A little background: I rescued a deaf blue heeler puppy in 1999 who became my constant companion for 15 years. Hiking, camping, she was with me always and she never strayed too far from sight. I KNOW I will never replace her and what she meant to me.
The current situation: I rescued a fox terrier shortly after my heeler passed whose owners were going to have her put down. I love her and we’ve been through a lot together, but her temperament is wayyyy over the top (esp. when compared to my heeler). She is so high strung that she charges off to do battle with whatever her nose leads her to. I know these dogs were bred for that temperament but I admit it can be aggravating. I can’t even lead her on a leash, I can’t train her to come or even to acknowledge that I’m calling her name.
I also have a mutt that I got as a puppy who is as sweet as a kitten without the asshole tendencies of a cat 😂.
The problem: I realize now that my heeler trained me more than I ever trained her. She was intelligent in a way that I didn’t even know a dog could be. I know this in part because I have failed to be able to train my fox terrier to do anything other than sit for a treat. I would love to go camping with my dogs but I’m terrified that the moment she gets loose in the woods I would hear an occasional distant barking for a bit and then she would just be gone forever. My mutt would probably do quite well in the woods, and I’m taking her out this spring for her first trip.
The question: is there anything I can do to help with my fox terrier? Is there any hope? Does anyone else have a similar situation where they might have some advice?
What I know is that no other dog would benefit from a romp in the woods than her, but I feel it would be very irresponsible as a pet owner for me to let her loose in the woods.
Thank you in advance.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/aohxdk/a_hiking_companion/
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