Rocky the Otterhound: Learning, swimming and butter that doesn’t melt!

Rocky has had a very busy week indeed; he has had so many new and exciting experiences and coped with them all in his usual happy-go-lucky way.

His week started much as all others; with fun and toys ……… he has spent quite a bit of time in the garden this week due to the arrival of the sun on our part of the planet. Needless to say there is no such thing as an inside or outside toy for Rocky, hence the fact that flowerpots appear in my living room!! This one seems to be growing a rocky dog though?!

Rocky spends some of his time in the garden watching the birds ………. watching them as they fly overhead ……….

Watching them when they fly onto the roof and give him a good shouting at; because he is there and they want to get to the bird table. We have a pair of Blackbirds which build a nest in our garden every year, the male has become particularly confident with the members of our household and has been seen to sit just out of reach giving our cat a real good talking to. I think this bird in particular gives Rocky a hard time, but he takes it on the chin and seems to be more curious than offended. It’s hard to offend an Otterhound; they are just too easy going!!

Rocky has turned up with quite a bit of wood clenched in his teeth this week (looking soooo innocent) and I found out yesterday that he is systematically destroying a raised bed that my husband built a few years ago!!

I was thinking of having our garden landscaped this year, but I may have to think again! I was hoping that I would get someone with flair and a bit of talent to undertake the job …………. But it looks like I got Rocky instead!!! These are just a couple of the soil and grass redistribution areas I now have in my garden …………. Mmmm maybe I’ll wait until he has grown up a bit before getting it done properly!!!

I was considering feeling cross or at least hard done by when I saw the results of Rockys playtime in the garden but honestly, with the undeniably cute “butter wouldn’t melt” looks he gives you ………. How can I be cross??!!

Rocky started his doggy training in earnest this week; he met all sorts of new friends. This aspect of socialisation will be his favourite part I think, although he has seemed to enjoy everything he does. Mind you that is an Otterhound for you.

Time is given at the beginning of training for each dog to get to know his or her school mates and there is so much tail wagging that a fair old draught goes through the hall.

Rocky appeared fascinated by everything that happened at class this week, he did so well at obeying commands and controlling himself when other potential playmates are around.

He was quite blown away at being able to mix with so many other dogs, but like all the others (who have been attending for some time) he did everything that was asked of him.

When we moved outside for more exercises I thought Rocky might loose his concentration …….. So many distractions but he was excellent, we were very proud of him.

He even managed the sit while we walk away bit ………. And his recall from that was brilliant!

Of course being an Otterhound it may just have been because he wanted to do these things (nothing to do with what we wanted you understand); but I think we will just wait and see. This is a bit of an experiment you see, there are some that think that Otterhounds cannot be trained as they are too stubborn and there are some that think they can be trained like any other dog ……… so lets see!!

Oh just before we leave the subject of dog training classes ………….. Why is it that in this part of the world there are so many ………….. DEVIL DOGS!!!

Rockys big adventure this week saw another return visit to his favourite watering hole. We weren’t going to go this week but the weather was glorious and a last minute decision saw us walking on this part of the plain again.

Rocky enjoyed a bit of “scare your dad while he’s sitting down” game ………. “Devil dog attack” ……… of course this game ended up with lots of slurpy licks and some rough and tumble ……… as always!

While we were admiring the scenery Rocky decided to do his “Noble” impression, like me you will be aware that his usual demeanour is “mud and scruff”, so of course it’s an act! His repertoire is getting quite large now don’t you think?

As we got closer to the pool we came across a couple of young Lurchers ………. All three at once decided it was “Playtime”!!

They each introduced themselves ……….

Then it was time to do what young dogs do best ………. Charge about like things possessed and have a whale of a time. These Lurchers could run ………… amazingly Rocky almost kept up with them ………. But like true playmates when Rocky lagged behind they turned and came back to ensure he was part of the fun. What a wonderful time they had ……… I love watching dogs have fun!!

When his friends had gone Rocky decided to go for a very quick swim ……….. well …….. it was more of a walk slowly in ………… realise you had stepped in a bit of water which no longer had a bottom to it ……… turn rapidly around and exit with as much of your pride intact as possible!!

After that of course he was wet………. And exceedingly happy and bouncy! He charged forward heading for his “dad”, and getting as close as he could ………… had a jolly good shake. This led to the inevitable sounds of torment from his “dad” and they were off on a hilarious game of chase. Rocky wanting to rub himself dry on “dad” and “dad” not wanting any of it! Was I helpful?? Well I laughed a lot ……. Does that count?

Rocky had played himself into the ground so to speak. We got back to the car put his seatbelt on and by the time “dad” had put the wellies in the boot of the car ………. our hero was fast asleep!

When we got home Rocky made his own way into the house, still smiling, but something gave us the impression he was still rather tired ………. Can you guess what that might have been??

Lastly, I feel that I must add something for anyone out there who is considering the merits of owning an Otterhound. We have been told that someone has been putting people off having an Otterhound because “they smell”! Let me set the record straight!

Having had Rocky since he was very young I can give you the inside story on this ………. Bearing in mind that he is an Otterhound living with us in our home. True enough there were a few times when Rocky was tiny that he had a pungent smell. It was not pleasant, I will be honest with you, BUT by the time he was 6 months old this hardly ever happened and now it is a rarity and will diminish further as time goes on. He now smells no better or worse than any of the other dogs we have owned.
Any vet they will tell you that all dogs have anal glands and young dogs can become overfull, but this will remedy as they grow.

Believe me if you are a “doggy person” you will be prepared to put up with this short term inconvenience, it is well worth it to live with such an amiable and fun dog!!

Rocky the Otterhound: Growing and Fun is hard work!

We discussed taking Rocky to dog training lessons some time ago, as he appears to pick things up quite quickly and this week saw the start of these. Of course a great deal of dog training appears to be training the owners (which is not necessarily a bad thing), but Rocky has to put in as much hard work as we do! Of course the work is fun for Rocky which is the main reason for going and he certainly enjoys the rewards. He is an alert and clever dog and we feel it important to occupy his brain as well as his body. The first session was very successful and we all picked up on what to do quickly, our tasks are to work on “down” and “recall”. As long as Rocky enjoys it I think we will continue to attend and we are fully prepared for the odd touch of Otterhound stubbornness, in fact that may well add interest to the exercise. I will of course let you know how we all get on and am hoping for a few laughs along the way.




Rocky is continuing to grow and his “daddy” is very pleased to see that it won’t be long before Rocky can give him a traditional Otterhound greeting; standing with his front feet on his dads shoulders for a big slurpy kiss!! Myself, being somewhat shorter and not too keen on this style of saying hello, tend to keep to the more sedate form of bending down and getting a hug.











This week saw several visitors arrive which meant more play time for Rocky. He insists on a good lean in between though.









When our next visitors arrived though, Rocky really came into his own and showed how clever he was. When asked to play (which was lots) he modified his behaviour to ensure he was slower and very gentle – what a star!







He even enjoyed showing off the manners he has been taught. He really does learn fast and enjoys the rewards of squeals of delight, cuddles and lots of love!








The best reward of all is lots of fun and games. Tug of war could have been a problem if Rocky had put his all into it, but he cleverly maintained his gentle behaviour. This, of course, meant playtime went on for much longer - Clever dog!





Rocky even took time out to have a sit down with his mates! How does it feel to have a young Otterhound sit on your lap??? Well, after they both posed for this happy photograph (note that both faces are smiling), young Ollie exclaimed that his leg was going numb – wonder why?!






All this activity tired out our young hero ………… he then set out to show us that he does still fit into his bed! But look at the state of him!! He all but turned inside out to go to sleep ……………

Yep, still makes me grin thinking about “Otterhounds in the wild”. I always visualise a sort of “Far Side” picture, with a clearing in the muddle of a jungle filled with various pieces of furniture – a hammock, a sofa or two, a dog bed etc – all filled with Otterhounds on their backs with legs in the air and fast asleep!! Wish I could draw; could make a fortune with that!!




Rockys big adventure this week saw us back on the plain heading for the small river we found on a previous walk with loads of running around on the way. We practiced a little recall, not too much though as there was lots of distraction and a young dogs intense need to explore its environment.







Rocky was happy to splash in and out of the water and always came out bouncing!!











He waded through the boggy ground along the riverside much like a child with wellies on playing in a puddle. He had a big grin on his face the whole time ………… Otterhound smiles are wonderful!!











And on the way back there was still more to explore. Although Rocky takes full advantage of the freedom off the lead that we are able to give him on the plain (no roads for miles in any direction), he keeps coming back to make sure you are nearby. This he does of his own accord as we have only given basic recall training and our success has largely depended on what mood he is in. As I have stated recently, his teenage behaviour has been apparent and his recall has been very poor. However when out on the plain he appears to have worked out that it is to his advantage to ensure he doesn’t loose us. Told you he was an intelligent dog!





After his big week, and a good walk as well, Rocky headed for his favourite sofa to stretch out on and go to sleep. When Rocky stretches out, he REALLY stretches out; however he appears to have lost his head?













After several fast asleep position changes, his head still hadn’t appeared; so I got up to look for it ………………. Ah there it is!

Otterhounds in the wild again!!

Rocky the Otterhound: Laziness, affection and fun!

Rocky has had a full week with lots of lovely play time. He continues to develop into a lovely young Otterhound and I have been able to identify some more personality traits.

Rocky has not developed into a cuddly dog, don’t get me wrong he is affectionate, but he is his own man. Since he has grown he shows his affection in other ways; by coming over to you and leaning on you. He then enjoys a good stroke and will put up with you sneaking a quick cuddle (but you have to be quick)!

How do I know that a good leaning is affectionate? Well, he seems to have taken to leaning in a big way (too lazy to lift himself onto the sofa may be?) but he normally just leans where ever he is at the time.

Actually seeking you out to lean on is different in my book; and he does purposefully walk over to lean on you quite often! I would translate that into affection, alongside his habit of getting up on the chair next to you and giving you his paw to hold while he falls asleep ……….. Pups all develop their own way but I think these may be uniquely Rocky, or Otterhound, or both?!

Rocky will often show a lazy nature …………. Does things half hearted so to speak ………….. Such as getting up on the sofa after climbing off it to fetch a favoured toy. Or not!!

I would love to think that these frequent poses are due to his over-excitement with the toy leading to an inability to finish a manoeuvre before getting stuck in. But that is not his way! Rocky tends to think about things and come to a decision before he does them ……… although he doesn’t always make the right decision, but he is still learning.

A couple of weeks ago I told you about his new favourite toys (soft latex dinosaurs that we thought would only last 3 minutes), well they are still going strong and he is rarely seen in the house without one of them hanging from his mouth.

I would highly recommend them as an Otterhounds jaw can make short shrift of most things – but these appear to be an exception!

This week “daddy” bought home another new toy for him (again one of his favourites) a cardboard tube! The bigger the better –

This one was as tall as him and he had great fun trying to run around the house with it in his mouth. It did give us a few worried moments as he is now almost on a level with most of the ornaments in the room. But thankfully it didn’t take long for him to stop parading and settle down to destruction!!

Rocky is also fascinated by birds!! He will try and follow the crows up in the fields, stop what he is doing to watch a bird fly past and look up at the roof to see what is making that lovely noise. He also spends a lot of his time sat at the patio doors watching the birds feed at the table in the back garden.

Needless to say his favourite part of the garden is by the bird table. He will wait for them to show up and when he gets bored (because none of them do) he will go and lay on the bank; with one eye still watching the bird table. If he manages to stay still long enough one will always come down; unfortunately he then ruins the moment by running down there to try and get a closer look!! Still, everyone ought to have a hobby I suppose!!

Rocky’s adventure this week was doubly enjoyable as his friend Molly joined him. Molly (being a Spaniel) doesn’t have the same apparent reticence about water that Rocky has, this became more apparent as the walk went on. Rocky is still happy to paddle but does not go in for the total abandonment that his friend shows. I don’t know if this is Otterhound or just Rocky behaviour but it is still early in the year and there is always the hot balmy summer (what in England??!!) to look forward to.

We managed to walk a little further this week and found the “lake” that I had been told about. I must say, it was more like a very large pond than a lake but ideal for doggy swimming as it was deep enough, clean and had easy to walk out of sides.

Molly was in her element, loved her swim ……… but Rocky was not so sure!

Rocky took his time, watched how much fun his mate was having, checked out the wet stuff a bit and seemed in no hurry to make his decision.

However, “daddy” decided he couldn't wait any longer to enjoy seeing his lad taking a swim.

The sun was out, the birds were singing, Molly was in and out like a water baby ………

So “daddy” went for it …………. And Rocky found himself walking out of the pond in a strange state of wetness!!

Despite being exceedingly happy afterwards, Rocky did not venture into the water again. Even when we were joined by a couple of new friends (who also loved a good swim) Rocky was happy to just sit back and watch his friends have fun.

He did have a jolly good charge round though, when they were all out of the water. He just loves playing!!

Eventually we headed back, Rocky stopped to watch a few cows on the way.

Unlike last time he met them he was more self assured and seemed happy to stand in plain sight and watch for a while. I often wish I could know what he is thinking ……… for such a young dog he does an awful lot of watching and pondering!! It’s quite fascinating to watch ……… he just takes his time …….. Then suddenly does a mental shrug and walks away!! If intelligence is measured by how much information you take in about something, I may have a doggy genius on my hands!!

Back at the cars and Molly is moving less fast – time for Rocky to play his way (as close to “in one place” as possible).

The fact they they had just finished an amazingly stimulating walk got the better of both of them. They both got closer and closer to the ground -until they played without moving around much at all - sort of a mixture betweem teeth duelling and boxing.

While we found this rather amusing it seems that Rocky and Molly found it hilarious – they just couldn’t stop laughing and smiling. How cute is that?

After saying our goodbyes it was home for a good rest. Rocky was contented and decided to curly up behind “daddy”. Now was that affection or just the fact that “daddy” had all the comfy cushions??