sam has been improving alotly with his recall on lead, so i decided to let him off it in a small, fairly well enclosed area by the river yesterday. he did great, sniffing trees and fences, but running back to my sticks or treats when called. he then ran close to my feet as i walked along the path towards the bridge that takes the road across the river.
and then... he took off, and disappeared under the bridge. i called him, to no avail, then walked under the bridge, certain to see him somewhere in the undergrowth, but he wasn't there. i called out "sam", and looked wildly around me. then i saw him -- a shadowy dog form, on the other side of the river. this clever/stupid dog must have run up the stairs, along the road, and down on the other side.
since i wasn't about to lure him back the same way, i ran up those stairs, across the river, and called into the darkness. this time he did come, but there was a fence between us, and the slats were just too thin for him to comfortably squeeze through. so he went off again. i stood about the roadside, thinking "he can't be thinking about crossing the road," realising "yes he can," and starting to look for cars when i saw him coming... on the other side.
i tried a feeble "sit!", but he was already trotting across. luckily for us both, it was a late saturday evening with few cars about, and the road remained empty. sam came straight to me, and i gave him a treat for coming, after all.
now the great leader of the pack tells me northern inuits can be difficult to teach recall. oh. really?
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