I love to watch Delilah just being a dog. Honestly, she is such an incredible athlete. When she runs, jumps or is just playing, she makes everything look so effortless.
Running -She’s so sleek when she runs, and fast. This dog is so fast and can turn on a dime.
- A few years back on one of our wood walks, she was lagging behind. Hubby, Sampson and I had just taken a left on to one of the trails and we gave a shout for Delilah. We all turned to wait for her and here she comes a running with a deer hot on her heels. We all stood there, staring and she took the turn onto our path like it was nothing and the deer continued on the other path. (Hubby insists it only LOOKED like the deer was chasing her, that the deer was actually on a parallel path, but this is my blog, it’s my story and I’m sticking with the deer was chasing her.)
- Once she ran up a rock that was almost vertical, she was just running around in the field, when suddenly she looked up at the top of the rock and just ran up it. Hubby and I stood there with out mouths open, a shocked expression on our faces.
Jumping – Delilah has mad jumping skills, she could easily jump over a five foot barrier. Thankfully she doesn’t know this, and please, do me a favor and don’t tell her.
- There have been times when we’ve been walking in the woods and she’s jumped over a four foot wide, three foot high pile of brush like she was jumping over a puddle.
- She once cleared the three foot high gate from the kitchen to the living room at our old house. No biggie, right? Wrong! The gate had two bar stools with backs that were 4 1/2 feet high, the seats of the stools were facing the gate and that added a width of 18 inches or so, AND they had laundry baskets on the seats. She sailed right over it. Like the cow jumping over the moon.
Besides the pure joy of just watching her running and being a dog, it’s so good for her physically. Running keeps her heart and her muscles in prime working order.
But sadly, after all the times she’s taken off on me, I can’t trust her off-leash like I can Sampson, so I’ve been working her with a command I call, “Go Check.”
It means exactly that. When she or Sampson spots something incredibly enticing and Sampson takes off to explore it, I will reach down and unclip her and say, “Go Check.” She now has permission to run and investigate and somehow, she knows that means it’s a quick sniff/look and then right back to me.
Here I come!
It’s little bursts of running, but it is something. I feel it’s a win-win, because she is doing something that she loves (and that I love to watch) and yet she is coming right back to me.
They are so cute! It’s awesome that you can have her go check things out and come back to you! I do that sometimes if the girls get startled by something.
That’s crazy about the deer! My dogs would of scented that and taken off after it!
That run looks so fun! Off leash is the place to be. Well…. That’s what I’ve heard. I’ve never been there. Ever….
Love and licks,
Cupcake
My guys don’t get the off leash freedom too often. It really does put a crimp in their fitness training. Even if I encourage them to run while leashed, they just won’t (well, unless we are on the heels of a squirrel, bunny or deer and then I’m way to slow to make it fun!). Wilson has run off on me several times, and now that he is pretty much deaf, I just can’t risk it.
That is a fun thing about dogs. If a command doesn’t work, you can choose something else and make it work. Instead of come, you can say sofa and it will work if you train for it. Glad she can get off leash. We will never be off leash unless it is a fenced area but we still have plenty of fun. Happy running Delilah!
That is great that you’ve trained her to do that! Luke is quite a runner too, and he amazes me when he corners around obstacles, or jumps over them (he’ll jump right over his sisters if they’re in his way). We’re lucky to have the big fenced in yard that he can run in, and with the deck and trees in there it gives him plenty of obstacles to go around. I’d love to see him and Delilah running together, I bet they’d have a blast! They’d probably be really good at agility too.
That’s a great command to teach. She does have mad skills, that’s for sure.
Nice running, Delilah. The warm weather has slowed our Lila down. We’re looking forward to cooler days when she’ll get a little more spring in her step!
Bursts of canine energy; wonderful! 🙂
Blueberry said if you don’t want Delilah to find out that she’s capable of jumping over a 5 foot barrier, that she would like a deer of her own to chase her. You may drop the deer off at a location to be disclosed at a later time.
It would be wonderful to experience the total joy that dogs have in just running across a field.
Alas we humans can only experience that by watching them. Love the video.
That’s creative!
And then there’s my Rudy who can fly over a 5 1/2 foot fence. Thankfully, he knows he’s not supposed to and does it rarely. As soon as he’s cleared the fence it’s like he “comes to” and promptly sits. He stays there looking totally humiliated until we rescue him. I suggest he and Delilah never meet so he can’t give her any ideas 🙂
You can tell she is having such a great time!
I bet Delilah likes her off leash time.
I think it’s a fab idea and it was something I always did with my two. If they saw something they would look at me and I would say ok or go on then.
Gawd it’s beyond wonderful when Doglish and English match up and you’re both on the same page, isn’t it? You’re oh-so-right, D-Girl has mad running and pivoting skills-bet you even get whiplash sometimes watching her. You sure she isn’t related to a cutting horse? 🙂
The deer story? Holy moly! Go Delilah for outrunning a deer on her same path! Love the athleticism!
Hey now, that’s a great cue! Like you said, a win-win!
I am so lucky to live in the county on a big plot of land where they can run run run.