As the first glimmers of an easing of the Covid-19 lockdown appeared, there was some dispensation from the powers that be for some resumption of training for essential services such as Mountain Rescue and SARDA, albeit in a very small scale and limited way.
By necessity, mountain rescue has the potential for needing to work in close quarters with others whilst delivering first-aid or helping carry a stretcher, so much of the early focus was about developing procedures and working out appropriate PPE for operations to continue. Search dog training has a little more potential for good social distancing, although there was also some concern over dog fur acting as a vehicle for transmission.
In early June, as discussions about how to resume formal dog training were underway, we received the hard-to-take news that Venn and I would need to restart the acceptance-test process and retake our obedience assessment as well as do the stock test. I’d be the first to admit that when we passed the obedience test the first time around it was a surprise to all concerned, and we have continued to put in a lot of work on that front over lockdown, but it felt like a step backwards nonetheless.
Feeling a little bruised by the process, I had a little chat with myself, and finally got stirred back into action. We cut back on the scenting work, and used the time to blitz the obedience skills. A week or so later, we were invited along to a small-group session for the trainers to see how we were getting on and identify any problem areas.
We would be working in unfamiliar terrain, which is always a distraction for Venn, so for us the training day started very early with a long walk in the woods at home to dampen energy levels before we set off for the long drive along empty roads to the hills above the Conwy valley. The terrain of open farmland and sunken roads criss-crossed with badger runs and other interesting smells was potential scent-gold for any self-respecting dog, and Venn was not immune from its attraction. However, when required, she recalled nicely and walked to heel. She played well with the other trainee pups and older dogs present, but again recalled away when asked. Her stay (5min in sight plus 5 min out of sight) was good, but that was never a real worry.
After a break we moved onto a sheep field to see how she was coping around livestock. Our first field was a little more porous than anticipated, and the sheep gradually dissolved away through the hedgerows as we began our walking-to-heel exercises. Venn, for her part, looked largely uninterested in the woolly ones. We moved onto a long narrow field, and Venn was put into a stay on one side, with me on the other, while the sheep were driven in between down the long axis of the field. Again all good. Finally we tried to set up a recall through the flock; perhaps the most testing of all the stock drills, and the one where she had taken up the chase (and therefore failed) in our last attempt. I put her in a stay on one side of the field once more, and then tried to position myself so that the sheep were between us. The sheep, however had not read the memo, and were a bit skittish having been driven up and down the field already. Having drifted very close to the waiting dog, they suddenly bolted, with much leaping and jumping, as they were almost upon her. Venn broke her stay and started running towards the sheep in what looked like it was going to be a rerun of our last attempt, except crucially (and thankfully) it wasn’t. She wasn’t running towards the sheep, she was running towards me to get away from them. She passed right through the flock and completely ignored them.
Pretty much everyone watching was happy with this performance, and after a short huddle by the trainers, I was told we had passed our acceptance test. Yay!
I say pretty much everyone, but there was one notable exception in the form of Venn who was very unhappy with me for putting her in that situation, and stood barking at me as I received the good news. I got the paperwork signed as quickly as possible and bundled her off before anyone changed their mind.
Once travel restrictions were lifted for Wales in general, the time was right for us to take the opportunity to deal with another issue; that of Venn’s spaying. We had opted to have her “done” with a “Lap-spay”, a keyhole surgical technique which causes much less trauma to the abdominal wall. It is a fair bit more expensive than the standard process, but gives a much better recovery time. Our local practice was not set up to offer this option, but friends at Severn Vets in Worcester were able to fit us in at fairly short notice. She didn’t escape the “cone of shame” and still had to endure 10 days of much reduced activity but has tolerated it passably well.
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