Casper demonstrated another side to him, that has got both wondering about his past..and we are both now thinking we very much doubt he was a family dog. Got back from work...now we live on working farm..in a valley. Lots of fields, and we have a large wood (hence the name Beanwood.. ) to the side of us. Our garden is large, and we have lots of chickens and ducks often wandering around. At the back of the garden I had left a chicken house open.bright sunny morning thought they would like to be out..forgetting that the electric fence at the perimeter had been damaged. Sadly a fox had tried to take one of them..and fox and my poor dead hen were still in the garden. So picture the scene...fox in garden..sees me.. legs it up a steep slope to disappear into wood. Next thing I know is the Black Bullet.. Casoer has taken off...really taken off up the slope and literally punches through the underwth. I can hear him in the woods, tearing after the fox. I see him disappearing over the horizon, then back in to the woods ..he has spotted 2 more foxes. The farmer is clearing out the cowshed so must've have disrupted an earth, it is really unusual to see so many foxes in a day! He came back eventually, very happy, waggy tail, but with blood and fur in his mouth. He was definitely hunting, and a far cry from Benson who was jumping alongside with a squeaky Kong in his mouth. Chatting to hubby and apparently he has disappeared off in he undergrowth before, seeming to get the scent of something. I do wonder about his background. maybe he was more of a rural dog,..his ability to work through undergrowth, fly up a steep slope and punch through brambles without the slightest hesitation is fascinating. When he came back he was very full of himself, the most confident I have seen him
Re: Casper the foxhound? Wow he obviously caught the fox then! Glad he came back and was happy It does make you think about what he done before coming to live with you!
Re: Casper the foxhound? Wow Casper you can sure shift it Would a Lab really be able to tackle a Fox, I'm not sure about that as Foxes are pretty nifty and I would have thought want to avoid a dog at all costs? I know what you mean about the leaping through and over the undergrowth, brambles, logs etc. Charlie moves like the speed of light so gracefully even in the woods he is truly magnificent to watch and all the better as he comes back now I am pretty sure he was a rural dog in Ireland. x
Re: Casper the foxhound? [quote author=JulieT link=topic=9571.msg138090#msg138090 date=1421701707] Interesting but, er, a bit scary? Do you think he tackled a fox? [/quote] No I don't think he did. Maybe by accident a scuffle possibly. I was more interested in the way he went after the fox, very confident and he managed the undergrowth as if used to it. He is very gentle around the chickens and ducks, even when they flap around him, not once has he shown any inclination to chase one. Just a clue to his previous life, and if so, at odds with what we know based on his records.
Re: Casper the foxhound? That's good! Maybe you should try hunting with him? I mean beating line, close hunting.
Re: Casper the foxhound? [quote author=charlie link=topic=9571.msg138108#msg138108 date=1421702908] Wow Casper you can sure shift it Would a Lab really be able to tackle a Fox, I'm not sure about that as Foxes are pretty nifty and I would have thought want to avoid a dog at all costs? I know what you mean about the leaping through and over the undergrowth, brambles, logs etc. Charlie moves like the speed of light so gracefully even in the woods he is truly magnificent to watch and all the better as he comes back now I am pretty sure he was a rural dog in Ireland. x [/quote] It was lovely to watch him run! He seemed completely at home, and when he came back very happy with himself.
Re: Casper the foxhound? Maybe you could do scenting with him. I watched a short video with Hounds doing scent work, the farmer drags a large scented dummy shaped thing around his land, over high walls etc. the Hounds are held onto until they are over excited then sent off and they literally will not stop for anything to follow the scent, they return for a bucket of food. Fascinating. You could get OH out there dragging a dummy round for you ;D ;D x
Re: Casper the foxhound? He's definitely got some skills there.... I doubt that the fox will be back in a hurry.
Re: Casper the foxhound? Dogs just seem to hate foxes; they seem to be their natural enemy. Poppy will ignore deer and wild boar, but my goodness if she gets the scent of a fox she goes completely wild, crashing around, no care for brambles or anything. So I think it is quite a normal thing for dogs, a kind of atavistic response to the smell of a fox.
Re: Casper the foxhound? Hope he has given those foxes a good scare and they stay away from your chickens now.
Re: Casper the foxhound? [quote author=Karen link=topic=9571.msg138209#msg138209 date=1421752314] Dogs just seem to hate foxes; they seem to be their natural enemy. Poppy will ignore deer and wild boar, but my goodness if she gets the scent of a fox she goes completely wild, crashing around, no care for brambles or anything. So I think it is quite a normal thing for dogs, a kind of atavistic response to the smell of a fox. [/quote] Yes, that sounds exactly like Casper. He is not bothered by the deer...but blimey did he leg it after the foxes!
Re: Casper the foxhound? What a great story. I hope you find something he can "work" at - he clearly loves it!
