I've been really pleased with how well the new puppy (now 4 months) is doing with recall. Recall to name is pretty good, recall with the whistle though is fantastic. She will come back to me from anything (people, other dogs, a game, even her dinner ) to the whistle.
Was out on a walk today with a friend who by chance uses the same ACME whistle as me to recall her dog.
It never even crossed my mind that this might be an issue.
We'd just crossed over a bridge of a usually quite quiet river - now rather swollen and fast flowing with all the recent rain.
Elsie was walking to heel (off lead) when my friend had to double back over the bridge to get her dog and she whistled for her.
It was one of those slow-mo moments when you drop a glass but can't do anything to stop what's about to happen.
Puppy crashed through the undergrowth to recall to my friend's whistle and leapt straight into the river.
Thank God puppy is a pretty good swimmer already and kept herself afloat as she swam to the otherside (still doing the recall! gah!).
My friend somehow managed to scramble down the bank to hoik her out.
Bloody Hell.
Still feel a bit wobbly, if she'd been swept down the river much further I think I may have lost her.
Am preparing for a flaming as I feel I've fucked up somewhere with her training.