Author Topic: fun with a dead squirrel  (Read 6988 times)

Offline pyr4me

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fun with a dead squirrel
« on: March 25, 2008, 08:49:32 pm »
While I was walking Jenny and Tipper this past weekend on the wooded trails near my house, I noticed that they were both really excited about something in the snow, and the next thing I see is Jenny with a recently dead squirrel in her mouth!  :o  Next starts the battle of wills between Jenny and I as to what, precisely, is going to happen with this squirrel. I first try to take it out of her mouth, which was hard to do as I didn't want to touch it--her response is to put her lips around it even more. Luckily, she's not trying to eat it...yet. This is my fear that she is going to eat this squirrel and I refuse to deal with dead squirrel diarrhea. I then try to use a stick to see if that will work, but nope, nothing doing. Jenny was so funny because she is just calmly standing there with this squirrel in her mouth watching me. I am running out of ideas at this point because Jenny doesn't know the "leave it" command yet and she clearly wants to keep the thing and I don't know what else to do. I try once more with my hands and then all of a sudden, she drops the thing. I swear I think she was just messing with me!  ::)
Jennifer

Tipper (8 1/2 yrs) Golden Retriever/Sheltie mix
Jenny (4 yrs) Great Pyrenees
Gabriel (14 yrs) Sealpoint Himalayan cat
Melanie (11 yrs) Domestic medium hair cat

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Offline People Whisperer

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Re: fun with a dead squirrel
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2008, 08:55:09 pm »
HAHAHAHAHAA! I had kinda the same battle with Lily a while ago...I noticed that she was playing with something in the backyard...I called her and she would not come...surpris e!!!
I got her and tried to unlock her jaws with not result...Walke d her in her crate and she dropped it...DEAD mouse! Yikes!!! I almost vomited right there >:( :o So disgusting  >:(
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Offline marinafb

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Re: fun with a dead squirrel
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2008, 09:07:29 pm »
 :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
Thats so funny how they test you! I had a smooth fox terrier once we had a snow storm and the dogs had cabin fever. I took them to a football field at the universtiy and let them run around the snow was up to my knees and at times i could'nt see ozone! At the other end of the football field i saw him digging for something my other 2 caught up to him and they were all three playing tug of was with this flat piece of fur it was a frozen squirrel.I threw up and i was'nt pretty i can laugh about it now it was a while ago!I told them not to kiss me with there spuirrel lips
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Offline GoldenPyrs

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Re: fun with a dead squirrel
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2008, 09:12:50 pm »
LOL!  Yuck!  I had a similar battle with Daisy a couple of years ago over a long dead bird only she took one look at me reaching for her & she swallowed the darn thing whole.   :o  ::)  It was truly nasty!  I'm glad for you that Jenny dropped it before she either ate it or before you had to grab the poor thing.  Shudder....
Marie

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Offline London_Pyr_Lover

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Re: fun with a dead squirrel
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2008, 02:13:07 am »
I went through this battle quite a few times with Naja this past summer and autumn.  Twice I think she managed to gulp the dead bird, or squirrel down her pretty little throat before I could get it.  A few times I managed to pry whatever dead thing she had from her mouth, and then she finally learned the Leave it, or if I'm too late the Drop it command.  Thank goodness for Leave it and Drop it, I hope that she does better with that all this year.  Work with Jenny on those commands, they'll save your stomach, and help to keep the "ICK" factor down in the warmer months.   ;)  Best way (IMO) to teach them;  Leave it:  Put a tasty treat down on the ground by your foot, and tell her to "Leave it", block her access to it with your foot if need be.  When she is no longer concerned with the treat on the ground, give her something even better.  A good one to do at the same time (that Naja and I are still working on) is "Watch Me".  When you see Jenny go for something she shouldn't distract her with "Watch me" and give her a yummy treat when she does.  Drop it is similar to Leave it, When she has a toy or whatever in her mouth, tell her to "Drop it" and when she does, give her an extra yummy treat.  Keep these up until they become routine, they'll be a life saver in the spring and summer when all the really gross smell dead things come out of their snowy hiding places.
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Offline pyr4me

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Re: fun with a dead squirrel
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2008, 09:04:59 am »
I went through this battle quite a few times with Naja this past summer and autumn.  Twice I think she managed to gulp the dead bird, or squirrel down her pretty little throat before I could get it.  A few times I managed to pry whatever dead thing she had from her mouth, and then she finally learned the Leave it, or if I'm too late the Drop it command.  Thank goodness for Leave it and Drop it, I hope that she does better with that all this year.  Work with Jenny on those commands, they'll save your stomach, and help to keep the "ICK" factor down in the warmer months.   ;)  Best way (IMO) to teach them;  Leave it:  Put a tasty treat down on the ground by your foot, and tell her to "Leave it", block her access to it with your foot if need be.  When she is no longer concerned with the treat on the ground, give her something even better.  A good one to do at the same time (that Naja and I are still working on) is "Watch Me".  When you see Jenny go for something she shouldn't distract her with "Watch me" and give her a yummy treat when she does.  Drop it is similar to Leave it, When she has a toy or whatever in her mouth, tell her to "Drop it" and when she does, give her an extra yummy treat.  Keep these up until they become routine, they'll be a life saver in the spring and summer when all the really gross smell dead things come out of their snowy hiding places.

Thanks, yes, I know "leave it" well with Tipper. He will spit out whatever gross thing he might have with that command. And it helps to stop him from rolling in dead things, too. It has proved to be an invaluable command. I just have to work with Jenny a bit on it!  ;)
Jennifer

Tipper (8 1/2 yrs) Golden Retriever/Sheltie mix
Jenny (4 yrs) Great Pyrenees
Gabriel (14 yrs) Sealpoint Himalayan cat
Melanie (11 yrs) Domestic medium hair cat

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us."
~Robert Lewis Steven

Gemz

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Re: fun with a dead squirrel
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2008, 09:08:43 am »
there's a trick we use in our puppy classes, and it might come in useful for future situations like this

dont touch the item (toy, squirrel, whatever) and dont say anything, just hold the dog by the collar (might need slightly more strength for a big paw) dont let her lay down, so she has to just sit/stand there with it in her mouth, without being able to play with it. eventually she will drop it, then you tell her drop (or whatever command) and move it out of the way before she grabs it again.

this has worked for every puppy in my classes, except an english bull terrier, and he took 49 minutes to drop the toy.

ha ha good luck!

Offline Ali

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Re: fun with a dead squirrel
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2008, 10:11:57 am »
Grooooooosssss sss :P!
Ali
mom of 4 humans AND
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