Killer puppy....Anyone got a hunter doodle?

[Donna P.]

Over the last two weeks, I have pulled the strangest things out of Bayley's mouth. (She's 6 months old). 3 dead birds, 1 dead mouse, and today a baby snake. I can't swear she killed everything...One bird I think commited suicide by a kamikase dive into the window. But the one she ate yesterday, I think she did kill. When I went out to see what she was eating, I saw a panicked young dove that didn't have his flying certification trying to hop/fly over the fence. I think that there is a nest in the spruce tree, and the chicks had fledged and couldn't fly well enough to escape Bayley. I'm fairly certain she killed the garter snake, and she is digging a trench across the back yard trying to catch the mole.

I'm thinking there must be some latent terrier in her ancestry. She has been in the chicken yard when the chickens are out, and she has been respectful, but we have been there to check her. I don't think I would trust her to leave them alone if we weren't there.

Does this seem like odd behavior for a doodle?  

[Diana K]

gently picking them up with his mouth and placing them back unharmed? thats ridiculously cute!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It really is, especially considering how big his head and mouth are!

I think the bunnies felt otherwise, though! :)

[Ginny Nightingale]

That is such a cute picture and the idea of a doodle picking up a baby rabbit and setting it back down? Precious. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And I swear that JD was sitting right there when I took that! Although I admit to having to say "Leave it", lol.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Like Spud, and other doodles, she probably is a fantastic swimmer.  I bet she would love to go into the water.  Have you done this with her yet?

[Donna P.]

We have a couple of creeks on the property with deep pools in them. This past weekend when it was 95 degrees I took the 2 dogs to swim. They wouldn't go out past their knees, so I threw a stick. The Beardie swam after it, but Bayley kept her feet on the ground and just tried to grab Mayzie's hair as she swam by. I haven't pushed the swimming so far. I'm afraid that once she discovers it, we'll never have a dry doodle again.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Another area where JD is lacking any signs of his poodle/retriever heritage: he hates, and I mean hates, water.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Wow! When we go to the ocean, Kona will jump in to the waves to retrieve a stick as long as we can keep throwing it. JD is snubbing his lab and poodle-ness with that aversion. That mean you never have to get drenched when he comes out of the water. Consider it a bonus. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

He will go into the water if you throw a tennis ball in, but he'll only go as far as he can still touch bottom. If the ball floats out deeper, he waits for some other dog to go get it, lol!

He has actually managed to find his own personal tennis ball retrievers several times at the dog park. One would get the ball from the deep water for him, bring it to me on the shore, and then go back in. This is a completely strange dog we're talking about here. Talk about obsessed!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Kona would be happy to do this for Jack any time. ;o)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Kona is a sweetheart!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

It seems like normal behavior for a retriever from my experience! My last retriever was a better mouser than my cat!  He also could catch birds in flight! Ugh! However, I'm afraid this is the extend of Tara's interest in hunting: