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Wild and Free!

 


Today, we decided to let Nell off her lead when we took her for her walk, and to let her run loose! I know!! Scary or what??? Time to test her recall, to see if she would stay within our sight-line or run for the hills, never to be seen again. 

There is a lovely country park about half an hour’s drive from us, which is actually the site of an old colliery. It is well furnished with a variety of paths and routes, full of wild life and varying terrains, and it is also well away from any roads. The perfect testing ground. It’s not too busy, either; mostly other dog walkers and horse riders. 

At the park, we walked up a hill and took off Nell’s lead. She trotted alongside us for a while, sniffing and rootling in the undergrowth, then stopped and did a poo. As we walked along, I think she began to realise that she was off-lead and she began to explore further, and when we reached the top of the hill she went absolutely berserk, running in circles and enjoying the wind in her fur! 

We walked for an hour, and every time we called (or in Andy’s case, whistled) Nell came flying back. Sometimes she got a treat of a bit of dog biscuit or nubbin of cheese, and sometimes she got verbal praise. Not once did she snatch the treat and run. But she’s not a food snatcher - she is very gentle when taking food. And if she was ahead of us and we changed direction, she noticed immediately and came after us. 

She also got herself plastered in mud, so had a bath when we got home and now she is fluffy, scented and exhausted! All in all, a successful outing. Nell being off lead makes a much more pleasant walking experience for us all.

(P.S Andy apologises for the quality of the video only he was juggling a phone, dog treats and a bag of poo all at the same time.)





Comments

Anonymous said…
Brilliant! Well done. Your hard work is paying off
KJ
20 February 2024 at 05:33
Denise said…
I was genuinely chuffed, KJ, at how good she was! And she loved it - the area is such an interesting and varied one for dogs to explore.
20 February 2024 at 07:11
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