I don't think I can ever walk in our neighborhood again. Several months ago, when I was very pregnant (I delivered the next day) I took Romy for a walk. We had no sooner made it out of our driveway when our neighbor's small dog tried to attack me. Romy attacked back and nearly killed the little dog. I feel she did nothing wrong, she defended herself and me and the neighbors were totally wrong for letting their dog run loose. However, ever since then, Romy has become increasingly agressive towards small dogs. We have always had lunging issues with her when on a leash and meeting other dogs, but today she totally freaked out. We met an older couple walking their two small dogs, and of course, they started lunging and barking at us. The next thing I knew, Romy had somehow slipped out of the gentle leader and was crossing the street towards the little dogs. The only thing I could do was scream to the couple to pick up their dogs until I could grab Romy. During all this, cars are starting to back-up on the street. Thankfully the couple grabbed their dogs in time and I was able to get Romy, but if looks could kill, Romy and I would be dead. I appoligized repeatedly to them but everyone was so freaked out. Romy is such a good girl and has a very sweet disposition, but she is starting to get a bad rep around here. I feel just terrible. We tried the Pet Smart classes, but she is terrified of the clicker and every other training method suggested.
feel your pain
some time back Mo got the rep as the neighborhood bully by chasing a guy and his golden down the street ..... it wasn't pretty (but honestly who thinks they can outrun a dog?) I kept yelling at the guy to stop and turn on her.... knowing she would flee like the chicken she is....
we were lucky to catch Cassie when she could do some private training lessons with us and she is so much better... she still gets excited over "bait" dogs but it is controlled... she even did a meet n greet at CitiPets! I just do not let her get tooo excited or worked up..
I still use a rubber tip prong collar because I do not trust anything else.... funny thing is that I have been considering the gentle leader since she has been so good!
I think I will stick to the prong...
doggie daycare??
Is Romy 'aggressive'? Let me tell you about my pride and joy Charlie. She is 'devil' dog on the lease (Jack Russell Terrier...14yrs old). She does not care if the dog is small or big and even has out for the neighbor (which I'm certain is because of his toupee). But she goes to doggie daycare and she is a whole different pup there! And, her hostility around her 'home turf' has lessoned. Of course, if Romy has biten they won't have him. It's kinda like the dog park without owners to be protective of and everyone has their shots. Plus, (which I believe is key for Charlie...neutral turf). It's cheaper than you'd think ...$10-15 for a full day and less if buy a package. Plus, many of these places also offer training and maybe able to offer advice. Be honest and upfront about Romy's actions. Also, don't go to a daycare/daytime kennel but rather daycare/ socialization play group...big diffrence! Anyway, good luck. By the way, Charlie has an 'Alpha Bitch' tee shirt...sometimes it just the way they are!! When we walk we keep her safe and those she comes into contact safe maintaining her lease/collor (no judgement..she gotten off before) and letting people know ..."she is not doggie/toupee friendly".
Trainer
I know some of you are tired of hearing about the wonderful Gandalf and our trainer, but.....TC, who works with Pam, the owner of Top Dog, is fantastic. TC does private tutoring in homes, too. She is really super. She is great with dogs as well as their humans. We still are going to Top Dog for advanced oberience and freestyle dance. You may want to try to contact her. As big as our guys are, they get a bad rap just for their size.
daycare
I live in Sherman and don't think there is a doggy day care here. Romy has never been aggressive with other danes that we've fostered other than letting them know she's the alpha, and she has several larger dogs in the neighborhood that she plays with without any problems. But she's always had issues with dogs when she is on a leash, it's really weird how different she acts. Kim, do you think your trainer would come to Sherman? I haven't had much luck with the obedience classes because Romy gets so freaked out around new people.
Book for you
There is a book directed at just this specific issue. Leash aggression is not uncommon. I would hesitate to put a prong on her if she is already leash aggressive, as it can make it worse for some dogs (that said, different dogs react differently, and she may do well with one). A properly fitted Gentle Leader should never be able to slip off. The portion that goes around the neck should be VERY tightly fitted, so much so that you can just barely get one finger under it after pulling the excess skin down and fitting it against the back of her head. The nose part should be loose enough that it can be pulled to just the fleshy part of the nose, where the hair stops. This is why it comes with an instructional video- I rarely see them properly fitted. Usually the neck is way too loose and the nose way too tight.
There is also a harness which should give you a lot of control called the Easy Walk harness. It clips in front, instead of between the shoulders, so that when she pulls she turns to face you instead of being able to pull you down the block. Usually I do not like harnesses, since the ones that attach at the back encourage pulling, but this one is great.
The book you should order is called "Fiesty Fido" and it is by Patricia McConnell. You can find it at http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/books-retail.php or at amazon.
It has great tips and techniques for dogs who are leash reactive- who lunge, growl or bite while on leash.
If you have any more questions for me please let email me- cassie [at] danerescue [dot] net
harness
We just use a regular- $15 @ PetSmart - harness and put the leash on the chest loop instead of the back...which is what I believe you are describing with the easy walk harness.
"Bait dogs", I love it!
Jinxie is a different dog on the leash too. I think I've figured it out although I don't have a solution as yet. We have a small neighborhood, and when we're walking, most of the time, we're the only ones out.
When we finally encounter a dog she stands up on her hind legs and barks like crazy. I call it her Grizzly syndrome. She scares the hell out of people although she's never bitten or attacked, they don't know it!
I have found that if I speak to people before she goes off then she's okay, timing is everything...it's totally her territory. She's fine anywhere else.
Lots of good luck!
Ellen, Loyd and of course Jinxie!
Thanks!
I will definately order the book. I watched the dvd on how to properly fit the gentle leader when I first got it, and I think it is fitted correctly but the clasp was undone when it came off, so I think it either malfunctioned or it wasn't completely fastened. I used to walk her with the prong, but it didn't seem to faze her, especially with the lunging and pulling. I will check out the easy walk harness and see if I can get one. Thanks for your suggestions.
just clip to the chest
I do that sometimes too- The only reason I prefer the easy walk is because it is set up so the chest piece can slide side to side a bit so it doesn't pull the whole thing sideways- but a regular one clipped on the chest works too- especially if the easy walk doesn't fit your dogs chest quite right.