Valhalla Farm

Today, while out and about, Max and I disturbed a family of deer. There was a large adult female and four youngsters. As always, it was lovely to see them so close up.

Max gave chase for all of about 400 yards!  They are so quick and put a huge distance between them and Max in no time at all. In less then a minute they were out of sight.

Max, now a bit too old for this game, came running back to me with a grin on his face (there was a time, years ago, when he would have followed their scent and I wouldn't have seen him for about 15 or 20 minutes).  He seemed to be saying, "I could have caught up, of course, but I didn't want to leave you on your own Mum".  I didn't have the heart to tell him I know his deer chasing days are over so I just made a fuss of him, showing my gratitude he had come back to protect me. 

It is hunting season here at the moment and the hunting fraternity are out every weekend. Yesterday, they were very close to us indeed, their dogs very noisy.

It is always comforting to know just how rubbish our local hunters are!  I have never known them to actually shoot anything (except for the odd mishap when they shoot one of their fellow hunters!) and, judging by the amount of deer we see around here, it is quite certain the hunters will never have any impact on the local deer population.

The so-called hunters seem to join the local group simply to partake in the pre-hunt ritual of drinking several glasses of wine or brandy while chatting and then enjoy a tramp through the countryside whilst looking cool holding a big gun and letting their dogs have a good run about. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, when Max and I are out Darren can let Merlin play with the new toy I bought him for Christmas (our old boy just about manages to walk around the garden these days, bless him, so I bought a toy geared towards brain stimulation and reward, not physical exercise).
It's great  -  there are different boxes where you hide a nice smelling treat. Each box opens a different way and your dog has to work out how to open each box to get the treat.

One box lid lifts up with the push of a nose, another has a drawer with string that the dog has to pull with his teeth or paw, another has a knob on top that the dog has to get hold of in his teeth to lift off, and so on.

Our boy managed a couple of the easier ones within seconds, but there are other more difficult ones that keep him busy for quite a while working it out.

Of course, there will come a time, very soon, when he remembers it all and the game will be over very quickly. It matters not, he will still enjoy it, I'm sure,  and will definitely enjoy the treats inside.

     It's a variation on a theme. I have always played "find it" with both of them (and still do) where I make them wait outside a room while I hide treats in lots of different places. They don't move until I give the command "find it" and then have great fun sniffing about finding the treats.  (I should warn you, this is not one for the severeley house-proud!)