Sighthound people - where DO you exercise your dogs off the lead?

FestiveSpirit

FestiveSpirit

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I am beginning to run out of options
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At my old yard there was a big field I could let the greyhounds run around - no horses, no cats, no other dogs, it was wonderful (except when Islay fell in the river in the middle of winter of course
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Now I have moved yards I dont seem to be able to find anywhere to let them off
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I thought I had found somewhere en route to the yard, starting off through a wood (private shoot, so obviously dogs on leads) then coming back on a bridleway. Until tonight when I found the bridleway covered with pheasants (about 8 of them
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) which had strayed over from the shoot area. Luckily I grabbed Flick before she saw them, Islay was already on the lead, but I can imagine the sort of abuse I would have got if they had grabbed one
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I am going to approach our local XC course and ask if I can pay to walk my dogs over their fields if there are no horses there, but even they have sheep on the land sometimes
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Any ideas please?
 
Are they stock proof? Any beaches near by? Quiet parks or woodland? Minus a shoot!! Or FC land?

I do sympathise, Celt is stock proof but when it comes to my sisters lab running, she'll even start to course her and nip her on the back, I'm lucky to have land at home and she's loose on the yard all day.
 
Thats the problem Severnmiles, they are definitely not stock proof, especially Islay who will chase anything
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No beaches near enough for regular exercise (I'm in Herefordshire
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) and no parks either... aaargh!

The Malvern Hills are nearby but have sheep grazing and a million and one other people with their (better behaved/more obedient) dogs all the time
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We have our own fields and luckily our dogs are stock proof and good with other dogs so can walk on footpaths.

Do you have any stubble fields near you that you could ask the farmer if you can walk in?
 
It's not secure but where we walk Otto is pretty good.
Not a million miles from the yard either.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/recre...eensWoodCarpark

Not sure if that's any good??
Don't often meet other dogs (depending on the time of day!) and most of them make Otto look well behaved
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Occasionally you can meet horses, the main path through is supposed to be no horses allowed, doesn't usually stop them mind you!!
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Forest of Dean? What about walking the Wye? Dad used to be bailiff of part of that river and used to walk Willow and Heidi for miles along certain stretches and only saw the odd fisherman and walker. Also hardly any sheep, mainly Beef and arable along the stretches I remember.
 
LOL - I used to walk there every day when I lived in Dymock
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It is quite nice but a bit out of the way from where I am now, but at this rate I might be going there again
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Skunks??? Really????
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Might act as a good chasing deterrent mind you....

Not really sure what to suggest as this is one of the reasons I eventually decided against a greyhound
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[ QUOTE ]
Skunks??? Really????
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Might act as a good chasing deterrent mind you....


[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, apparently when it became illegal to remove their stink glands they started getting dumped and the FOD seems the place to dump things - Wild Boar, Big Cats, Skunks and Failed Biological Experiments, judging by some of the inhabitants...
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Knew about the Big cats and Wild boar but hadn't heard about the skunks. Haha, people with pointy heads
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To be honest, my grey is sooo lazy she just sleeps on the grass all day and follows me everywhere I go but the only time she runs is after a rabbit, when we take her racing or occasionally (like once a week) after the labrador. They surely don't need to run every day? Either that or my grey is abnormally lazy!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
We have our own fields and luckily our dogs are stock proof and good with other dogs so can walk on footpaths.

Do you have any stubble fields near you that you could ask the farmer if you can walk in?

[/ QUOTE ]

Good idea IrishCobs, I will ask around
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I am too used to having older ones I think - my two who I lost last year were just like yours sounds to be, lovely with other dogs, stock proof, easy to have around, and lazy
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Islay is obsessed with chasing everything, but Flick is better and comes when she is called most of the time - might just resign myself to the fact that Islay wont get off the lead much, and go places where Flick can have some fun
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I hasten to add that I do NOT live anywhere near the Forest of Dean, so Henmeister has been misinforming you
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I live in rural Herefordshire, which has a better class of wierdo altogether
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(but also does not have big cats, wild boar or skunks
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)
 
LOL!

Was going to suggest Eastnor but doubting they are deer proof if not sheep proof?

Celt is only 18months, old before her time I think and part labrador, she is such a foody!!! How she keeps such a nice figure I don't know ...
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...
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Good luck with the stubble fields!
 
I just take mine to the local (my) farmers fields
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mine don't bother other dogs and there is no live stock, a few horses, which my dogs don't bother anyway, and they, is it not easier for u to drive them somewhere to a field a little further out?
 
I was thinking last night that I might follow the same route through the wood then turn left not right - there is a field further along which the bridlepath runs through which is pasture but never has stock on it as it is used for moto-cross
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Just means we have to double back on ourselves but worth it I think
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I've just lost my main off lead walk as there are sheep grazing for 3 months and the foot path through to the next one is blocked for the dogs by the electric fence
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I'm resorting to one pathetic 20 mins round a 5 acre paddock and one off lead at the country park per day which is 6 miles away. Trouble is Liz is doing my nut in as it's not enough for her so may get myself a bike and run her with that as an extra.

Does anyone else run their dogs next to a bike?
 
We used to run dogs off a bike, for a GSD I think it is probably the best exercise there is! Not with our current two because we have since moved house and we live next to a mental road and I wouldn't trust them 100% not to tank off after small furry projectiles.
 
Im really lucky that just behind my house is a huge field (probably about 10 acres!!) that is fully enclosed with 6ft wire fencing! It has a kids play park at one end, but generally its fairly empty. It is perfect for exercising my basenji in. She can run off the lead as much as she wants without me having to worry! She does have a very good recall, but being a sighthound i would not 100% trust her...

I do take her for walks on the hills and to the river and beach but she stays on her extending lead for that..
 
my mother has spoken to a local farmer and he actively encourages her to walk her whippets on his land as they keep the rabbit population down.

Might be worth you doing something similar?
 
We have a nature reserve between my work and home which is really handy. There are several fields which they rotate with sheep and cattle so we just go in the ones that are being rested. Do you have any nature reserves near you?
 
I dont think we do - but I have found a field
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It is a bit of a trek along the bridlepath (amazing how much longer it takes on foot than on a horse!) but its worth it to give them a run around
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The bridlepath runs through the field so I can go through it legitimately, and it never has stock on it as it is used for moto cross during the winter
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