Differences

 

Differences

 

Arthur sleeps!

    There are many differences between working Labradors and Cocker Spaniels.

The most obvious difference is size. Labradors are bigger, between 25 and 38 kg. I’ve just discovered that working Labradors are known in the States as American or field-bred Labradors. British working Labradors are field-bred dogs from the UK and Ireland.

Working Cocker spaniels weigh 11 to 16 kg and are between 36 to 43 cm at the withers, which I have to remind myself is the highest point of the shoulder blades. Compare that to a Labrador standing 54 to 62 cm. at the same point.

Labradors are relaxed, steady dogs, though they do have their wild moments. Generally, well-exercised and well-fed dogs will settle down at your feet and snore sleep the hours away. Cockers are busy, fizzy little dogs. They are anxious to please and will greet their owners with enthusiasm and at least one toy in their mouths. Labradors are equally delighted to see their people and are keen to nose them and give them a good sniffing to discover where they’ve been and with whom.

When they’re outside, a cocker’s nose is never far from the ground if it’s not scenting the air. Labradors like to read the environment as well, but they’re not so keen to seek prey. That’s not their job. They are required to pick up, though they will sometimes spring birds or rabbits.

Both breeds love water and are drawn to it as to a magnet.

The biggest difference is in their approach to food. All Labradors – at least, all the many ones we’ve had, love food, and most of them live to eat, whereas cockers eat to live, from our limited experience of them.

When Arthur comes to play, we have to persuade him to eat, even when it’s obvious he’s hungry. Like a restless child, he is easily distracted from eating, whereas the Labradors plough straight through the food until there’s not a hint of a scent of anything left, and then look around with a half-starved expression, hoping to convince any passing human in the house that they really have not been fed for days.

Both breeds are great friends, like all dogs.

Jake

Dogs are wonderful companions, no matter what their provenance, and some of the best are rescue dogs looking for their forever homes. One of the loveliest dogs I ever knew was Jake, an absolute peach of a dog.

Of unknown breeding, he was delighted to be accepted and loved by my daughter and son-in-law. He was an amazingly loyal and loving dog to them and their children. When they acquired a Labrador puppy, and we went to see them, he would jump into the back of our car, hoping to come home with us. He liked the puppy but sometimes wanted a rest from her. All puppies are exhausting for a while and Jake enjoyed a quiet life. As the puppy grew up and calmed down, Jake became very fond of her.

There is always an unknown quality in rescue dogs. Unless they are very young puppies in a rescue centre, there is no knowing what has befallen them in their lives. It’s too easy to be led by the heart, rather than reason.

 Rescue societies do a grand job of assessing them and advising to the best of their ability whether a dog will settle with young children, or cats, or more than one or two people. The best rescue centres will interview prospective owners and will not release a dog unless and until they are satisfied that the dog is going to a good home and will not be returned in a few weeks when the novelty has worn off.

We don’t deserve dogs, really.                        

The Dog Days of My Life: #13 - Jenna

Foxy in July 2005

In 2005 Gillian and Paul bought a fox red working Labrador puppy. Their old rescue dog, Jake, a fantastic, gentle boy, had died and their black Labrador Tia missed him. She would leave the house, something she had never done before, and go off apparently looking for him.

Foxy was due to be picked up just before they went on holiday. When Gillian and the children and I arrived in Powys the puppies were playing in an enclosure on the grass and they were adorable. They were all fox red, perfect little miniature dogs, identical to the untrained eye though Charlotte and Ali, having handled and played with them from birth, knew them as individuals. Foxy had proved quite a leader, digging a tunnel from the pen and leading her siblings on a journey of discovery. They didn't get far before the escape was discovered and they were safely enclosed once more.

Our dogs greeted her with interest and enthusiasm and she was not in the least fazed by their size and coats – she'd never seen spotted dogs before! The next day Gillian and the children returned to Dorset to pack and then came back to Berkshire to deposit Tia and Foxy for the duration of their holiday.

Foxy 2005

Foxy was a delight. We hadn't had a baby puppy since Buddy and had forgotten the sheer joy of watching such a young animal explore and play and respond. As the time neared for Gillian and Paul's return we knew we were really going to miss this little character. After a long discussion but in reality within a very short time we decided to ask Charlotte if she would allow us a puppy. She agreed and in due course Jenna was born.

When we collected Jenna she came with us without a whimper or a backward glance – faithless bitch! Indeed, she responds to all comers, human, dog, cat with enthusiasm and friendship. She is a hard-working, eager little dog, ever willing to please unless she is following a scent and then her nose is busier than her ears – she is much better than she used to be though. We keep her occupied and try to avoid times when deer are more likely to be around. Until Jenna taught us otherwise we had never realised there were pheasant in the forest but she puts them up all over the place even though she's not supposed to be a Springer!

As a small puppy she was curious, responsive and not easily spooked and it was obvious that she had been well socialised. When she met adult dogs she was impeccably behaved, submitting to their inspection and doing everything a good puppy should to show that she knew her place at the bottom of the pecking order. With our dogs she had great fun, particularly with Frodo who could get her head in his mouth and who really enjoyed rough and tumble with her. It is delightful to see adult dogs playing so carefully with young pups.
Jenna and Frodo playing, January 2006

Jenna is now almost four years old and a confident, wonderful companion. There is not an ounce of nastiness in her though she would stand her ground if required. Surrounded by three boisterous unruly collies last week we thought she might tell them what she thought but fortunately they bounded away on some other pursuit.
She is an avid television watcher and barks at animals on the screen. She also purports to be a guard dog, making loud 'go away' noises only to meet incomers with great joy. She shows her true working credentials when Tia and Foxy come to stay. She and Tia work together, tails waving like flags, the one waiting for the other when the 'bag' has been picked up. (Foxy is more interested in retrieving biscuits!) The tails are a great indicator of progress. As they quarter the ground and near the objective the wagging gets faster. When the 'bag' has been spotted and is about to be taken the tails wag very fast, the shoulders lift and the front paws hit the ground in a pouncing movement. Even alone Jenna works tirelessly and energetically and we have to be careful that we don't exhaust her. The most stimulating exercises for her are those where she has to sit and watch and wait before being sent out to fetch. If the 'catch' is in water she ducks her head under the surface in her quest to find it. It is fascinating to watch her.
Jenna is deferential and gentle with Dominie and will take her a toy if she senses that Dominie is frustrated or unhappy. Along with Frodo she carefully cleans her mouth stopping the instant Dominie tells her to. She is respectful to Buddy and seems to understand that he cannot see very well but licks his muzzle when he is relaxed.

Jenna and Dominie play, watched by Frodo, January 2006

She thinks she is a lap dog and clambers up but cannot settle, fidgeting this way and that until she has found a comfortable position which inevitably is most uncomfortable for the human she has favoured. Like most Labradors she is very interested in food and would always appreciate at least twice the amount she is given. It would be very easy to give in to the pleading expression in her pretty eyes. Frodo and Jenna play-fighting, 2006

Every dog we have known intimately has been so very special and unique and Jenna is no exception. We have never reached the point where we cease to be amused and amazed, taught and humbled by these wonderful animals.

The Adventures of Frodo the Faller (3)

Frodo at 6 months old

Until he was nearly three Frodo had led an uneventful life. The biggest change he had experienced was moving from his Lincolnshire home to Berkshire at the age of five months. The two older Dalmatians grumbled as a matter of form but soon Dominie was playing with him and Buddy was sniffing him surreptitiously – they had accepted him.

We had been wondering how he would react to our cats as the only felines he had seen hitherto had been at a distance in the cattery at his old kennels. Our two elderly blue Burmese were both now rather stiff and Pansy was going blind. Singleton's vision had always been compromised as she was cross-eyed – not uncommon in Oriental cats. They had always lived with dogs in the house and knew they were the superior beings and need not trouble themselves over this callow spotted upstart. We introduced them carefully and Frodo was fascinated by them. He sniffed and licked and they tolerated his attentions. This was our first indication of his enormous capacity for gentleness. When Pansy died, he and Singleton spent a long time sniffing about the house searching for her in her old haunts. Our cats had always been indoor cats, not having any fear of people or dogs, though we feared for them. Air rifles can be just as deadly as cars and we saw no reason to expose them to danger. A year after Pansy's death Singleton passed away and Frodo was miserable.

Our eldest daughter visited with her two dogs, Jake the Wonder Rescue dog and Tia the Labrador. Frodo saw how the long-term residents reacted, greeting the visitors like old friends, and followed suit. He was delighted to have playmates. Walking in the forest with the five dogs was an interesting affair. Jake was a very obedient dog – it had been beaten into him by his previous owners – until he was off the lead and running free. When he saw another dog he would rush forward to meet it like a long-lost friend, deaf to all calls to come back. Most times his exuberance was not rebuffed. Dominie, though big and looking fearsome, ambled up agreeably to other dogs, greeting those she knew with her chirruping, warbling cry of welcome. Buddy was more formal, the sort of dog who if he had been a human would have raised his hat and gruffly remarked on the fineness of the day. Tia, still very young, was always ready to play but Frodo was a different prospect altogether. He mistrusted, distrusted, disliked on sight any other dog that dared to come within twenty yards of him – or us. Suddenly our gentle boy was protecting his tribe. If the strange dog read the signs correctly and retreated Frodo was appeased. We soon learnt to hold him close when unknown canines refused to believe that their friendly overtures were being rejected and insisted on trying to sniff his rear end. Dogs can spin! He made a lot of unpleasant noise but would not have acted on it – 'all mouth and no trousers' as the saying has it. Nonetheless it was sufficient to cause the adrenaline to flow, human and canine.

Back at home he was the perfect gentleman once more apart from food. Like many of his breed he was a practised thief and lost no opportunity to supplement his rations with some of ours. Failing that, bird seed scattered on the grass proved agreeable though, judging by the end results, he didn't derive much sustenance from it.

Then came the day of the first Falling, of which more anon.

Dominie (facing) and Frodo playing, Wildmoor Heath, 2006