Oh blimey,I've just had a horrible walk and this is a bit of a rant and mainly at myself for failing Dexter in a vital area of training..... Scenario : Chris ,my hubby usually plays golf on a thurs pm but he's out of action with a slipped disc ( don't get me started on him going skiing on Sunday!) anyway as he can't play he came in from work ,got changed to nip up to meet his pals for a drink as they finish their round ....no problem,Im just ready to set off walking with Dexter ,golf club is 5 mins away on our walk....let's head out together I say....nice plan you would think!No,no,noooooooooo,dreadful plan. Chris and I lead walk Dexter seperately ,we only do off lead walks together...those members that have been around a while will understand that this is basically so we can remain married! ;D So off we set,Dexter's a bit skittish as this is 'not normal' but he's always a bit yo yoey until he gets his poo out the way.that done,normal loose lead walking is what I'm expecting ....think again Angela!Chris and I both walk Dexter on our left so I'm using that to explain why he's helicoptering round us both to walk in the middle ??? :Ok,so walking in the middle isnt a problem,(my only criteria on a lead walk is loose lead,the left side has just become a habit ...........mistake ? ??? :-[ ) but the PULLING IS.......He was dreadful... :'( :'( :'( He pulled like a tank it was like he was 5 months old again and he's twisting behind me to get in the middle of us so I'm in such a muddle with the lead and Chris is saying 'well I keep him on a shorter lead,you might want to try that?'............... One of Chris's friends who whips Dexter up into a frenzy in our house drives past at this point and shouts to him out the car....Dexter decides he's now a dolphin!i have to say in a perverse way,I was quite proud of him ,as leaps go,he was SPECTACULAR ! We approach the fork in the road...Chris going one way for his nice cold beer...Angela going the other way with the delinquent devil dog in a lather of excitement and an hours walk ahead....Chris makes his turn,Dexter does too,Angela does too....just in the other direction.....the barking and whining and carrying on from the poor abandoned dog as Chris heads away from him was unbelievable.....he was a nightmare... So we sat and did 'look at me' /target/touch/spin/ ....several repetitions to regain a bit of focus and let Chris go out of sight,then we proceeded.....well all I can say is the cyclist had plenty of space to swerve round Dexter when for no apparent reason he leapt into the road,totally taking me by surprise and nearly wrenching my arm out of it's shoulder. As I'm writing this I'm really thinking 'did this happen?' But it did ,he was dreadful... Anyway,he was pretty much deaf to me,he couldn't stay in a loose lead,he was darting everywhere and panting ,he'd done his toilet,so I turned back home,I just thought we aren't doing this.....we are in a mess and nothing but bad habits are being practiced here.... :'( :'( :'( So what I've learned from this fiasco of a walk is apart from my ineptness and letting my lovey boy down AGAIN Chris and I need to do this again to see if he is indeed able to walk nicely on lead when we all go out.....if he can't ,and I fear he can't ,that is our fault and we need to get on it and start doing some practice together..... Modified to say,does anyone else experience anything similar ?or is it just us because we've unspokenly decided seperate lead walks are less bickery and so the way to go x
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! You haven't failed Dexter at all it was just a 'different' walk to Dexter. Charlie does the same sometimes but we have been working on introducing a child, Hattie or me and now other dogs into the walk and it's working Take Dexter on a short walk with Chris and slowly increase it just like you have with all of your training and you will get there no doubt about it A bad walk Angela don't let it get you down that's what you always say to me xx
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! Sounds very like our walks Angela your not on your own. : Unfortunately the only way is to keep doing it until it stops being an exciting novelty. That's very hard in our case Sundaysare the only day we really have chance to go together and that's if it's not fit weather for him to go on his bike !!! My own fault I bought him the bike. :
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! I also think that Dex sensed tension, sorry I am convinced that if we get wound up, so do they, they just react to our reactions, if we relax, they do . It sounds like the walk was maybe doomed from the start Angela , they do feel anxieties and stress down the lead and pick up on our tone of voice too . Just put it down to a bad day , forget it, its gone , keep the faith , tomorrow is another day x
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! I think helen is spot on - you need to keep on with walking him together, slowly increasing the time. But I'd do it the other way around; you go for your walk so Dexter can get rid of his excess energy, then meet Chris for a nice stroll back home together. Walking Pops with OH is one of the great joys of my life. But we have had terrible rows during some walks too. There's a lot of give and take involved in finding a happy medium...
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! [quote author=charlie link=topic=10018.msg146109#msg146109 date=1424961304] A bad walk Angela don't let it get you down that's what you always say to me xx [/quote] Ah helen I do and I appreciate that ,sometimes you don't always take your own advice best,thankyou x Kate you are dead right too ;D I can hand on my heart say we didn't start out tense,I really thought it would be a nice thing to do .but the instant I sensed a difference in Dexter I would definately have been different and then when Chris,who I love to bits but does NO TRAINING WHATSOVER started giving me advice.....well you've been married long enough to know how that went ;D Karen that's really good advice ,at the moment we've got a good window with the weather for me to time our eve walk to fit in with chris getting home and meeting us.... Lest see,he's all mine for a week while chris skies then we need to look at what's happening , Thanks x
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! I'm fairly certain that if hubby and I went on a walk with Bella together...one of us would not return.... : I couple of times when I've tried to give him suggestions when he comments about her pulling or her sniffing or whatever his grumble is....it always starts a fight... There might be some scenarios this summer when we take her somewhere together...so we'll see how it goes...but for now...it's one or the other of us with Bella on a walk...but never together. :
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! [quote author=Boogie link=topic=10018.msg146181#msg146181 date=1424975199] We are going on holiday together with both dogs in May! ??? [/quote] BRAVE WOMAN Tatze and Gypsy will have fun tho!!!! ;D ;D ;D
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! It's amazing how something that seems not that different to us can seem like an utter novelty to our dogs... But with practice it won't be a novelty any more We walk Obi together every morning and either of us could have charge of the lead. Even if hubby is piloting Obi still will often heel next to me in the hope of a treat. I shouldn't reinforce this but I do, so it continues. But my advice would be that whoever has the lead has the treat bag and 100% responsibility for the dog, so they learn who they should be looking to for cues during that particular walk. Good luck. May the Force be with you
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! I really can sympathise with you Angela. When hubby comes on a walk with us and Harley is on lead it is horrendous. He ends up taking her lead from me as she yanks me around everywhere. When it's just me and Harley, she walks so much better with a loose lead ??? I have worked really hard on a loose lead whereas she has always pulled with hubby and he deals with it his way (allows her to pull to a degree). Off lead on walks altogether, no problems. I know try and get him out with is every week as I think it is a novelty hence the poor behaviour!
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! Oh dear, it sounds like a stressful walk Angela, but the others are right; with practise you will get there. Short walks round the block just to get him used to it and build up. It can be depressing when you think they are really getting the hang of things and behaving as you wish, and then one walk and it all feels like it's gone down the pan. Dexter knows how to behave with you when you are on your own, so its not a huge leap for him to work out it is expected to be the same when you are both there. You can do it!
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! Oh no!!!! Hope you're feeling more chipper now and Dexter (and Chris!) are back in the good books xxx
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! ;D ;D ;D Sorry, shouldn't laugh...but Christophe and I are no better.... [quote author=Dexter link=topic=10018.msg146106#msg146106 date=1424960747] Modified to say,does anyone else experience anything similar ?or is it just us because we've unspokenly decided seperate lead walks are less bickery and so the way to go x [/quote] It goes like this: OH has the lead. Me: don't let him pull. OH: he's not pulling. Me: why is the lead tight then? OH: he just likes walking ahead.. Me: he's pulling... OH: leave him alone! He's just having a sniff! Me: don't follow him when he pulls! OH: but he wants to pee on the post box! He can if he wants.... [etc. etc.] Me: give me that lead! Now! [major row...the dog looks ashamed to be with us in public....] On the up side, off lead, he does a lovely "pack walk" between us both, as good as gold, and we are transferring this to on lead...with me holding the lead....
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! Does make me feel a lot better reading your replies ,Julie you did make me laugh to know we are having parallel rows on different continents! I was just really disappointed to fall apart so easily....anyway always something to improve on ...had a brilliant adventure this morning OFF LEAD ;D With my FRIEND ;D NOT my HUSBAND! ;D ;D ;D
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! Just to add, we have exactly the same situation with joint walks - Harv finds them way more exciting than single walks and gets 'tennis neck' from looking from one of us to the other throughout the walk
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! [quote author=JulieT link=topic=10018.msg146250#msg146250 date=1424993053] It goes like this: OH has the lead. Me: don't let him pull. OH: he's not pulling. Me: why is the lead tight then? OH: he just likes walking ahead.. Me: he's pulling... OH: leave him alone! He's just having a sniff! Me: don't follow him when he pulls! OH: but he wants to pee on the post box! He can if he wants.... [etc. etc.] [/quote] Ditto here without the peeing on the post box excuse
Re: Labrador behaving appallingly! I remember taking Harley on a "Lovely Family Day Out" back in the summer, we loaded the kids and dog in the car and set off for this lovely country park about 20 mins drive away. Well, it took a good 10 minutes to get Harley into her crate in the car, much to my neighbours amusement, lots of prancing about the driveway. Then after howling all the way to the park, we discover neither of us has change for the car park. Cue mass arguing why didn't you remember type conversation, kids are bored, dog is howling. We drive to the nearest cash point - out of order. We return and park on the side of the road and get out. Child A decides now is a good time to tell us her wellies are wet inside, Harley decides now is a good time to yank me over to a fluttering leaf, hubby decides now is a good time to storm off I decide to cut the fun short and load everyone up to go home, Harley is sick halfway home when I show pity on grumpy hubby and collect him. Never again!
