Chris got in last night just as I was ready to take Dexter out for his nighttime walk....temperature dictates this happens really ..... Anyway we are all halti'd up,Chris a bit unsure about it but knows I mean business ( or so I thought...... ) Chris took him on his own while I had a tidy round and headed up to bed,im asleep as head hits so haven't spoken to Chris until this morning.When I ask how they got on Chris tells me that Dexter was so good at not pulling that on the way back he took his halti off and let him walk on the lead :'( :'( :'( Did you let him pull?no,not really but he was a lot better.........and he doesn't really like the halti does he? It's going to be a very quiet day in our house today
Re: Halti update Oh dear... We often have The Lead Discussion too. Other half insists on using the slip lead all the time, whereas I only use it for training. I think the slip lead is dangerous if she suddenly loses control on seeing a cat or squirrel or whatever - don't want her to hurt her neck. Annoyingly, she walks better to heel for him than for me... :
Re: Halti update Oh dear! I think my problems with Amy at beginning of week where due to hubby's walking her over the weekend! Can't say anything, was his first time he been out on his own with her. Oh, and she keeps really play nipping him, then when he retaliates she lies down and sticks her bum up? This is a game she is playing by his reaction? (normally loosing temper). (sorry, went a bit off topic!)
Re: Halti update Contrite Hubby this morning.....there was a few mucky beers involved in his evening last night so I'm considering that as a factor in His TOTAL LACK of cooperation .....still in the doghouse though.....and I don't mean Dexter's comfortable room with its freshly laundered blanket!!!
Re: Halti update Gotta love an opportunity to deploy the Silent Treatment I don't think he's deserving of any less, to be frank (beers notwithstanding). Tell him that if he walks Dexter on his collar again, without your permission, we'll fly in a Labrador Site Partner Re-education SWOT team (that would be the LSPReSWOTT).
Re: Halti update Can I put my name on the list for a visit from LSPReSWOTT? It was "his" walk this morning....although I had negotiated ownership of the tiny bit of lead walking that was involved. I can't tell you the horrors...puppy had a brill time though :
Re: Halti update oh angela its so hard when two of you do the walks .......my son as done exactly the same......i think he is just learning that i know best
Re: Halti update Domestic situation resolved.....even got Chris on board with using the whistle now.....silence is a very powerful motivator....ha ha ha ha!evil laugh! Halti is extremely helpful.Dexter lets me put it on with the help of only a couple of treats and a halfhearted wrestle but he's not that perturbed because he knows he is going out.he does paw at it a couple of times which I hate to see but most of the time looks like he's having a good time......he is the king of the doleful look though.....Its doing what it should do I feel.In the meantime Ive been doing Pippa's Heelwork and How to Stop Your Lab pulling on the Lead exercises from scratch.When the 'Pull-Crisis'broke last week I had a good look at myself and my way of training to see what was going wrong.I put the time in,so why aren't I getting better results?Conclusion......I go too fast and I have never had a 'treat-scale'..Dexter has always worked for kibble and occasionally chicken.Since Thursday I have jotted myself notes on what I want to train/practice that session and then shut down the ipad so im not tempted to go straight onto the next step too fast.Ive used higher value treats and pared them down when Pippa has indicated this is appropriate...everything feels tighter and tidier. Chris was watching us in the garden last eve and he said he's got it as we did several loose lead laps of the garden.....hmmm I said,that's been my mistake,he's got it in the garden and that's all he's got for now... Stoopid man and his wife this morning saw Dexter in his halti......they have an older jack russell and a 7 month German shepherd who Dexter plays with EVERYTIME we see them.Even though I know them I still practice Dexter sitting down and waiting until we have asked if its ok to play.Today their answer was a little less enthusiastic and their body language was a bit off ...I could see them muttering under their breath too as we came up to them.The man said why haven't you got the muzzle keeping his mouth closed if hes started to bite. OMG! I could cry to think that's what people think about him......Just took a deep breath and explained,I guess if they've never had a dog that pulls then they aren't familiar with the options and Im not going to have to live with it forever.I feel for the owners out there who do have to muzzle their dogs for whatever reason.blummin heck,some people just don't have a filter that stops what they are thinking coming out their mouth!
Re: Halti update That sounds like amazing progress - both on the training and OH side! Thanks for explaining what you are doing, it really helps people like me who are a couple of steps behind on the journey. It must be awful for people to think Dexter would bite, I can see where you are coming from on that. Perhaps a sign on the back of his harness "I don't bite, I pull!" ;D ;D Was thinking of one for Charlie saying "I'm starting to mug people for food, so don't feed me". ;D ;D
Re: Halti update Well, it's not nice that Dexter is being misunderstood. I reckon that if people haven't heard of a halti before then they musn't get out very much Just say that it's a halter like a horse wears. All you can do is explain. And then download about the stoopid people here. The important thing is that you're now in control of what's happening with Dexter's on-lead walking and you're winning.
Re: Halti update I agree and I think if people don't understand something they should not comment in the first place. I like Julie's suggestion ;D Well done Angela for sticking with it and being able to walk Dexter, you won't need to use it forever. Helen x
Re: Halti update In practice in the garden,he's banging into my leg he is so close to me,I'm delighted!teaching him the command word tomorrow IN the garden....this is where I've gone wrong before ....I've thought we were ready to go into the front garden and then into the park and I've lost it! learning together Dex and I learning together....Your snappily designed harness accessory Julie would be perfect and I need and L plate on me too!
Re: Halti update As we can now 'walk'( new command) as opposed to 'Heel'i indefinitely and successfully off lead and loose lead around my house and 2 gardens we moved onto the pavement outside our house with our high value treats and 2 steps in mind....mmmmmmmm,not good....have I mentioned we have new neighbours( last weekend)with 3 cats.... ??? Now at this point normally I would have just continued with bribery ,low value treats and a haphazard ,sloppy attempt of kind of walking to heel.Not any more.we got in the car and drove 500m up the road to the golf club car park,( least distracting environment I could think of)and spent 15 mins doing 2 steps sit,2 steps sit....successfully ,thankfully.Last time we got to this stage I felt like this was a backward step going basically back to step 1,,this time we've come home doing high fives,we are going to be the best 'walkers' in our park EVER! ;D
Re: Halti update oooh makes me so cross when people are off about muzzles. I'd rather someone muzzled their dog than it took a piece out of me, Riley or even worse Lizzie!! We've met a terrier recently that should definitely have one on - Riley kept his nose as it was at least on a lead but boy was I cross! Then we met a lovely man who's dog is clearly nervous and as a result can be snappy so he sensibly had her muzzled but bless him he was so apologetic. I told him I thought he was very sensible and better safe than sorry. And that rant isn't even on topic as the lovely Dexter hasn't even vaguely got a muzzle on !!!! ;D Sounds like you're making great progress - particularly with your husband
Re: Halti update He he he! Got to be careful what I say now as he has been reading the neutered post avidly.....luckily he has got a good sense of humour and is a good old bean .....most of the time....love you darling
Re: Halti update [quote author=Dexter link=topic=1984.msg17118#msg17118 date=1373987327] Last time we got to this stage I felt like this was a backward step going basically back to step 1,,this time we've come home doing high fives,we are going to be the best 'walkers' in our park EVER! ;D [/quote] sounds like you're well on your way ;D I can't remember which thread or who posted it but the advice was something along the lines of: distance and distractions are separate dimensions, when one dimension gets harder the other should be easy so you're exactly right in the golf club car park - change of location means keep it simple and set yourselves up to succeed ;D
Re: Halti update Angela. Are you still using the halti? the vet recommended we try Amy with one. She wasnt keen on getting it on, but once it was on she didn't paw at it too much. When she did, I distracted her with the roast lamb! Now time to read up on getting her to heel. I can see it been awkward getting on and off when we are out walking and I need to get her back on if we see another dog etc?
