While the spoodle or cockapo is breed from two major retrieving dogs, they also love to track live animals. The rabbits are always way too fast for him, but this park is a favourite of mine and his for the fact it is very near our home, and is secured by tall fences.

It is also full of rabbits most of the time, until dogs come to have some off lead exercise.

After years and centuries of breeding these dogs down to a single task, when they get a chance to test their expertise, spoodles (from the English cocker spaniel) get very excited.

This gap in the fence is only about 15 cm wide, however that is massive for all rabbits to easily jump through at pace. Some rabbits even sit in the long grass until we almost step on them before they leap for the gap.

The whole point of this is, that with so much traffic going to and from the exercise yard, this small gap is completely saturated with scents that a highly evolved nose finds massively stimulating.

And the rabbits are so complacent now that they often just sit on the other side in plain view while traffic goes past them on one side, and my dog barks through the fence on the other side.

This is one way, when I am running short of time, that I ensure that my dog gets a great work out. He doesn't need any other dog around to do it. Doesn't need to run besides me on a bike or on a treadmill at home, but he gets to burn many calories/ KJ and really earn his evening meal.

By the way, this is not a flippant remark, dogs have esteem as well. Dogs were bred to work for a living and please their masters. When they do a good job, they feel satisfied both mentally and physically. The reward is in knowing that they provided you with a service that you value - hence the reason that you praise them when completing such tasks.

My mornings are spent on my regular dog walks with Archie and client's dogs. This is where he socialises and gets to play with his favourites and new comer dog, but often with few rabbits or prey in that park, he will just meander along. This is what I meant about four dogs. Two are his breed, and two are the type of dog he acts like with and without prey scents present.

If you watch this video all the way through, you will notice that I left the original sound recording volume of our walk high at the end to allow his barking to come through over the music. This is high pitched excited, " I want to chase you" barking.

But being bred from two retrievers, he does not go in for the kill when he gets close. After all he is a retriever, which I think gibes him some of the best manner of all dogs!

I hope you have enjoyed this article and the video, let me know on my facebook page!

Cheers Bruce & Archie

Article by Bruce Dwyer. If you wish to use any of this information please use a LINK reference to http://www.dogwalkersmelbourne.com.au

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