Hi,

I'm really hoping & praying that someone can help, my 1 year old Beagle, Alfie has just discoverd deer! On Friday my partner walked him and there was a young deer in the woods, apparently it took about fifteen minutes but thankfully as the deer stayed put my partner finally managed to grab him and put him on his lead. His recall is generally quite good unless there is a distraction but not usually that bad.

Anyway, I walked him yesterday with my parents and their dog, we were on the way back from the walk when all of the sudden he was gone! He had been being really good, staying close etc, when he just started tracking, barking and then ran off. We didn't find him again until nearly 4 hours later, it was absolutely terrifying, there were a few occassions when we managed to find him but just couldn't get close. He had his nose to the ground and was just running along barking to himself, it was like we were invincible. Most of the time we could hear him in the distance barking, he went for miles, eventually we lost my mum (the only one who didn't have a phone) she came across him in the woods, he was apparently just stood watching her, anyway she grabbed him and raised the alarm at a local garden centre.

I have no idea how to prevent this in the future other than never letting him off again which we absolutely do not want to do. We've done 18 weeks of training previously plus 1-2-1 training at home with a behavioural expert. We knew as he's a beagle recall would always be a struggle but there is no way I can go through that again, I was so distraught by the time we finally got home. I went through barbed wire, brambles, frozen ice everything and spent the day crying and shaking, whereas he slept all day and apart from a few scratches is absolutely fine.

We are already booked on a 4 week recall course that starts on Saturday but I'm just not convinced it will help. He becomes completely fixated and I really fear nothing and no-one will be able to help.

I just can't believe how lucky we were to find him and that he has not been hurt or taken. I feel so bad, I couldn't go near him for hours, he's cuddled up to me now, he means everything to me and I can't lose him.

Does anyone have any ideas/ advice, anything would be really appreciated. I know it sounds silly but are deer always around or are there certain times of the year when they're out and about more?

Sorry for the rant and that its so long!

Hollie & alf x