And discovered I need to teach dd1 more about nature.
She (Whippy, not dd1 
) has never been off her leash in an unsecure area without the training leash on because I am a coward and have read about how fast Whippets are and how prone they are to running off. After several training sessions in the alleyway and several escapes into the alley after the children left the gate open I realised she probably will come back. I also realised Devil Dog comes back the very instant you call Whippy 
Sooo I decided to let whippy run off at the park and if it went well I would take them both to the large but secure field and let them run (with Devil Dog having the training leash trailing so he's easier to catch if this doesn't work)
I carefully selected a part of the park that I thought was most secure as it is surrounded with raised beds and islands all of which are no lower than five foot off the ground. Obviously this will keep a Whippet contained
I unleashed her and she did a sort of victory run whereby she ran very fast in a large circle and then sort of realised she was actually free and a little far away and trotted back
I soon realised that five foot walls with not contain a Whippet when dd1 climbed up onto a raised flower bed and Whippy joined her with great ease and a few feet to spare (they can bloomin' jump can't they ?)
Towards the end of our walk we met a puppy and a child more ferel than dd1. Dd1 and the ferel child and puppy went into the thick shrubbery to explore. Dd1 fast returned looking panic shriken.
She told me she had seen something and it was alive 
. She described it as looking like Whippy, but orange and white with a bushy tail. My child does not know what a fox is fgs! She then declared with fright, after being told what it was "But they eat people don't they?"
Now I just have to brave the big field with Devil Dog [wibble]
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
I've just unleashed the whippy one in an unsecure for the first time.
DooinMeCleanin · 08/06/2011 19:02
i love watching them do a victory run. its like its the best thing in the world and its happening to them
you need to start watching some wildlife programmes with dd1 
ok, so after reading devil dog's amazing invisibility trick on the other thread...when are you going to let him off lead?
Tomorrow - might borrow a few more dogs in the hope he will come back with the pack .
We've been doing loads of recall training in a very small, fenced area of the park and it's going well, so I feel with Whippy to follow it's time to take the next step and move into open land and hopefully soon, he will be able to run on the beach.
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