[jgas]

Not a Pit, although I know Pits love to play fetch. Mine is a Lab/somekindofshepard mix. He is as stubborn as a Pit though. Actually he's very easy to train, but stubborn in a good way. I can rub any object with my hands to transfer my scent, throw it over the house or hide it and say "Fetch", and as long as he has smelled the item he'll find it. If he doesn't find it in about 10minutes, he comes back to me and paces and whines hoping I'll look for it with him. Then if I really scold him and send him to fetch again, he won't quit until he finds it, about 90% of the time. The other 10% he'll come slinking back to me and give me a look of complete apology for coming back with an empty mouth. You can tell he really tried as hard as he could and feels terrible that he failed. I can bury something rubbed with my scent that he has got a good smell/look at, put rocks on top, and he'll sniff until he finds the rocks with my smell and start digging until he finds whatever I hid. You should see try to fetch the cat! I can pet the cat to transfer my scent, then tell him to fetch the kitty. It's hilarious! First he looks at me and whines cause he knows it's gonna hurt. Then he starts easing up on her, all friendly like. If I keep saying "fetch the cat, get that cat", he goes nuts trying. He's a very gentle dog, so he tries to find a way to get close enough to get her in his mouth to bring her without hurting her. Of course the cat claws his nose. After a couple of tries he just stands there looking at the cat and barking, then looking at me and barking more. She puffs herself up and does that cat warning meow, he's barking and jumping around frustrated, and I'm laughing.

As for the drag link, he must of worked at it awhile, because it was almost as heavy as him, and long and awkward. I left a shovel in the yard the other day and when I went outside the next day it was laying on the front steps. I had driven it into the ground pretty deep but he pulled it up and delivered it. I had to quit throwing sticks or firewood and scold him for picking up anything wood because he'd keep bringing me firewood. One day I was working under a car for an hour, and when I crawled out there were 6-7 pieces of firewood laying behind me. If I was unloading firewood onto the porch he'd stand there patiently with a piece in his mouth. If I ignored him, he would sneak up behind me and quietly lay it near me so I would turn around and trip on it.

Come to think of it, when I used to let him into my he would pick up any tool I had dropped and hit me with it by shoving his nose into my leg. He'd be standing there with a pair of Vise Grips in his mouth. But he's a good dog, cause he didn't steal, he just reminded me that I had left a tool on the ground.

Maybe I should teach him to steal others tools? Follow the Snap On delivery guy until he walked into a business and tell the dog to fetch? I'll have a complete set of good tools quick. But there is no telling WHAT tool he'd steal. I'd have a bunch of random tools, but never a complete set.

Ok, enough from me about tools stealing dogs.