Finding the thought of four walks on top of this mornings housework just too much I opted for just doing three again today; keeping Ross on the lead for most of the last walk so he didn't get run over by Kaiah. But of course the little man needs his freedom too and I did makes sure he had a spell off the lead. I really don't do well with leads, I find controlling dogs so much easier without them. Though of course there are places where I would never risk walking a dog without a lead!
I had to laugh at a post on a GSD group on Facebook last week, the guy asking when should he start letting his 16 week old pup off the lead? Err .. 8 weeks ago! The longer you leave it the harder it gets. Of course you pick sensible/safe places to start off with, even if it's just a friends garden. The sooner you do it the quick the two way trust forms and strengthens. There are always nerve wracking moments, always the time when your stomach churns over as they venture too far or too deep .. or in Kaiah's case .. too bloody high! But you know for the sake of the dog you have to get over that,they need their freedom, when possible then need to run, and mooch and sniff and discover the world around them. Hell I had Nico loose on the mountain with Louis and Finlay 24 hrs after picking him up, I knew he wouldn't go anywhere, and now because of that I still know he won't go anywhere!
