Taming a Natural-Bred Hunter: Dobbin's Story
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Meet Dobbin!
Meet Dobbin, an English Setter from Spencerport, New York! This goofy pup and his owner, Clayton Johnson, are a match made in heaven.
Clayton’s daughter, the owner of a grooming salon, told him a young English Setter was scheduled for a grooming appointment and suggested he come in to meet the owner and dog. She knew Clayton loved English Setters and considered getting one now that he’s retired and has more time to hunt. Clayton was hooked and set out to find a hunting companion.
This goofy pup and his owner, Clayton, are a match made in heaven.
Clayton connected with a local dog owner, Mike, who had three English Setters of his own. The two men shared a love of hunting and fishing and even belonged to the same fly-fishing club. Small world! Soon Mike reached out with some news. His one and a half-year-old male setter had figured out one of his two females was in heat before he did, and she was now expecting. “Would you like a puppy?” he asked. Of course, Clayton replied YES!
Dobbin is a very clumsy boy, loves to play keep-away with his stuffed toys, and tug of war with a scrap piece of rope. He also likes to run up behind Clayton and do a full “block in the back” to start some of his rough playing in the back yard. Dobbin, at almost 75 pounds, keeps Clay on his toes… and sometimes on his back!
Before SpotOn, Dobbin would be on a cable. Clayton’s home property is one acre, and he wished Dobbin could enjoy more of the yard. He looked into Invisible Fence® and, as an engineer, he thought to himself, “with all the GPS technology, someone should come up with a GPS locating dog collar.” A few months later, he came across Spot On and thought;
“What an awesome product! Multiple boundaries, locating on the app, and how to find your dog if he gets out. PERFECT!” – Owner, Clayton J.
Now that Dobbin has his boundary, he can freely roam about half of the property and stay safe from dangerous areas. Another benefit, he no longer has access to the poison ivy in the woods, which he would tend to share with his owner inadvertently! Clayton also enjoys the portability feature of SpotOn and uses it frequently when on the go. When he travels to his mom’s or daughter’s house, he uses the map of their properties to give Dobbin freedom there as well.
SpotOn also does a great job of taming Dobbin’s high prey-drive. When he’s outside, you can find him watching the world go by in his front yard, sniffing the wind and smelling out any animals nearby. Though he loves to chase down squirrels and birds, he never leaves his SpotOn Fence.
“Being bred like he is, he has a very good nose and subsequently doesn’t miss much. It is good that the SpotOn system works with hunting dogs because they turn off most of their fears when they are tuned in to game. SpotOn does a great job of keeping him in check.”
Dobbin and Clayton frequently go hunting together at their local game preserve and their cabin in the Adirondacks. Dobbin does a fantastic job of pointing pheasants and grouse! Though he hasn’t caught a bird on his own, he has been closing the gap. He gets very excited retrieving the birds when Clayton gets the shot, parading around with it to show it off!
Dobbin does not hunt in their yard; however, if any bird flies over, he is watching it closely. Even planes! He is very tuned in to wildlife and loves to patrol the perimeter of the yard. And, Clayton is happy and at ease, given the sense of security in knowing he is safe!
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