Some Tojo Photos

Hondru_

Here are some photos taken about a month ago at one of our favourite walking places.  It's one of the dog runs in our city.  I also updated my profile photo.

 

 

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The Quiet spot, such a great invention.

Nice pictures, does he bring the ball back or just play keep away with it?

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Nine times out of ten, he brings it back if you ask him, although it's a different story down by the river.  He likes to let it float in the water and then catch it again onceit floats a ways, or just let it float while he plays with it with his paws and mouth.  It's rather cute.  Sometimes, he just wants to run around with it in his mouth, though, and sometimes he runs off in the grass with it and loses it.  Then I say, "Where's your tennis ball?" and he goes looking for it, and usually finds it and brings it back.  

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Nice pics.


That's cool he brings the ball back at all - our Shibas NEVER do. Maui just runs over to it and looks at us like "It's right here dad/mom, you moron".

myshikoku

you let tajo run freely? realy? so i can do that as well?

Heidi

Yes, Tojo runs free off leash on a regular basis.  When I lived
in an apartment, I took him to the dogrun and now that I live on a
farm, we take daily tours of the property.  I wouldn't trust him a
lot of situations - basically he knows to go in the direction I go, to
stay in sight, to catch up to me when I call his name, and to come back
inside when I tell him to.  For instance, there are a whole bunch
of rabbits in our gravel pit and Tojo likes to go looking for
them.  If he sees one, he'll chase it a ways and then come
back.  I can't call him off the chase, but I know he'll come back
when he's done.  Also, if he gets thirsty, he'll run to the spring
and get a drink and I can't call him off that either, but once he's got
his drink, he'll come.  He also knows not to go on the road and to
leave the sheep and llama alone.  If I call him to put a leash on,
I'll get him nine times out of ten, but in a lot of situations, that's
not enough.  At the dog run, sometimes I had to wait ten minutes
at the end of the walk for him to get his final zoomies out, but most
of the time he'd wait politely by the car.  

As to
whether you can let your dog off leash - depends on the dog, the amount
of training you're willing to do and what the situation is.  I
don't mind letting Tojo off leash on my own property but if I went for
a hike in the woods I would definitely leash him.  At home, should
he get distracted, he knows where home the house is. 

myshikoku

wow, well trained, what did you do? school or books?

Heidi

Honestly, I don't think I did anything that special.  Maybe it's a
fluke.  The main thing is that if he's had enough exercise, he'll
come, and if he's been inside for a few days, he won't until he's gone
running around for fifteen minutes.  Also, if he doesn't come when
called, I just leave, rather than follow him and yelling at him. 
I read that when the leader of a wolf pack wants to get going, he just
gets up and leaves and the rest follow, he doesn't signal to them to
come with him at all, so I decided to copy that somewhat.  I call
once or twice and if he doesn't come, I just leave.  If he's into
something interesting and doesn't notice me, I clap my hands and run in
the opposite direction, which gets his attention and makes him think
I'm off to do something interesting.  If I stand there facing him,
he's less likely to come and waaay less likely if I try to follow
him.  As far as leavnig the livestock alone, Loki and Tojo used to
chase the sheep and llama in circles around the house (or chase the
sheep on circles around the llama) but Loki got in big trouble once and
neither does it anymore.  Loki because he got in big trouble and
Tojo (I think) because he saw Loki get in big trouble.  By big
trouble, I mean I actually chased him down and caught him, scolded him,
and dragged him inside.  No more fun.