The Leave It Command Worked! Whew!

[Leslie and Halas]

Our team had to cancel our flyball weekend, so I've been trying to do extra things with Halas this weekend to try to make up for it.  We went to the Peoria Doodle Romp yesterday, and I took him hiking/swimming this morning.  We have a nice area of trails that run along a creek, and that's where we went this morning.  Halas had a blast running through the water, but there weren't any spots deep enough to swim.  So he just ran through the water, ran on the banks, ran in the water, ran on the banks, etc.  I had him on his 20-ft lead, and he was running along the bank when he stopped to sniff a stick.  I caught up with him and realized that the stick had a head.  So, yes, he was sniffing a snake.  He was sniffing the back half of the snake, but the snake had his head raised.  I have no idea what kind of snake it was. Probably just some kind of water snake, but I felt that sniffing it was a bad idea.  I couldn't make a leash correction, because Halas was on the 20-ft lead, and I was only a few feet away at this point.  So I said, "Halas. Leave it!"  And he did!  I was kind of surprised.  Leave it works in the field behind our house when he's sniffing poop or something, but I didn't figure it would work against something as interesting as a snake.  So he hopped over it and walked away.  I looked back, and the snake slowly made it's way into the water.  I decided that we were pretty tired at that point, so we left the creek and focused on the trail.

[Lindsey]

Awesome!!
We're working on the "leave it" command too...I hope I can trust my doodle to "leave it" if a snake ever crosses our path!!!
Good job Halas!!!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Wow - great job on that one Halas!!!  And good job for you to not freak out! 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Good dog, Halas! I was walking my two this weekend and a guy pulled up right next to me in his car and said for me to hold on tight. I asked him why and he said there was a big snake up ahead. Thank god, he told me, because I would have started screaming and who knows what would have happened. I don't think I would have even remember the leave it command. Good job to both of you!!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Good job Halas, your momma didn't raise no fool.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Great Job Halas and great teaching Mom!!!

[Dori & Rua]

Good job to both of you.  Halas for the leave it and you for not FREAKING! 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Well this is just about the best "proofing" of the "leave it" command that I've ever heard.  Halas, you and your Mom ROCK!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I think we need a new DK rule ....... NO snake discussions.  I'm with Karen, I would have been unable to even speak!  So happy this had a happy ending!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

OMD I hate snakes, I would have freaked...good thing it was you and not me!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Well done Halas!!!!!!