Meet the Dynamic Duo - Custard and Frou Frou (AKA Souxie).
Until recently, almost all of their walks were done on extending leads.
Custard has very severe hip dyslasia, and we were told early on to keep his walks leisurely, with limited running and rough and tumble. Doing this would greatly reduce the need for hip replacements. The operations would be very expensive, and given Custard's nature we did not see him doing well with them. He rolls over if he gets a grass seed between his toes, if he had new hips we felt he would never walk again.
But he has now reached an age (8) where running and rough and tumble are very low on his agenda - a casual plod and he is happy. So we are letting him off the lead.
Frou Frou is another story. She has never really shown any signs of actually doing what she is told - any sign of obedience can often be seen as "She was going to do that anyway!" Letting her off the lead has been more or less unthinkable, until recently, when Mrs RC said that she has been wondering how she would get on.
So the other morning, while alone with the dogs, I gave it a go. And you know what? She behaved wonderfully!
All of the walks since then have been like the one above.
And it seems to have changed the way she behaves too, barking at other dogs much less and being more loving at home too.
Walkies!!!!!
12 comments:
TessaDog (golden doodle) is almost 7 and still tears about at top speed as if she is a puppy, I don't know if she will ever calm down. She is always on the lead when we walk in the town, or in town parks, but once we get to the forest trails.... watch out for a rocket!
Custard and Frou-Frou look like they are having a good time, look at their little pink tongues poking out!
Oh we keep ours on their leads near roads - I hate it when people have loose dogs in towns and along roads, so dangerous.
Your TessaDog sounds like Sam, my old Irish Setter. He was nuts until the age of about 12!
Yep, I saw it.... you must have done it just for the halibut! heheheh
You've allowed her to be part of the pack and she is reacting as such. Following alpha and toeing the line. Very proper little lady there.
I'm always impressed when I see dogs walking with their owners without a "lead". Chancie is so old now that she stays close, but there was a time I wouldn't dare let her off the leash. Congrats to Frou Frou for being so well behaved! (And give Custard a pat too!)
Shammickite - How cod you...
Lotta Joy - Yes, she is even giving Custard more of a leader position now, she likes him to be close.
ShadowRun300 - Thanks, Custard does enjoy a good pat.
They look happy and leash free!
We use a leash for China since we usually walk her through neighborhoods, crossing streets and such. I used to let her and our other dog off the leash for a race in the homestretch when they (and I) were younger. I think they really do prefer to run/walk in a pack, I usually don't feel I need a leash. It's just to put strangers and traffic at ease.
Your two dogs seem to have a mix of my Lucy's personality!
Lucy had the hip surgery and I think without it, she would have been in dire straits. She can't be in the yard without romping and running. And she loves to go for walks and runs with me. The hip surgery made running possible for her.
However, much like FrouFrou, Lucy does what she likes and obeys few commands. I am grateful we have a fenced yard and am usually afraid to let her off leash anywhere she might be tempted to run. But the last couple of days, Mark and I had her with us on a short trip to his parents' cabin at the lake. We let her roam freely, and while she could have run all over the neighboring properties and into the woods, she stuck close to us and obeyed wonderfully!
I've wondered before about Mrs. RC's use of the name Siouxie. There must be a story between FrouFrou's two very different names!
Abby - Yes, the run to home is always a fun thing to do, except for the large number of cats that we are likely to run into...
Terri - Lucy's hip operations were definitely the right way to go for her - she can through wonderfully. There was a lot of debate about what to all Frou Frou/Souxie. We seem to have settled into Frou Frou when she is being good and Souxie when she is not. A sort of Jekyll and Hyde thing...
I've been running my two off leash in the local park. Claire has always stuck close by my side (I think that she still has some angst about being abandoned) while Grayson runs amok. Both are well behaved and I can get them to return to me (except when in pursuit of the occasional rabbit). They do have a blast roaming free and it does seem to bleed off some of their energy. And Claire loves to roll in the grass almost every day.
Agg79 - You seem to be blessed with great places to take the dogs, and I think that Greyson would certainly go a bit nuts if not allowed to run around like he does!
Hmm, does the same rule apply to humans? Wondering who to let off the lead ;)
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