Baby Beef day 14: Ribs, various organs.
Today I took Juneau to the Home Depot. She thought it was FUN! Juneau is usually pretty timid indoors, not anything like Conker and not incredibly outgoing like Sasha, somewhere inbetween. Today she thought we were having a load of fun and was incredibly polite to all the people she met.
We also went to Petco where she was a little less polite (understandable, since it is a petstore) then she got to sit in the Jeep while I ran into the grocery to grab some eggs for the dogs that I had a coupon for.
I had every intention of taking Neeko with me when I ran my errands today. But...we had an ice storm last night, and she likes to pull on the leash. I did not feel like busting my butt on the ice, so she stayed home.
ReplyDeleteThat baby beef has lasted a while. I'm jealous.
That leash-pulling is the biggest reason why I despise walking Juneau. NOTHING I have tried has worked so far, and I've done a whole host of stuff. Clickers, treats, "being a tree", etc. I've spent hours working on her walking and still have yet to see any actual improvement. She'll be good one minute then go completely bonkers the next. Which is why I have begun to take her out and about with me instead of Conker, as obnoxious as it is. Part of her inability to walk nicely on-lead is due to her never really getting out and experiencing the world much these days, and the more she sees stuff, the more habituated to it she'll become, and eventually, somewhere down the road, she should be more easy to handle. Hopefully.
DeleteWhen I was in Anchorage I had no vehicle so I had to walk Conker three miles on ice-infested sidewalks so I could get a health certificate for him to fly the next day. I slipped and fell maybe eight times on my own, about five times with Conker's assistance. He's really strong for such a small dog. That would have been nearly impossible with Juneau.
Yeah, the Baby Beef was a really good deal. But you get a lot of stuff that I don't, so I'm jealous about that. It evens out.
Would you consider using a prong collar? Lobo is starting to lunge at cars and someone said a prong collar might work as a last resort.
ReplyDeleteI would, and actually own one but rarely use it. (Just don't tell anyone, I say, as I post this for all the internet to read.) I use one to walk a friend of mine's dog who is otherwise impossible to walk.
DeleteHowever, I would really not recommend you use one with Lobo unless he is A: full grown, and B: a complete whackjob and nothing else has worked.
Okay, not a complete whackjob, a bit before he gets to that stage, but definitely do not ever use something like that on a puppy. Let him be a puppy for a while before the serious training kicks in.
If you do end up with a prong, learn to use it correctly before you even think of putting it on your dog. I see way too many of those things being used in a dangerous/stupid manner it just drives me up a wall.
While I greatly prefer positive reinforcement training only, it really does not work for me 100% of the time. Conker is an example of that. His "fuck you and your idea of what 'be quiet!' means" attitude sometimes needs a little more than what a clicker and treat can do. I am in no way abusing my dogs, but I will raise my voice and give a small leash correction if I feel it is necessary.
Juneau is a tough case. If you get angry at her she will cower, unless she's in full-flight mode after somebody's horse. If you snap the leash, she'll cower too, unless, again, she's in full-flight after somebody's horse. Or chicken, or cat, or... Whatever.
Treats don't work in getting her attention. She will either flat-out ignore you or just take the treat then go right back to whatever she was doing. She is VERY good at stopping when you stop, backing up to your position, and sitting down when asked, but the second her butt hits the ground she completely tunes you out until you get moving again and she jumps right up to the end of the leash. That is mainly, like I said above, due to her never getting out so everything is "new" again. And also since we have never really done any real training with her.
Good advice, thanks! For now I'm just trying to keep him away from busy roads and distracting him with irresistible treats when a car does zoom by. Someone recommended the book "Control Unleashed" so I'm going to try the advice in there.
ReplyDelete