Re: Messed Up Me? Panic? never I would have been frantic if it was 6.30 pm rather than am. But then again, all the really good smells are gone by then.
Re: Messed Up Thanks for the support guys, as always. Forgive me for asking but what on earth is quartering?? Helen xx
Re: Messed Up Pippa thank you so much for explaining to the other forum members about a dog like Charlie, which I wasn't able to put so well. Thank you also for your lovely comments about the work David and I have done (can't take all the credit :) You are definitely not a 'broken record' Pippa, I do believe I can be best described as that but you are so right I long for him to be a dog scampering freely with Hattie which is why we rescued him in the first place, perhaps those rose tinted glass should be put away. Charlie is a very much loved dog and our sadness is that he doesn't get to behave in the way he should if he had an owner that knew how to control him like Heidrunor ; As you know I do struggle with the gun dog stuff and I think this is largely down to all of my other commitments, if time were my own I would probably throw myself whole heartedly into it. So my questions are:- Do we keep going the way we are and hope for the best? Do we keep him on a training line? Do we let him off lead and practise Total Recall in a 'real' life situation? If ever there was going to be an 'unusual case' it was going to be in our house hold : Again my heartfelt thanks to you Pippa. Helen xx
Re: Messed Up Sorry Jac have just read your heart stopping moment I know this is selfish but I AM NOT ALONE yeah, ye ha. Seriously it is very worrying but Lilly came back just as Charlie did and that's the positive, but I hate the long line so much It's a shame we don't live nearer to each other we could give each other help Helen xx
Re: Messed Up Thanks Helen - they would undoubtedly lead each other astray : Just wanted you to know that you are not alone! (you knew that anyway). You have had more than usual on your mind this week - Charlie maybe was taking advantage of this? I think that Heidrun is amazing, but I couldn't see either Lilly or myself being as "controlled" as she is with her beautiful dogs (even if I had the time). But also I think "would I want that"? And this is no disrespect whatsoever to Heidrun (honestly). I see Lilly sniffing about doing the "self-rewarding", and I know she is enjoying herself, and in a way, do I really want to stop that? Maybe if she hadn't learned to do that in the first place, then her rewards would be of a different nature. So...back to me not doing it right in the first place from when she was a pup. We all just want happy dogs, that are healthy and safe, and part of that is keeping them away from dangers that WE see but they may not, by getting that darned RECALL just right!!!! Onwards and upwards...........
Re: Messed Up Thanks Jac, I agree, apart from the fact that in a million years I could NEVER train a dog to Heidrun's amazing standards, I don't want that level either, like you I want Charlie to be happy and safe. I also don't want Charlie to be the first dog to blinking well FAIL Total Recall :-[ I never pass anything so I want to PASS with flying colours !! Helen x
Re: Messed Up Don't think I will ever get far enough through the course to be able to sit the exam! I wish I could have a month off work to concentrate on dog training (actually.....a month off work to do anything would be good) I would love to have half the sticking power that you have shown Helen. And Heidrun, Pippa, yourself Helen, indeed ALL of the forum users - you are all so inspiring and really help when things go off track. I just wish I could remember everything to do when I have a bit of time to train. Sophie is so much better at it than me but has slightly different priorities!
Re: Messed Up You know, Helen, what I hear inbetween the lines in your posts is the desire to go "live" with Charlie and see what happens. Is there somewhere fairly close you could go that is quite a long ways away from busy roads or whatever else you are afraid of him running into?? None of us ever knows how the training is going until we actually try it out in real life. You've done a massive amount of work - at some point you should try Charlie out and see exactly how much has soaked in, shouldn't you? ??? I truly understand your trepidation. It's hard to take that step. I'm going to be feeling the same way when I get to that point with Simba. But when I do, I will take him to some farmer's fields near here where I can see him for quite a long ways if he does run away, and where he would have to go quite a way before he ran into a highway. I would also have my hubby with me for moral support!! I hope you will be able to get to that place with Charlie where you can enjoy him and see the training pay off when he rewards you with some nice long rambles that are free of stress. We are all rooting for you, you know that, right?? Sending hugs your way....
Re: Messed Up My first lab, a long time ago, was an absconder - sorry to say he never reformed. Although we did get him to the stage where he could be off lead in carefully selected locations with the whole family involved in his management - but I think the dog was the only one having much fun! But we loved him dearly, and found ways around it, and had lots of fun in other ways. Games were his thing - find its, nosework things, ball games. Usually in the garden or enclosed spaces (on holiday once, we hired a tennis court). When my mum needed her relaxed off lead rambles with her beautifully behaved other dogs, well, Jups often stayed at home. And it didn't do him any harm, not having his daily walk, so long as he got exercise in other ways, and less frequently than the daily walk. In this way, he lived a long and happy life and we enjoyed loving him. Helen, I hope you get to where you want to be with Charlie - wishing you the best of luck.
Re: Messed Up It is a big step to let them go 'live' when they have had a history of legging it off. after the event that prompted me to put brodick on a long line for a while ( chased a rabbit up the side of the hill and ended up teetering on the edge of a long rocky drop) it was a good while before i could contemplate letting him run off his line up the hill again! what i did have to do was, following a whole lot of training, take those leaps of faith in him, letting him off his long line in increasingly disracting ( ie wildlife ridden) areas. he has come on leaps and bounds recently, but even now he will develop selective hearing in the presence of Really Exciting distraction and i dont even attempt recall in these situations yet, dont want to ruin the whistle. he has discovered the Master Warren up the hill, housing numerous furry runners, and he charges off to it everytime we get to that area of the hill and ends up with his head and shoulders down the burrows. i have started to recall him when he is just about to go, praise and treat, and he is doing very well but we are building to recall when head and shoulders have disappeared! I feel the same way as Jac, ive gone part time recently but still need more hours to focus on really nailing training, im debating taking a month off work, we can spread the payment over the whole year so not too financially hideous. I am lucky though in that wven though brods needs heavy management around wildlife he is absolutely brilliant on the beach/ in the park, his recall is even better than Swotty Cuillin's in these places and he stays close so we can have plenty of laid back ball frenzy and swimming walks too..
Re: Messed Up Julie thanks for telling me about your Lab. This is pretty much how we have to handle things here, Charlie gets walked and trained every day and played with, I walk Hattie every day to get my much needed fix of a ramble and relax. It's just not how we want it to be, we want Charlie to join us as it seems so unfair I WILL get to where I want to be with Charlie by hook or by crook I am not giving up Lisa, I do really want to put him to the test but it's pretty scary and when or if we do decide to go 'live' David will be with me, he has no choice Thank you I do know you are all rooting for us Debsie, I know you have had very similar issues to me with Brodick and you have managed to get him into a manageable state, but I am afraid Charlie is a whole new ball game as there are NO LAID BACK WALKS with Charlie EVER I envy you all very much. Helen xx
