why oh why do I post proud steppedog moments on here?
It always backfires.
I don't normally swear, but he was a complete and utter little sh*t this morning.
First bit of our walk, went mad round some trees/squirrels, totally mad, running away from me, barking like a lunatic, and would NOT come. Like demented dog. He always goes a bit silly here, but this was beyond ridiculous.
Eventually got him and walked off on the lead. At the next parky bit we stopped and did some focused training, so he calmed down, focused on me.
Walk round nature reserve fine, but kept running off with the ball, not bringing it back as well as he did the last 2 days.
On the way home, he ran off, ran out of the little park we cross into busy road (he NEVER leaves that park onto the road, there is a fence/gate, has been really reliable with this until today) I am running across park, and can see down the path to the road, he is back and forward across the road about 3 times, cars braking. Fortunately there is a lot of traffic but slow due to traffic calming scheme.
Get him and took him right back across little park, turned round and tried again, on lead, walk to heel, walk down path, crossed road properly, steppedog calm, doing all he is told etc.
Then last stage on way home, small grassy area, always calm place, he is very obedient here, I do a lot of training here, so I thought, I'll let him off and do lots of recall, as he is always good here, and it will remind him what he is supposed to be doing. Let him off, run, recall, run, recall, about 6 times, feeling better, and he is being all lovely and doing what he is told.
Then he took off again. across another road (quiet cul-de-sac) and took a short cut back to the place where he had gone nuts at the beginning of the walk. We don't walk through there on our way home, and he had taken off just as I was about to put his lead on and go home. He knew and he wanted to another go at the squirrels.
Went totally nuts again, just demented, running from tree to tree, jumping, barking, can't get near him.
Phoned dh to come and give me a hand, and we caught him between us. Once caught he is standing there all happy and tail wagging and 'look at me!'
bloody dog.
My heart con't take that kind of stress! Running off I can cope with, poor recall I can deal with - but the road!
We carefully trained him on the walk to cross roads, and to come back and go on the lead before the road, we didn't let him off lead in those places until we were confident that we could get him back before we cross the road. he has been so good at knowing the boundaries, even down to the place he was going nuts has a road, but he doesn't go in it, he stays on the grass. If you walk him on a lead, he stops at every kerb, etc etc.