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Meet my new puppy!

Due to the hot weather. most of our trips are either shade-hopping walks oor late evening. Today Mick had the great idea of going to Shorne Country Park. Most of it involves long shaded woodland rides, and most of it is off-lead, so Bertie got to run and play and practice recall. Best of all, there's a dog swimming pool! Both dogs absolutely loved plunging into the muddy water and stayed nice and cool all morning
 

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Now that looks nice and cool!!! I have one ridgeback who likes the water and the beagle and my other ridgeback hate it....maybe if other dogs got in there...who knows...
 
Still having our fun limited by the heat (I'm not complaining, it won't last long!) but the dogs have been having a tremendous time due to an invasion of rats where cherry trees were fruiting heavily and now blackberries are ripening. They haven't caught any yet but the early mornings and late evenings mean the bushes are full of squeaks and rustles....both dogs are inoculated for weil's disease, so no danger from the furry fiends
 

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Today we were out a bit later and it's already 24 degrees or more, so a stroll through the woods keeping in the shade as much as possible there and back. Some of my regular dog walkngg friends were remarking on not seeing us for some time and why wasn't I walking with them. As they'd been standing in the middle of the park in full sunlight for at least the half hour while we were shade-hopping our way around the perimeter and having a nice natter on the path (again in full sunlight) when we got back from the woods I just said I was trying to stay out of the sun to aviod headaches, rather than cite concern for the dogs. I've had the same conversation earlier in the year when the temperatures were rising, so if they want to cook their dogs they can....
In the woods we got charged at by a husky. Not fun at all as it wanted to mount Rosie, she was snapping at it, Bertie wanted to defend her and I was getting tangled in the leads trying to fend it off. I repeatedly asked the owner to call it off. When he finally grabbed his dog he expained 'it just doesn't listen'. I was hot tired and quite fed up by then so I deserve a medal for just politely suggesting he keeps it on a lead in that case!
 

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The woody bits of the walk
 

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It's been extremely hot here too so I haven't been taking the dogs to many places. Looks like a nice day except for the obnoxious dog that was loose. Never understand why people allow their dogs free if they don't have control over them.
 
MegF. said:
It's been extremely hot here too so I haven't been taking the dogs to many places. Looks like a nice day except for the obnoxious dog that was loose. Never understand why people allow their dogs free if they don't have control over them.
Click to expand...
Oh it gets worse...........just as we were finishing off, skirting the park under the tees, I was making Bertie heel so Rosie could enjoy a leisurely sniff about without him pestring her. (When they are on the long leads he thinks he can set the pace and dictate the direction we go in. He'll double back and clothesline both of us if I don't remind him about his manners)
Anyway, just then I heard a commotion, and one of my friends is shouting because his dog has ran out of the park and across the road through the traffic. Luckily the dog didn't get hit and there wasn't any collisions. The dog is about 6, a collie cross and has already been hit earlier this year doing the same thing. Why his owner persists in letting him off-lead is beyond me.
When Bertie bolted off in the same place, it scared the life out of me. Not only for what could have happened to him, but that he could have caused human casualties too. Unless we are in a place that is completely enclosed or off-road, Bertie stays on the lead.
It means I have to be more inventive with our walks. I can't just stand still while they run about, so I play our training exercises all the time, just short sessions as we go along. The white lines on the playing fields marked out as soccer pitches are especially good for heelwork and turns, but I can't do that in the full heat. So instead at the moment I use the trees as markers for us to work a pattern between and around them, whilst still stying in the shade. I don't always use the long lead, in fact most walks I keep the dogs at heel as I find working their minds rather than them running about randomly means they behave much better.
I know my old walking chums think I'm being unfair from remarks they've made, they think letting your dog run about is the whole purpose of a walk. I don't really explain because they wouldn't get the analogy, but I think of it as being like going out for a hack where you make it more interesting and useful by schooling as you go
 
I have never understood why people who have no control of their dogs let them off lead. My old Heeler has been attacked several times from dogs off the lead, it breaks your heart when he rolls over and screams!

My two young dogs are obnoxous (my fault) so I don't dare let them off lead! I have to start working with them! I still won't let them off lead, but at least they wouldn't be so obnoxious. It breaks your heart seeing others letting their aggressive, obnoxious dogs run about and causing problems. I don't go to one of my favorite parks because all the irresponsible people have found out about it.
 
Before I got Bertie, I'd say Rosie was just about perfect off-lead. She'd play nice with other dogs and recall perfectly. Since I got him though, they egg each other on or get competative when they are off-lead. So much so in the safe areas I can release Bertie I let them off one at a time until they've had enough goofing around that she, at least, will behave herself. Then she'll tend to trot at my heels without any bother.
Today I could let her off but the area wasn't secure enough for Bertie. So what did she do? Kept grabbing sticks and then dancing up to tease Bertie until I told her off!
I know that because Bertie takes up my time and attention so much Rosie needs some more work. She has a real rebellious streak sometimes, she loves to get the last word in, quite literally. If she's yapping at a noise and I ask her to quiet down, she'll give another little gruff bark. Then I tell her 'Rosie, no' and she does it again! She does know the difference between me playing it as our game and when I really do mean she's to hush though even then I'll hear a tiny little wuff from her!
 
My ridgebacks are completely reliable off leash, my beagle not so much. I can use an e-collar for him and that works pretty well but anytime we are somewhere that if he got away I couldn't easily find him...it's a leash. I've seen his prey drive!
 
Meg, the newest addition to my family is a one year old beagle, no off leash for him ever! Except in a fenced in yard and he has 2 acres if not a little more to run in when I visit my mom and I have a big yard. My other pup just turned 2 and he has high prey drive, he may be a dachsund/sheltie/who knows what cross. I don't trust him either.
 
I just haven't worked with Tavis like my other dogs. He was a foster that we ended up keeping so he didn't come to me until he was almost 3 years old. The e-collar works very well but I certainly wouldn't trust it with a deer or something...for other stuff it works well and he does well. He's certainly better than when I first got him but certainly no where like my Ridgebacks. They don't need a leash at all for most things unless it's required because of where we are.
 
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