Lessons on road walking.

Today we had to plant some shrubs down the sides of the avenue which is outside the confines of the main garden. For a while I had Timmy fastened by a long lead to a tree next to where I was working but when the time came to go and fetch a wheel barrow full of compost I decided to see what he would do when I let him off the lead. He followed me to the compost area okay and was happy to sniff around so I took my eye off him for a minute and next thing you know he was rolling around in the pile of horse manure next to the compost pile. After a quick brush down he then followed me back to the planting site but instead of stopping he continued on so I called him back and he stopped but hesitated so I called again and he came back so far before diverting in to the old garden where we burn rubbish. I called him again but he was now deliberately ignoring  me and he knew it because when I caught up with him he started rolling around in the bonfire ash thinking he was going to be getting some sort of punishment. In actual fact I was more concerned about him rolling around in the ashes as I didn't want them all in his coat. To my mind his punishment was once again being confined to the lead, I didn't need to hit or shout as he already knew he did wrong and if I'd beaten him he would have been less likely to have come back to me next time he felt that he did something wrong. I'm thinking now that perhaps the second call I gave may have led him to think he was already in trouble which is why he diverted in to the old garden on the way back to me although I do know there are rabbits in there so I don't know for sure. I know my second call had a ring of desperation to it as he was about to disappear around the corner and out of sight.

 

These last few of mornings we have been coming back through the village purposely to give him some lessons on road walking. The first morning we both nearly end up in a heap on the floor when Timmy decided to do a figure of eight in and around my legs, it would seem that walking on the road at seven in the morning is very exciting. Since then things have gone very well so much so that this morning he did a proper walk by my side with very little correction for pulling. There is no footpath on the part where we walk but the cars don't bother him in the slightest.

Apparently previous owners have always provided him with a pillow on which to rest his weary head, or at least that's what he tells me so I thought I'd better do the same.