I've just had the scariest moment of my puppy walking career. I was in the park with Mollie, she was enjoying a lovely free run. Suddenly the park ranger started up a leaf blower right next to her and she spooked, she hared up the path well out of sight - the way we had come. I was terrified she was on her way home (across two roads). I ran like the wind, shouting her name. Remembered the whistle and blew it - totally terrified by then, I couldn't see her at all, right up the path. I blew the whistle and she came haring back. 1000 times phew! My heart still hasn't stopped beating out of my chest! She was fine and we continued her free run, even walking past the leaf blower - it must have been the sudden noise so close by that spooked her. Thank you GDs for all your emphasis on whistle training and thank you Pippa for Total Recall! Mollie is now relaxing on her bed while I try not to cry with relief. ... View attachment 2956
Oh no! So glad all was well and she responded to the whistle. You must need a large glass of wine... or even several...
I tend to think of the whistle training as just that - training for the future. But today brought it home to me that it's training for NOW too! Thank you for your good wishes, all of you. It did stress me - I flooded the back kitchen when I got home, then made an awkward mistake on my bank account. Then I had a good weep. At least I have a clean back kitchen now lol Mollie is right as rain xx ...
Love the video! She is such a beauty. She does remind me a lot of Bramble..do the GDs use a mix of working and show line in their breeding?
I know. I know exactly how you feel. Neither of my dogs will step out of the front door until I say 'in' (in is out as well as in - it means go through or go ahead). But...Betsy is not as reliable as Charlie (I now know) and she nipped out while I was putting out the recycling last Sunday night (I was just in the porch, but she just whizzed round me). She legged it down the bit of drive, having spotted a puppy on the far side of the road. A pretty busy London street. I shouted 'Betsy! Betsy! She stopped, looked back, then turned to run again. But I had my whistle round my neck - because I'd recalled the dogs to their dinner 5 minutes before. She turned on the spot and came back. Large glass of wine and think I'll just wear my whistle all the time. Including to bed...you never know....
Oh my! Heart in mouth! So glad both Mollie and Betsy are fine. Being a dog owner can be very stressful sometimes....
Yes - and the best thing about the whistle is that the sound is consistent - my voice would have sounded totally different as I yelled her name in panic, but she recognised the whistle. I have sometimes forgotten the whistle on walks and just thought 'oh, I can't do the whistle recall training today, never mind'. Not now! I've clipped a spare whistle to her lead, never to be removed.
How scary! So glad both incidents resolved without accident. However careful you are, there's always the risk of something like tis happening. I hate being whistleless and often find that I've gone out for dinner, or gone skiing, with a whistle round my neck. I now have one that permanently lives in my treat bag (next to the bag wasn't good enough for me, because I'm so forgetful) and one in every jacket I use for dog walking. Perfect in winter, but less useful in summer when it's too hot for jackets.
Mollie met her brother, Samson, today. I thought she was big at 24 kilos (six months old) but he's HUGE! 30 kilos! They didn't stop playing for a moment until we stopped at the cafe.
Mollie is now relaxing on her bed while I try not to cry with relief. ... View attachment 2956 View attachment 2957 [/QUOTE] Is that a Meg Bed Boogie? I have Meg Beds and have fitted cover for them.
