I didn't say that all dogs were.,..i said they could be. IF you were willing to wake up each day and say i am going to make training my dog my number one priority. Most people are not able, or willing to go that far. If not, then good. Accept that, leash it but dogs unless they are inbred, or brain impaired in some way can learn a hell of a lot more then most of the population realizes. Most people are not aware of how far their dog could be trained if they were willing to go the many extra miles.
Walking Your Dog Off-Leash - Question.
- Thread starter Lizmo
- Start date
She gets along with ONE dog. That's it. He's an intact giant schnauzer.
All other dogs she would absolutely destroy if she had the opportunity.
When I say she's dog aggressive, she's not "ooo, ROAR, I'm gonig to bark and snarl at you and nip"
Her dog aggression is such that she automatically will go in for the attack if she could. No sound, no bark, no warning of any kind.
All other dogs she would absolutely destroy if she had the opportunity.
When I say she's dog aggressive, she's not "ooo, ROAR, I'm gonig to bark and snarl at you and nip"
Her dog aggression is such that she automatically will go in for the attack if she could. No sound, no bark, no warning of any kind.
Chewbecca have you have written before that you avoid areas with dogs. Have you contacted a dog behavior expert? How much have you dedicated to obedience? What do you do when a dog iswithin view but still far away? DO you sit and watch, or do your turn and go the other way? How much is your dog on cue with your reaction or are you on cue with your dog's reaction.\? DO you command no and stay..if the dog growls and lunges what is your reaction? A dog that reacts like that is a huge responsibility. I would be trying to find out everything i could to irradicate such a behavior for your dog's safety sake.
. Ella's obedience is FINE, except during distractions.
That is where i would start.
returned post apologize again...
I take Ella to a wooded, walk path that was made (paths are graveled, it's a vita-course) where I can easily see any off leash dogs or other dogs. It's quiet and I don't have to worry about someone opening their front door and an off leash dog bolting at us.
I take Ella to a trainer/behaviorist and we did work on desensitizing her to other dogs via my trainer's dog. But we were taking a break from it to get her obedience better. Ella's obedience is FINE, except during distractions. When the weather was nicer, I was taking her out and tieing her outside to do hands-free obedience training with her with outside distractions.
Ella would FREAK OUT upon seeing my trainer's dog and we worked very slowly at getting her to a point where we could do rally-o courses with her focusing on us and not on the trainer's dog. We had a very particular way of doing this. Our trainer would bring her dog stable dog in and put her in a downstay in the corner with her dog's butt towards Ella's direction. Ella, no matter what, would freak out when the dog first came in, but we would gradually get her to work and ignore the dog through positive reinforcement of treating her whenever she focused on us and on the work at hand. After months of doing this without much improvement in reaction on Ella's part, we decided to take a break and do other things with her.
It was making training no fun to always put her through such a hard time of seeing this dog and watching her practically get physically ill. I mean, she would get better and be able to focus, but ANYTIME something changed, like when our trainer would work her dog and have us have Ella sit there and do "watch me" with us, Ella would freak out all over again.
So, we HAVE worked with Ella on her reaction to other dogs.
We're doing what we can, it's not like I'm like, "oh, you know, my dog is dog aggressive and I'm careless with her to boot"
I make sure all my equipment is in top shape BEFORE I take her out.
I've been taking her to training. We've tried getting her to behave around our trainer's dog. You know, it's not like I have a ton of dogs around me or owner's willing to allow me to use their dogs to "treat" Ella.
I take care of my dog and I keep her safe. I keep others' dogs safe, too, by not allowing her to EVER get loose. If we see another dog, it all depends on how Ella reacts. If the dog is behind a fence or tied somehow and she knows the dog cannot get to her, she is easier to keep moving forward with, but if she's taken by surprise by another dog, or if the dog is off leash. Forget it. I carry deterrent sprays with me on walks, breaksticks, an airhorn-all kinds of things to ward off any off leash dogs. I have complete control of my dog on leash, as long as an off leash dog doesn't approach us. In THAT scenario, I don't see how it would be my fault, I HAVE MY dog under control, it's the owner of the off leash that doesn't have control of their dog or it wouldn't be up in my dog's face.
I'm not an idiot dog owner. I KNOW my dog, I know how she reacts most of the time, I DO NOT EVER underestimate her ability and instinct to be a dog, or her ability or instinct to be the BREED of dog she is.
She deserves to have a safe walk just as much as any non-dog aggressive dog deserves a nice, safe walk. I'm not any less of a good dog owner because I have a dog that is by nature, inborn, dog aggressive.
You talk about training your dog for this and training your dog for that and that's awesome. It really is and kudos to you for being able to train your dogs so greatly. But I promise you if you had my dog, you'd be seriously challenged trying to train her to keep her inborn dog aggression under control.
Have you ever tried to train a hound not to sniff. Or a collie not to herd?
If not, have you ever trained one to have the ability to turn it on and off? If so, were you successful?
That is where i would start.
returned post apologize again...
I take Ella to a wooded, walk path that was made (paths are graveled, it's a vita-course) where I can easily see any off leash dogs or other dogs. It's quiet and I don't have to worry about someone opening their front door and an off leash dog bolting at us.
I take Ella to a trainer/behaviorist and we did work on desensitizing her to other dogs via my trainer's dog. But we were taking a break from it to get her obedience better. Ella's obedience is FINE, except during distractions. When the weather was nicer, I was taking her out and tieing her outside to do hands-free obedience training with her with outside distractions.
Ella would FREAK OUT upon seeing my trainer's dog and we worked very slowly at getting her to a point where we could do rally-o courses with her focusing on us and not on the trainer's dog. We had a very particular way of doing this. Our trainer would bring her dog stable dog in and put her in a downstay in the corner with her dog's butt towards Ella's direction. Ella, no matter what, would freak out when the dog first came in, but we would gradually get her to work and ignore the dog through positive reinforcement of treating her whenever she focused on us and on the work at hand. After months of doing this without much improvement in reaction on Ella's part, we decided to take a break and do other things with her.
It was making training no fun to always put her through such a hard time of seeing this dog and watching her practically get physically ill. I mean, she would get better and be able to focus, but ANYTIME something changed, like when our trainer would work her dog and have us have Ella sit there and do "watch me" with us, Ella would freak out all over again.
So, we HAVE worked with Ella on her reaction to other dogs.
We're doing what we can, it's not like I'm like, "oh, you know, my dog is dog aggressive and I'm careless with her to boot"
I make sure all my equipment is in top shape BEFORE I take her out.
I've been taking her to training. We've tried getting her to behave around our trainer's dog. You know, it's not like I have a ton of dogs around me or owner's willing to allow me to use their dogs to "treat" Ella.
I take care of my dog and I keep her safe. I keep others' dogs safe, too, by not allowing her to EVER get loose. If we see another dog, it all depends on how Ella reacts. If the dog is behind a fence or tied somehow and she knows the dog cannot get to her, she is easier to keep moving forward with, but if she's taken by surprise by another dog, or if the dog is off leash. Forget it. I carry deterrent sprays with me on walks, breaksticks, an airhorn-all kinds of things to ward off any off leash dogs. I have complete control of my dog on leash, as long as an off leash dog doesn't approach us. In THAT scenario, I don't see how it would be my fault, I HAVE MY dog under control, it's the owner of the off leash that doesn't have control of their dog or it wouldn't be up in my dog's face.
I'm not an idiot dog owner. I KNOW my dog, I know how she reacts most of the time, I DO NOT EVER underestimate her ability and instinct to be a dog, or her ability or instinct to be the BREED of dog she is.
She deserves to have a safe walk just as much as any non-dog aggressive dog deserves a nice, safe walk. I'm not any less of a good dog owner because I have a dog that is by nature, inborn, dog aggressive.
You talk about training your dog for this and training your dog for that and that's awesome. It really is and kudos to you for being able to train your dogs so greatly. But I promise you if you had my dog, you'd be seriously challenged trying to train her to keep her inborn dog aggression under control.
Have you ever tried to train a hound not to sniff. Or a collie not to herd?
If not, have you ever trained one to have the ability to turn it on and off? If so, were you successful?
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I don't walk my dogs off leash at all. We work on training and they have a fairly good recall, but not nearly 100%. If something was to catch their attention they would be off and running (or I fear that at least).
I really don't think anyone's dog can be 100% reliable off leash and that's my personal opinion. I really dislike seeing dogs off leash in public areas because *I* don't know how well behaved that dog is and it makes me highly uncomfortable.
I really don't think anyone's dog can be 100% reliable off leash and that's my personal opinion. I really dislike seeing dogs off leash in public areas because *I* don't know how well behaved that dog is and it makes me highly uncomfortable.
THat dog should be in a sit stay if you see it. WE have people walk past us regularly at the guild. THey can tell from a long distance that Vic isn't going to do anything. THe keep walking and he watches him go by. Then they say the best words of all..."thats a good dog" and i say yes he is. ANd he is. I can't tell you how hard we worked to get there however. One lady at the guild looks at him and shakes her head saying i don't believe it..and he is a BIRD DOG TOO! She knows pointers. He was a tremendous challange to me.
omg i apologize, i meant to hit the qoute and i must have hit edit by mistake, i am terribly sorry. I hope you can remember and repost. Its easier to do then you think. I dont' think you are an irresponsible dog owner by any means. I only offer up what i would do if i were in your shoes. YOu have seen a trainer and that is par excellent. I think your right to the edge of the problem. There is just something that clicks when they learn to look to you even when it seems like the world is falling apart. I can only offer up what i did with Victor which was to find what he was most scared of, which was loud noise, and things that moved rattled, right outside of his vision. He had a great deal of flight and fright which is as frustrating as agression when it comes to staying down without being held. It took daily short sessions and some teamwork. We made huge progress after we crossed that line.
WE did short lessons at least twice a day.
I used t-toouch massage to help the the message through.
We didn't give up.
My mom and Hyia threw rocks and marbles, hangers and toys into that metal trashcan. I had Victor in a down stay facing away from the chaos, about 6 feet from me. AT first with the leash and then later without. Everytime he jumped up i took him back. THe whole time the noise was going on. I told him stay stay stay your fine your just fine in a calm voice and kept my face soft and my body language relaxed, i kept eye contact. Foot by foot, return after return t-touch was incredibly helpful, it finally sunk in. HIs eyes locked on mine and his body relaxed. He went from a down with his muscles taunt, his belly not touching the floor to a relaxed flop on one hip, mouth open and smiling. I felt like we had a touch down.
I used rattly store sacks in my leash hand while i walked.
HE failed the first test for pets for life because of an umbrella. We used the umbrella as our best friend for 2 weeks. I opened it before behind beside, and touching. Praising him when he didn't jump up. We went to hardware stores, recycling centers, gas stations and practiced our obedience there. The thing that scared him the most was shelters. WE practiced at shelters. THe first time i had to walk him for ever at a distance he was so wiild with fright.
The dog just about bit through my hand the first time i reached for one of his toys. That is the kind of dog he came as. We had to take one problem at a time and work our way through but learning to be a hundred percent with distraction is the hardest part. I can't tell you how proud of him i was when we finally succeeded and how much our relationship changed...it has opened so many doors for him and if my health fails me which is a big possiblity, he will have a greater chance for the kind of home and life he has now.
You have to alter the situation to fit the dog but the end result is the same. A lightbulb turns on inside their head.
WE did short lessons at least twice a day.
I used t-toouch massage to help the the message through.
We didn't give up.
My mom and Hyia threw rocks and marbles, hangers and toys into that metal trashcan. I had Victor in a down stay facing away from the chaos, about 6 feet from me. AT first with the leash and then later without. Everytime he jumped up i took him back. THe whole time the noise was going on. I told him stay stay stay your fine your just fine in a calm voice and kept my face soft and my body language relaxed, i kept eye contact. Foot by foot, return after return t-touch was incredibly helpful, it finally sunk in. HIs eyes locked on mine and his body relaxed. He went from a down with his muscles taunt, his belly not touching the floor to a relaxed flop on one hip, mouth open and smiling. I felt like we had a touch down.
I used rattly store sacks in my leash hand while i walked.
HE failed the first test for pets for life because of an umbrella. We used the umbrella as our best friend for 2 weeks. I opened it before behind beside, and touching. Praising him when he didn't jump up. We went to hardware stores, recycling centers, gas stations and practiced our obedience there. The thing that scared him the most was shelters. WE practiced at shelters. THe first time i had to walk him for ever at a distance he was so wiild with fright.
The dog just about bit through my hand the first time i reached for one of his toys. That is the kind of dog he came as. We had to take one problem at a time and work our way through but learning to be a hundred percent with distraction is the hardest part. I can't tell you how proud of him i was when we finally succeeded and how much our relationship changed...it has opened so many doors for him and if my health fails me which is a big possiblity, he will have a greater chance for the kind of home and life he has now.
You have to alter the situation to fit the dog but the end result is the same. A lightbulb turns on inside their head.
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Fair enough.
I guess "perfect" was an exaggeration. After all, NO ONE is perfect. But, Gonzo is by far the most obedient, eager to please dog I've ever met; and I used that example because, even he being the awesome dog that he is, still broke away from watching me to glance at a snarling, frenzied dog 10 feet away. I cannot blame him for that, for the sake of self-preservation.
I cannot tell you what to do with your dogs, and I wouldn't. I just can't comprehend how scared I would be, walking my dogs off-leash, and I can't imagine even super knowledgable trainers like yourself doing so on roadways. I was trying to understand your perspective, and your reasoning for walking your dogs off-leash. I think we just need to agree to disagree... I will always feel the need for room for human error (via a leash), when my dog's life is at stake. Because no one is perfect, and nothing is ever 100% under control.
I guess "perfect" was an exaggeration. After all, NO ONE is perfect. But, Gonzo is by far the most obedient, eager to please dog I've ever met; and I used that example because, even he being the awesome dog that he is, still broke away from watching me to glance at a snarling, frenzied dog 10 feet away. I cannot blame him for that, for the sake of self-preservation.
I cannot tell you what to do with your dogs, and I wouldn't. I just can't comprehend how scared I would be, walking my dogs off-leash, and I can't imagine even super knowledgable trainers like yourself doing so on roadways. I was trying to understand your perspective, and your reasoning for walking your dogs off-leash. I think we just need to agree to disagree... I will always feel the need for room for human error (via a leash), when my dog's life is at stake. Because no one is perfect, and nothing is ever 100% under control.
WHen a seeing eye dog leads a person down the road..who is in control? Is he going to run down the street if approached by a cat? Or a squirrel? Yet isn't that a hunting dog?
What about search and rescue?
When a pitbull becomes a therapy dog where he has to interact with other dogs, cats and people in all situations, is he not going against his instincts? But there are pit bulls out there that do that.
People can disagree...and like i said that is for the pros, not the amateurs, but do not sell dogs short of their abilities, they give you exactly what you expect of them. Issues are always issues, and aggression and flight issues are the very ones that should be addressed. I will never feel that a dog that does not know leave it, or have complete recall, that will not call off, is safer then a dog that wears a leash (loose) because society mandates it, not because he needs it.
I will never forget the day that Mary lay next to my grandson asleep on the blanket, and belly growled so quiet that she didn't wake him but alerted me that two strangers were walking down the road with two very large unfamiliar dogs. SHe didn't jump up, she let me know. She dind't even shift. WE have been the mother's club for 15 years and i can say that i trust her completely.. there was no fence there either. If those dogs had been loose i would have had time to grab the baby up. I told her it was ok...and she lay there and watched them walk on by. That is the kind of relationship that is my goal. I never had to do the flight distraction ordeal with her because i have had her since her birth. Victor had huge issues and it was necessary to address them one by one until he learned to trust me as she does.
What about search and rescue?
When a pitbull becomes a therapy dog where he has to interact with other dogs, cats and people in all situations, is he not going against his instincts? But there are pit bulls out there that do that.
People can disagree...and like i said that is for the pros, not the amateurs, but do not sell dogs short of their abilities, they give you exactly what you expect of them. Issues are always issues, and aggression and flight issues are the very ones that should be addressed. I will never feel that a dog that does not know leave it, or have complete recall, that will not call off, is safer then a dog that wears a leash (loose) because society mandates it, not because he needs it.
I will never forget the day that Mary lay next to my grandson asleep on the blanket, and belly growled so quiet that she didn't wake him but alerted me that two strangers were walking down the road with two very large unfamiliar dogs. SHe didn't jump up, she let me know. She dind't even shift. WE have been the mother's club for 15 years and i can say that i trust her completely.. there was no fence there either. If those dogs had been loose i would have had time to grab the baby up. I told her it was ok...and she lay there and watched them walk on by. That is the kind of relationship that is my goal. I never had to do the flight distraction ordeal with her because i have had her since her birth. Victor had huge issues and it was necessary to address them one by one until he learned to trust me as she does.
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Actually nearly all dogs - a very very high majority - can be taught an extreme level of control IF the owner is dedicated to it and willing to put in the time and commitment to the training. There are tons of huskies and malemutes up here and I've seen many that were quite capable of being off-leash without being a problem. Hounds were bred to work off-leash and yet still be responsive to handlers. I don't think most foxhounds had to be on-leash next to the horses. That would have been quite difficult and quite comical.
I had a dog once that was very dog aggressive. I got her when she was a year old and the behavior was well established by then. In all her years with me there was only one dog (another of my dogs) that she accepted and treated as a friend. And yet she was taught to ignore other dogs - I would never have tolerated or allowed her to lunge and bark and act aggressive toward another dog and instead taught her alternate behaviors that allowed her to look away and focus on something else. She went on to be the first in her breed to earn a Utility Dog title in the state, as well as being the #6 dog in her breed in novice the first year I showed her. She did out-of-sight stays in the ring with groups of completely strange dogs and never once broke a stay to go to another dog. She never snapped at a dog at an obedience trial or gave anyone reason to think she was aggressive. It was TRAINING, pure and simple.
And it's not that I was some super-trainer with skills and knowledge way beyond the realm of "normal" people. She was actually one of my early obedience dogs and I had a tremendous amount to learn - and she was one of my teachers. But I chose to learn, and I chose to train, and I chose to be consistent and responsible in my handling of her. I rarely had to put her on-leash once she was trained - the leash was only used if I was in an area that required it (like at an obedience trial). She could be off-leash around other dogs and not react because she'd been taught not to.
You can't stand the notion that dogs that have to be leashed are considered "untrained" - you don't like the generality, I'm sure. What you seem to not understand is that there ARE those of us who train our dogs to the point of being dependable off-leash, and yet we are generalized as irresponsible, arrogant, vain, rude, etc. Lack of ability to have a dog off-leash IS a matter of training whether you want to believe it or not. Some dogs need a whole lot more training than others - my shepherds have been much easier to train for off-leash purposes than my chows. But the training is still possible. It helps if you start young, it helps if you have the dedication to learn how to train your dog properly. And no, not everyone wants an obedience champion (a very difficult title to accomplish and one that I'll never have). But teaching a dog to be dependable off-leash has nothing to do with competition. My dogs are taught off-leash behaviors in order to be better COMPANIONS, not to compete. The off-leash portions of competitive obedience are really easy compared to every day life.
When it comes right down to it, wouldn't we all like to have our dogs be completely reliable regardless of what they have on their necks? Wouldn't it be nice if we could all open our doors and not worry that our dogs would run out into traffic, or attack a neighbor, or chase a squirrel? I don't think that all who are objecting to the concept of off-leash control are objecting because the CONCEPT is bad .. I think they're objecting because they don't have that control and so they don't think anyone should (or could). If you could wake up tomorrow and have your dog still be the same dog you love, but without the behaviors that caused it to run off, or not listen to commands, or act aggressive, etc. - to be suddenly completely reliable without any leash, collar, harness, whatever, while still retaining all the wonderful happy interaction that you love about your dog - wouldn't you want that? I think most people would. It would make their dogs much safer.
It makes me think of the old story about the guy who asked a girl if she'd have sex with him for a million dollars. She said "well, yes!". And then he wanted to know if she'd have sex with him for ten dollars. She said indignantly "what kind of girl do you think I am???". He responded "we've already established what kind of girl you are, we're just negotiating price."
Dogs are all the same deep down - we're just negotiating price when we decide what kind of training we want to do with them. Some of us want the ten dollar training. Some want the million. I prefer the million dollar training.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
I had a dog once that was very dog aggressive. I got her when she was a year old and the behavior was well established by then. In all her years with me there was only one dog (another of my dogs) that she accepted and treated as a friend. And yet she was taught to ignore other dogs - I would never have tolerated or allowed her to lunge and bark and act aggressive toward another dog and instead taught her alternate behaviors that allowed her to look away and focus on something else. She went on to be the first in her breed to earn a Utility Dog title in the state, as well as being the #6 dog in her breed in novice the first year I showed her. She did out-of-sight stays in the ring with groups of completely strange dogs and never once broke a stay to go to another dog. She never snapped at a dog at an obedience trial or gave anyone reason to think she was aggressive. It was TRAINING, pure and simple.
And it's not that I was some super-trainer with skills and knowledge way beyond the realm of "normal" people. She was actually one of my early obedience dogs and I had a tremendous amount to learn - and she was one of my teachers. But I chose to learn, and I chose to train, and I chose to be consistent and responsible in my handling of her. I rarely had to put her on-leash once she was trained - the leash was only used if I was in an area that required it (like at an obedience trial). She could be off-leash around other dogs and not react because she'd been taught not to.
You can't stand the notion that dogs that have to be leashed are considered "untrained" - you don't like the generality, I'm sure. What you seem to not understand is that there ARE those of us who train our dogs to the point of being dependable off-leash, and yet we are generalized as irresponsible, arrogant, vain, rude, etc. Lack of ability to have a dog off-leash IS a matter of training whether you want to believe it or not. Some dogs need a whole lot more training than others - my shepherds have been much easier to train for off-leash purposes than my chows. But the training is still possible. It helps if you start young, it helps if you have the dedication to learn how to train your dog properly. And no, not everyone wants an obedience champion (a very difficult title to accomplish and one that I'll never have). But teaching a dog to be dependable off-leash has nothing to do with competition. My dogs are taught off-leash behaviors in order to be better COMPANIONS, not to compete. The off-leash portions of competitive obedience are really easy compared to every day life.
When it comes right down to it, wouldn't we all like to have our dogs be completely reliable regardless of what they have on their necks? Wouldn't it be nice if we could all open our doors and not worry that our dogs would run out into traffic, or attack a neighbor, or chase a squirrel? I don't think that all who are objecting to the concept of off-leash control are objecting because the CONCEPT is bad .. I think they're objecting because they don't have that control and so they don't think anyone should (or could). If you could wake up tomorrow and have your dog still be the same dog you love, but without the behaviors that caused it to run off, or not listen to commands, or act aggressive, etc. - to be suddenly completely reliable without any leash, collar, harness, whatever, while still retaining all the wonderful happy interaction that you love about your dog - wouldn't you want that? I think most people would. It would make their dogs much safer.
It makes me think of the old story about the guy who asked a girl if she'd have sex with him for a million dollars. She said "well, yes!". And then he wanted to know if she'd have sex with him for ten dollars. She said indignantly "what kind of girl do you think I am???". He responded "we've already established what kind of girl you are, we're just negotiating price."
Dogs are all the same deep down - we're just negotiating price when we decide what kind of training we want to do with them. Some of us want the ten dollar training. Some want the million. I prefer the million dollar training.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
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For the record: I absolutely understand why people hate the concept of a dog that runs around off-leash, not under the control of a person, especially when that dog runs up to your dog or craps in your yard. I don't know if a dog running up to my dog is aggressive or not and I'll step up and stop that dog even if it means hurting it. I UNDERSTAND that and I agree with it. But a dog that is under the control of the owner shouldn't be lumped into the same category.
I would fully expect my dogs to glance at a dog that is growling and lunging at them at ten feet away. You're right, self-preservation alone should allow that. I don't consider glancing away breaking heel position, though. And if there's an aggressive dog it doesn't matter if my dog is on-leash or not - what matters is if the OTHER dog is on-leash and the leash is held by someone strong enough to deal with the dog. My off-leash dog is not dumb enough to run into the face of a dog that wants to tear it apart.
If fear is part of who you are and how you feel around your dog when you're outside, then keeping your dog on a leash is a good idea. Fear is going to tell your dog that there's something to react to. I feel trust instead of fear and that's through extensive training and bonding and understanding with my dog.
If I lived my life according to the "nothing is ever 100% under control" concept, I'd never leave my home. Every time you drive, every time you walk down a street, every time you step outside your door where there might be a crazed person or a bear or a moose or a rabid squirrel, you'd be in an area where things are not 100% under control.
There's an old saying: "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived". It's good to have reasonable caution but sometimes fears can cripple a person. When it comes to our dogs, our fears go right back to the level of responsibility trained into our dogs. There's a lot less fear when the dog is well-trained.
Anyhow - I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, regardless of whether they agree or disagree with me!
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
I would fully expect my dogs to glance at a dog that is growling and lunging at them at ten feet away. You're right, self-preservation alone should allow that. I don't consider glancing away breaking heel position, though. And if there's an aggressive dog it doesn't matter if my dog is on-leash or not - what matters is if the OTHER dog is on-leash and the leash is held by someone strong enough to deal with the dog. My off-leash dog is not dumb enough to run into the face of a dog that wants to tear it apart.
If fear is part of who you are and how you feel around your dog when you're outside, then keeping your dog on a leash is a good idea. Fear is going to tell your dog that there's something to react to. I feel trust instead of fear and that's through extensive training and bonding and understanding with my dog.
If I lived my life according to the "nothing is ever 100% under control" concept, I'd never leave my home. Every time you drive, every time you walk down a street, every time you step outside your door where there might be a crazed person or a bear or a moose or a rabid squirrel, you'd be in an area where things are not 100% under control.
There's an old saying: "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived". It's good to have reasonable caution but sometimes fears can cripple a person. When it comes to our dogs, our fears go right back to the level of responsibility trained into our dogs. There's a lot less fear when the dog is well-trained.
Anyhow - I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, regardless of whether they agree or disagree with me!
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
Yes. And, I also wish for world peace. And for every day to be sunny. And for the ground to be made of cotton candy. And for it to rain lollipops.
Honestly, though... my dogs are fine with the front door open, they always wait before entering or exiting the house, they don't chase dogs or people that walk by the house, they can easily go from the car to the house without a leash, and all of those basic things. It's just when 2000-pound, fast-moving vehicles are inches away... it makes me uneasy. I don't like to feel that if I do one thing wrong, it could result in my dog's death, instantaneously. That is me, personally, and it does make me insecure. But I think insecurities are for good reason, sometimes.
Again, I am probably very jaded from seeing a neighbor's dog get hit by a car. A dog that I saw, every day for years, laying faithfully in his driveway. I will never be the same after that. And I don't regret seeing it, I think that experience taught me a lot.
Honestly, though... my dogs are fine with the front door open, they always wait before entering or exiting the house, they don't chase dogs or people that walk by the house, they can easily go from the car to the house without a leash, and all of those basic things. It's just when 2000-pound, fast-moving vehicles are inches away... it makes me uneasy. I don't like to feel that if I do one thing wrong, it could result in my dog's death, instantaneously. That is me, personally, and it does make me insecure. But I think insecurities are for good reason, sometimes.
Again, I am probably very jaded from seeing a neighbor's dog get hit by a car. A dog that I saw, every day for years, laying faithfully in his driveway. I will never be the same after that. And I don't regret seeing it, I think that experience taught me a lot.
Oh... well... I guess I was unclear about that. I consider him not being totally focused on heeling, and watching where I'm going, as breaking it.
I know... I agree with you, about being overly cautious. I am not an abnormally cautious person, usually. But using a leash just seems like something that is very simple, to avoid a potentially disastrous situation.
I do trust my dog. It's more that I don't trust myself. I definitely admire you for your confidence and commitment.
I know... I agree with you, about being overly cautious. I am not an abnormally cautious person, usually. But using a leash just seems like something that is very simple, to avoid a potentially disastrous situation.
I do trust my dog. It's more that I don't trust myself. I definitely admire you for your confidence and commitment.
Yes i have trained many a dog for many years to do exactly what i have written, aggressive, birdy, runaway, leg hiker, barker, all the same. You take your target problem and push it on the table and see what steps it takes to help them over tht hurdle. Sometimes it is has hard as it gets, frustrating for all, but necessary.
Victor is the only one right now i have as proof of that. He was as high strung, hyper, birdy, as a dog can get with one wish only and that was to run like the wind. It took three years to reach our level and we wilil continue on with his education as long as he lives. I can put my money where my mouth is.
Victor is the only one right now i have as proof of that. He was as high strung, hyper, birdy, as a dog can get with one wish only and that was to run like the wind. It took three years to reach our level and we wilil continue on with his education as long as he lives. I can put my money where my mouth is.