Rolling in fox poo and more whistle training......

OK................... so how does one train a gorgeous little Collie pup like me to respond to a whistle? We started off in the house and I am the most 'perfect pooch' ever, but there are no distractions. Sometimes Ann goes into different rooms and blows the whistle, but as we only live in a two-bed flat, she's not exactly miles away is she?


We progressed to going out on my walks and I was a 'perfect pooch' when there were no distractions. Soooooo............... we progressed to Ann blowing the whistle when I was off chasing squirrels. That was also OK, because tbh, I don't actually chase squirrels for that long and so come back pretty quickly anyway.


This morning we walked through the Hermitage for a little way, up onto the lower Braid Hills (where we have seen deer before) and then back home via the Hermitage along beside the Burn. That's a very nice walk of about 4-5 miles.


Mmmmmmm.................... most of the time I was a 'perfect pooch'. I came whizzing back to Ann every single time she blew the whistle. Yay! Ann was very, very, pleased with me. And then guess what happened?.......................... I found some rather lovely fox poo to roll about in. Yay! Ann let me roll in it for a few secs, then she blew the whistle, never expecting me to respond to it. But I did................ YAY!!!! How good was I?


Even though I was really, really stinky, Ann gave me loads of cuddles and treats and told me I was the bestest little Collie pup ever.


So there we were, walking through the Hermitage, (with Ann thinking she'd 'cracked it' re my whistle training), when I decided to go for a swim in the burn to wash all the stinky fox smell off me. I was allowed to splish, splash, splosh in the burn for a few secs and then Ann blew the whistle. I ignored it?!!! She blew the whistle again and I came racing back so I got more cuddles & treats. Was that the correct thing for my human to do? Or should she have been cross with me because I didn't respond to the first whistle?


My human thinks this 'whistle training malarkey' is hard work. My recall is pretty much perfect. I always like to know where Ann is and I always go straight back to her after chasing squirrels & rabbits.


Ann thinks that the only reason she lost me on 1st March 2023 was because we went along a path that said, 'Horses only. No bikes. No people'. And Ann disobeyed the sign and we unintentionally wandered into an area where hundreds of deer live??!!


Having said that............................ she never, ever, wants to go through the trauma of losing me again.


PS - We met our neighbours last night and they have a very boisterous lovely Labrador and they've fitted him with an 'Airtag'.  Ann thought airtags were just for locating lost suitcases. Lol!  Yet another 'techie' device that she's looking into to keep me safe.