Lead him not into temptation !

[kateincornwall]

I have decided to keep Reuben out of the forests for a little while , the temptations are just too much for him to handle . The normal woodlands are fine , there are popular walks , so any significant wildlife tends to stay away but at the huge forests where I love to go , the deer are breaking cover to come down low where people leave food for them . Its also a huge shooting region so pheasant are all over , as are squirrels and its proving too much for the eager young lad . His recall has been fantastic , I use a whistle , voice and hand signals , he responds well to all but the last couple of walks in the deep forest he has tended to self reward and go a little deaf . This morning at the woods with other dogs and owners around , he was brilliant once again , responding well and coming for his lead and so , thinking about it , taking him to a place of massive temptation is unfair to him , I am simply setting him up to fail . I love the deep forests , often we are the only ones there but for now , I will stick to more popular woodlands and fields , then I can relax a little more x

 

[MellowYellow]

Sounds sensible Kate

 

[kateincornwall]

Sounds sensible Kate

I suppose one could argue that avoiding is not fixing , that I should work harder on his recall but I honestly feel that its just too much for him , a complete overload . It isnt that he runs off, he does comes back but in his own time , so for me avoidance is the easiest and safest thing to do x

 

[Beanwood]

I suppose one could argue that avoiding is not fixing , that I should work harder on his recall but I honestly feel that its just too much for him , a complete overload . It isnt that he runs off, he does comes back but in his own time , so for me avoidance is the easiest and safest thing to do x

Well at least you are giving yourself a bit of time to work through the distractions, and of course not reinforcing his behaviour. Reuben will be happy wherever you go!

 

[snowbunny]

Avoiding is not fixing, but if he’s not ready for this environment, then you’re only setting yourselves up for failure if you ask too much of him. He’s only a baby still, with a lot still to learn - and at this age, everything is sooooo exciting!

 

[kateincornwall]

Thing is , I can have him on a beach with lots of other dogs and even horses , his response to the whistle is grand , its just a complete overload in the forest, and yes, he is still just a baby even if he doesnt look like one ! Reubs is a lovely young lad and good as gold , most of the time

 

[kateincornwall]

I had my lovely responsive Reubs back this afternoon We did a grand three miler , lots of other people and dogs around so little wildlife to bother about . We did loads of recall , loads of sprats on offer and much praise so I will forget his lapses , he is no robot nor do I want him to be xx

 

[Naya]

I think it’s a really sensible thing to do. Harley used to be horrendous on lead so I avoided certain places as I knew they were too much for her. We can go to those places now she’s older and more used to things.