I just posted a reply yesterday to Lil Miss Magic's thread, but here I am-putting my 2 cents in again. Pippa, too, was dangerously brave and would turn tail and runnnn....like Forest Gump: she was runnninnggg. Anyway, she is doing obedience training and I think it is helping. We now take her up to an area at the University of Arkansas called "Old Main", where there is lots of space-grass and trees and bushes-doggy paradise. It is elevated and off the road with some parts fenced. A very wide open space. She is allowed off-leash when we get to a certain part of it. At first, she would take off fully speed and run from us, and eventually come back on her own volition. It was very scary for me to watch her at first, cause I knew I couldn't catch her. We would keep walking, and she would catch up in a few minutes. Now, she gets off leash and we keep walking. She stays within 20 feet of us. When she gets real interested in sniffing something and we get further, we have a specific whistle (up/down-opposite of wolf whistle) we do and she comes running to us. When it's time to go, she gladly comes when I say "time to go" and lets me put her leash back on. It seems these behaviors just came about because we didn't freak out when she went running. I wonder if there is anywhere you can take Lucky so that she is contained, but can run, and can experience your positive reaction when she comes back-especially when called. Maybe a football field, or something with a fence, but very wide-open? Pippa seems to "get" that the street is dangerous now, and stays by us really well. It is definetely in your best interest to do some obedience training with your dog, they listen a lot better! |