Trust Issues & A Squeaky Win
If you've read the many Tales of Lilly in the past, you will know about our trials and tribulations that have come with having a Lurcher. Here's a quick overview...
A Lurcher is a cross between a sighthound and a working dog, basically a dog bred to add intelligence to a fast dog. Lilly is part Whippet - the sighthound bit, therefore fast and truly loves to chase, and the other half is Staffy - the intelligent bit, so gentle, docile, and always on the lookout for fun. Put the two together you get a dog that is really fast, loves to chase things just for the fun of it, and is a total sweetheart with what can only be called 'selective' recall.
Once she zeros in on her prey - squirrels, rats or even deer - and she happens to be off the lead, she's off at double Usain Bolt speed, and goes deaf. After a couple of times when she decided to go for an extended wander through the wilderness that is Bolton's biggest park, we were both wary of letting her off the lead, but being a dog that loves to run we felt awful keeping her constantly on the lead.
After much documented ideas involving whistles, treats and a Tractive tracker Lilly is now regaining our trust, well mine really, as she's always been better at coming back for Damian - she's definitely a Daddy's girl.
I think I was helped in the process when Damian got Man Flu for nearly 2 weeks, and so every walk had to be done by me, and I think she began to understand that the only way she would get to run was if she stayed in view, and if she headed off towards her vanishing points my Mummy voice would come into play - it is loud, deep and takes no shit, and much more effective than the dog whistle!
I was also aided by finding a ball on the field. It was a tough, rubbery, tennis-sized ball and it had a squeaky - total win! Lilly likes balls but has never been a great lover of playing fetch, though she loves squeakies which made this Scooby-Doo dog ball (yes that is its name) is a game changer.
I wish I had a video of her first encounter when she spent about 5 minutes running round in big circles squeaking it constantly, then stopped only to fling it up in the air, catch it, and start the process again, but you will have to do with a quickie of her in squeak mode below.
She still doesn't bring it back, but as she's walking along she will drop it without care as she sniffs interesting pee clumps, fox poo or rotting carcasses, and that's my chance to get it back for the next chuck.
This ball means she now gets plenty of running in, even when her friends aren't out to play, and her recall is getting so much better that Damian (not me yet) has been experimenting with letting her stay off lead even through the forested bits of the park. It has taken just over a year of work, but we now have a dog who can be trusted (mostly).