New Hangout

   A few days ago, I was surprised and delighted to discover that my work address qualifies me to apply for keys to the private Queen Street Gardens, located just around the corner from the shop.  I paid a small fee to rent keys for a year today, and as I've never been in, I walked round for a look.

   I feel fortunate to have access to such a lovely space right in the city center.  Dogs are welcome on and off the lead, and it's completely enclosed, so Lucky can't run off and come to harm.  I think we'll use it for recall training this week.  Lucky will love his new spot!
   Speaking of recall training, we've stepped it up a bit, and purchased a MasterPlus Pro collar.  The collar lets off a short mist of odourless, tasteless mist when we hit a remote control button, and the idea is that your dog will stop in his tracks, giving you a chance to call him back.

   My first Ridgeback, Truman, had a bad habit of chasing children in the park.  He was a huge boy too, so you can imagine how scary this was for the kids and their parents.  I used an earlier model of this collar with Truman to stop this problem, and it worked.  Lucky would never harm anyone, but he does sometimes catch sight of something in the distance, crouch down, and then charge off at full, and I do mean full, speed.  He's proven totally unwilling to stop once he's started this behaviour, and as a consequence, hasn't been able to be off the lead unless he's in a confined space.
   We've used this collar a couple of times with him, and, lo and behold, it works.  We need to use very precise timing; we must watch him very closely, and when he spots his 'prey', we walk in the opposite direction, call him, and hit the button.  It doesn't hurt him, but it surprises him for sure, and so far has immediately broken his train of thought enough that when we call him to us, he comes straight away.  We don't want to over use it; he likes other dogs and people, and I'd hate for him to become wary or aloof.  But I can see a day soon when we'll be able to let him run free in the park with his dog friends without fearing that he'll come to harm.  We're both so pleased about this.
   I had another Ridgeback friend, Lydia, in the shop for a visit yesterday, and I felt quite disloyal to Lucky!  I wonder if he'll smell her when he's back next Monday?