The Official "Dogs of the DMF" Thread

[akmnstr]

I like their eyes in the last pic.  How does he do after so much play?

[Randimus Maximus]

I like their eyes in the last pic.  How does he do after so much play?

They probably ran, jumped, chased each other, got in the creek and wrestled for about an hour Saturday.  He had no apparent ill effects after that. 

[somegirl]

Mutant whippet!  

(or, what happens when MrI has the camera )



And a cute shot

[Howie]

Since Brian's most recent vet visit, we've started him on Glucosamine/Chondroitin, fish oil, and occasional Rimadyl for pain when necessary.

We will most likely take him to see an acupuncturist as well, based on the recommendation from his orthopedic surgeon.

In any case, he got to visit/play with one of his littermates, Ike, this past Saturday.  Brian and Ike have gotten together for a little rough housing a few times since they were adopted.  A few pictures follow:

Great to see Brian doing so well

[Polpetta]

[/quote]


This is a great shot! 

[Stella]

I like their eyes in the last pic.  How does he do after so much play?

Man's perspective:

He had no apparent ill effects after that. 

Woman's perspective:
We gave him pain meds the night before and the day of playing w/his brother so he was able to play hard. Might have been different w/o but maybe not â€" being that they have a high tolerance for pain. 

Either way, he had a blast and we had a lot of laughs watching them.  He slept for a few hours and then was ready to go again.         

[Stella]

Grace having a good time with her ball:

Grace is flippin' hysterical!  SO much fun to watch!!!

And all the other pups â€" LOVE seeing these pics!   

[metallimonster]

I need some doggy gear and some help.  My buddy's friend had this rope (looked like climbing rope) leash that was a choker on one end so no choker chain was needed just slip it on and go.  Does anyone know what this type of leash is called and where I can get one?  I've searched and can't find them.  I guess I could just get some climbing rope and learn how to make some sort of slipknot but would rather have one with an actual grip.

[SacDuc]

I need some doggy gear and some help.  My buddy's friend had this rope (looked like climbing rope) leash that was a choker on one end so no choker chain was needed just slip it on and go.  Does anyone know what this type of leash is called and where I can get one?  I've searched and can't find them.  I guess I could just get some climbing rope and learn how to make some sort of slipknot but would rather have one with an actual grip.

Do you intend to use this type of leash to walk your dog?

I know what it is like to own a powerful dog that pulls hard during a walk. When we visited our shepherd at the shelter he pulled with all his might against a spiked chrome choke chain to the point he could barely breath and his eyes were starting to bug out of his head. Its taken me over a year, but last night he walked at my side with a loose leash for damn near half of a nice long walk.

The type of leash you are describing is great if you are at the beach or the dog park and you just want something quick to slip on the dog and get it back to the car safely. But they are useless for training your dog to walk on a loose leash with you. For any dog that is pulling hard enough to make you think you need a choker, pain probably isn't going to be much of a deterrent from pulling, unless you intend to break the dog's spirit and make him submissive out of fear.

Just my two cents.

What you are looking for is a "loop lead" sometimes incorrectly called a "show lead." These are not intended for everyday dog walking purposes.


Example:
http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.prodshow/vid/429147/catid/132/vname/Mediumweight_Braided_Loop_Lead_Threeeighths_inch


Cheers.

sac

[Polpetta]

I swear by the Gentle Leaders. (Don't know if it works for what you need it for)

With 3 big boys, I am walking let's say 350'ish lb's and this works!!!

see http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.prodShow/vid/387185/vname/Gentle_Leader_Head_Collar

We tried another brand and the Gentle Leader works tails above the rest 
I forget what the other was called.

With Fritz we tried just about every collar/leash out there 

It works with directing them with their head instead of neck or body.

When we take them off leash, they keep the GL on and we take the leash off, then we just hook the leash back on when needed!

Good luck!

[metallimonster]

hmmm, looks like the loop lead will not work for me then.  As stated in the Wolf thread my dog is the best dog I've ever had and never does anything wrong- no chewing, biting, anything but she is a terrible walker.  The gentle lead wouldn't work because she would just freak out the whole time trying to get it off. 

I guess we're sticking with the pulling.

Might try and actual harness but she's not going to like that either.

[duccarlos]

Get the gentle leader and put it on inside the house. Try that before actually going out with her. They work, but some people simply don't have the patience and prefer choking their dogs rather than training them.

[SacDuc]

hmmm, looks like the loop lead will not work for me then.  As stated in the Wolf thread my dog is the best dog I've ever had and never does anything wrong- no chewing, biting, anything but she is a terrible walker.  The gentle lead wouldn't work because she would just freak out the whole time trying to get it off. 

I guess we're sticking with the pulling.

Might try and actual harness but she's not going to like that either.

You are not stuck with the pulling.

If she really will freak out with a Gentle Leader (I strongly suggest trying it at least) just use a regular collar and leash Snug it up a bit for the walk so she can't slip it. Get yourself a big ol' bag of treats and always have one at the ready.

1)Put the leash on the dog in the house.
2)Make the dog sit by the door far enough away so you can open it.
3)Start to open the door.
4)If the dog gets up, shut the door.
5) repeat steps 3 & 4 about 7 million times (you don't need treats for this) You may not even get out of the house for several days. DO NOT GIVE IN. Use your sit and stay commands.
6) Once the dog can sit in front of an open door without bolting give her a command to come through the door (go or okay). You won't have to tell he twice. She will dash through the door. And she will reach the end of her leash and you won't budge a bit until she is calm right beside you. Again this may take a billion tries over many days. STAY CONSISTENT!
7) Once you can open a door without your dog going from 0-60 you can start effectively training your dog to walk on leash. When you are outside and the dog is calmly by your side take a step forward. the dog with take off. Every time the dog gets ahead of you STOP! Immediately. Do not take another step until you return the dog to your side.
Take another step. Repeat step 7 a zillion times. You may not get out of your driveway for several weeks. That's ok.
9) Reward your dog. That huge bag of treats you have (goods treats too like hot dogs or something) is for when your dog looks up at you. Every time she looks up at you give her a treat. You are training her that paying attention to you when she is on leash is a very good thing.
10) Eventually (remember, this may take months) you will be walking down the street with her and she will be looking up at you every few feet. At this point you've basically won and you can start reducing the treats. After phasing out the treats over a couple of weeks you will simply have a happy dog that walks at your side. Unless your dog is like mine and she flips out at the mere sight of another dog. That's a whole different issue, but it doesn't change anything I've said above.

You need patience. I took me over a year with my shepherd and I'm still not all the way there yet. Don't look at the walks as exercise sessions, look at them as training sessions. Stay consistent an don't budge an inch. The reason it has taken me so long with my dog is that I kept thinking "but he really needs the exercise, I have to let him walk even if he pulls." BIG BIG mistake.

Good luck.


sac

I wish you the best of luck. last nights walk was the best walk I ever had with my little Fritzy-Pants. It is so rewarding and he is so much happier not gagging himself and/or getting a swat on the nose now and then.

sac

[Triple J]

I guess we're sticking with the pulling.

You can train a dog to walk with a standard collar, it just takes patience (sometimes lots of it  ).

First, put the collar and leash on and walk around the house. Stay inside as long as it takes for the dog to walk beside you in the house without pulling. Start with inside the house because they're more comfortable and there are less distractions. This should be really easy.

Next, do the same in the backyard. Don't graduate to a real walk until she/he has it down. Also should be easy.

Finally, try a regular walk. This won't be easy! Never let them walk in front of you...that's where the pack leader walks. Beside or behind is OK. A dominant dog allowed to walk in front will pull, and bark at other dogs, because they see themself as the leader and must "protect" you. Don't let them stop to sniff wherever they want...you let them wherever you want (I just watch my dogs and let them stop where they want without them having to pull me to do it).

If they pull, stop and make them sit...then start again...repeat until they get it (this is where the patience comes in...it can be really frustrating). Also, never allow a tensioned leash. Dogs just ignore this, or pull harder. Instead, do repetitive quick tugs to change their behavior. Try to annoy them, not overpower them. Tugs will do that.

Like Sac said...consistency is key. Good point about using the "wait" command at the door before the walk...I forgot about that. For dominance reasons, you should always make your dogs "wait" to enter or leave the house until you have. Pack leaders always lead the way...

[DRKWNG]

Here's Darmah in a brief "pause" moment.