Alice's (Galys') First Walk Off Lead

Animals
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Very nervous this morning because after a false start a week or two ago when she slipped her lead out of my grasp in the field and made a beeline for the horizon, after a couple of days of reassurance I decided the time was now. :worried:

I had tried walking them separately, ok as long as one was happy to stay at home for a while, I had tried to walk them together out of the gates and through the forest, with Jules on the 33 metre and her on a normal lead. On that occasion with them both at a distance in the field I remembered that this 33m has a clip both ends, so for a time up into the next field all went well. Then she back tracked and I had to unclip Jules because she dived back though a small hole in the undergrowth while Jules and I went home with him on a very short lead. Thankfully, and this was the foundation of my confidence, she made her way back into the garden.

Yesterday that confidence was reinforced when I walked her on her own with the 33 metre. She would stop and sit and I would give her a treat, but then she stayed there while I walked on. This was a bonus, because it gave me the opportunity to exercise my extravagant deaf dog recall sign. She came straight to me, big fuss, had a treat, and then stayed there again. and again, and again. By this time I thought we have cracked the signal but do I want to spend the rest of my time walking in 20 metre chunks?

Finally we got to the usual re-entry point to the forest, up at the top. She had her treat and then raced ahead following my own well worn track, in contrast to Jules who often deviates and sometimes gets snagged, straight back to the garden. :joy:

So, this morning, the big day. Jules on the 33m, Alice totally free. They both raced through the forest and she followed him when he did a detour to get into the field, but I am ready for him and have my own short cut to arrive and pick up the lead before he has gone too far. But where was Alice? I looked back into the trees, no sign of her bright white coat, head turned back to the field and there she was, 40 odd metres away, having a pee. Jules flew passed her and she took the bait and raced at high speed in roughly the same direction. First test of my confidence. Both arms, palms outwards, high in the air and I barked, a deep guturral sound in the throat as loud as I could manage without cupped hands. She was 60 metres away she didn’t hear but then she looked back and was out of the traps like a Greyhound. I didn’t give up, arms waving right down to my feet and again and again, 'till she arrived at the sit in front of me for her bit of Cantal. Then off again.

Only one more worry. The top field, next to the other one we walk in is normally cropped but left fallow this year with fairly long grasses around the edge. High enough for her to disappear from my view. I didn’t panic, not quite, but shouted for Jules to follow and I got to the edge and saw the flash of white, once more the bark and she heard it this time, and all was well.

A brief stop for them both to get a treat at the entrance to the forest then a wave of my arm, and they were both off through the trees and back to the garden. Big celebrations. :rofl:

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It can be quite unnerving to let your dog loose so glad it turned out well. My Shiba Inu had to be harnessed at all times being a primitive breed and also a hunter of small things but the times he escaped the garden gave us nightmares even though he made straight for the back fields, back up the long track between them and then he would walk down the middle of the main road back to our house and the cars behind him. Even on the beach and going in the sea he had to be on a long extendable lead and ignored any commands, doing what he considered his thing!

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Despite the encourageing result the day before yesterday, I was nevertheless a bit nervous about our 2nd outing this morning (went early before breakfast to beat the heat, didn’t risk it yesterday).

My slight worry was because she had once disappeared from view before and thus couldn’t see me. But, courage, and off we went. She and Jules raced as before to the field, She came back immediately for a treat. I had determined to start with 2 things. Give her a treat when she came back to the sit, whether called or not, and give her the signal at any time I saw her looking in my direction.

Twice she disappeared into the surrounding forests for several minutes, heart in mouth time, but each time she re-emerged directly towards me at speed. 2 or 3 times she came back every time I gave her the signal when she could see me. Finally, as we all gathered for a treat at the entry to the homeward bound forest, once given I waved the arm to ‘go’ and off they both went in and out of the trees, then Jules and I saw her no more 'till we got nearly home when she came running to meet us having already been in the garden and demanding to know why we were so slow. :joy:

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Any more walks for Alice?

@David_Spardo, we need to know! :slightly_smiling_face:

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Yes all good, I attempted a video yesterday but juggling the camera, Jules’ long line and a treatbag with only 2 hands is not easy.

However, son Davey and grandson Xavi were with me today so I am hoping that the video will be better when I get aound to it. Mind you it will need a bit of editing first, she decided to have a poo as we we were going round, what with the bag, the poobag and the camera all swinging about I don’t know how I cope normally with Jules’ line to stand on as well.

What is it with Setters? She had a poo earlier on and I remember my last one, Tosca, soon achieved the nickname Two Shits Tosca. :roll_eyes:

Anyway, if it’s at all decent I’ll post it as soon as I can. :smiley:

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I look forward to your next post.

Meanwhile, I’m not familiar with setters but I do have an Olympian 3-poos Agnes doodle dog. She only weighs 21 kilos so I don’t know where she puts it all but she definitely has the labrador gene for food.

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:rofl: Alice is only 18kgs but still eats the same as Jules at 38kgs.
There is a lovely rapport between them, Jules is a bit haughty, but gentle, she bustles him out of the way to be first out of the gate on the walk and at other times tries to nuzzle his muzzle, but he turns away. Just now, each on a settee, he decided to go out, she followed, into the kitchen and then I could see them cross behind the glass door, both heading for the garden . Once out though Jules turned right, Alice stopped for a moment, then turned left, a brief demonstration of independance.

Within 5 minutes he was back and onto the settee nearest to me, a second later she arrived and jumped up beside him, whereupon he decamped to the other one. :joy:

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Can all dogs swim? I thought so, but when we re-entered through the forest gate this morning the long worried about occurrence, occurred. Alice fell into the pond. The side is vertical just there and for about a couple of metres either way so I went a little further to where she could easily clamber out.

She, on the other hand was concentraing solely on scrabbling up the bank, unsuccessfully of course. From my position at the easier place I gestured her to swim along a few feet but, although she saw me she made no move to approach. In the end I went down on all fours above her and just managed to reach down and get a finger under her collar. I then lifted out a very bedraggled dog.

No worse for wear, I dried her off as best I could but then had to mop the kitchen floor as she had paddled muddy paws all over it. It did set me wondering though, can all dogs swim? Before this I would have said yes without hesitation, but now. :thinking:

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Our setter could swim if he really had to, he wasn’t that keen on it though and always wanted to get out by the shortest, not the easiest route.

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My Shiba Inu thought the local lavoir was a lawn and ran straight onto it but it was about a foot deep and the green was duckweed he had mistaken for grass. I had to drag him out, take him home and hose him down outside he was so upset. After that he would avoid that place like the plague if we went on that route.

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Our Airedales hated water - walked round puddles rather than getting feet wet.

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@David_Spardo I do not know either but ours certainly managed to. Albeit survival.

He was only about a year old or so and we were out on a walk with his best friend (a border collie, much older to teach him manners?). The border took a dive for the river as he had been in before many times and loved it. Mine took a look and decided his best friend was there so he launched himself from the bank to be with his friend who obviously assured him all was well. The river was large and fast flowing plus deep. Our poor chap went under after his launch and couldn’t touch bottom. What a hell of a panic he had and I was terrified for a while. Thought about launching myself in to save him but reckoned I was likely to drown too! Well, there he was galumphing up and down trying to reach bottom but terrified but then he swam (in a fashion) to the river bank (following his best friend). Such relief. I think they will swim always if they have to but some dogs just love water and others do not. Anyway, long and short, our boy does not go near water any more - unsurpisingly after his shock. Although he will walk through puddles full of mud and bring all that home! :crazy_face:

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A lovely story, our river is not deep but neither of these 2 go into it.

I just love that video @SuePJ , but it does prove to me what I really believe (my question above was not entirely serious), and that is that all dogs can swim but some dogs do not like to. If we think about it, a dog paddle (incidentally the way I taught myself to swim, watching dogs) is merely what a dog does naturally walking on 4 legs, only difference is the feet don’t touch the ground.

In Alice’s case this morning, I think she almost certainly could swim but simply panicked and headed for the nearest point on dry land.

It would have been worse if Fran was here to see it though, her most favourite dog of all, Match, the Breton Spaniel, ended his life after a walk with her and Lira the Greyhound, at exactly that spot, but as soon as he hit the water he floated motionless. He had not drowned as she thought, and blamed herself for, he had had a massive brain haemorrhage and was dead before he hit the surface.

I think I will have to re-fence that short section. It was fenced after our blind Beauceronne, Harper Grace, did the same trick but miraculously leapt straight back out again in one leap. :astonished: I removed the fence when she moved on because I needed to stand there to dredge, but I don’t do that anymore. :grinning:

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