Ruki's been a little more stubborn these days on her walks. (She's one year, eight months about now.) I think it's spring-time, and the smells are fresher and stronger around the neighborhood, so all she wants to do is pull and sniff. But one thing that's helped with her stubbornness--I mean, "character"--is to keep one step ahead of her while we're walking. If I walk a little bit faster than normal, I think she just keeps up and follows so she doesn't lose me.
The other thing we've been "experimenting" with is letting her off-leash in the neighborhood. We've let her off-leash when we walk around Fresh Pond reservoir and when we're running around in the Cambridge Common--and of course when she's at the Radcliffe Quad playing with other dogs. But it's a different and bigger test of faith to walk with her around the neighborhood without the leash. We confine it to certain less-busy streets and during quieter times of the day. But it seems that she's actually much better off-leash than on.
It's like when she's on the leash, then she needs to fight for where she wants to go, and she pulls. But when she's off leash, she has more freedom, and generally she wants to follow us. And if she wanders into the street, it takes a few clicks--or a deep, loud reprimand--and she either lays down and picks up and follows, or just comes back onto the sidewalk.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
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