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Dogs Pulling on leash
January 16th, 2011
I have a problem to admit to the world. I have a leash addiction. We have so many leashes hanging up, and my husband teases me endlessly about it. Honestly they all serve their purpose and I’ve used them at different times for different reasons. If you follow my blog you know that I have the worlds strongest dog who has successfully broken a few of my best leashes and landed me straight on my rear end.
With Blaze, I started with a flat buckle collar. Its my preference for most dogs. I quickly figured out I needed something better or my hands and shoulders were going to pay the price. I tried the gentle leader head collar. This seemed to rub on his eyes and he could still pull reallly well with it. The next choice was one of my favorite head collars the comfort trainer. I let someone borrow this but I would like to get another one to try again with him. Either way, he figured out he could flip his head and roll his body – it made our walks less than fun. Most of these I used with my leather braided 4 foot leash. He broke my 3 foot or I would have preferred that.
My next try was the gentle leader easy walk harness. I usually really love this harness. It works great, and is very adjustable. But for my dog? Nope, he pulled as hard as he could in the opposite direction.
I heard a recommendation for the Wags and Wiggles harness. It connects to the front and the back of the harness and has some nice padding on it to keep from rubbing. Well once I figured out how it worked with the special double ended leash, I got it on him and tightened it all up. We headed out and it seemed to work pretty well. The trouble with the easy walk was Blaze learned how to pull sideways, with this new harness it shifts from back to front so it gives me more control. We went for a longer walk and he did really great. Now, he can still pull, but I do’nt think its going to break the leash anymore and I feel like I can control him. When he starts to pass me, I walk backwards. When he is walking nicely beside me, I always reward him. I would have to say this is the Ferrari of dog pulling devices. This is for sale through our friends PetExpertise.com if you want to purchase one to try for your dog. Make sure you measure!
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Snow Storm 2011
January 11th, 2011
We live in the South. We get maybe a few inches of snow a year, enjoy it for a few hours and then it melts. We dont get stuck inside, we dont get cabin fever, until this year.
Its January 11th, 2011. 1-1-11 to be exact, maybe that’s an omen? We got a snow storm followed by an ice storm topped off by freezing fog. I still don’t quite know what freezing fog is, but it makes me want to stay inside. My dogs on the other hand are LOVING this weather. They want to be out, enjoying the cold sniffing all the smells and watching all the kids sledding. We even had a make shift dog park in my back yard with 4 labs. Thank goodness for a fenced in yard!
If you are stuck in the ice indoors here in the south you might be wondering what the heck to do with your new found cabin fever and your dogs going a little bonkers without their normal walks. If you are like me, you’ll get creative – train your dogs people! Today I worked with Nitro on heads up heeling. Blaze is still working on his stand stays for the show ring.
Things to watch out for with snow and ice and your pets. First, dogs CAN get hypothermia. Protect them and warm them if they get wet or too cold. Do NOT leave them out too long. Watch for pad cuts, with ice you can definitely see some paw cuts. Be careful of sidewalks with salt or other chemicals – these can burn your dogs skin and pads, and be dangerous if they ingest it. Be careful of stairs and them slipping, clear off a safe place for them to walk down on and try to keep it ice free.
Here are some snow pictures, hope you enjoy them!
Worlds Strongest Dog
January 2nd, 2011
Blaze is a bit of a beast. He’s a sweet beast, but none the less, he is strong. I had Chesapeakes before, and I thought they were strong, but Blaze may just take the cake. Granted he is an intact male, so that doesn’t help either. I’ve written before about impulse control and we are still working on that. When he starts to walk ahead of me on walks I turn and walk backwards and get him back to the correct position. We are also working on leave it with mailboxes (that may take better treats!).
I recently heard about a harness that some say is just amazing for dogs who pull on leash, I’ve ordered one and I am praying that this works for him, otherwise he may just be too strong for me to walk. So far we have tried every management device out there and he is just a strong puller. Maybe age will help too!
I do remember that when Nitro was this age I couldn’t stand walking him. He was an awful puller too. Now, he is a dream to walk. I would love to be able to walk both of them together but for now, we are solo walking.
Rescues and the Truth
December 30th, 2010
I’ve seen it SO many times. A person goes to a shelter or rescue group and I hear words the person coming up with creative ways to explain away behavior problems. I’ve also seen the other side, where owners wind up with a dog that honestly they would have never adopted if they knew what the issue was.
Well, one state is starting to battle that. In Colorado, they are now requiring rescue groups to give full disclosure to adopters. Its a huge step! I once witnessed a girl and her son looking at a dog. I asked after they left, did you tell him about the dog biting a man? Or being food aggressive? And the response was – that was a one time thing it probably won’t happen again.
I’m hoping that more states will come up with laws to protect not only the owners, but also the dogs. If the owner knows the problems, they have a choice to take the dog and work on it. If they don’t know its like bringing home a loaded gun, playing with it and not knowing its loaded.
Christmas 2010
December 26th, 2010
We’ve had a great Christmas this year. My dogs both enjoyed their new Pogo Plush toys and of course their kong wubbas. Our last one lasted more than 4 years, so I think the dogs were happy to get a new one. The Pogo plush toys are wonderful because they are stuffing free, and have a rubber ball inside. They bounce and have squeakers, but if they get a hole in it, we wont have stuffing everywhere!
We also got a nice surprise, some Christmas snow! Enjoy some of our pics and may you all have a happy new year!
