Ruby is now happily running around off leash!

[tulpe]

.....and more importantly coming back when called

During our walk on Sunday we set up a kind of relay with adults and DCs, letting Rubes run between the 4 of us. It worked really well.

So, I very nervously let her off the leash by myself yesterday in the field and she just walked alongside Tried it again in the afternoon when she had the distraction of other dogs around her and still she came back when called and didn't go too far I am very excited about this new development I love watching her pelt along and then come back to me with such love and ferocity that she almost knocks me over!!

She is now pretty much house trained and is asking to go out when she needs to.

Why did I not have a dog years ago???!!!

That's good news, it sounds like she's doing really well

Letting them off for the first time is always really nerve wracking, but most of the time they're so used to being on the lead they still don't go further than three feet away! It's so nice when they get a bit braver and you can watch them stretch their legs properly and have some fun.

I always consider my three year old lab to have excellent recall and she doesn't like to stray too far - except when it comes to her boyfriend, that is! He's an english springer that she meets on her walk every morning, and when she sees him coming she'll run across the field from a mile away, making pathetic little whiney noises the whole way. He runs towards her too, and they meet in the middle and have lots of kisses (like some soppy love movie!). Then they spend the rest of the walk trotting about together side by side, and ignore everyone else. It's quite sweet! This morning we were too early and we missed him, but there was another spaniel across the field. Before we could stop her she took off like a rocket and got to about fifty feet away before she realised it wasn't him, so she skidded to a stop and then came running back crying! She looked for him constantly for the rest of the walk and I swear she's been in a huff today. They'll be lots of kisses tomorrow morning I think