Walking with Lucy

Warren had taken Lucy for a couple of short walks last week and then she did the big walk 5 Kms on the treasure hunt) on Sunday between us, with lots of stopping. The stopping was to wait for the kids to find what ever they were looking for in the treasure hunt.

Warren went off to tennis on Monday as usual so it was my turn to take her for a walk on my own. We want to teach her to sit on command so it was a walk with a learning component.

A pocket full of treats and we set off. Over the road we trotted, she walks along reasonably well but of course has no idea about heel or even walking on one side but that will come in time we hope.

Kitty corner was a big white bull dog who wanted to talk (bark) Lucy gets freaked out at new noises but I was able to coax her along although she was pulling back on her lead. I dont really like choker collars but it does keep her safe, otherwise she would slip her collar and who knows where she would end up. We got past him okay  at least she didnt lay down which she does when she is really frightened. She flattens herself as low as she can get and makes herself heavy.

We turned up the road and had several practices at sitting at the kerbs before going across the road, we came back on the opposite side. A guy was putting up a new fence and using a post hole enforcer to put the star pickets in, making quite a noise. Of course it freaked Lucy out and she stopped, I am trying to persuade her and suddenly the npise stopped.The guy who was about fifty metres away realised what what happening and stopped so she could continue without the noise. When we got to him, we had a chat and he got down to Lucy's level and gave her a pat. Then we continued on, that was so nice of him.

Yesterday I was out all day and Warren went to take her for a walk, the opposite way and they got three houses away from home and she lay down and flattened herself, she wasnt going that way. He turned and went the usual way and down the end of the path two hundred metres from home she did the same thing. He told me that he wasnt going to pick her up and carry her o they returned home.

This morning it was my turn again and he told me to pick her up and carry her past whatever if she did that again. It was the white bull dog that did it, yep, shes trying to make herself small even though he wasnt barking as much as Monday. I did carry her for a few metres and then went on and she was fine. A stretch of long grass freaked her out and she lay down but I waited her out. I wondered if she could smell something in there. Coming home she almost pulled me up the slope and then she was looking for Warren.