So, I had to share this because one of the things I have read on here is how important it is to train your dog to have 100% recall. Every walk (almost all our walks are off leash in fields and forest) we practice and Sookie always gets a sausage when she returns and sits. She is great at this, she even will stop chasing a hare to return when I call her, but I've never had to test it when she can't see me or vice versa.
Today my partner didn't latch our gate properly. We live in a rural area and there are only 3 houses within 1.5 miles, so no fear of traffic, but our neighbors have chickens, kids, dogs and horses, so she could easily be a nuisance. I am upstairs, putting on makeup, and suddenly I hear lots of distant barking. From the front. When Sookie is supposed to be in the fenced in backyard. I shout at Steve it sounds like Sookie and he checks, sees his mistake and goes running outside towards the barking.
I open the window and shout as loud as I can (I can't see her and have no clue where she is really) "Sookie! COME!" - and race downstairs to put boots on to go searching - when just as I put my hand on the door handle there is a full body slam against the back door. I open the door: Sookie! Steve said as soon as I shouted out she appeared and came racing down the road towards him, didn't pause at him, but ran past him to the house. When I opened the door she bounded in and sat with the facial expression: "sausage?" So I moved it double time to the fridge.
Lesson of the day: latch the gate properly and use sausages!
Today my partner didn't latch our gate properly. We live in a rural area and there are only 3 houses within 1.5 miles, so no fear of traffic, but our neighbors have chickens, kids, dogs and horses, so she could easily be a nuisance. I am upstairs, putting on makeup, and suddenly I hear lots of distant barking. From the front. When Sookie is supposed to be in the fenced in backyard. I shout at Steve it sounds like Sookie and he checks, sees his mistake and goes running outside towards the barking.
I open the window and shout as loud as I can (I can't see her and have no clue where she is really) "Sookie! COME!" - and race downstairs to put boots on to go searching - when just as I put my hand on the door handle there is a full body slam against the back door. I open the door: Sookie! Steve said as soon as I shouted out she appeared and came racing down the road towards him, didn't pause at him, but ran past him to the house. When I opened the door she bounded in and sat with the facial expression: "sausage?" So I moved it double time to the fridge.
Lesson of the day: latch the gate properly and use sausages!