I take it all back!!

So dunno how many of your read my post about about rabbit chasing but everything i said on it i know take back, i just lost Diesel in the ever darkening wooded dog park and it was thee most horrific experience of my life! All because of a sodden rabbit and her all over welming pray drive!
dunno if it was because of the darkness or because she hadn't be off lead up dog park for a few days cause i've been hibernating with man-flu but Diesel just totally forgot that she was anyones pet...i might as well of been a tree for the amount she was ignoring me and runnig passed me!
Was just making my last lap of the dog park as it was getting dark when a rabbit ran across the path and off she shot! I shouted a few times and she didnt come back so i went to look, but visability was becoming an issue so i listened for the jiggle of her tag on her collar...nothing! So trying not to panic i continued to shout positively...still nothing.
Then i heard the heavy panting coming towards me and a chuckled "come on then dafty" but she just darted right passed me off into the other set of trees!! This went on for a while as it got steadily darker and darker, every so often she would come close but just totally dingy me, i tried everything i could think off, nothing was working! Phoned me oh, he was about a half hr drive away....thats too long...phone my brother to come and bring his dog, shes ignoring me but surely another dog will snap her out of her own wee world???!! All i could whilst i waited for my brother and molly was basically track Diesel so i at least knew roughly where she was, it was horrible it was like i was totally invisible to her!
just as my brother came diesel appeared and i got her back on lead, she got an ear full and walked home short lead no communication and am still not talking to her. It was so horrific and all i could think of was how just a few days again i was saying her rabbit chasing is fine!!!!

Fortunate enough that where we walk she can't get into any danger so I don't mind loosing her, although if I did shout a command, she would return. Don't be angry, he's just doing what a dog does Xx

It is very stressing when the they run off isn't it, and this made worse but it being nearly dark too. Have you ever considered using a long lead you can get very long ones.

Or maybe a little bell on the collar, like the cats have, may be an idea ????

She usually always comes back when i shout her, i seriously dunno what happened, like i said dunno if it was the darkness cause shes never usually off in the dark or because she hadnt been off in a few days or maybe cause of the darkness the rabbit were being a bit less hidden than usual....who knows but it is the first and last time she'll b off up there in the dark, i didnt think i was ever getting her back

kathytake2 wrote:It is very stressing when the they run off isn't it, and this made worse but it being nearly dark too. Have you ever considered using a long lead you can get very long ones.

Or maybe a little bell on the collar, like the cats have, may be an idea ????

i ordered a glowing collar on sun but it still hasnt arrived.
it was fine when it was kinda dark but it just seemed to get DARK so quickly i couldnt see a thing, i did have a torch but its a tiny wee thing attached to ma keys that i use for finding her poos to bag them, it has like a 2feet range if ur lucky

A torch would be a very good idea. My hubby has a very one as in the link below. They are available elsewhere online slightly cheaper though. He has said he will treat me to one for Christmas:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/led-lenser-cree-p7-high-performance-torch-225316

The biggest mistake you made was telling her off when she came back to you.

Caryll wrote:The biggest mistake you made was telling her off when she came back to you.

why? An i wouldnt really say she came back, more she came close enough for me to grab her, and she was then too busy sniffing at my brothers dog and saying hi to my brother to probs even be aware of me saying anything at all

Sounds like she was still on the scent of the rabbit after giving chase, Dogs go mute when they are on a scent, she will come back for sure, but i understand it was a scary time for you .

Longest half hr of my life waiting for my brother to come with his dog, to try and distract her

Longest half hr of my life waiting for my brother to come with his dog, to try and distract her

mickgill wrote:Sounds like she was still on the scent of the rabbit after giving chase, Dogs go mute when they are on a scent, she will come back for sure, but i understand it was a scary time for you .

bells, whistles & reflective collars ain't help when she is in ignore mode.

pedro wrote:

mickgill wrote:Sounds like she was still on the scent of the rabbit after giving chase, Dogs go mute when they are on a scent, she will come back for sure, but i understand it was a scary time for you .

bells, whistles & reflective collars ain't help when she is in ignore mode.

i dont think even a "heres one i killed for you earlier" dead rabbit in my back pocket woulda helped! She was gone, she was no longer Diesel she was just an animal out on the hunt.

Oh i feel so bad for you, macy once run off chasing a cat, jumped a wall that I thought was high enough...
I think Caryll said you did wrong telling her off when you got hold of her because now she might think she gets told off if she comes back to you but if it's a one off she won't think that...
having lots of cuddles today then after the scare of yesterday?

Ahhh what a nightmare you must have been terrified

Glad you managed to get her back and all was well in the end! Gotta agree with Caryll though.. telling her off when she came back is just saying to her that coming back is wrong.. and chasing the rabbit is going to be a much more self rewarding behaviour and is completely natural to her. It's bloody hard when you're going out of your mind and they're just ignoring you but it really is best to just stay calm and get them back on the lead, ignore if you're fuming but don't reprimand at all if possible!!

Bis has got a ridiculously high prey drive too.. and was also movement reactive to cyclists/joggers etc when I got her and would lunge and snap. Couple this with her fear aggression and she never gets let off the lead!! But I have a 50ft training line to run her on and she doesn't miss out on any off lead running time.. and nobody gets hurt!!

I know the feeling all to well, Kenny was the same with the motor bike

Aye she been getting lots of cuddles, i know its not her fault. And she was doing just do whats natural to her. Poor wee thing is scratch to hell, looks like she got in a fight with barbwire!! Worse cause shes white so u can see just how raw her skin is



its like that all up her neck and chin too and all up all four legs! Silly pup

Try not to worry lovely, she had a whale of a time, I'm sure she didn't even feel the scratches

Hey I know how you feel, its a dogs thing, I was away for two nights, the longest I have ever been a way from Pixee, out son looked after her, the first day, she had a mud bath, then later that same day, she took off after a fox, our son lost her for a good 10 mins, she wouldnt come back on call either, then all of a sudden, she came racing back full pelt, (by then my son had started running towards where she had took off) and pass my son , she must have known she had gone too far and was going back to where she thought our son was, our son called her, and it was so funny watching her brake. But at least you got her back and that is all that counts. I have a flashing light on Pixee for when it goes dark, unlike you, I cant hear, so I wouldnt have a clue if she was running towards me or not, I need that flashing light to show . thinking of getting a high visual coat for her though, perhaps you could too, they do some in Pets for Homes.

Her new nite dawgs collar came today, its red and lights up and has a flashing mode too, had her out earlier with it on, so much bette. Although didnt risk taking her back up the dog park just yet, not when it was getting dark again. Mainly cause im a big child and scared of the dark haha