say he has me well trained! I've seen Ruger figure out things. If his ball gets behind or under something, he takes a step back, looks it over, and then seems to go the route he thinks is best to retrieve the ball and for the most part does. There is the occasion where he will think he can't retrieve the ball and just sit, look at me and then where the ball is trapped!
Ruger is not a barking dog but will when someone comes in the driveway or he sees something that just doesn't fit into that space. He appears to know what I am doing when photographing or video-taping through the house window and will sit by my side and watch the wildlife. Some critters do excite him while others he could care less about. Mourning Doves are top of his list for birds with sparrows coming in second. Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, Finches and other birds he doesn't seem to even notice, but let a hummingbird come to window feeder and he goes foolish. I believe it is because of their quick movements.
When we were traveling on the road a lot and Ruger needed to make a rest stop, we sometimes would stop at boat landings and he would just love to take a swim. We were very surprised the first time he dove right in and began doing the doggy stroke! We don't have a farm pond, but there is a spot in our front yard that when we get a lot of rain it looks like a pond and stays for a period of time. When it does, you can be sure to find Ruger romping about in it! I do set up a small child's pool in the summer time and Ruger just loves to be in it. He will take his toys into the pool and wash them off frequently. He has a large ball with handle that he totes all over the yard, and will play with it in the pool as it has a hole and makes bubbles when Ruger bites down on the semi-soft ball.
|
Ruger merchandise
