# One man and his dog in the Highlands in Springtime .....the



## flyingscotsman (Jun 23, 2007)

Hi All, 
I have planned to go to the Highlands in the Spring,... March to May. It's over fifteen years since I was last up there.
I have this romantic dream of tramping through heather clad hills and glens, along burns and loch sides while my new travelling companion "Bobby" runs freely at my side....until today that is, when I "discovered" on the Net that dogs in the Countryside are a big NO NO in the Springtime.

Farmers and land owners it seems don't want dogs on their lands at all in Spring, apparently even the very sight of a dog can panic sheep causing them to flee and abort if in lamb. In dogs, it's said that the sight or smell of sheep or lambs promote the prey/hunting drive in them, turning even the most disciplined dog into a sheep chaser, or at worse a killer! So dogs, if allowed at all onto sheep land, must always be kept on a leash.

Further reading on dogs and other wildlife in the Spring indicates that as this is the main time also for bird nesting, dogs should always be kept on a short lead anywhere where they may be nesting birds or fledglings eg shore sides, loch sides, moorlands, hillsides and forests. 

So, given that birds are nesting nearly everywhere in the Spring and from my best recollection of the Highlands sheep ARE everywhere, have you other dog owners given leash off time to your pooch when travelling in the Highlands in the Springtime?

Aye the Flyingscotsman


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

Oh my goodness!! To be honest have never really given this a thought! We would never let our dogs off lead near sheep/cows etc but let them off in wooded or isolated areas, never thinking about nesting birds!!!!!!
I guess you need to rely on your own discretion flyingscotsman where and when to let Bobby off lead!
What kind of dog is he and is he good off lead??


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

They would'nt want my dogs running loose at any time of the year. 8O 8O 

They chase anything that runs. That is why we have to stick to the coast. As long as there are plenty of rabbits in the dunes, they are happy.


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## ToffeApple (Nov 21, 2009)

I'm afraid that with a Jack Russell, anything that MOVES is good for chasing, including rabits and deer. They are also well known for "going to ground" which is a worry if they follow a rabbit down its hole, or even a fox. A friend has 4 JRTs and only one can be let off lead as the rest go to ground at the first chance they get. Unfortunately it's what they are bred for, but still a huge worry as when the "red mist" hunting instinct comes down, they are deaf and blind to anything except what they are chasing. 
Sorry if that sounds depressing but my JRT is always kept on an extender lead or a very long training lead as she went after a deer a couple of months ago & it took about an hour to find her, & then catch her. Perfect recall at home but hunting is different.

Enjoy your holiday and better to be safe than sorry.

Chris & Tilly.


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## Brock (Jun 14, 2005)

Unfortunately, sheep and wildlife will not know that your dog is well-behaved off the lead. There is a high risk they will panic just by sighting your dog.

All is not lost, however. First of all your dog will be happy to walk on a lead once it gets used to it. Having a dog on a lead close at hand can often build better relationships and improve that feeling of 'one man and his dog'. As Carol says, there are also areas you will come across that are not so restricted but in our crowded island where so many have rights, they are getting less and less.

There is still a huge amount of joy from walking the Scottish hills in the spring with dog by you side [on a lead] so do not be put off. Take a good bird guide and turn the fear of wrecking nests into a wonderful hobby of seeing how many nests you have not destroyed because you are obviously one of the many responsible dog owners.

If the worst come to the worst, get your dog hooked on scotch and you can drink your cares away under the setting sun.


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## mags52 (May 9, 2010)

We had a fright last year when we were walking beside a loch Hamish our labradoodle off his lead. We turned a corner and came across a flock of sheep. He has never shown any interest in chasing anything before but he took off after a sheep with no warning at all. Worse still, he chased it into the loch. We yelled at him and finally he came out of his moment of madness and came back and we put him on his lead and walked away, realising that if we stayed by the loch the sheep would never come back out of the water. The sheep swam back to shore apparently unharmed. Never again will we let him off his lead near any kind of farmland. for a dreadful moment we thought the sheep would drown. Normally he has excellent recall but some instinct seemed to come over him and he was completely out of our control for a few terrible minutes.
It just goes to prove that you can't be certain of how a dog will react when instinct takes over.
Having said all that there are plenty of places where you can walk dogs in Scotland and be nowhere near farm animals. We walk for miles with the dogs off the lead.
Have a great trip!


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## flyingscotsman (Jun 23, 2007)

Hi All,
Thanks all, well the dream continues....all be it on a long line! 

The fact that my comments didn't provoke an avalanche of posting, shows that it's not as big a problem as I had at first feared and as I regard myself as a "responsible dog owner" I will take due care and heed the advice of you posters re using a long leash and expect to find some off lead spots.

As toffeeapple said it's a Jack Russell I have and he described beautifully his "red mist" moments, ie 99% of the time he is obedient to a fault ,then he up and just does his own thing. That 1% moment could be disastrous so I'll invest in a long leash and get some practice in with it.

Again thanks

Aye the Flyingscotsman


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## Suenliam (Mar 22, 2006)

In my limited experience I have found that dogs on extending leads know to the inch how long they are 8) Frequently I think the dog will break its neck tearing after something just to skid to a halt at the end of the lead. 

Great things those leads - dog safe and near by and if it chooses to walk by your side you get to feel very wanted.

Enjoy your trips

Sue


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