Daughter no 1 has been muttering about getting a dog for a while but until this lockdown there was no chance at all – she was simply too busy. She has a full-time job, teaches music most evenings and was away at gigs many weekends.
But this lockdown has given her time to think. Like many of us, she has used this forced break to re-evaluate her life and she decided it was time to get a dog.
She’s found a sweet little rescue lurcher cross of somewhere around 5-6 months old who was found abandoned in a ditch and has been in foster care for around six weeks. When she visited the foster home she made an immediate connection with the wee dog, and he to her.
She came home and rang me and we discussed it. The change in her working hours due to the virus has given her a huge opportunity in that she can take the dog to work with her. She’s also going to rearrange and reorganise her music teaching so that she would be out for only short periods three times a week.
Over the weekend she went shopping for what she would need and puppy-proofed her house. Yesterday afternoon she picked up Pepper. He seems a great wee character and I’m sure I’ll be telling you lots more stories about him, especially when they come up to visit in two weeks’ time.
He already walks fairly well on lead, but given his hound breed, she’ll be working hard on his recall. It will take a while and regular daily practice for some time before the lead and long line are removed. Recall is simple to teach but not easy to make really fool-proof.
If you need to improve your recall or your walking on lead, why not come along to one of our Masterclasses? Find out more by going to the website here: https://www.downdog.co.uk/Clinics
One of my missions in life is to help all owners enjoy their dogs, safely. A good recall is a vital part of that.
Keep training and keep safe,
Carol
PS I’ve always wanted grandchildren, but I’ll just have to be happy with four-legged grand-animals. They are fun too!