Lefty the Hunter

My dog can hunt. No not my Labrador retriever, my rat terrier Lefty, he hunts anything that smells. You can’t come in my house and pretend you didn’t eat a cookie. I never knew Rat Terriers could hunt, matter of fact never really knew much about them at all. Hubby has a friend that likes to breed a liter every now and again. The boys begged for one. First time I said “No” flatly. Second time I answered the same, let’s speed down over the hundreds of times when Pancho came into our home.

Lefty does not look exactly like the Rat Terriers I have seen on the web. Matter of fact he looks more like a beagle rat terrier cross. Be that as may Lefty is my shadow. He is never far from my side. We were separated while I was at convention but I knew he could make it for a few days without me. Lefty can hunt! He actually likes to hunt for me the most, he will hunt for the boys and Hubby but they always say the wrong commands. Somehow training them is harder than Lefty! In addition, if he kills a bug I let him roll in it. I know with great pride how much he loves to roll in dead things. The day he found a dead rat was the day I had to bathe him. I let him have the bugs, but that is my limit. The first time he killed a mouse, he was so upset Hubby took it from him. Lefty looked at Hubby like “You go get your own Mouse, this guy is mine!” I grew up with my grandfather training dogs to hunt, so I take great pride that Lefty can hunt. You only have to say the same command each time you want them to find an animal. Every time you say the command, they will hunt for anything. Then you have to have a back up command word to keep them going. For instance, Lefty hunts when I say, “Lefty Sniff them out!” that wasn’t my choice the first time Lefty got a whiff of a mouse Gator had said that phrase. Dogs work on simple same commands period. The first kill meant, “Sniff it out” = Lefty being a hero. After he has the scent of the animal, you then say “Sic Em” it means not to lose the prey. As he may lose the scent or gets confused, you go back to the same two phrases. Once he has the prey under control. You praise the dog. That is their job, they hunt you praise.

A hunting dog has one characteristic that you can see if they like hunting. While they are hunting, they are wagging their tail. To Lefty, hunting is pure joy, he can be anywhere in the house when you say, “Sniff them out” and he comes running at lightening speed. Many people think you have to only have critters to keep a hunting dog happy, we have found he is happy to hunt for a dog bone, a piece of candy, his favorite toy, Pancho when he has escaped. You name it Lefty loves to hunt. I think that is the key for a happy hunting dog, you let them hunt not all the time but for variety. Lefty never bores of it. I cannot say it enough how important it is for dogs to be praised for doing their job, a working dog is like being an employee they want acknowledgment of a job well done. Hunting is a natural instinct to some breeds of dogs, but I think there are dogs that really like to hunt and some that can hunt. Lefty loves it!

Pancho on the other hand is like an a OCD buddy, he barely will watch Lefty hunt, much less participate. Pancho finds the whole process distasteful. Pancho and Lefty are the best of buds sort of like Oscar and Felix.

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