by Simon Lusk
Bruce going into his first season with a couple of big cuts in his head from bashing into things when he was hunting.
Bruce is my new hunting dog, and is going into his second season. He was only eight months old at the beginning of last season, but he still managed to get three roosters without Mabo.
I got really lucky with Bruce. As soon as he got big enough to get through the long grass he went straight into the thickest blackberry he could find, and has never even stopped before jumping into thick stuff. I don’t think you can train a dog to love the thick stuff, and Bruce has never needed any encouragement.
Bruce loves retrieving, and doesn’t like going anywhere without his soft toy duck. He would rather wander around with his duck than have a pat, and his mother always had something in her mouth whenever I visited her.
Bruce is a better all round hunter than Mabo. He understands heel, and he hunts on command. Mabo pulls off better long range retrieves and is an awesome upland dog, but I only take Bruce after deer as Mabo wont listen.