Hello, just read Total Recall and I'm looking forward to getting started. There are a couple of things I wasn't sure about so I want to clarify them before I do. Rey has a very strong hunting/prey drive and is decent with recall other than when she is off on a really exciting smell trail or chasing (or thinking about chasing!) an animal. Obviously this is still a big problem, so I'm hoping I can work on control with the Total Recall training. I think managed walks are going to have to be part of that given her prey drive, so I want to make sure I get that part right. Simplest first, can anyone give me guidance on deciding what is a reasonably sized zone of control? Should it be (roughly) the radius of a training lead, or bigger, or smaller? How can I decide what is a good sized zone of control for my dog? I want her to be able to chase balls for example a decent way, but of course I can't do that if my zone of control is only 30 feet in any direction. Second, in the Total Recall book Pippa suggests that for a dog that has a strong hunting instinct a level of supervision will be needed on walks. I think she means throughout the dog's life, not just while retraining recall but I am not totally sure? What would this look like? Does it mean that Rey must be on the lead anywhere I expect to come across rabbits/deer etc throughout her life, or just that she must stay within my 'zone of control' at all times, and I will (hopefully) be able to teach her to stay under control within the zone if she sees something? I would love one day to be able to have her off lead and exploring around without fearing that I will lose control of her. I am willing to contemplate that this may never be possible, I just want to know what to expect so I can work towards it and focus on getting there. Hope my questions make sense, thanks for your help in advance!
