WALKING WITH LUSI

I started walking with Lusi from the time she was about twelve weeks old. I had waited until then before I took her out because of her vaccinations. But by twelve weeks it was clear that she was ready for a good romp in the fields down by the river. It has remained one of our favourite walking locations partly because we often have the area completely to ourselves and so Lusi can have a really good run and partly because of the varied terrain and size of the area which allows us to choose a different route each day.

We have always done most of our walks off-leash. When we first started I remember how closely Lusi stayed with me, venturing ahead only a few feet or so and then running back to me. As she has grown so has her confidence and now she runs in great circles through deep swathes of grass or ahead of me on the pathway, depending on the terrain.

I have made it Lusi's responsibility to know where I am at all times! I will suddenly hide in the bushes, lie flat in the grass or duck behind a tree in an attempt to hide from her. The first time I did this and actually went off the pathway Lusi careened past the point I had come off the trail not imagining that I could be anywhere else. I think that first time she was actually worried that she had lost me as she hurtled back along the path not having found me. It is almost impossible to lose her now.

The game of "Hide and Seek" that we play has evolved now with Lusi keeping a watchful eye on my movements, although this is done quite nonchalantly on her part, but the moment I try and hide she is right there beside me. My best chance is just before we reach a fork on a pathway. She will check to see which fork she should take and then as she turns I will change direction at the last moment and run for cover as quickly as I can.


For the next two months this walk became a ritual. And then a neighbour mentioned the Regional Forest as another excellent walking location.


It was surprising to see how differently Lusi behaved in the forest as compared to our route along the river. In the forest we were more likely to meet other dogs, also generally off-leash. we would often stop for a chat with their owners while the dogs played. But when we were on our own I was amused to see how she delighted in the forest scents and how much of the time she was tracking animals with her nose down and her tail up. I saw her first "point" in the forest too. I noticed that she did not run as much in the forest either. It was as if all of her senses were overwhelmed by the information she was receiving via her nose.