problem!’
On the Boris approved walk of the day, all was going fine until we got to the dreaded lactic ladder and Ellie once again shot off.
As me keeping out of sight seemed to work the first time it
happened, we decided to give it another go, only this time both hide.
happened, we decided to give it another go, only this time both hide.
Ellie it would appear is far more intelligent than both of us Mensa grand masters... that last bit is a stonking great fib!
We hid where we thought she couldn’t see us, a cunning plan some might think trouble was after fifteen frustrating minutes we emerged to find her in a totally different vantage point where see could plainly see us.
Ellie - 1
Us - 0
We had decided we would walk back along the bread walk. We both saw her immediately and pretended we hadn’t... like you do!?!
Eventually she came down from on high to join us. I went to clip her on the lead, she half decided not to play ball, then thought best I go along with what they want? We then turned for home, both of us feeling fairly fed up with her and I ought to say... ourselves!
The thing is all this keeping as far away from folk as we can has fed her fear, and now she seems frightened of every approaching person taking avoiding action. Added to which in the mix she has discovered that she has control! The walk in the woods is always now busy with lots of people following the prescribed one hour exercise. Today we are going to go to the forest and see how this goes? The forest walk is a five minute drive from here and you see nobody to speak of, probably even less now. We are between a rock and a hard place. Any suggestions about how to discourage Ellie getting the upper paw would be gratefully received?
The thing is all this keeping as far away from folk as we can has fed her fear, and now she seems frightened of every approaching person taking avoiding action. Added to which in the mix she has discovered that she has control! The walk in the woods is always now busy with lots of people following the prescribed one hour exercise. Today we are going to go to the forest and see how this goes? The forest walk is a five minute drive from here and you see nobody to speak of, probably even less now. We are between a rock and a hard place. Any suggestions about how to discourage Ellie getting the upper paw would be gratefully received?
You never will ! the breed is far more intelligent than us!!
ReplyDeleteSu
Su, that made me smile, hate to say it but I think you are so right!
DeleteLX
DeleteYou knew I'd chime in here didn't you! I'd put her on an extending lead for now. I know she needs to run about but back at the beginning you couldn't let her run free and she was fine, I think for now when life is so upside down I'd go back to basics. On the lead she can approach other dogs for a 'sniff' and run a bit. Her life is more or less normal but she'll be sensing your apprehension. Would it be possible to take her out for two slightly shorter walks? You take her in the morning for your hour and hubby take her in the afternoon for his hour for example? However, until this is over and she can run free again, I'd keep her on a long lead. As a collie it's her job to tell her pack what to do and I think thats what she might be trying to do, become head of the pack. You've to show her she is not head hauncho and put her back in her place - a very much loved bottom of the pecking order!! Good luck. xx
ReplyDeleteJust in from confined to barracks new rules set by the true leader of the pack... yes you’ve guessed it... moi!
DeleteToday is lots of little trips out two doors down into the college field, where her recall and treats are being reintroduced. I hear my best Victoria Sitwell voice in my head as I praise her.
Our problem is living right smack in the middle of town, alright a quiet backwater but still it involves quite a lot of road walking to get to the woods. quiet-ish narrow roads, which since this all started with far more folk than normal. Cyclists who for some reason scare the living daylights out of her. As a consequence she pulls on the lead, making me fearful of her doing herself a mischief... like really panic pulling! I totally get the ‘boy’s’ suggestion about her place in the pecking order. For some unknown reason with her I am too soft: all who really know me would be... truly fall down in a dead faint type of amazed!?! The slumbering dragon is stretching and awakening thinking... now where did I put my corset core of steel and sinew? A bit of a bother... our lovable, biddable dog has turned into a minx... Looking on the bright side we’ve got time on our hands to train, train and train... probably exactly what Miss Ellie had in mind when she found she had power over these dim humans...
LX
Haven't you read or heard what the rules are on exercising outside? ONE outing per day, NOT lots of little trips! Also driving to a place to exercise is NOT allowed! We can exercise ONCE a day, near to home. For goodness sake it's not hard to understand, unless you are wilfully disobeying because you think it doesn't apply to you. It applies to ALL of us.
DeleteOh! Jill today is it?
DeleteL
I think that we are supposed to be keeping dogs on a lead...in case they decide to have a ding dong with another dog and the owners have to get close to separate them is one reason I read! Have to admit that I let mine off on the field if there is no one else in sight...otherwise he is on an extending lead.
ReplyDeleteYesI know although it is very hard to keep her on the lead when she has a collie bundle of energy to run off. As it is we feel she isn’t getting enough exercise. Still if this is the worst of the problems we have to deal with we will be BLOOMING lucky... so pipe down LL (Lettice Leaf)!!!
DeleteLX
Yes we should be keeping dogs on a lead, this applies to ALL dogs.
DeleteSee above J...
DeleteL
I hope you can sort this out. I remember the collie of my uncle, a farmer. His dog was so tuned to the life that he responded to finger snaps or single words to do his job. Too bad you don't have cows to get to pasture and get home twice a day.
ReplyDeleteBack in the mists of time I had my first collie called Tess after Thomas Hardy’s Tess. That’s exactly what we did, me on my mountain bike, her on her four paws we would troll up to get the cows in. Quite a team.
DeleteLX