Yesterday I took Rusky along to a post-Christmas walkabout on a shoot down near Torness Nuclear Power Station.
It was the usual pre-Hogmanay affair, designed to work off the festive excesses, with drives alternating between walking and standing and it was really the first time I had used Rusky for anything other than wildfowling or "peg dog".
Although I have not trained Rusky for that type of shooting I was absolutely delighted with the way that he seemed to instinctively know what to do. On all the walking drives he worked away, never more than 10 yards in front or 15 yards to either side, taking time to thoroughly explore every patch of gorse, whins or reeds. Even when the gang of spaniels (there must have been at least 20 of them) got a bit far out, he refused to be drawn.
I think that, at last, he has found his vocation!!!
It was the usual pre-Hogmanay affair, designed to work off the festive excesses, with drives alternating between walking and standing and it was really the first time I had used Rusky for anything other than wildfowling or "peg dog".
Although I have not trained Rusky for that type of shooting I was absolutely delighted with the way that he seemed to instinctively know what to do. On all the walking drives he worked away, never more than 10 yards in front or 15 yards to either side, taking time to thoroughly explore every patch of gorse, whins or reeds. Even when the gang of spaniels (there must have been at least 20 of them) got a bit far out, he refused to be drawn.
I think that, at last, he has found his vocation!!!
