Retrieving.

Today I would like to talk about retrieving. And just like barking, we all have our own “individuality” when it comes to retrieving.  This is a skill that I am an EXPERT in.   I will retrieve until I am ready to collapse.  Or until my human’s arm is ready to fall off.  And my rate of recovery does not slow down – even after my human has thrown a bumper toy more than 30 times – with all her might – as far as she can throw.  It is ESSENTIAL that you have two identical bumpers to throw – because I will NOT let go of the first until the second is mid-air.  And I can grab a bumper in mid-air – or on a bounce – without slowing down.  Leaves and grass go flying – and sometimes I even do a roll myself.  And once I have the bumper, I race back to my human very quickly – often at lightning speed.  My feet turn green from the grass, my coat is full of leaves and my mouth is all muddy.  I LOVE this game. 

Frodo on the other hand, has a different retrieving technique.  He will race out to get the bumper, but is careful on the pick-up not to get any grass or leaves in his mouth.  Seriously.  And his return is more like a loppy loppy trot. And once he returns to our human, he spits out the bumper.   He will happily do this task about a dozen times and then will take the bumper and trot back to the house to signal that he is done.  Done.  He retrieves – but clearly he would rather be in the house.  Reading.

And then we have Paxton.  Good old Paxton.  When he sees that our human is about to throw the bumper, he races out and looks straight up in the air.  Hoping it will go in a flight path that he can see.  Then he bounds out and grabs the bumper – but must stop on the way back to pee.  Twice.  If he retrieves four times, my human is ecstatic.  Usually he will head out for the bumper and heaven help us if he hears something – because he will veer off into the woods.  Did I mention that he has the attention span of a gnat?  Retrieving is NOT his thing.  But he IS getting better – because I’ve been teaching him.  He does better if he gets a treat each time he comes back.  Frankly, I don’t WANT the treat – because that usually signals that my turn is over.  It’s the ONLY time I’m not happy about food.

Retrieving is a great way for us canines to get exercise. And you should see the biceps on my human!

  

© 2014 Linda Wozniak