12.03.2005 – 22.05.2014
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ÖHZB 1051 Trials: sil: dog sees the game and barks as he follows it spl: dogs barks as he follows the scent but doesn’t see the game |
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In autumn 2004 my bitch Bianka, who was already quite old, was no longer able to go hunting with me all the time anymore. Thus my passion for hunting was greatly reduced without my best friend. Increasingly I had to get used to the idea of getting a new puppy, but I didn’t want to hurt Bianka’s feelings by paying too much attention to a new dog. This was why I waited as long as possible to make a decision. And I accepted the fact that Bianka would not be much help in training the puppy.
I was very excited to see the puppies and couldn’t wait to be able to pick out a bitch. It was very difficult to choose so I initially picked out two different-colored females. The reason for this was that people coming to a breeder usually want the exact color that is no longer available. All of my previous dogs were fabulous and I didn’t select them myself – coincidence played a big part. It was important for me to have one of them, and I would take whichever one was left over. And to my great joy – it was Bunny. The only thing that bothered me was her name. Bunny, the name of a hunting dog? Especially if she was supposed to chase after bunnies in the field!? Apparently, many of my friends had the same idea, because many of them gave us pink rabbits (stuffed animals) as gifts. However, I didn’t want to change her name and gradually it seemed to fit her. With her seemingly unlimited energy, her long ears fly as she runs and prances through the fields.
In the meantime, I had amassed quite a lot of experience with hunting dogs. I wanted to do everything right with this puppy and be successful in getting her through trials and in life. Thus, we started training early, focusing on obedience, teaching her what to do in the field and on water, as well as following tracks. Bunny was a quick learner and from day one had great ambition to do everything as quickly as possible and to my complete satisfaction. Like all LMs she loved the water and showed great talent at tracking ducks and in all the water disciplines, so that since then I have always given her as many opportunities as possible to work on the water. In the meantime she is able to demonstrate her talent to her offspring and always cooperates when we all meet on training days. Happily, her children show up at our training days well trained by their owners.
I can say with certainty that this bitch never disappointed me at any trial, even if I myself was nervous, uptight and stressed. She always did her job excellently, and any points missing on her certificates are really only my fault. We are not 100% perfect but I think Bunny comes quite close to it. She is an incredibly fast dog when she’s working and I would say the best description of her personality is: “Movement and joy of life”. When she is not allowed to work she can’t understand why and is very disappointed. Besides all of Bunny’s excellent natural attributes she is lucky to have an excellent exterior and coat. It made it all the more fun to go to international dog shows and LM breeding shows, even if some of them were very far away in foreign countries. But we’ve had enough of that in the meantime, now there are younger dogs around and we want to let them have a chance. We enjoy our time together at numerous hunts, walks, and also with our many friends and “every day anew”. I hope that we will have many loving, cheerful years together and that I have Bunny for a long time.
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